Draco's anger - A Fair and Balanced View

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 122042


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...>
wrote:

> 
> Potioncat:
> I think JKR went out of her way to show that Snape was not there 
> when the conversation started and only came out of the dungeon as 
> Harry was drawing his wand. 
> 
> Snape may have had good reason to suspect Malfoy started it. He may 
> have had good reason to think Potter started it.  But it's in 
> character for him to punish the Gryffindor student, not the 
> Slytherin.  We also do not know what would have happened if 
> McGonagall hadn't come in.  He could have sent them ont their way, 
> with a warning about fighting. He could have sent Harry to bed 
> without supper. At any rate, by this time, what's 10 little points? 
> It isn't detention.
> 
> I think he was breaking up a fight and protecting Harry and Draco 
> from each other.  I don't think he was harrassing Harry.

bboyminn:

Amazing how our own personal emotions can cloud or color a particular
scene for each different individual.

Here is my read on that last scene.

First, Harry didn't pull his wand with the real intent of
cursing/hexing Draco. Draco made the first move, and as always, Harry
was more than willing to defend himself. But in the absense of a
direct and clear intent on Draco's part, I'm confident Harry wouldn't
have thrown the first curse.

Next, regarding Snape's punishment, I don't really think that was for
fighting. It was for Harry's snarky attitude. When Snape entered the
Entrance Hall and asked what was going on, a wise student would have
pocketed his wand and said, 'nothing'. In that case, Snape would have
told them all to move along. 

Instead, with a definite case of attitude, Harry said he was trying to
decide what curse to use on Draco. Not a wise thing to say to any
teacher and certainly not wise to say to Snape, but I'm sure at that
point every last nerve Harry had was stretched to the limit, and he
was in no mood to keep his attitude in check for anyone. 

So, it was for Harry's smart mouth and cheeky attitude that Snape took
the 10 points. Snape then took additional glee in pointing out the
Gryffindor had no more points to take.

In addition, there wasn't a fight. If Draco and Harry really wanted to
go to it, they would have done it. And if Harry, who got his wand out
first, really wanted to curse Draco, then Draco would have been
cursed. But I say again, that Harry's only real intent, relative to
Draco, was to defend himself. 

When Snape arrive, instead of defusing the situation, Harry inflamed
it, and paid a price for that; a price for his 'cheek', not for any
real intent to curse/hex.

All and all, I don't think the encounter between Snape and Harry was
the point of that scene. I think Draco's anger and bitterness toward
Harry was the real point; a point of foreboding. The arrival of Snape
followed by the arrival of McGonagall were there to lighten the scene
and create a distraction from the foreshadowed increased hostility
between Harry and Draco.

So, overal, I think people have overblown this scene, and missed the
real point. Harry wasn't going to Hex anyone other than in his own
self-defense. Snape took 10 points, get over it; ten points is not a
big deal. Harry inflamed the situation with his snarky comment, and
could have gotten away with no punishment if he had simply played it
cool. Admittedly and understandable, Harry was in no mood to play it
cool with anyone.


> 
> 
> I know Snape is a real jerk.  I don't argue that.  But I don't think 
> he was torturing Harry in this scene.
>
> Potioncat

bboyminn concludes:

I think it was Del who said that Snape was not being especially nasty
in this scene. He was simply a teacher doing his job; admittedly in a
very Snapely way. True, other's would have been more sympathetic
toward Harry. But, also, Harry would have been far less likely to
'smart-ass' any of the other teachers. And logically, Snape is not a
teacher that it is wise to 'smart-mouth' under any circumstances.

Again, the heart of the scene was Draco's new more inflamed more
dnagerous attitude toward Harry, and I think in the next book the 10
point will have been forgotten, but Draco will certainly not have
forgotten.

Just one man's opinion.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)