Son of Insecure!Snape (Was: prof-student etiquitte + Potions master stuff)

[Nora Renka]

No: HPFGUIDX 112002

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:

Let me poke the hornet's nest...

> SSSusan:

<snip>

> I understand what Nora is saying about insecurity being correlated 
> w/ the DEMAND for respect, the constant reminder that I am a 
> *professor.*  [I hope not to offend anyone with this (and remember 
> that my majors were psych & counseling), but the folks I've 
> encountered who make a POINT of putting "Dr." in the phone book and 
> insisting upon the "PROFESSOR" were the psychology profs!  My 
> thought about this?  Because there's such a debate about psych not 
> being a "true" or "hard" science.]  But I don't think insecurity is 
> the issue with Snape.  I just think he has no patience for those 
> who aren't also, like he is, good at & appreciative of potions.

Actually, I was thinking less of the potions classes and more of such 
things as the Shrieking Shack blowup, but above all, that mishandled 
DADA class taking over for Lupin.  You can't apply the love of 
potions to that one--and there's also the way that JKR-as-author 
retrospectively takes Snape down a peg there, with the kappas thing.

There's also the suggestive but un-canonical Rickman comments posted 
onlist not long ago, about Snape being insecure and envying the 
successful.

But no, I was thinking more about those other large instances where 
debate is shut down, particularly the Hospital Wing scene in PoA.  Of 
course, there *may* be something else at work there, or it may simply 
be that Snape really is that angry.  The readings generally suggest 
that he doesn't do terribly well when people disagree with him, 
unless it's a superior or equal, where he has to deal with it to some 
degree.  Make it someone he has an exercise of power over, and, 
well...

-Nora wants some nice canonical evidence of intentions before she 
gets into another full-scale Snape discussion