DD and Snape /Re: Regressed Harry

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 163168

-Alla:
> > But no matter how hard I would try to hypnotize myself, nothing
can convince me that Headmaster was powerless to stop Snape,
unfortunately. So, yeah, in this instance in my book he looks
unquestionably guilty of condoning abuse.

Carol responds:
He is only guilty of condoning abuse if he considers it abuse.
Evidently, he doesn't.

Alla:
> 
> No, all that Dumbledore has to do IMO is to tell Snape - think what 
> you wish about James Potter and his son, but don't you dare treat 
> him other than decently, otherwise you will, I don't know be fired 
> ASAP. I have strong suspicion that Snape will understand perfectly 
> that. I do not believe that he wants to leave Hogwarts, I think even 
> if he DD!M, he really valued DD and Hogwarts walls protection and 
> yeah, I do believe he is capable of making an effort and close his 
> mouth, where Harry is concerned. <snip>
> 
Carol responds:
DD never works that way. He doesn't threaten, which would put him on
the level of Vernon Dursley. He allows people to make their own
choices--and mistakes. He also knows that Harry is not being harmed by
Snape. He can see perfectly that he's a healthy, curious, brave, and
talented boy who is passing all this classes and needs only, say, some
lessons on Patronuses from Lupin or some lessons in Occlumency from
Snape, as well as whatever he learns from practicing spells with
Hermione, to get through the unusual burdens placed on him--that and
his luck and his instincts, which are all that saved him from
Voldemort in the graveyard. But the only emotional damage we see
relating to Snape is Harry's hatred of Snape and his desire for
revenge, both of which will, IMO, be eliminated in DH.

Meanwhile, DD lets Snape teach as he wishes to teach. The Hogwarts
teachers, even Umbridge, choose when and to whom to give detentions,
and Snape's detentions certainly are less dangerous than sending
first-years into the Forbidden Forest to look for injured unicorns.
And the Hogwarts kids are *not* going to learn to deal with unpleasant
people except through encounters with teachers and fellow students.
They spend too little time in the outside world to do that. It's
especially important for students who live with Muggles to be exposed
to dangerous or seemingly dangerous Wizards at Hogwarts as they
certainly won't gain any such exposure at home. It's the same
philosophy that allows them to play hazardous games like Quidditch and
take dangerous classes like COMC or DADA (when it's taught by a
competent teacher). They have to learn these lessons to live in their
world. And facing an "enemy" like Snape will make Harry more resilient
and resourceful in facing the real enemy, Voldemort--if he can get
past his hatred and apply the lessons that Snape has been trying to
teach him. (Thank goodness for that first memorable lesson on Bezoars!)

> Pippin:
> >  Neville will never love Snape's classes, but years 
> > and years of them never put him in the state he was in after
> > just one session with Fake!Moody.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> So, Fake!Moody abuses worse, much worse and that does not make Snape 
> an abuser why? What Catlady said - minus one does not become 
> positive number, even though minus one millions is so much more 
> negative. Neville seemed pretty distressed to me when he came back 
> with frog gut or as we now know *toad gut* under his fingernails.
> 
> And that was repeated many times, but having the teacher as your 
> boggart seems rather strong personification of the child's distress.
> 
> And since we do not have any indication that Neville's boggart 
> changed, I am assuming that JKR wants me to think that it is still 
> Snape. <snip>

Carol:
If Neville hasn't learned that Bellatrix Lestrange is far more
sadistic and far more dangerous than Snape and learned to fear her
rather than him, he's learned nothing at all in the last six years.
I'm pretty sure that facing Bellatrix and being tortured by her in OoP
taught Neville that a lesson in the difference between imaginary and
real danger. If his Boggart is still Snape after he's been Crucio'd by
a fanatical, sadistic Voldie supporter like Bella, then he's got
mental and emotional problems that Snape didn't cause. It was, after
all, Bellatrix and her followers who robbed him of his parents in the
first place, as she took care to remind him--and I'm pretty sure that
he's faced up to that by now. Neither Snape nor Gran is the real
enemy. If Neville doesn't know that by DH, he's dead meat. And I
really hope that's not the case.

Carol, knowing that she hasn't convinced Alla and just expressing her
own view of the matter