They're teenagers

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 125643


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Hannah" <hannahmarder at y...> 
wrote:

Carol:
> > I think it's simply because Hermione was interfering with what he 
> was trying to do. He was interested in what "our new celebrity" did 
> and didn't know, not in receiving the correct answers from another 
> student. It couldn't have been because she was a Muggleborn (how 
> could he have known that?). And she *was* already presenting  
> herself as a know-it-all (though not, of, course as a friend of 
> Harry's).

Hannah:  
> I agree with Carol here.  Hermione's desperation to answer the
> questions alone was probably enough to irritate Snape. And of 
> course, he didn't *want* the corrrect answers here (and no doubt 
> assumed that no one would know them and try to give them).  He 
> wanted to show Harry up.  Letting Hermione answer was the last 
> thing he wanted to do.

Geoff:
I nearly replied to Carol earlier today in connection with Snape 
wanting to know what Harry did and did not know.

I think that Hannah has put her finger on the heart of the matter - 
he wanted to show Harry up.

In my 30 years experience  as a teacher, I would never have treated a 
new pupil in that way. You would find out by putting questions to the 
group as a whole and trying to vary them so that you got a cross-
section of what they knew; they would be coming form several 
different schools and would be at different points in the work.

I still find it surprising after many readings of PS that Snape lets 
his ill-feeling towards James to allow him to alienate Harry right 
from the word go.

Geoff 
Visit http://www.aspectsofexmoor.com
for  views of  the Exmoor National Park and the 
locomotives of the  West Somerset Railway.