Understanding Snape

[Jim Ferer]

  Jim (me): I'd prefer the verbal confrontation scene, where Harry 
shoves it  down  Snape's throat that he's not James. It'll be an 
interesting  moment if  it comes."

Pippin: "It won't do any good for Harry to tell Snape he's not like 
James.  As a matter of fact Harry has told Snape this already, in 
PoA: "My  dad didn't *strut*," said Harry before he could stop 
himself. "And  neither do I." 

That's not much compared to Harry acknowledging that he knows some of 
the things his father did, doesn't like them, and repudiates them.

Pippin:" What I see is more on the order of Harry telling Snape that  
they're not so different after all. A LOTR moment when Snape  looks 
into the heart of an enemy and finds  understanding and  acceptance."

I definitely agree we could end up here or somewhere very close.

Pippin: "Even Sirius realized quickly enough that  Harry was a very 
different person than his father, and he saw a  lot less of Harry 
than Snape has."

Sirius has seen Harry under very different conditions, and Snape has 
no desire or even ability to see Harry as he really is at all.

Pippin:" It  wouldn't be fair to ask this of a child, but Harry won't 
be a child for much longer. In Book 7, he'll be an adult. Harry's got 
to grow up and then, just maybe, Snape will too. "

Well put. In many ways Harry's growing up very fast, but in others, 
the fantastic stress he's under makes a lot of normal growing-up 
tasks difficult for him.

Jim