Snape's Cruelty Has Purpose (Was Re: lily/snape)

[Deb]

No: HPFGUIDX 150536

(Snip) 
> Angie here:
> 
> Well, Snape is quite nasty to Ron, too.  I've always thought that 
his 
> cruelty toward Harry and Neville in particular was at least 
partially 
> for his own protection -- if LV can always tell if he's being lied 
to 
> or somehow broke into Snape's mind, wouldn't it be necessary that 
he 
> see Snape being nasty to Harry and Neville and whoever else 
supports 
> DD?  Wouldn't Snape be expected to be nasty to Neville, in 
> particular, given that Neville's parents supported DD and their 
> torture landed some DEs in Azkaban?  
> 
> I understand that Snape could remove his incriminating 
> memories/thoughts and put them in the Pensieve (certain 
conversations 
> with DD, I presume, for example) but it would look suspicious if 
> Snape didn't have something to show LV, wouldn't it?

Deb here:

**Applause** for Angie! YES this is what I have been thinking too. 
Snape >has to< be nasty to Harry and Neville (and Ron and Hermione 
by extension) just to preserve his undercover spy status with LV. 
And he can not remove too many memories or LV would surely spot the 
gaps and dig even deeper into Snape's memories - and probably in 
ways that would be similar to what he did to poor Bertha. Snape is 
an excellent actor/Occulmens/master of several magical 
specialties ... but he also is as human as anyone else in the 
Wizarding World and his memory/brain works in the same way everyone 
elses does. I think Snape was very angry and upset when Harry 
pursuaded the Sorting Hat to put him in Griffindor that first night 
at Hogwarts... if Harry had gone along with the Sorting Hat Snape's 
life would have been much much easier!! After all even LV would 
understand that a House Master has to be nice to his students .... 
at least once in a while. Just that one little choice of Harry's has 
caused Snape a whole lot of headache, frustration, and worry. Plus 
if Snape truly is DDM!Snape (as I strongly suspect he is, though I 
know others disagree) he could have kept a much closer guard on 
Harry under the guise of being his House Master.  
  From the night of James and Lily's murders to the time Harry came 
to Hogwarts Snape had it fairly easy... he could be surly, testy, 
demanding of his Potions students ... but he could also be a real 
teacher and reward excellence when he saw it (I doubt that LV was 
much interested in relatively "ancient history" vis a vis Snape's 
class room doings prior to Harry coming to Hogwarts)... I keep 
coming back to the canonical fact that Bill, Percy, and several 
others from known DD supporting families passed their Potions OWLs 
with flying colors... and I strongly suspect that F & G were taking 
NEWTs Potions before they precipitously exited from formal 
education. And I think that Snape struggles very hard knowing that 
Harry needs to know Potions but he Snape can not tell him in a kind 
way ... in a way that Harry will listen to... what he needs to know 
and why.  One of the memories I suspect Snape puts into the Pensieve 
when he goes to see LV after HBP is the one where Harry actually 
thwarts his Legilmens attempt by using the Shield Charm. He actually 
breaks down and says "Well done, Potter"... very OOC for the Snape 
we know and love or love to hate.        
 
> (Angie here) As Katsirrius noted, it seems like part of Snape's 
caustic remarks or 
> insults are also geared toward Harry and Neville's shoddy work.   
The 
> question is:  why does Snape care if Harry and Neville don't learn 
> potions?  Because they need to learn it!  Granted, Snape's not 
> motivating them in the right way (and really can't), but if they 
> would listen properly and actually apply themselves, Snape just 
might 
> be able to teach them something that would help them.  (Bezoar, 
> anyone?) And I think Snape is trying to do that.  For instance, at 
> the end of HBP, even as Snape is trying to make his escape and is 
> arguing with Harry, he still provides Harry instruction on using 
> nonverbal spells.

Deb again:
 Not just teaching him still, but still protecting him from himself -
 preventing him from using an Unforgivable Curse - preventing him 
from damaging his soul! And if as discussed here Snape has been 
protecting Harry all along, AND spying on LV for the OOP, AND taking 
on who knows what other dangerous assignments for DD ... no wonder 
Snape had his last straw broken - bet he also Penseives the memory 
of screaming "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!"  
 
 
>(Angie again) Part of Snape's cruelty toward Harry has also emerged 
when Harry has 
> acted recklessly and put himself in danger, like in POA and GOF 
when 
> Harry is wandering around the castle unprotected after hours.  
Again, 
> though he couldn't express it in a positive way, Snape was still 
> trying to protect Harry, I believe.
> 
> Don't get me wrong --  I think Snape is either the world's 
greatest 
> actor or he actually does enjoy taunting them some.  But I do 
think 
> he's trying to help them, as well.  Perhaps Snape's impatience is 
due 
> in part to his belief/knowledge that his own days at HW were 
numbered 
> and that he had to teach them all he could while he could and they 
> didn't seem to get it?


Deb again:
  Yes I agree with you on this too. 

Deb (aka djklaugh) - who truly wonders who Snape is when he is at 
home ... without Wormtail around to tell tales. And who thinks 
Snape's Patronus might just be a chameleon