Dragons, Produced and Tickled, and Other Pleasantries

[pippin_999]

Nora:
> Trouble--maybe not.  But maybe Snape doesn't want to call in favors 
> and get himself entangled in *those* sorts of connections.  As we've 
> seen, taking a job at the Ministry can involve all kinds of 
> entanglements and power plays.  Not saying that staying at Hogwarts 
> isn't an entanglement with Dumbledore, but maybe the known situation 
> is preferred to the unknown.  There are all kinds of ways in which 
> *Snape* profits from having Dumbledore as his immediate patron, as 
> opposed to Barty Crouch.

Pippin:
You know, it sounds like you're saying Snape preferred to work for
Dumbledore because he was the more ethical employer. No argument there.
:-)

Nora:
> You're far more charitable than I would be in considering Lockhart to 
> be one of the "big boys".  No, I was thinking of a situation where 
> students are freer to fight back and the core of the class is actual 
> discussion and argument where positions have to be defended as to 
> equals, as opposed to getting to be the dictator and reveling in 
> bullying inferior students.

Pippin:
Snape vs a room full of Hermiones? That would be fun! But the most
we're likely to get is an as-equals encounter in HP7.

Pippin