DD and Snape /Re: Regressed Harry

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 163181

> Pippin:
> It was relevant to the reason that Snape lost his temper and threw
> Harry out of his office. I can't hypnotize myself into thinking 
> any threat could have forced Snape to keep his temper under those 
> circumstances.
> 
> If Dumbledore had had to follow through on your threat and sack
> Snape, then there would have been no one at Hogwarts to warn the
> Order and save Harry and his friends from the DE's. There'd have
> been no one to save Katie or Dumbledore from the ring curse, and
> maybe no one to make all those potions Hermione was taking at the
> end of OOP. I'd say there was something seriously wrong with 
> Dumbledore's priorities if that had happened. 

Alla:

Um, I thought you said that Dumbledore cannot threaten Snape, 
because his wounds run too deep. That what I was questioning. I 
thought that should make Dumbledore in your view treat Snape more 
gently, regardless of what suffering he causes to the kids. That was 
not what you were arguing? Could you clarify, please?

Oh, and  somebody else could have been there, really. I mean, 
another potion master or Dark Arts teacher? I don't think I need to 
bring up every time that I understand story based reasons for Snape 
being there, but  if DD hired somebody else, why not?


 > Pippin:
> But the value of the zero point is arbitrary. Negative degrees 
Celsius can 
> be positive degrees Fahrenheit. <SNIP> 
> They have to be exposed to real jerks for the same reason. Wizards
> aren't honest with themselves about the way they treat their 
> inferiors. They like to think they're noble and beneficent beings,
> they fill their textbooks and their newspapers with lies, so how
> are Muggleborns, who are already thinking they've landed in
> some kind of fairytale wonderworld, going to grasp the truth if
> Dumbledore doesn't rub their noses in it?
<SNIP>

Alla:

Huh? Huh?  So, when eleven year old comes to class and thinks he 
comes to learn potions what he really comes to learn is how to deal 
with bastard?


> Alla:
>  Neville seemed pretty distressed to me when he came back 
> > with frog gut or as we now know *toad gut* under his fingernails.
> 
> Pippin:
> This is the same narrator who told us Harry's parents died in a car
> crash. I have no doubt Harry thought it was toad guts, which
> JKR may have changed frog guts to make it crystal clear that it was
> Harry's point of view. If Snape can be wrong about kappas,
> surely Harry can be wrong about lizards.
> 
> As we know,  JKR receives zillions of letters questioning her
> about every aspect of the books. We can bet this matter was 
> brought to her or her editor's attention.
> 
> In any case, JKR obviously passed up a chance to change 'horned
> toad' to something less ambiguous, and the logical conclusion 
> would be that it says exactly what she wants it to say. 

Alla:

LOLOLOL. Okay, that is your privilege to think that.   Why would her 
editor even bring that to her attention? Even if he did, in her 
worlds werewolves are not quite what they are in folklore, no?
Somebody told me that these Horned creatures do not even exist in 
the UK( cannot guarantee the accuracy, but this guy is pretty much 
Hermione type, should convince you ;)), so  why should it be obvious?

Personally, I saved Neri's post in my all time favorite posts and am 
just going to refer people to it it every time this question comes 
up. To me it is absolutely clear that JKR decided to make them toads
and for crystal clear reason as well.

I don't think it is ambigious for her. I mean "toads" and "toads". 
That was the first thing that came to the mind of almost all of my 
colleagues. Thanks for the morning laugh, Pippin.

 
> Alla: 
> > And that was repeated many times, but having the teacher as your 
> > boggart seems rather strong personification of the child's 
distress.
> 
> Pippin:
> I ask again, why is this significant when Hermione's boggart is
> also a teacher? 

Alla:

Huh? Because Hermione was afraid of failing? 

 
> Alla:
> > 
> > Thinking the worst of the child before you got to know him - 
> > **that** is prejudice indeed IMO, thinking the worst of your 
abuser 
> > **after** you interacted with him is the only possible, 
realistic 
> > way of thinking IMO. What Harry thinks of Snape is triggered by 
what 
> > Snape did to Harry, so I do not see how it can be called 
prejudice.
> 
> Pippin:
> Harry went into Snape's first class already thinking that 
Slytherins
> looked a hard lot, and that Snape always favored his own students.
> He also believed that Snape looking at him had made his scar hurt
> and that all dark wizards came from Slytherin. 
> 
> He'd have been surprised if Snape had treated him decently, just
> like Slughorn was surprised that a Muggleborn could be an 
> outstanding witch.
<SNIP>

Alla:

And narrator through Harry also tells us that Snape had a gift for 
keeping class quiet, does not sound to me that he had any reason to 
dislike Snape. When I was in school if I thought about teacher that 
way, that everybody listened to him, I usually thought that teacher 
was cool and subject was interesting, unless of course teacher would 
have done something horrible to me later on. ( Did not happen :))


Pippin:
<SNIP> 
> Sluggie didn't think he was prejudiced, of course. But he was.
> 
> Harry doesn't think he's prejudiced. But he never asked himself
> if there could be any other reason for Snape's behavior except
> that Snape chose to hate him, even now when he's been told 
> there are others. 

Alla:

One of those reasons ( I am not convinced that there are others) is 
that Snape indeed hates him ( unless you are into Actor!Snape) of 
course, so what again is prejudicial about Harry thinking that Snape 
hates him?


 
> Alla: 
> > I mean, even after Snape saves his life in PS/SS dear Albus 
steps in 
> > and pretty much tells the kid that it was only because Snape 
felt 
> > indebted to James and wanted to hate James' memory in piece.
> 
> Pippin:
> Where does Dumbledore say "only because" ? 

Alla:

He gives other reasons?