Does Snape hate Harry? (was:Re: TBAY: Definitely NOT a Snape Theory)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 145302

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> What Faith neglected to clarify (always blame the personification,
> that's my motto <g>) is the way she was using the term "explain". 
> You see, the way Faith and I were using it, there's a big          
> difference between a statement like "Theory A *explains* canon     
> fact B" and (as you wrote above regarding DDM) "Theory A *allows* 
> for canon fact B". The second statement is almost always true if   
> you are creative enough. 

Betsy Hp:
Faith sure is one smart chick. (Or should credit go to the author? 
<g>) This is beautifully concise way to weigh the strength of 
various theories.

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> Now, after this long clarification of terms, let's go back to      
> Snape's hatred for Harry. A basic assumption of DDM is that        
> Snape's remorse about his part in the death of James and/or Lily   
> is genuine. Even more than genuine, it is so strong that even      
> today, 15 years later, DDM!Snape constantly risks himself and, as 
> Pippin put it, would sacrifice his life for Dumbledore's cause.    
> Such Choices would show the present day DDM!Snape to be an         
> extremely moral person, despite his past mistakes that he now     
> deeply regrets. Such a moral person don't "just hate" an innocent 
> 11 years old kid. Most surely not the orphan of the very parents   
> that that moral person feels such remorse about. If such a moral   
> person just can't help feeling this hate, then logically he'd be   
> ashamed of it and try to hide it, most especially from that kid   
> himself. He wouldn't revel in such hate, he wouldn't make it his   
> flag. He'd surely try not to allow it to hurt the very cause he's 
> risking everything for. IMHO, Snape's hatred for Harry doesn't    
> follow directly from the DDM basic assumption. Sure, DDM can allow 
> for it, if you are creative enough.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
This is where I think I differ from a lot of folks, including the 
DDM!Snape people.  I don't think Snape actually hates Harry.  I know 
*Harry* is positive Snape hates him, is sure of it from the very 
first book.  But I just don't buy it.  It doesn't make sense for a 
grown man to hate a boy on first sight.  No matter how much Harry 
resembles James.  And Harry is generally wrong when it comes to 
Snape, anyway.

But Harry may very well invoke a lot of guilt in Snape.  Especially 
if he feels responsible for Harry's being an orphan.  And Snape is 
just the sort of person to take his guilt and turn it into anger.  
He's not going to weep on Harry's shoulder.  And he's not going to 
be tender.  So he's incredibly, impossibly, hard on Harry.  In a 
sense Snape is being defensive.  Just as a parent will come down 
incredibly hard on a child who's scared the dickens out of them, 
Snape comes down incredibly hard on Harry and Harry defines Snape's 
actions as those of hate.

Because you're absolutely correct, Neri.  There's no explanation for 
DDM!Snape hating Harry.  But there is an explanation for DDM!Snape 
to feel a whole boatload of guilt around Harry.  And while I think 
this does fall more into the "allow" side of the scale, a guilty 
Snape could well act like a hating Snape, especially in Harry's 
eyes.  (Do any of the Potterverse adults think Snape hates Harry?  I 
think McGonagall or Lupin or even Dumbledore would have a pretty 
good idea of Snape's views towards Harry.)

Betsy Hp