Slughorn favoritism/ Snape as Neville's teacher LONG

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 168612

> Pippin:
> But he overlooks people who deserve it *more* -- people with
> skill and moral courage, like Neville and Luna and most of all,
> Ron. Ron turns out to be a capable leader, but under Slughorn's 
> system he  wouldn't even make the team. Somebody like McClaggan
> would.

Alla:

I have no doubt that Ron will turn out to be a capable leader, except 
he is not yet even in the beginning of HBP IMO. On Quidditch field 
even He goes through same insecurity issues he already went through 
in OOP. I am confused why JKR did it, but I certainly understand how 
Slugghorn has no signs of Ron leadership skills when he starts his 
club. I know Ron has it in him, does Slugghorn know that?

And Luna and Neville as leaders? Neville has plenty of moral courage, 
as far as I can see. But leadership? Again where do you see it?

Luna, I am even more confused. But she buggs me lots, I admit, so I 
may have to look harder for her.


 
> > > Pippin:
>  By the way, what we don't know is what Slughorn would have done 
> if Voldemort's servants had found him. 
> > 
> > Alla:
> > 
> > Okay. We don't know that, I agree. How is this relevant?
> 
> Pippin:
> It goes to the question of whether Slughorn showed more virtue
> by hiding from Voldemort than Snape ever did. We don't know
> whether Snape ever had any warning that Voldemort would try
> to recruit him and we don't know what Slughorn would have
> done if he hadn't had a warning. In both cases we are comparing
> a known to an unknown --apples and oranges.
> 
> We *can*  compare what Slughorn and Snape each did when they
> passed on information and concluded that it was being put to evil 
use. 
> Snape  disclosed what he had done to Dumbledore, Slughorn 
> attempted to conceal it. When the concealment was discovered,
> Sluggy still didn't want to tell Dumbledore what he'd done. Snape 
> didn't need Harry to tell him he ought to make amends. 
> Slughorn did.


Alla:

Eh, what? You are saying that Snape would have run away from DE? That 
he was coerced to join? Is that what you mean? Okay, we certainly do 
not see anything to indicate either way IMO, so sure it could have 
happened, I guess.

But no, I do not see Snape making amends yet. SO this comparison 
falls for me. 


I find myself in the strangest position here, so maybe I should 
clarify again. I am **not** the biggest fun of Slugghorn or his 
activities, I am NOT. I take him instead of Snape as teacher any time 
of the day, but it is not an absolute comparison, because I will take 
Lupin or Mcgonagall or Sprout ANY day instead of both of them.

It is a very low threshold for me to say that somebody is a 
better "person" or "teacher" than Snape.

Does not mean I think Slugghorn all that good.

 
> Pippin:
> Let's look at Mad-eye's first lesson, bearing in mind that JKR said
> that Fake!Moody acted just like the real Moody.
> 
> Neville was forced to witness a living creature being tortured in
> the same manner which drove his parents insane. His reaction
> was so violent that Hermione called aloud for Moody to stop it,
> a reaction she has never had in Snape's class. After class ended,
> Neville was traumatized to the point of incoherence, and 
> though the gift book calmed him, it  didn't stop him from being 
> red-eyed and sleepless that night. 
> 
> Whereas after the first Potions lesson, Harry is not found standing
> hollow-eyed and blankly staring in the corridor. His mind is racing
> and his spirits are low, but he is soon delightedly hearing Hagrid
> call Filch "that old git." And afterwards Harry  "thought that none
> of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think
> about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package
> just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something
> about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?" 
> 
> Those are the canon facts. That is the extent of Harry's "low
> spirits." I do not see how that can be in any way called worse
> than what Neville went through or even comparable. But
> none of that caused Fake!Moody to lose any respect as a
> teacher. Harry even thinks that he did what Lupin might
> have done.


Alla:

Teachers, Pippin, I meant real teachers, **not** DE masquerading as 
teachers. Sure, what Fake Mad Eye did to Neville was worse than what 
Snape did to Harry.

I'd like to see real teacher who did anything close to what Snape did 
to Harry to any other student. And yeah, I know about Umbridge, but 
she was worse to Harry, not anybody else.

And didn't JKR say that Fake Mad Eye acted as real one that is why DD 
could not recognise him? I took it to mean that he acted as real 
Moody in front of DD.

I am having a lot of trouble believing that real Moody would have 
done that to Neville.

JMO,

Alla