Snape as father figure

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 130944

> Amanda:
 
(2) Okay, Alla's turn. She (she?) said she was asking me a 
question and then instead stated an opinion. I'll do my best.

 
Alla:
 
Yes, it was me. Sorry about that. I think my question was supposed 
to be is whether you are finding any signs of Snape's objectivity 
towards Harry in canon and then I indeed stated my opinion that I 
don't see any. Sorry for being unclear.

 
Alla wrote earlier:
<SNIP>
> 
If you don't argue that Dumbledore is wrong though, I think his
words effectively foreclose ANY kind of objectivity that Snape 
can have towards Harry.
 
Amanda: 
I don't think Dumbledore's wrong at all. I don't think Snape can 
overcome his feelings about James. Dumbledore didn't say "Snape 
can't overcome his feelings about *you* because you're James' son"--
he said "about your father."

 
Alla:
 
Wait, wait a second. Dumbledore says that in direct response to 
Harry's accusations that Snape did not teach him Occlumency 
effectively, so yes I read this quote  as "Snape could not overcome 
his feelings about James,  and THAT IS WHY he could not teach you 
Occlumency effectively"

In other words, Snape could not teach Harry because he could not 
overcome his feelings about James and transferred them on Harry ( 
You are just like your father, Potter...)

I wonder did Snape seriously thought that Harry will go and tell his 
friends about what he saw in the Pensieve?
If it is so, then I think Snape should have take a look at more 
memories of Harry's life. 

 
Again, I am not saying that other interpretation is not possible, it 
is just to me this one seems as an obvious. JMO, of course.
 
 
Amanda:
<SNIP>
And lastly, I think we are wrong to infer that Dumbledore knows 
everything that happened with Harry, Snape, and the Pensieve. My 
personal thought is that Snape did not tell Dumbledore what 
happened, because I can't imagine Dumbledore would not have told 
Harry how wrong that was. I think  Snape just went to Dumbledore and 
said something like, "I'm sorry, every time  I look at
Harry I see James and I just can't handle it, I can't keep teaching 
him,it's giving me ulcers." I can't imagine Snape would want anyone 
to know any more about his private humiliation; it was clearly 
painful to him and I doubt he wanted to discuss it, even to the 
point of telling Dumbledore. SO,what Dumbledore says to Harry may 
well be based on incomplete information.

 
Alla:
 
You are speculating that Dumbledore does not know  about everything 
what happened on, right? ( I am not being sarcastic, I may have 
forgotten where it stated to the contrary in canon) and I love 
speculating, just want to be clear.
 
Dumbledore says that he "knows about that", so I think it is 
possible that he indeed knows everything what happened during the 
lessons.
 
And I don't know about him scolding Harry about looking into Snape's 
pensieve. Especially, if say Dumbledore used a little Legilimency on 
Snape and found out that he left it out on purpose  in order for 
Harry to see  how bad James really was to poor Severus. Yes, I am 
just speculating here too. :-)
> 
Seriously though, Dumbledore had very mild reaction as to Harry 
looking into his Pensieve.
 
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.
Dumbledore shook his head. "Curiousity is not a sin," he said. "But 
we should exercise caution with our curiosity... yes, indeed" - GoF, 
paperback, p.598.
 
 
So, I would think that even if Dumbledore knows everything that 
happened,  his assesment of the situation is quite correct.
 
Oh, one more thing. When I reread this quote from GoF, I SO wanted 
to slap Snape again. Harry apologises to Dumbledore right away for 
doing it, I think he would have done the same to Snape, if he 
would ... I don't know give him couple of minutes before throwing 
him out of the office.
 

Amanda:
Did that answer?
 
> Alla:
 
I cannot move closer to your interpretation, but at least now I sort 
of see how such intepretation can be made in the first place.
 
Thank you.
 
 
Just my opinion,
 
Alla.