Clarke95 said:
Umbridge also goes on to run the Muggle-Born Registration Commission to persecute muggle-borns. She is truly evil.
Alan Rickman playing Snape was a huge favor to that character. I still struggle with how he bullied Harry from day 1 - this is the orphaned child of the woman he allegedly loved "always." - the child who was orphaned due to the information he gave Voldy. His treatment of Harry because he looked and played quidditch like James is ridiculous. You're a grown man, Severus, and Harry is an 11 year old kid who grew up without his parents. James might have been an arrogant teen, but you don't take that out on his orphaned kid showing up for school right after learning he was a wizard. Not only that, Snape belittles and torments "weak" kids like Neville, again a kid whose family situation should elicit nothing but empathy in a teacher. Telling lupin that Neville is sub par, or mocking Hermione's teeth in front of a class of her peers is really sh*tty. Yes he was playing a long undercover game, but that doesn't excuse his abuse of children under his care.
James came within minutes of playing a prank on Severus that probably would have had him killed by Lupin in werewolf form. That was all in the context of his bullying Severus along with Sirius and treating him like trash. He finds solace in the Death Eaters until it costs him his friendship with Lily, who tells him that James Potter is crap and she doesn't care about him, only to turn around and fall in love with him. He feels James is treated as special throughout their school days while he, Severus, has to scrap and claw for any respect whatsoever. What is excruciating for Severus is effortless for James. He hates him with every fiber of his being and definitely did not give a single **** that Voldemort killed him.
Then he tries to make a deal with the devil and it burns him with Lily's death. His refuge is at the school, and one day, here's James incarnate showing up again, and it's the same situation all over again, punk ass kid getting special treatment, never getting in trouble, and famous for something that he had zero control over. Seeing that kid walking into your class every day looking exactly like his dad with the eyes of the woman you loved, it's amazing Snape didn't curse him.
Bullying the others? Yeah, that's what people who endure childhood trauma do if they don't get help for it; they repeat the cycle and turn into the bullies. He can't pick on Harry too much because of Dumbledore watching, but bullying Neville, who has only a grandmother at home, and Hermione, whose parents are Muggles? Easy targets.
