The Unloved Son (was Re: Could I be wrong about Snape being evil?)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 156705

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "wynnleaf" <fairwynn at ...>
wrote:
>
 But since DD really spends very
> little actual time with Harry, compared to what must certainly be a
> good deal more time with Snape, it seems doubtful that that kind of
> jealousy would be at such overpowering heights as to be the primary
> fuel for Snape's hatred of Harry.
>
>

Well, by the time you get to a hatred that intense and long-
standing, I'm not so sure that "primary" and "secondary" reasons are
very important anymore.  Everything gets mixed together in one
complex of bitterness and dislike.  Certainly memories of James play
a role.  So do the stresses on Snape from whatever his mission is.
So does the psychology of what goes on in the Snape-Dumbledore-Harry
triangle.

And maybe, to expand the point I made about Occlumency, the root
cause of Dumbledore's mistake is in assuming that Snape's dislike of
Harry IS a simple thing, or more likely his mistake was in wanting
to BELIEVE that Snape's dislike is a simple thing.  And maybe if it
really was that simple, Snape really would have been able to
compartmentalize those feelings for the good of the cause.

But, given this particular line of reasoning, things aren't that
simple.  It isn't just about James.  It's about Harry.  And about
Dumbledore.  And about Voldemort.  And about any number of other
things -- perhaps even Lily, who knows?

I think maybe Dumbledore thought, "Aha!  I need Severus to do this,
but this presents a great opportunity.  Once he really sees inside
Harry's mind and realizes he isn't the second coming of James, he
will be able to deal with his feelings."

But, once again, it isn't that simple.  Harry may not be the second
coming of James, but he's a lot of other things.  He's DD's favorite
for whom Severus is forced to take on a dangerous and extremely
distasteful duty.  He's a poor student [from Snape's perspective]
that DD is probably going to praise anyway.  He's the student for
whose sake DD humiliated Slytherin House back in SS/PS.  He is a
reminder of any number of things.  And yes, James gets dragged in as
well, because it's all tied together.

DD's position, one we often see in life when two of our friends
don't like each other, is, "When you really get to know him, you'll
get over it."

Snape's position, which is the standard response, is "I do know him,
thank you very much, and I don't like him, thank you very much more."


Lupinlore, who stresses that none of this means he's moved one iota
from his position concerning Snape's eventual punishment for his
abuse of Harry and Neville