Snape and Harry again.

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 113186

> Alla:
> 
> I said that many times, I am positive that Harry will forgive 
Snape  at the end, even if he still behaves as a sadist, BUT what 
do you  mean "Harry forgive himself for being frightened of 
Snape"? Do you  mean that Harry was wrong somehow to be 
frightened of him?<

That Harry wasn't wrong to be frightened of him is my point. 
Feelings aren't right or wrong, they just are. Harry is frightened of 
Snape and  he thinks it's wrong to feel that fear.  So he tries to 
show, with his petty defiance, that he's not afraid. But who is he 
fooling? Mostly himself, I think.

If Harry could forgive  himself for being  afraid of Snape, not 
detentions, not sarcasm, but Snape himself, then maybe he 
could realize how irrational that fear really is.  And it is
irrational. What's Snape ever done to Harry, except make him 
look bad in front of the Slytherins? And it's not as though they 
were ever going to be paid up members of the Harry Potter fan 
club in the first place.

Harry, like Neville, needs to learn to laugh at his fear of Snape.   
But he won't do that, as long as he can't forgive himself for being 
afraid in the first place. As Lupin said, Harry's great fear is fear.

But if he could manage it, then, maybe, Harry wouldn't be so 
invested in defying Snape.   Talking back to Snape was 
harmless except that it aggravated Snape even more, but when 
the defiance extended to not practicing occlumency, it had 
serious consequences (no pun intended.)  

Pippin