Snape, Apologies, and Redemption--Lupin vs. DD

[Tara Tierney]

No: HPFGUIDX 152886

Lupinlore <rdoliver30 at ...> wrote:
> I think this is absolutely and totally irrelevent.  Nothing that 
> was done to Snape, by omission or commission, in any way excuses 
> his abuse of Harry and Neville or IN ANY WAY releases him from 
> punishment for that reprehensible abuse.  Nor does it in any way 
> lessen Dumbledore's fault in allowing the abuse to take place and 
> continue.


Lunasa:
I myself have never really looked at Snape's actions in the classroom 
as child abuse. He's not a nice person, that's fairly obvious. But 
I've always wondered what Harry would have turned out like if Snape 
hadn't been there to take him down a peg or three early in the game, 
before Harry even managed to build himself up a big ego. I mean Harry 
was little, he was eleven, he's one of the youngest kids in the 
school, every first year is aware of that when they enter a new 
school. 

But most first years remain unknown until their second or third year. 
Everyone knew Harry. He'd been bullied all his life by Dudley, and 
now he's dumped in this boarding school where not a whole lot of 
people are willing to come out and take a pop at him in the light 
that Dudley or his aunt and uncle ever did. He's not seen as a weirdo 
or a freak, in fact most people hold in the light of some kind of 
hero. What Snape said was right, Harry was a celebrity. But he was 
also eleven, and that kind of thing would have gone to his head, 
fairly quickly. 

Now Snape didn't need to carry on with it. That first year, hell that 
first week, would have been enough, but why mess with a good thing. 
Neville has come out of his shell, and Harry is barely willing to 
accept that kind of crap off Snape anymore, never mind anyone else. 
Harry has a good many faults in my opinion, but I've not once seen 
him abuse the wizarding world's pride in 'Harry Potter' to make fun 
of others, or even to make his life easier. It would have been right 
and easy to do that... If wouldn't have been mortally embarrassed by 
that.  And who was it that made him embarrassed of his fame? 

I think that, whether he intended to or not, Snape has made the two 
of them stronger people. If Snape wasn't there to shame Neville out 
of his shell or just plain shame Harry, how do you think they'd have 
turned out? 

Lunasa