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

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 185807

> Alla:
>
> First of all I do not need Dumbledore order Snape to act as if he
liked Harry. That would be nice, but I really do not think Snape is
capable of human kindness to anybody but Lily and maybe Malfoys?. I
want Dumbledore to order Snape to act as if he was ANY other student
in his class, would be nice if he included Neville and Hermione in 
there.

Pippin:
Huh? Harry is being treated the same as Snape treats any other student
who appears to be full of himself and not doing acceptable work. Snape
treats Draco just that way in HBP: insults and threats. It works with
Draco, who stops his loose cannon efforts and goes back to his
original plan.

Alla:

Really? You are arguing that Snape threatening the student who knows 
that Snape gave him every possible latitude for years and years, who 
knows that Snape is family friend, who knows that Snape loves him 
(yes, I know he says differently in HBP) is somehow comparable to 
what Snape does to Harry. Okay, I strongly disagree then. Any other 
example of Snape treating student the way he treats Harry during the 
lessons (besides Neville and Hermione) and not outside the classroom?

And I have to clarify –  by treating Harry as other students I meant 
treating Harry neutrally, I really did not mean to say that if Snape 
would single out anybody else, which I do not think he does, that 
would mean that his treatment of Harry become somehow appropriate for 
me.


Pippin:
<SNIP>
But Snape sees arrogance as the fatal flaw that destroyed James, and
so I can't really blame him for thinking that he has to try. Of course
he's wrong to think that Harry is arrogant about being a celebrity.
But Harry *is* arrogant, IMO. Not every child would insult a bully
who wanted to be friends, or argue with the Sorting Hat, or sass a
tough professor on the first day of class. <SNIP>

Alla:

He does not **know** anything about Harry's character yet Pippin, 
when he makes his *celebrity* comment. That is my point.

But Susan said it the best in my view:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185802

"Snape, imo, should have seen that his interrogation (for that's how
it appeared to me) didn't "work" and the kid DID deserve another
chance. ANY kid that first day – particularly one from a Muggle
home – would have deserved that much."


Alla:

As far as I am concerned in the next years Harry said plenty of 
unfair things to Snape (as long as many very fair accusations IMO), I 
would never dispute that.

But I think that this first lesson shows that Snape **owns** this 
problem and I would never blame eleven year old for getting this 
opinion and continue to have it, especially since Snape did nothing 
to discourage it.

Zara:
I have to say, that the first year, was something in which *Harry's*
reaction made me go "Huh?" His dislike of Snape throughout the first
year, his suspicions that Snape was up to no good, all that made
perfect sense to me. But Harry's non-reaction to the news that Snape
had saved his life is something I can't understand. It would not make
me like a teacher like Snape, but it would forever change how I
thought and acted about him. He would no longer be a jerk to
disrespect, he'd be a jerk to respect and avoid. I was taken aback by
the first scene in CoS in which Snape came up, jarringly so.


Alla:


I thought Dumbledore had a perfect opportunity there to mend 
animosity between them if he gave a bit different speech to Harry at 
the end of PS.  Be there as it may, he have the speech he did. I do 
not blame Harry for not changing his opinion about the jerk without 
push, but again I certainly blame Dumbledore.

I wonder though, psychologically does it really not sound true to you 
that if somebody who you at eleven thought was a devil and who saved 
your life, but you were told that he did that to keep hating James in 
peace, would you not continue to actively dislike that person?

I mean, think about it. Dumbledore does not stress **anything** 
positive in the Snape's deed, he stresses negative, he stresses that 
Snape did it to continue hate the memory of Harry's dead father, whom 
Harry I am sure would love to have near by.  I don't know, I can 
totally understand. Saving one's life should normally change one's 
opinion at least a bit, lol, but when you are told that it was all 
done to keep hating your dead father.

And of course they should have continue hating each other for story's 
sake, but I hate that explanation.

JMO,

Alla