Snape, Harry, and DADA

[suehpfan1]

No: HPFGUIDX 138912

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Angela" <anezat at y...> wrote:

Angela:
As I was reading through the posts about Snape and the DADA position, 
something I realized something.  We never see Harry and Snape
interact in DADA class in HBP.  Up until now we have always seen 
Harry and Snape in Potions.  We saw a lot of Harry in Divination.  We 
saw a lot of Harry in DADA with Lupin, Moody/Crouch, and Umbridge. 
*snip* 
I just think it's interesting that Snape has been dying for (or maybe 
killing for) this job, and Harry excels in DADA.  Why don't we see 
some of the action here?  
*snip*

Sue(hpfan):
The only two references we have to Harry in DADA (that I recall) are 
when Harry is writing an essay for Snape and knows he will do poorly 
because he disagrees with Snape about the way to deal with a 
dementor. "Harry fully expected to receive low marks on this, because 
he had disagreed with Snape on the best way to tackle dementors, but 
he did not care:..." US HBP 448.  I saw that as a statement that in 
the Newt level class, Harry was very close to Snape's equal.  In the 
beginning of the book, Harry is disgusted by the way Snape talks 
about the Dark Arts and Hermione points out that he sounds a lot like 
Harry.  Harry took this as a great compliment, mostly because 
Hermione viewed something Harry had said as worth remembering.  (HBP 
US 180).  Also on this page, Harry is able to effectively block 
Snape's attempt to jinx him.  It seems to me JKR was showing them as 
very close in ability, and therefore there would be little of the cat 
and mouse of the potions classes.  Harry was too good.

Sue(hpfan) who will state right here that she is aware that at the 
end of HBP, in a real battle, Snape far outstripped Harry in his 
ability to jinx and block jinxes.  I still think they are basically 
equally skilled.