Understanding Snape

[Jim Ferer]

Pippin:  Agreed. And the lurking corollary: plaster saints who aren't 
good  guys."

Right; she's done that with Lockheart, for example.  OTOH, there's 
plenty of examples of villains who seem good at first in literature.

Pippin:  Funny about how we all have different ideas about what has 
to  happen. <g> I don't see that scene coming at all. Harry's not an  
innocent victim anymore.  At the end of OOP, he is nursing a  grudge 
against Snape as overblown, and potentially as  dangerous, as Snape's 
old grudge against Sirius. That has to  play out somehow."

He is nursing that grudge, and it will play out; you're right.  But 
Harry's growing, and sooner or later he may come to the point of 
reminding Snape who he is and isn't.  It may become necessary, done 
at a time of great stress, or perhaps with a nudge from Dumbledore.  
I think it will happen in some form.

Pippin:   I think "Snape hates Harry because Harry reminds him of  
James" is a bit of a red herring. If Snape hated people who were  
popular and arrogant, he'd hate Draco Malfoy. IMO, Snape hates  Harry 
because, underneath it all, Harry reminds him of *Snape*."

I think the Harry/James hatred link is too clear and demonstrated to 
be completely false.  The fact Harry is popular and has friends is 
not the prime motivator for Snape's dislike, it just aggravates the 
situation.  How do you feel Harry reminds Snape of himself?

Jim