Slughorn favoritism/ Snape as Neville's teacher LONG

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 168580

> Magpie:
> For the reason Dumbledore said--people are funny sometimes. If 
Snape owed 
> anything, he owed it to James, who is dead. Dumbledore, btw, did 
not say 
> that Snape tried to save Harry because he owed James, he said he 
believed 
> that was the reason Snape "worked so hard" to keep Harry safe, 
which is 
> slightly different. Snape can very much feel a bond to James he can 
never 
> undo, a magical version of the emotional tie you would feel to a 
person in 
> that situation.  But I don't think that necessarily undercuts 
Snape's 
> actions, making them magical compulsions.

Alla:

Yeah, funnily that is what I thought about Snape's actions after book 
1. That he honorably tried to pay off the debt which existed only in 
his mind ( sorry if this does not reflect your position - I am 
summarizing what used to be mine and it reads to me as close to what 
you just said).

I don't know anymore, frankly. Even forgetting about what I consider 
to be Snape's evil deeds, I think it is really, really open to Dana 
interpretation too, if I read it correctly as what Neri does.

I think Dumbledore's words could be read as Snape not just feeling 
that he has a magical bond, but that he indeed has that magical 
compulsion.

I think there is a reason why JKR did not give us details of how debt 
works, I think there just may be a reason for that, that it is going 
to be very important at the end.


 
>> Magpie:
> A UV is a risk no matter which way you slice it, period. It doesn't 
have to 
> be a risk for a good reason, but you can't have characters putting 
> themselves under spells that will potentially kill them and call it 
not a 
> risk.


Alla:

Sure, it is a risk.



 
> Alla:
> If he ignored them, did not give them as much
> attention as he gives Draco, while still grading fairly which I
> believe Slughorn does, it would have bothered me much less.
> 
> Magpie:
> Actually, I don't know whether Slughorn grades fairly. <SNIP>

Alla:

But we **see** Snape grading unfairly, we can only **assume** that 
Slugghorn does not grade fairly, no? Which is fair assumption, but I 
think that we have the stronger evidence for Snape not grading 
fairly. IMO.

 
> Alla:
> But contrary to what Snape does, I absolutely believe that what
> Slughorn does is **not** abuse of his authority. Does it make sense?
> 
> Magpie:
> I guess I'm probably seeing the same difference between them here. 
Snape 
> uses his greater power as an adult and as a teacher to bully the 
kids. 
> Slughorn is just subtly separating the wheat from the chaff (sp?). 
I don't 
> think I'd refer to it as an abuse of authority, but I think it's 
potentially 
> equally damaging if harder to pin down. But it does remind me of 
things 
> people do protest about in the real world.

Alla:

Well, we just have to disagree on this point, I guess. To me it all 
comes down to this - I do not think that what Slugghorn does is 
nearly as damaging as what Snape does. To each their own.


 
> Magpie:
> Because Slughorn's "collection" is about keeping "the right sort" 
in the 
> positions of power. (I think people tend to focus a bit too much on 
the few 
> girls we know of to prove he's looking strictly at abilities here, 
but he's 
> blatantly not. Even Harry senses the tokenism at work when he talks 
about 
> his mother.) I also don't see how it doesn't undercut what you feel 
is 
> admirable about him in the first place for avoiding DEs in their 
kids.


Alla:

Well, is your interpretation that Slughorn's collection is **ONLY** 
about keeping "the right sort" in the positions of power?

I mean I certainly agree that Slughorn wants in the position of power 
people whom he likes, who would be indebted to him, etc.

Where I differ I suspect ( I can be wrong) is I also think that 
Slughorn does not want just **any** people in the position of power. 
He wants talented, skilled, gifted, pick your word kids in the 
position of power, who will of course remember his networking skills. 
IMO of course. And yes, I think Lily is here for a very good reason. 
I mean, she is so far the example of sainthood, no? And Slugghorn 
liked her, wanted her to succeeded, to be in his collection, etc?

I did not see him asking Crabbe and Goyle to join his club for 
example.

I think it can be both - good and bad, what Slugghorn does.

JMO,
Alla