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

[jkoney65]

No: HPFGUIDX 185776

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> 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. 

jkoney:
I think Alla was referring to Harry's mental state towards Snape. Not 
all of the other things going on in his life.

All Harry knows is that he has to spend extra time with a teacher who 
started off day one bullying him and hasn't let up. Starting with the 
first class and including reading newspaper clippings in class about 
him and all the way through calling the private lessons Remedial 
potions and letting other people know thats what they are doing. 
While it may have been a good cover, it was still a cheap shot by a 
professor that allowed him to embarrass Harry.




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
>