Snape, Lupin, and teaching (WAS: First lesson WAS: Re: Marietta...)

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185770

Alla wrote:

<snip> I think Harry¡¦s mental state before the lessons is *entirely*
Snape¡¦s fault.

Carol responds:
Harry's mental state before the lessons is complex. He's confused
about the visions he's been having, he's resentful of Dumbledore for
avoiding him, he's angry all the time. His impulse to attack
Dumbledore and his confusion of himself with Nagini cause him to
think, at least till Ginny straightens him out, that he's being
possessed by Voldemort. And then there are all the factrs that others
have mentioned--the mutual antagonism between him and Snape and
Harry's unwillingness to practice Occlumency because he wants to
continue to have the dreams. Moreover, Harry's suspicions of Snape
have been aroused by Sirius Black's unjustified insinuations about
Snape using the sessions to torment Harry. (He would have done better
to keep his mouth shut or to emphasize the importance of learning
Occlumency.)

To say that Harry's mental state before the lessons is "entirely"
Snape's fault is, I think, to ignore the many pressures that Harry was
under that year. One of the lessons (I don't recall whether it was the
first) occurs just after a fight with Cho, not exactly conducive to
concentration on Harry's part.

Later, when Harry sees the vision of the MoM corridor, Snape becomes
angry but evidently is under orders from Dumbledore not to explain
*why* DD doesn't want him to have that dream. Harry sees the anger but
doesn't understand its significance. (IIRC, the lesson is interrupted
at this point by Trelawney's scream, so even if Snape was about to
explain why Harry should not have that dream, he missed his
opportunity to communicate that information. (JKR does that a lot. I
could give many other examples, including Harry deciding not to talk
to Lupin about the "Grim" that he keeps seeing.)

As always, mutual misunderstanding and incomplete communication work
against Harry's and Snape's being an effective team, and Dumbledore's
silence (regardless of this motives, which I think are understandable)
complicates the picture.

Carol, admitting that Snape's attitude does nothing to encourage
Harry's trust in him but thinks that the situation is much more complex