Will the Real Severus Snape please step forward?

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 167649

(The not so good Snape - part 3 (a))

"We Slytherin's are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, 
given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks."

Phineas Nigellus in Ootp Chapter Twenty Three - Christmas on the 
Closed Ward

Goddlefrood:

Part 3 (a) now of this series. I intend to split this part into 
slices for easier digestion. Further posts on this Snape thesis 
will follow in due time :)

Severus is a deeply horrible person, our witness JKR. He may not 
be entirely without his merits, however. I do not believe he is 
good, but at the same time I do not believe he is now working for 
Lord Voldemort, if he ever was in any wholehearted way. Snape's 
choice, IMO, has been to save his own neck by taking a comfortable 
backseat and leaving the real business of fighting to others. 

How's that for starters?

I have a little confession to make first before I get to the meat. 
Here is a small comment I wrote back in August 2005, I have more 
or less maintained this view in the intervening period: "My 
initial reaction was that Snape was a two faced a**ehole but after 
thinking further I am not so sure. It may well turn out that he
was only interested in number one all along."

This was in a different forum than this. The only addition to it 
that I now have is that I think there is someone else behind 
Severus who is an influence on his actions due to their interest 
in him. This post will, partially, explore who that person might 
be.

A little on his teaching style first. I exclude Potions as he 
clearly is a reasonable and certainly an effective teacher of 
that subject, even though his method is somewhat similar to how 
I describe his other teaching (writes instructions on blackboard 
and basically says "get on with it" ;))

In his DADA teaching year in HBP, as far as I'm concerned, the 
only useful thing Snape taught his class was non-verbal spells, 
and he didn't really teach that did he? He expected people to do 
it. The rest of what we saw of his DADA teaching had previously 
been covered, and in my view quite a lot better than Severus 
managed it, by his predecessors in the position. This would apply 
equally to the matter that many have interpreted as his final 
"lesson" to Harry while escaping from Hogwarts having eliminated
Dumbledore. "Learn it, do it, but I'm not going to show you how, 
so there" ;P

It may turn out that someone finds a use for Snape's method, that 
Harry did not appear to like, of repelling Dementors. This method 
was not explained, something I always find suspicious in the books. 
Leads me to think we will find out more :)

When he taught Harry Occlumency in OotP he didn't give any 
practical instruction, he once more just expected Harry to do it, 
again without explaining how it might be achieved. There was also 
an element of Severus's resentment of Harry in play, but surely 
he could have tried a little harder, or am I being harsh?

I'll turn now to his pettiness, oh yes, he is a deeply petty man. 
One prime example comes from the very first book, from what is 
called the troll incident and its aftermath. Once the troll is 
unconscious in the girl's lavatory Minerva gives a ten points to 
Harry and Ron between them. Five each as it happens. From the 
next chapter (Quidditch) there is this (p.134 - all quotes
from Bloomsbury Paperback):

'Library books are not to be taken outside the school,' said Snape. 
'Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor.'

This after Harry had, hem hem, inadvertently borrowed Quidditch 
Through the Ages from the library. Well done, Severus, halfway to 
redress already ;). Harry's troll bonus gone, IOW. In the next 
chapter (The Mirror of Erised) on p. 144:

'Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't 
more.'

Ron loses his troll bonus this time and Snape has evened the 
score. He was present when the points were awarded and he would 
have smarted from that in my view, all rather petty, I think you 
can agree. I do not think Snape ever likes it when Gryffindor get
awarded points, in fact he seems to resent it. He certainly takes 
points away at the drop of a hat. Think Hermione's know-it-allness 
and other, similar incidents.

Next up is a matter I can not agree on with some here and 
elsewhere, that being his alleged child abuse. He is no worse 
than many teachers I have come across and actually better than 
many in this regard. Having attended a Public School (private 
school for our American friends) some years ago now, I could tell 
you of many worse teachers in terms of abuse than Severus. The 
one who whacked boys in a livid rage with spiked running shoes, 
for one, another who took a run up across whatever space was 
available with a gym shoe, for another, and a third who ultimately 
lost his job for unpleasantness that is not worth getting into 
and inappropriate for this, or any other, forum.

Suffice to say had I had a teacher like Snape I would have been 
pleased that the only difficulty he may have given me was the 
occasional cross word and the odd insult. Hardly abuse as far as 
I'm concerned. Children should not have to always live in ivory 
towers, it's a dangerous world out there, whether you're a wizard 
or a muggle, and a little installation of moral fibre stands 
people in good stead for later life. I'll never be a social worker 
of course, but there it is. 

Backwards and forwards we go once again, this time to my views 
regarding Severus's debt to James, I do not believe it is relevant 
to how Snape now acts towards Harry, but it may have been during 
PS. It goes somewhat to Snape's motives, so is worth exploring a
little here.

Without being too much in thrall to Dumbledore I would say that 
Snape did indeed have a life-debt to James. The point, that has 
perhaps been missed, not by me, is that Snape could not fulfill 
this debt while James was alive. This I infer from what Dumbledore 
explained to Harry at the end of PS. Snape may have felt a pang of
remorse for the only time in his life at not having fulfilled the 
debt and therefore protected Harry so that his own conscience was 
somewhat appeased. This is an important distinction.

James found out that Sirius had laid a trap for Snape and then 
intervened before the jape could cost Snape his life or health. 
This is stated to be while Snape was in the tunnel to the 
Shrieking Shack. I do not think this debt, whatever its nature
will have any further relevance to the way the sereis plays out
in DH.

Generally though the idea is valid that any debt is painted as 
different between the instance of Snape/James and Harry/Pettigrew. 
The point may be that the former does not seem to be based on any 
magical contract whereas the latter arguably is. Expansion on
request :)

This is where I leave you, for now, further material will come 
shortly, possibly tomorrow night (for me), here's a little 
interim quote to say auf wiedersehen, from PS "The Man With Two
Faces", p.210:

'Tried to frighten me, as though he could, when I had LV on my 
side.'

The sadly deluded Professor Quirrelll there ;)

Goddlefrood, with more to come ...