Choices/Snape as abuser, SKIP if not interested WAS :Re: CHAPTER

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 188555

Jean:
The Pensieve incident was in fifth year. Snape had just come from rescuing
Montague (who appears, in canon, to have suffered permanent brain damage
because of what the Twins did to him), only to discover Harry in the Worst
Memory. By that time Harry was not a little boy; Snape was giving Occlumency
lessons (badly; one suspects that he was not pleased to have to do what I
think was really Dumbledore's job), and Harry openly admitted that he wanted
the visions and did not want them to go away in that part of OOtP. (I can
quote canon on that if need be). Harry had what he thought were valid
reasons--after all, he saved Arthur Weasley by channeling Nagini--and yet,
his refusal to learn Occlumency or remember Sirius Black's gift ultimately
cost his godfather his life. I do think Harry would have worked harder at
learning Occlumency had he been taught by Dumbledore. By that time, Harry
was a fairly troubled young man still dealing with the trauma of Cedric's
death and with Umbridge's horrible quill. 

Alla:

Well yes of course, and if the first time when Snape lashed out at Harry I would have judged this incident very differently. I thought that when you argued that Snape had a reasonable expectation of Harry behaving like his father you meant when Snape saw Harry for the first time and with that I cannot agree. My long held position is no matter  what Harry did against the rules later in their interactions, Snape Owes it, period by starting all that. Absolutely Harry has fault in Pensieve accident, but in my opinion Snape verbally abused Harry for four years starting with their first lesson and I place a blame for that on the adult teacher, not on the eleven year old boy who did not know his father. As it is, to me pensieve accident  AND the Occlumency lessons is the culminations of the previous four years, Harry¡¦s mistrust of Snape and not working harder, etc, etc. Do I think that Dumbledore¡¦s idea for Snape to teach Harry was idiotic in the first place? Before you ask me, I certainly do think so.

Jean:
Note that losing his godfather and
finding out that Dumbledore apparently knew about the Dursleys' abuse didn't
stop _Dumbledore_ from sending him back to Privet Drive.

Alla:

Yes, had been duly noted by me for a longest time ƒº and as far as I am concerned I hope Dumbledore pays for it in spades in the Potterverse after life. I used to like Dumbledore, but I never ever liked him sending Harry to Dursleys, necessity or not, I especially did not like that he did not check on him, not once. I HATE that he did not bother to personally check upon Sirius¡¦ guilt or innocence, so believe me even before book 7 Dumbledore committed a lot of very bad things as far as I am concerned, greater good or not. After book 7, well I just plain hate him for the most part. And yes, hate Snape as I am, I hate how Dumbledore treated him in book 7 too no matter how much I think Snape deserved it.

Jean:
And this is undoubtedly just a coincidence, but I think it's interesting
that the Order showing up and threatening the Dursleys occurred the same
year that _Snape_ learned of the Dursleys' abuse (as he obviously did during
the Occlumency lessons).
<SNIP>

Alla:

Yes, as far as I am concerned just a coincidence. ;) I mean, if there is evidence that Snape bothered to let other order members know about the abuse, I will be happy to give Snape credit for that of course.  

Seriously though I cannot help but think that JKR inserted that scene because too many readers were unhappy with what went on at Dursleys without any admonition from good guys. Please do not laugh, hear me out, I do not believe of course that she would change her story in a major ways to cater to readers¡¦ wishes, otherwise she would not have killed so many characters for starters, and did not do some other things lol. But she admitted going on line and reading many times, so I am solely speculating of course  with no proof whatsoever, but I wonder if she thought why not to make some readers happier if that does not interfere with the flow of the story. Here we go, see, they really do not approve of what Dursleys did to Harry. Of course for me that scene just raised more questions ¡V like really if it was so so dangerous for Dumbledore to interfere when Dursleys¡¦ abuse was at its worst, when Harry was there before Hogwarts, then why the heck it was not dangerous any more? Oh well, this was an aside.

JMO,

Alla