In Defense of Snape (long)

[festuco]

No: HPFGUIDX 122069


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Hester Prinn
<horridporrid03 at y...> wrote:

> I can feel you itching to bring up Neville.  Why oh why does Snape
pick on poor Neville?  On the very first day of class Neville manages
to melt Seamus's cauldron, cover himself in boils and burn holes in
the shoes of his fellow students.  Oh and the class, she was
disrupted.  Neville's first impression was not a good one.  And I did
say that Professor Snape is not a nice man.   However, Harry notes
that Neville seems happy during their potions practical for the
O.W.L's (ibid pg. 716).  Which suggests that Neville may have actually
done all right on his exam   Which would suggest that despite his not
so nice methods, Snape is still one heck of a teacher.
>


Actually Snape has done Neville a great favour by bullying him all
those years, though I don't know whether or not it was intentionally.
We know that Neville is a poor student, with great lack of
self-confidence. He also is rather clumsy. So potions would have been
hard for him any way. Exams for these kinds of students are usually
something in which they perform worse, because of nerves. Letting
things fall out of their hands, mixing up measures, the usual. But for
Neville, that does not hold true. Potions without Snape? Huuuuuuuuge
improvement. No matter it is an exam, there's no Snape to fear in
sight! This is the most relaxing potions environment in Neville's
whole school career. I think when he gets his OWL result he will be
very pleasantly surprised. 

Gerry