First lesson WAS: Re: Marietta, was Slytherin's Reputation

[littleleahstill]

No: HPFGUIDX 185664

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
> Alla:
> 
> And I am saying that the assumption Snape should make that 
children 
> do not know the answers rather that they do for the reason that he 
> did not give homework.

Leah: We don't know what Snape assumes. You are of the opinion that 
Snape is asking the questions to humiliate Harry. Now you are saying 
that he is assuming Harry should know the answers.  How can he be 
humiliating him if he assumes Harry knows the answers?> 
> 
>> Alla:
> 
> Yes, I agree it tells us that Harry is not Hermione , but so are 
ALL 
> other kids in the class and I do not see why Snape would suddenly 
> want to see if he is like Hermione. (snip) 
> So, yes Harry is not Hermione. Snape does not know that Hermione 
is 
> in class before he actually sees them, right? I just fail to see 
how 
> that makes what he does in any way legitimate, except of the act 
of 
> petty, vile, abusive little man (My opinion of course).

Leah: Snape doesn't know Hermione.  He's not interested in Hermione 
or in whether Harry is like her or not. He wants to see what Harry 
is like. He learns that Harry is not a bookworm, not someone who is 
desperate for academic success etc.  He is not that particular sort 
of child.  I fail to see why asking a child three questions is in 
anyway vile or petty, and most certainly not abusive.  
.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Or it is of course possible that Snape saw Harry and instead saw 
> James and wanted to knock him down, because he could not bear 
> remembering that James won the girl and wanted eleven year old to 
> suffer. 
> Because by this analogy I think Hermione bears watching as next 
dark 
> lord, no?

Leah: He does see James in Harry and he doesn't cope with that well, 
but Harry also behaves in ways which reinforce the James in Harry.  
I don't see Snape 'wants Harry to suffer' but that he (Snape) reacts 
in certain ways to Harry because of the James filter.  As for 
Hermione, she has not already 'defeated' one Dark Lord, but if she 
had, I would have kept a close eye on her, yes. 

> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Well, it is good that we agree that Harry is not to blame, we just 
> disagree why Snape asked those questions. I see no justification 
for 
> that, none. If he wanted to watch Harry, here is a bright idea for 
> Snape - **watch**. Observe him, give him normal exercises, try to 
> LEARN who Harry is. Maybe during several lessons?

Leah: I wouldn't disagree with the latter, but there is no reason 
why Snape can't ask a student questions. If he'd done the same to 
Hermione or (very probably) Draco, they would have been over the 
moon.   And as I keep saying, Snape might have had reasons (Harry's 
presumed inherited intelligence, his mother's interest in potions) 
for thinking Harry could have known the answers.

> Alla:
> 
> Not in my opinion, no. Harry says so quietly, without laughing 
till 
> he looks at other kids. I suspect that this is what he observed in 
> muggle school he went to, that other kids told that to teachers, 
etc.

Leah: He obviously went to a different muggle school than I did. In 
my day, that would have earned a clip round the ear, and even in 
Harry's day would have got a rebuke.  It is cheek, but I can 
understand it because Harry is reacting because he feels got at, and 
that is the way he would have reacted to Vernon. 
> 
>Leah: McGonagall is pretty nasty to Neville too. 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> LOLOL. Yes, she is! Extremely so. That makes what Snape does 
better?  

Leah: No, but it indicates something about teaching styles at 
Hogwarts, and that if two different people teach in a particular 
style that may well say more about the school they teach in than 
them as individuals. 

> 
> Alla:
> 
> Eleven year old is not altogether an innocent victim here? Okay.

Leah: Sorry, not clear, I meant later in Harry's school life.
> 
> And yes, that is the episode I had in mind when I said Snape got 
more 
> support that he deserved. That is the help I expected Dumbledore 
to 
> give Snape – stop it, or you will be fired immediately.

Leah: But Dumbledore is only getting Snape's view of Harry, not what 
is happening in the classroom.  He doesn't come to the class, he 
doesn't give Snape any guidance,advice, warnings, anything. There is 
a problem between Snape and Harry which should be resolved in both 
their interests and Dumbledore, who knows that he wants them both at 
Hogwarts,  has no interest in doing so (at this stage anyway).

Leah