Snape and Harry again.

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 113965

Pippin wrote:
> 
> >>  I do not see how somebody so committed to Our Side that he 
> > has Dumbledore's trust, and who  could leave Voldemort's 
> > service when Voldemort was *winning,* can be motivated by 
> > sheer cruelty.  Saying that Snape is just a nasty man who hates 
> > kids and can't tell Harry from James doesn't explain things for 
> > me.
> > 
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I DON'T think that Snape is motivated by sheer cruelty as to all 
his  actions, or at least I HOPE he is NOT.
> I even hope that Snape had some noble (or at least close to noble) 
> reasons for leaving Voldemort.
> 
> But I definitely think that cruelty is one of his motivations in 
> regard to Harry and I don't see how one contradicts another.


Potioncat:
There are some scenes in the book that I think can be explained, but 
certainly not all of them.  Looking only at SS/PS up to the first 
lesson (but drawing on info from OoP)

1. We're told that students are whispering, pointing, backtracking, 
craning their necks to get a better look at the famous Harry Potter.

2.  (and this will sound silly)  Harry's hair looks just like James' 
hair.  And we know James went to great length to make it look like 
that. We also know Harry has gone to great length to stop it from 
looking like that, but Snape doesn't know that.

3. Harry looked at Snape the first night and winced...which may be 
just to let us think Snape made it hurt...but did it make Snape 
think Harry was making faces?  

4.  (Here is the greatest longshot) Could Draco have complained 
loudly that Potter had rebuffed his gesture of friendship?  Making 
Harry appear stuck up?

5. Everyone seems to expect Harry to be like Lily and James.  It's 
just that everyone else remembers them walking on water. Later 
Sirius will be angry that Harry isn't more like James.


I'm only saying for that first class, Snape may have entered upon it 
thinking, incorrectly that Potter was full of himself. Whether he 
just particularly enjoys bringing the mighty down, or whether he 
thinks it's important that Harry be grounded for the upcoming 
war...who knows?

I'm interested in seeing what JKR does with Snape, particularly 
since he is based (to a degree) on a teacher she had. 


Something else that I find interesting, and it may just be for no 
reason at all.  Snape taunts Harry with questions that very few 
students would know.  Why are the Slytherins laughing?  Why are they 
so sure Snape won't pick on them?  After all, as far as we know, 
they don't know him any better than the Gryffindors know McGonagall.

Potioncat