Lily (was Complimenting a character WAS: Re: HBP CHAPTERS 7-9 POST DH LOOK

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 184437

Lynda wrote: 
> > <snip>
> > As I said, it's simply an attitude I find throughout the books. I
know that some people will claim it's due to the people we see talking
about Snape, but as in any other book, that's what we've got. That's
what the author wrote. From that pov, not another.
> 
Potioncat replied:
<snip> > I've never seen anything in canon that indicated Professor
Snape discriminated against Muggleborns. I don't mean I'm discounting
a character's comments because of PoV, but rather, I don't recall 
anything. The only non-Pureblood I can remember discussing Snape was 
Hagrid--and Hagrid seemed to view him with respect.

Carol responds:
And don't forget Dumbledore, a Half-Blood, who trusts Severus Snape
completely. (Not counting withholding certain information from him, as
he also does with Harry.) McGonagall treats him with respect as a
colleague and even follows his lead regarding Lockhart in CoS (before
she learns about his background as a former DE. I'm sure that if he'd
ever used the word "Mudblood" in her presence, even as a student, her
reaction would be wholly different.

Potioncat: 
> Ron said in SS/PS that the twins said Snape favored Slytherin. Well,
that's true, but that doesn't show he singles out Muggleborns. Other
than in the rose garden during the Ball, I don't think we ever see 
Snape deal with other students. I can't really think of any canon that
shows his attitude at all. 

Carol responds:
And he takes off points from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw equally in the
rose garden! seriously, one reason that we don't see him interacting
with students from other Houses very often is that his Potions class
consists only of Gryffindors and Slytherins. We never see him docking
points from anyone in that class except HRH and Neville, either
because that's where the focus is or because he never has cause to
dock points from anyone else (unlikely, I'd say!) We do see him
sending various students, Slytherin and Gryffindor, to the hospital
wing (or applying the anecdote himself on some occasions). However, we
do see that one Hufflepuff and several Ravenclaws managed to make it
to NEWT Potions, meaning that they must have earned an O 9they all
come to Slughorn's class with books and supplies, prepared to take the
class, unlike Harry and Ron, who got in at the last minute with E's.)
We also see Ernie's approval of Snape's first DADA lesson. Admittedly,
Ernie is a Pure-blood, but he's also a Hufflepuff, which makes him our
only non-Gryffindor/non-Slytherin commentator on Snape's teaching
methods. (NEWT DADA, like NEWT Potions, includes students from all
four Houses.)The only other occasion I can think of when Snape deals
with students from all four Houses is the short-lived Duelling Club in
CoS, where he vanishes the conjured snake that's threatening
Muggle-born Justin Finch-Fletchley without a word to or about Justin;
his attention is on Harry.

I'd like to mention his response to fellow Half-Blood Seamus Finnigan,
who has heard people talking about an article in the Prophet about an
Inferius: "If you had actually read the article in question, Mr.
Finnigan, you would know that that the so-called Inferius was nothing
but a smelly sneak thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher" (HBP Am.
ed. 459), admittedly snarky but not undeserved since Seamus obviously
*hasn't* read the article. (FWIW, the "smelly sneak thief" is also a
Half-Blood, as Phineas Nigellus, who does think that blood status is
important and uses, IIRC, "filthy Half-Blood" as an insult, informs us
somewhere in HBP. Interesting that he overcomes that prejudice even in
HBP with regard to Snape.)

At any rate, Snape's treatment of his students seems to have nothing
to do with their blood status. Even "Miss Granger" is merely informed
that her answer is almost word for word from the Standard Book of
Spells, Grade Six (which, Snape, too, has obviously memorized) before
being told that her response is correct in its essentials and
providing additional information (178-79). Ron, a Pure-Blood, is
mocked for not knowing how to Apparate (and docked ten points) after
he speaks without being called on to support Harry's answer about
ghosts being transparent as opposed to Snape's more sophisticated
definition about departed souls (460). Snape is sensitive to criticism
of his teaching methods, as we saw in PoA when he took over Lupin's
class for a day, but his sarcasm and point-docking stem from his
attitude toward the particular student and from that students'
behavior in his class.

I see no evidence whatever of blood status influencing Snape's
treatment of his students. Their attitude and aptitude (or
ineptitude), their behavior, their friendship with Harry, and to some
extent their House make a difference, but not blood status. Outside
the classroom, Wormtail and Bellatrix, one a possible Muggle-born and
the other a definite Pure-Blood, feel the sting of his sarcasm in
"Spinner's End."

Potioncat: 
> I'll second an earlier post that indicates he doesn't seem to treat
Dean Thomas badly, nor does he pick on Hermione. She gets the best
marks in the class. (Yes, he has picked on Hermione, but not separate
from her misadventures with Harry.)

Carol:
Or her know-it-all attitude, which is a bit hypocritical of him since
he and Hermione are both swots. In connection with those
misadventures, he knows perfectly well who stole those Polyjuice
ingredients from his "stores" in CoS: Hermione herself.

Carol, who thinks that Snape's sarcasm may be a defensive stance that
he developed as a boy at Hogwarts and never outgrew

Carol, amused by the deluge of Snape posts and feeling as if nothing
has changed post-DH!