Snape and the "Chosen One" Was: Nice vs. Good - Compassion

[leslie41]

No: HPFGUIDX 153193


> Leslie41 wrote:
> > There's a difference between knowing that Harry is *considered* 
> > the chosen one, and actually believing it. Snape is obviously 
> > being sarcastic here, especially considering the context.  I 
> > would say this is evidence Snape *doesn't* believe Harry is 
> > the "Chosen One," just that he knows others believe it and he 
> > thinks it's suspect. <snip>
> >   
> Carol responds:
> Or he could be pretending not to believe it because DE!Draco is in 
> theclass. (However, he's not pretending that he doesn't take 
> cheek, even from celebrities or heroes!) I think that his 
> statement to Bellatrix that Harry is a mediocre wizard is along 
> the same lines: he doesn't want the DEs to realize that Harry is a 
> real threat, or that his somewhat underdeveloped wizarding skills 
> have nothing to do with the threat he poses (which I think Snape 
> guesses has everything to do withthe powers Harry acquired at 
> Godric's Hollow, including Parseltongue and the scar connection, 
> both of which Snape knows about).

Leslie41:

That's a good point.  Personally, I'm on the fence as to whether I 
agree with it. 

My initial instinct is to believe that Snape inherently distrusts 
Harry's status as the "Chosen One," and doesn't really believe Harry 
is as important as everyone says he is.

Snape has, of course, every reason to believe Harry *is* important, 
but I don't think he does, because of the reasons *why* Harry is 
important.

Harry's status as a parselmouth, and the scar, have absolutely 
nothing to do with what Harry has accomplished.  Harry didn't really 
DO anything when Voldemort AK-ed him at a year old.  He just sat 
there.  Being a parselmouth as well is not something Harry 
has "mastered," any more than he has mastered having Lily's eyes.  

The view we have of Snape as an adolescent, and one that continues 
in our view of him as an adult, is that Snape respects hard work, 
insight, and accomplishment.  From his view, Harry being a 
parselmouth or repelling Voldemort's curse are not something Harry 
has worked for, or that he can control.  From Snape's pov, Harry 
doesn't discipline himself properly, and doesn't take his lessons 
seriously enough, so all that other stuff about him is just rot.

I'm just talking Snape's pov here, and he doesn't like Harry at all, 
in part because Harry is being "rewarded" and given credit for 
something that was an accident of birth.

Snape, who worked incredibly hard as a student, resents Harry from 
the beginning because Harry is considered "special" and has *done* 
nothing.  

Snape's attitude towards Harry's father nonwithstanding, he finds 
the idea that Harry is a "celebrity" at eleven positively 
ludicrous.  And he's prejudiced, I think, against believing anything 
about Harry that would mark him as special in any way.