Will the Real Severus Snape please step forward?

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167651

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> 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?

Magpie:
Odd.:-) Because Snape is central to the struggle. He's not taking a 
backseat. He's agreeing to spy on the DEs at personal risk, and 
taking UVs that risk his own death. And confronting Quirrell and 
muttering counter-hexes and making up Potions riddles and going 
after Sirius.

Goddlefrood: 

> 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. 

Magpie:
I think he did teach it, since Hermione has gotten so good at it 
after a while she's no longer doing any spells verbally. Ernie gives 
a thumbs up to one of his classes. How else do any of the teachers 
ever teach spells except to tell people to just do it, after all? 
That's how McGonagall gets them to turn one thing into another. The 
spells where we actually learn something about the psychology of it 
are few and far between, and non-Verbal spells really do just seem 
to be about thinking the spell instead of saying it. I don't know 
how else one would explain it. It's a physical thing you need to 
practice.


Goddlefrood:
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

Magpie:
I don't think this really holds up as a problem with Snape.  We 
barely see any of his classes and JKR is filling in stuff that 
sounds vaguely DADA-like and introducing concepts we might need 
later, such as Inferi. I don't think the kids actually have been 
taught about Dementors before in actual school. Snape's 
final "lesson" to Harry, if we call it such, *is* showing him how to 
do it. Or telling him. Learn to keep your mouth and your mind shut. 
This is something Harry has trouble with, but it's still the way all 
teachers at the school teach (with the occasional exception for 
specific spells). Think about Wilkie Twycross, for instance. He 
seems to just keep repeating the advice for Apparating and expecting 
the kids to do it. Eventually they can.

Goddlefrood:
> 
> 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 :)

Magpie:
I admit, it leads me to think the opposite. When I read it I thought 
it was just a random thing JKR came up with to have Harry say 
something about Snape's lessons.

Goddlefrood: 
> 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?

Magpie:
Again, this seems to be the way *all* magic is taught. And in this 
case Snape was perhaps a particularly bad teacher because he is 
probably, like Draco, a natural Occlumens.  Sometimes the natural is 
the worst kind of teacher. He is telling Harry what to do, and Harry 
is particularly unsuited to do this particular thing. But I don't 
think it's impossible that Snape is teaching Harry the way he 
himself learned. He's no more or less harsh than the Apparition 
teacher, it seems to me. 

And of course we also know that Harry is actively working against 
the lessons, not able to practice on his own. Snape clearly *has* 
told him how to do it. There's one time where Harry is doing a last-
minute practice session by trying to "rid himself of all thought and 
emotion." So Snape isn't just throwing things at him, he's also 
telling him to practice detaching from his thoughts and emotions on 
his own, which would make the lessons easier. Harry isn't doing it.

Goddlefrood:
> 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.

Magpie:
I agree--and about the possible magical element that exists with 
Peter and not Snape. Dumbledore seems to be talking about Snape's 
character when he talks about his debt to James, a character that's 
petty, as you say, but also feels consciously that he owes James and 
wants to be even with him. He didn't repay that debt while James was 
alive...and wound up making it worse by not only not saving James, 
but having some responsibility for James' death.

-m