Nice vs. Good, honesty, and Snape: Was Snape, Apologies, and Redemption

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 153160


> > Lanval:
>  I doubt Lupin would have picked Neville as his first example 
> > on how to fight a boggart. And how would Lupin know that 
Neville's 
> > worst fear would turn out to be Snape? 
> 
> 
> Pippin:
> 
> Because he's an expert legilimens? Granted he hasn't admitted to 
it,
> but Harry does notice that Lupin appears to be able to read minds.
> Besides no one would need to be a legilimens to note that Neville
> is terrified of Snape.
> 
> The very predictable upshot of this episode is that Snape bullies
> Neville worse than ever. As far as I'm concerned, it was all about
> Lupin showing off at Snape's expense. He could have given
> Neville instructions in private, just as he did for Harry. Or he 
could
> have done what he did in the final, and had Neville go in to
> confront the boggart instead of letting the boggart come out.

Alla:

Well, as far as I am concerned  it was all about Neville. I admire 
Lupin for giving Neville the tools to LAUGH at Snape for the first 
time of his school career. He gave Neville the chance to laugh at 
the "teacher" who terrifies him so badly that he became Neville's 
boggart.

And why should Lupin make Neville confront boggart outside of his 
peers seeing it?  Snape just embarassed Neville very, very publicly. 
Everybody should know that Neville can stand up to Snape, IMO.

This is true, Snape continued to bully Neville, but this is not 
about Snape, this is giving Neville's confidence a boost, IMO.

I think Lupin nailed it by making Neville control his boggart in 
public.

>> houyhnhnm:
<SNIP>
> Snape has two other real opportunities to get Harry expelled and he
> fails to take advantage of either one of them.  One of those
> opportunities comes when he has the ear of the Minister of Magic 
after
> having been knocked unconscious by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  If 
Fudge
> had known what really happened in the Shrieking Shack, would even
> Dumbledore have been able to prevent their expulsion?  Instead 
Snape
> makes up a story about their having been confunded.

Alla:

Of course Snape makes up a story, because his ego would not be able 
to swallow being overpowered by three thirteen year olds, IMO. 
I mean, potential hero and all that, who could not manage three 
teenagers.


houyhnhnm:
> The other is when Harry uses a Dark and potentially fatal curse on 
a
> fellow student.  McGonagall is the one to bring up the E-word.  She
> tells Harry that he is lucky not to have been expelled and that she
> supports wholeheartedly his Saturday detentions with Snape.  
Nothing
> at all to indicate that Snape pushed for Harry's expulsion.

Alla:

Um, THAT is an incident that truly deserves investigation, because 
Harry used an Unforgivable. I mean, I am pretty confident that very 
good case for self-defense can be made, but Unforgivable had been 
used and the letter of the law demands investigation,IMO. Funny that 
Snape does not indeed push for Harry's expulsion here.
Maybe because Draco would not have come out of this incident 
smelling like a rose either and Snape does not want to risk it?


 
> I may be wrong.  I was wrong about Filch's nose.  But I don't think
> there is a single instance in all six books where Snape actually 
uses
> the word "expelled" in connection with Harry.
>

Alla:

He DOES use the word "expelled" in connection with Harry.

"Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to 
expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch people who do 
have that happy power"- CoS,p.79.

But I am guessing that he does not really mean it here?


JMO,

Alla