Could Harry have saved Snape? (was Reacting to DH...)

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 178093

> Potioncat:
> Whoa. Hold on a minute. Do you have more than the recent New 
Orleans 
> interview as your basis? Because that's not what she said. She was 
> asked about writing if you have bad grades, then she brought up 
> basing Snape on her chemistry teacher.
> 
> They weren't discussing Snape's death, they weren't actually 
> discussing Snape at all before she said Potions was based on 
> Chemistry. Then she said the teacher deserved to be modeled as 
Snape--
> -not that he deserved to die like Snape or that Snape deserved his 
> death.

lizzyben:

Well, the audience AWWWED at the mention of Snape, showing sadness, 
and JKR interrupts with "Don't awe! He deserved it!" Jeez. And 
really, the child was asking about becoming a writer; she brought up 
Snape/Nettleship apropos of nothing in order to snipe at him once 
more about giving her a bad grade. Who do we know that's that 
vindictive & unable to get over old high school grudges? Oh yeah, 
Snape. Snape as shadow self is even more blatant in these 
interviews. So at the same time, it amuses me because w/all her 
comments, she's showing how similar to Snape she really is. 

And "He deserved it" was the mantra of POA, wasn't it? Sirius said 
that about sending Snape to a werewolf, Harry said that about 
blowing up Aunt Marge. People thought that this was a commentary on 
the dangers of vengence, but at this point I'm thinking that they 
were just meant to be taken as fact. Snape deserved it for sneaking, 
Aunt Marge deserved it for being mean to Harry, Marietta deserved it 
too.

It is an extrapolation to say that she wrote Snape's death as a 
revenge, but not much of one, IMO. After all, she already said that 
the character was "revenge" on a teacher, & it wouldn't be much of a 
revenge if he got a happy ending. And IMO it's odd that she tells a 
group of students that a teacher deserved revenge for giving her a 
bad grade. That's just so petty & mean. Instead of encouraging kids 
to take responsibility for their studies, she's encouraging them to 
blame the teacher instead for giving them bad grades. 

Potioncat:

> So that tells me that Nettleship was a tough, sarcastic teacher 
who 
> would die for his students. The kind  you hate as a kid and look 
back 
> on differently. I've wondered for years if Nettleship did 
something 
> to help JKR's mother or her family. Because JKR's mother worked at 
> the school. I'm not sure if she worked for him, in the science 
> department or just at the school. Not that I think he was in love 
> with her, or betrayed her to an evil overboss. ;-)


lizzyben:

Mr. Nettleship did give JKR's mother a job when she really needed 
one. And JKR's mother enjoyed chemistry & became friends with the 
Nettleships. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for him to have 
JKR make "Snape" totally & pathetically in love with Harry's mother. 
And for her to confirm, again - yes, "Snape is based on Nettleship. 
I assume you all know how to Google his name & harass him? I can 
provide his address - he deserves payback for giving me a 
bad grade!"

That's borderline harassment, IMO. He's not a public figure & he 
never signed up for this. What can he do about it? Nothing. It is a 
perfectly executed revenge - JKR is using her incredible power & 
influence to knock this teacher around. And that's just wrong. Uh, 
JKR, usually if you get a bad grade, that's your fault, not the 
teacher's fault.