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

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 185833

> Alla:
> 
> I think I find myself confused as to what you meant here. I mean 
> obviously we agree that Snape hates Harry and Harry is correct, but 
> you are also saying that you are thinking that his methods as to 
> other student, in another class, may come across as not personal, 
etc.
> 
> I mean, I do not like the idea of asking questions for the purpose 
of 
> humiliating student, but if it is Snape's technique, it is Snape's 
> technique. It is just I see no proof that it was used on somebody 
> else, ever.
> 
> Now his talk about celebrity I find inexcusable, no matter what. 
But 
> what I am trying to ask you is that if for you his methods per se 
> could be legitimate, how do you think Harry knows that Snape hates 
> him?
> 
> Just a feeling? I mean, yes, sure we can sometimes tell that person 
> just hates us and be correct, it is just to me the fact that Snape 
> hates Harry comes through in what he does and say.
> 
> Are you saying that Harry just feeling it subconsciously?

Magpie:
I guess part of it is just a feeling, but it's not like a mystical 
thing. I think it's got to do with the way Snape is zeroing in on 
him, that kids immediately pick up on as not just a jerk teacher 
putting on a show of being a jerk, but Snape picking on this one boy. 
The celebrity comment is a big clue because that shows Snape knowing 
it's Harry Potter he's picking on. But another teacher could even 
have made that work in a lighter way. But I feel like, especially 
knowing Snape and how he wears emotions on his sleeve when he's not 
doing Occlumency etc., his whole demeanor and tone of voice is making 
an impression on Harry. 

I mean, we've all probably had situations like that in life where the 
same words can come across differently depending on the way the 
person feels. When I read back on this scene I'm often surprised at 
Snape being *less* mean to Harry than I remember it. He gets much 
worse to him later on. But I also don't think he stays within the 
limits of a strict teacher making an objective point to his students. 
He stays on Harry too much to be doing that. That's another reason, 
imo, that the kids in the class can pick up on his dislike. I think 
the Slytherins also correctly picked up on its being okay for them to 
enjoy Harry's distress--where as an objective teacher might lure them 
in to thinking that and then quickly turn it on them to show them not 
to be too cocky. 

> Magpie:
> I think he may have hated him as an abstraction already. But when he
> showed up looking like James he reacted with hatred, however he'd
> felt before that, and that kept on going. I think it's quite 
possible
> he would have reacted differently if Harry had looked more like 
Lily.
> I suspect he still would have sent out some kind of personal vibe,
> but it might not have been so easily correctly identified by Harry.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I agree, but I still wonder sometimes why he turned blind eye on 
him 
> having Lily's eyes.

Magpie:
The sight of Lily's eyes in James' face might have been a real turn-
off! It's possibly that Harry could have looked exactly like Lily and 
Snape would have hated him just as much. His looking like James was a 
handy distraction in a lot of ways!

-m