Draco's anger (was Snape and Occlumency)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 121825


> Carol responds:
Unfortunately, grief is no excuse for bad behavior, whether for Draco
or for Harry. And Harry admits, quite calmly, that he was considering
what hex to hit Draco with. Snape as a teacher can't let this go. He
has to follow standard procedure and deduct house points.


Alla:

OK, let's for the sake of argument assume that I agree that Snape 
did that for the sake of maintaining standard procedure.

Why didn't he punish Draco then? Although I guess you can argue  
that he did not see that Draco started all this. IMO, Snape saw the 
whole scene and either chose to be nice to Draco because of his 
grief or was just being his usual nasty self to Harry.


JMO, of course.


Carol:

We then get the nice little scene in which McGonagall returns, Snape
welcomes her back with what seems like genuine good feeling, she add
house points (including, with some reluctance, fifty for Ravenclaw),
and then *herself* deducts the ten points for Harry's misbehavior 
even though she, like Snape, is almost certainly aware of Harry's 
loss. And Snape quietly accepts the 250 points she has added for 
Gryffindor. His behavior on his occasion either exhibits remarkable 
self-control or a genuine recognition that the Gryffindors (and 
Luna) deserve those points. None of which takes away from the fact 
that Harry, having  broken the rules, deserves the standard 
punishment. Moreover, Snape would have had to explain to Draco and 
the Slytherins why Harry wasn't punished for an overt infraction of 
the rules.

Alla:


Mcgonagall does not speak ill of her colleagues, ever. Unless it is 
Umbridge, of course. :o)

She did a very professional thing and may I ask how Snape could NOT 
to accept the points? I believe what one teacher deducts or gives  
stands that way(Correct me if I am wrong) Of course he could have 
deducted 250 points I suppose, but I suspect that he did not want to 
look like an idiot in front of Minerva, whom again I suspect he 
genuinely respects.



Carol:

A teacher who bends the rules out of sympathy for a student,
especially uncharacteristically as would have been the case with
Snape, is likely to lose the respect of students who expect the rules
to be enforced. Snape would have his hands ful with unruly Slytherins
had he allowed Harry to go unpunished. And it wouldn't have increased
Harry's respect for him to do so, either.


Alla:

Same question - why didn't he punish Draco then? And since Harry 
respect for him is close to nonexistent, I don't think it would have 
mattered much one way or another.

I wanted to see Snape do a decent thing for Snape's sake , not 
Harry's, I doubt anything would have changed in Harry's mood that 
instant in regards to Snape.



Just my opinion,

Alla