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

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 185752

 Alla:

> Oh, *we* do not know that Harry is wrong in his assesment of Snape. 
> As far as I know Harry is wrong about Snape being loyal to
Voldemort,  but as far as I know Harry was also spot on in deciding
that Snape  hated him and always did till very end.

Pippin:
But  can we agree that Harry was wrong in assuming that Snape
consciously wanted him to fail, just as Snape was wrong to assume that
Harry was deliberately antagonizing him? Their perceptions were
colored by previous experiences. The Dursleys did want Harry to fail,
and James did provoke Snape on purpose. 

As Dumbledore says, he has no power to make men see the truth.
Threatening Snape will not make Snape see Harry any differently.
Dumbledore does not seem to see anything wrong with humiliating people
who actually *are* overconfident, so he wouldn't reprimand Snape for
that. 

In any case, Harry's celebrity meant he could never be shielded from
public mockery. By the time he had to face Rita Skeeter, Harry could
take it in stride, unlike Hagrid who completely withdrew, or Hermione,
who embarked on a dangerous and ultimately senseless course of revenge. 

Pippin