Special treatment of Harry or not WAS:Re: Lessons in the book

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 146065

kchuplis wrote:
> It is maybe my one big disappointment in JKR's handling of 
character. To be quite 
> honest it doesn't fit Harry's past behaviour, especially given how 
horrified he really 
> does seem (rightfully so) with the type of curse he just used (yes, 
unknowingly) that 
> he would even hesitate to just submit quietly to Snape's judgement. 
After all, he fully 
> expected to be thrown in Azkaban for blowing up Aunt Marge and this 
was certainly 
> worse than that, really. I think Harry would have shut up and been 
thankful that this 
> was all that happened. Instead he even says he disagrees with the 
punishment. This 
> scene is the one people should be most up in arms about in regard 
to special 
> treatment and I'm very surprised no one's mentioned it.

zgirnius:

(I hope this is not a second post on the same topic...Yahoomort seems 
to have swallowed my firt attempt!)

I, too, was very much struck by this scene. But having now reread the 
chapter a couple of times and having given the matter some thought, I 
disagree that Harry's behavior in it is out of character. As you 
point out, Harry's initial horrified reaction to what he has done is 
very true to our expectations. Everything changes when Snape arrives 
on the scene. I believe that from that point on, Harry's behavior is 
driven not by denial of his own guilt (which he does recognize, for 
example, later that evening when talking with his friends), but by 
his hatred of Snape.

At the end of OotP, Harry decides that Snape is to blame for the 
death of Sirius, which brings his hatred of Snape to a new level. We 
are reminded of this hatred by the narrator in HBP in the first scene 
where Snape appears, when he meets Tonks and Harry at the door to 
Hogwarts. In the first DADA class we are shown, Harry sees Snape's 
opening lecture in the worst light. (Hermione sees it as similar in 
approach to Harry's DA classes.) And he refuses to accord Snape any 
respect as a teacher despite the consequences (his wiseass 
remark 'you don't have to call me "sir"'). The one other mention of 
Snape's class (the dementor essay) again shows Harry refusing to 
accept anything from Snape, and refusing to back down. (We are not in 
a position to evaluate Snape's alternative approach...but Harry was 
certainly in a position to write his essay differently if he so 
chose.) 

So in the Sectumsempra scene, Harry refuses to admit any wrongdoing 
to Snape. In my opinion, because it is Snape, not because he believes 
himself to be in the right. Likewise, Snape has the authority to 
punish Harry, and Harry certainly has to go along in the sense of 
serving whatever detentions he is assigned. But he is not going to 
verbally accept Snape's judgement. Again, because it is Snape.

To me this echoes Harry's interactions with Umbridge in OotP. Not 
because Harry was in the wrong there too. But because he exhibits the 
same stubborn pride in his behavior towards both teachers. (Hermione 
also despises Umbridge. But she does her homework, raises her hand 
and maintains a civil tone in class in her dealings with Umbridge.)

And a few days later, Harry has probably decided that it was not such 
a big deal after all, because Draco is almost immediately back to 
normal. That this is due to Snape's prompt arrival and use of what 
must have been either a powerful healing spell or a specific 
countercurse to Sectumsempra does not seem to cross Harry's mind. 
Which is yet another example of refusing to see anything about Snape 
except his hatred of the man.