[HPforGrownups] Re: Snape and Draco again was I see no difference

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 160914

> Carol responds:
> I'm a bit puzzled by your last sentence. the Densuageo hex was aimed
> at Harry, just as the fungus-boil hex (at least as nasty, BTW) was
> aimed at Draco. The hexes were deflected onto Goyle and Hermione when
> the spells collided in midair. So the Densuageo hex landing on
> Hermione is both fortuitous and felicitous--it, ironically, gives her
> the opportunity to have her front teeth shortened (and straightened)?
> But the "set up" or intention of the spell was to lengthen *Harry's*
> teeth.

Magpie:
Sorry, I wrote that in a way that was confusing.  When I said "the set up" I 
just meant that Snape happened to come out and see Hermione with her teeth 
that way, so with that "set up" (in terms of the scene happening to be set 
for him that way, not a set up that someone within canon set up to be that 
way) Snape could make the connection. Did that explain more what I meant? 
The author was the person doing the set up.


> Carol responds:
> I agree that Snape's affection and concern for Draco and Draco's
> respect and liking for Snape are genuine and, IMO, they probably
> predate the teacher/student relationship. IOW, I think they that Snape
> has been a friend of the family ("Lucius's old friend") since before
> Draco was born. (How else would he know that Draco could successfully
> cast Serpensortia, for example?)

Magpie:
I hope we find out more about the Snape/Lucius connection.  Harry notes that 
Snape "seems to like" Malfoy on the very first day which indicates he might 
have started earlier.  Though I suppose it might have been like Harry and 
James, where he didn't know the actual boy but knew the father.  What always 
surprises me is the scene where Malfoy seems sort of unaware of the close 
relationship between Snape and his father, but maybe I'm just getting that 
impression and it's not correct.

Carol:
I also agree that the friction
> between them in HBP is adolescent rebellion against a father figure
> compounded by Draco's fears and doubts as he discovers the reality of
> being a DE. <snipping just for space>

Magpie:
Yeah, I feel like Snape is sort of walking through a minefield and knows 
that because of his own past and maybe things he's seen with Regulus and 
others.  He may be holding himself back from taking more control (forcing 
himself through Draco's Occlumency, or just being more controlling in other 
ways).  But I feel like all the previous references to their relationship 
were in order to set up that situation, so that the characters would have 
earned a realistic close relationship in HBP.  While the argument Harry 
hears reveals a lot of the issues at stake I think it also hints at things 
they understand more than he does.  Like when Snape brings up Lucius and 
Draco storms out, that seemed like Snape knew Draco well enough to know 
things that were really bothering him that he wasn't saying, and Draco's 
storming out showed that Snape was right and Draco probably left because he 
knew that.

wynnleaf:
Remember -- Snape's supposed insult has zero impact if it's not directed at 
something Hermione cares about, or if it's not got a slight element of truth 
to it.  But I don't think Snape would never think that Hermione's regular 
teeth have anything truly wrong with them, nor can I believe he knew she was 
sensitive about her teeth.

Magpie:
I think Snape has every reason to know this about Hermione. Not just because 
the Slytherins refer to it all the time, but because he sees her in class. 
He doesn't have to be literally thinking that Hermione's teeth are so awful. 
It's just a case of the set up (as I explained above) being so obvious.  For 
instance, I doubt Snape's scandalized by Harry's messy hair, and we all know 
Snape's hair is always described in worse ways than Harry's.  But if Harry 
were hit with a spell that turned his hair into a rat's nest, I think Snape 
might say, "I see no difference," to reference that the spell, as it turns 
out, just makes an already prominent feature more prominent.  If Hermione 
already has prominent front teeth and you see her with really big front 
teeth, anyone might note the connection even if you hadn't previously 
thought the teeth were ugly or spent much time thinking about her 
sensitivity.

-m