Favorite Snape Scenes - He's such a lovely professor, no really.

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 122200


>>vmonte responds:
>[entire outstanding post snipped -- wonderful illustrations directly 
from canon of just how horrible Snape has been to Harry and the other 
Gryffindors]

>>Vivamus:
>Most of the theories about Severus really do seem to leave out his 
behavior, don't they?<

Betsy:
I'd like to think that I tackled Snape's behavior head on in my 
post.  I don't try and say Snape is nice, I don't try and say he's 
fair, and I don't suggest he's not a scary teacher.  I used some of 
the very examples vmonte brought up to support my theory.  

I think the deal breaker on both sides of the argument is, can you 
accept that a person can be good, can fight on the side of good, and 
still have some nasty habits and bad social skills?  Obviously, I 
think this is possible.  Others, just as obviously, disagree.  

>>Vivamus:
>The only justification I can see for his behavior towards the 
Gryffindors is that he is acting as a spy again, pretending to be a 
loyal DE, and so must be consistently nasty towards them where the 
Slytherins will see it.  It's hard to see him doing that, with DD 
publicly testifying that he was a spy, but I suppose LV could think 
him a double, since he DIDN'T successfully warn the Potters, and he 
could be a double-double, but that seems weird, too. Who would trust 
someone like that?  LV is no fool.<

Betsy:
I do think Snape is a spy.  I don't think he's a double agent.  The 
open court testimony of Dumbledore *is* a problem, I agree.  (Though 
I wonder if it *was* an open court.  The amount of witches and 
wizards suggest it was, though Rita Skeeter wasn't there, so maybe no 
reporters were there at all, which would suggest the court was in 
fact closed.)  But Lucius Malfoy appears to accept Snape (as per 
Draco and Umbridge anyway) and I can't see him being friendly with a 
traitor of his Dark Lord. 

>>Vivamus: 
>OTOH, it really doesn't fit with his being evil, does it?  If he 
were evil, he would try to hide it by treating Potter and the 
Gryffindors better, wouldn't he -- just as Crouch!Moody did, right up 
until the end.<

Betsy:
Yes! Thank you!  This is indeed my point! Evil, in these books, is so 
often disguised as attractive and good, that Snape with all of his 
obvious prickles just doesn't fit the profile.
  
>>Vivamus: 
> The real thing that sticks in my craw about Severus is that he 
*still* treats Harry horribly when they are alone, even when he 
*knows* Harry truly IS a hero, and when he knows Harry is smart 
enough not to go blabbing to others that SS is really a good guy.  I 
think that adds up to SS being mean, petty, vindictive, and 
unforgiving, but also to his being broken from something that 
happened a long time ago that he cannot forget or let go.<

Betsy:
I think Snape does *not* think Harry is smart.  I think he thinks 
Harry acts with typical Gryffindor bravado and headstrong 
carelessness and that Harry has just scrapped through his various 
adventures by the skin of his teeth.

There are definitely some "James issues" going on with Snape, but I 
don't think it colors his thinking as much as some think it does.  I 
think Snape is more interested in getting Harry to *think* and to 
actually *listen* to his elders, than in some school-boy vendetta.  

The fasinating thing for me is how *alike* Snape and Harry actually 
are.  Harry has much more in common with Snape than James.  I think 
that if they were able to get past their issues, Snape and Harry 
could make quite a good team.  But they both have a lot of issues to 
get past.  So I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best! :)

Betsy