How could Slytherin House have helped Harry? Snape?

[littleleahstill]

No: HPFGUIDX 121675


Del wrote:

So what if Snape had developed a positive prejudice towards Harry?
What if in turn Harry had learned to see Snape in a more positive
light, especially considering DD's support and approval of Snape? What
would this positive relationship have brought to Harry?

Let's imagine :
- no Snape systematically pitting his own House against Harry's House
- no Draco leading an entire House in an anti-Harry crusade
- no Snape continually trying to stop Harry from doing whatever he has
to do, and maybe even *helping* him do so!
- no Scapegoat!Snape to wrong-track Harry way too often
- Snape personally and voluntarily training Harry into all sorts of
more or less authorised magical arts. That would have meant no
Occlumency disaster for example.
- a powerful teacher always available to help Harry.

Of course, there would have been some drawbacks too:
- no Weasley friends
- no all-knowledgeable Hermione
- no Marauders' Map
- no Sirius! Both because Sirius would have been much less interested
in a Slytherin!Harry, and because Snape would have told Harry too many
bad things about Sirius for Harry ever to come to love Sirius the way
he did
- probably no Lupin either, though Harry might have been able to judge
Lupin on his own.


Leah:

No Weasley friends...hmm.  Harry had already met and bonded with Ron 
on the train, and, as you point out, had already met and not bonded 
with Draco.  Given the anti-Slytherin sentiments already installed in 
Harry, he is likely to have  tried to continue the budding friendship 
with Ron.  If that worked, and it might have done if Harry had been 
desperate enough, then access to the other Weasleys would follow.  
Harry would increase his chances of Gryffindor friendships if he led 
an anti-Draco coterie within Slytherin, something he would be 
inclined to do anyway.

no-all knowledgeable Hermione.... Since Ron and Harry would not have 
been doing Charms together, the know-it all incident which led to the 
troll rescue would have to take place after potion or COMC, but 
providing Ron and Harry sustain a friendship, it would still seem 
possible.  If no friendship formed between HHR, then perhaps 
Hermione, hardly Miss Popular in PS/SS, might have applied for a 
transfer to Ravenclaw. In Ravenclaw, she might have gone on to form 
an interhouse friendship with Harry- or a friendship with Cho and 
therefore Cedric.   

no Marauders Map- depends on Weasley friendship-see above

no Sirius....I would have to agree with this one, but as you say 
there's also Lupin.  And if Harry could judge Lupin as you suggest, 
perhaps the two of them might be able to persuade an already more 
amenable Snape.

What we would have out of all of that is the possibility of a lot 
more interhouse friendship, and a lot less judging people because of 
their house or background.  In other words, what must happen by the 
end, happening at the beginning!

One other major drawback of Slytherin-Harry occurs to me.  If James 
is no longer his hero, what happens to the patronus?

Leah