Quote Originally Posted by Vorona
He's only 11 right then, so he might not want to get into the whole thing and potentially make her sad, so he doesn't tell her about the drawbacks of being a Muggleborn. I don't see that this hesitation automatically means hatred.
That's a good point. He clearly knows it's going to be an issue for her, possibly because he's heard his mother spout off about Muggle-borns. He may be trying to break it to her gently, or it could be because he's been taught to believe that Muggle-borns are inferior.

He clearly dislikes Petunia, and no one can blame him for that. if you look at the first conversation (and all subsequent ones), he says things 'spitefully', he causes the branch to fall on her head. Possibly he can't control his anger and magic at that moment, but the fact is, in the narrative it says:
Quote Originally Posted by DH page 536
But the lie did not convince Lily.
so he did try to hurt her.

He also has a bad relationship with the only other Muggle he appears to know - his father. I don't blame him for hating either of them, and why shouldn't it extend to other Muggles? He clearly doesn't mix with other children; his clothes suggest that he doesn't go out much to play, or his mother would have found him something more suitable. And yes, Harry didn't hate other Muggles, but then he didn't know he was a wizard until he was 11, and then when he found out he was introduced to wizards and witches who didn't view Muggles as dumb and/or despicable.

Quote Originally Posted by Vorona
So, I guess it's okay to do morally ambiguous stuff to Muggles if you're a Gryffindor, but not a Slytherin? Certainly Hagrid and the Weasley twins are never accused of hating Muggles or Muggleborns, but they engage in behaviors that are anti-Muggle.
No, I don't think it's morally 'okay' for the twins to do that to Dudley. Neither is it morally okay for the Dursleys to keep Harry locked in a cupboard under the stairs. Neither is it morally okay for Snape to call Lily a Mudblood, or condone Mulciber's actions against Mary Macdonald (who for all we know could have been a little first year). No one enjoys a moral right to anything here - not even Dumbledore. Actually, I'm ambiguous on the twins because I see them as bullies as well. The stunt they pulled on Montegue could easily have caused his death... but that's straying from the point.

Also, we only have one little snippet: it's quite possible he talked to her later about it.
Unfortunately, for canon evidence, we can only go on what is shown in the books. Of course, one can speculate (isn't that what fanfiction is all about?) but the only 'actual truth' is in JKR's words. If she'd wanted us to see Snape as friendly towards all Muggle-borns rather than just Lily, and no animosity towards Muggles, then she'd have written some extra scenes for us. She also says later in an interview that if Lily hadn't been threatened, he would not have turned against Voldemort. So, if Voldy had decided that Neville was 'The Chosen One' then the Longbottoms woud all have died.


Snape/Hermione - Uh, well the term 'icky' springs to mind. Sorry, unless it's AU and after the war, then I'm not a fan. I have read some Snape/Hermione fics which are good, but all seem to ignore the fact that Hermione as a schoolgirl - despite her brains - was attracted to pretty or handsome men (Lockhart and Krum spring to mind), so whenever I read a fic where she's been nursing a secret lust for Snape since she was 13, I find myself choking on my tea and thinking 'OOC, OOC.'
Also, I'm not totally sure why Snape would like her. Yes, she's very intelligent, but I get the feeling she'd irritate him immensely because she's, in Ron's words, a 'know-it-all'.

~Carole~