Nobody expected Snape to offer biscuits to the class, nor âbring Neville a colouring bookâ (like where the heck you got that from?). McGonagall didnât. (except for one occasion with Potter) and she is one of the most beloved teachers. Why? Because while she was strict and terrifying, you knew what to expect from her and she didnât threaten nor insult you with every occasion.
A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turnedâ
âOrange, Longbottom,â said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.
âOrange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didnât you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one bat spleen was needed? Didnât I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
"Please, sir,â said Hermione, âplease, I could help Neville put it rightââ
âI donât remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger,â said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. âLongbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.
That is not a good teacher. Itâs just not. Youâre teaching children, and even if youâre strict and you believe that students should fear you (i think they should respect you), you donât go and threaten to poison your studentsâ animals as punishment for not doing well. Nor insult your students, even if you believe theyâre dumb as heck.
The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron."Everyone gather around,â said Snape, his black eyes glittering, âand watch what happens to Longbottomâs toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I donât doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned.ââŠSnape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Nevilleâs potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevorâs throat.There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snapeâs palm.The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.
âFive points from Gryffindor,â said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. âI told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."Â
He actually does it and then he takes points from Gryffindor even when the potion is done correctly.
You know what Snape is good at? And no, Iâm not sarcastic. Heâs a good Potions Master. Heâs a good scholar. Hermione thrived under him as opposed to Slughorn because he was innovative with potions and found ways to do better. Of course that the students who like Potions regardless of the teacher would do well. Or, just ones that are very good at following instructions, which I imagine is the case for most students.
And actually, yes, teachers are supposed to take into consideration their studentsâ needs, including emotional needs. This doesnât mean they need to bring coloring books with them, but maybe not amplify their anxiety regarding your subject by being an asshole is do-able.Â
"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so farââ
âPlease, sir, weâve done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows,â said Hermione quickly, âand weâre just about to startââ
âBe quiet,â said Snape coldly. âI did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupinâs lack of organization.â
âHeâs the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher weâve ever had,â said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.
âYou are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing youâI would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discussââ
As a teacher, itâs unprofessional to degrade other teachers and students. Because believe me âLupin is hardly overtaxing youâI would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylowsâ is not a compliment. He means to downplay their accomplishments, saying that theyâre things that even younger children should be able to do, which is just NOT the case. Iâm quite sure Lupin was following a curriculum because you have to do so. Thatâs one of the important teacher stuff (and thatâs why you have textbooks). Also, if you think theyâd learn from their pureblood families, youâre ignoring the muggleborns or those who grew up in muggle born families. Which brings me toâŠ
âPotter!â said Snape suddenly. âWhat would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"Â
"I donât know, sir,â said Harry. Snapeâs lips curled into a sneer.
âTut, tut-fame clearly isnât everything.â He ignored Hermioneâs hand.
âLetâs try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?â
âI donât know, sir.â
âThought you wouldnât open a bok before coming, eh, Potter?â
 Harry forced himself to keep looking into those cold eyes. [âŠ]Snape was still ignoring Hermioneâs quivering hand.âWhat is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?â[âŠ]
âI donât know,â said Harry quietly. âI think Hermione does, though, why donât you try her?â[âŠ]
 "Sit down,â he snapped at Hermione.Â
"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomack of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why arenât you all copying that down?â
God. His whole point here is to humiliate Harry. His student. He could be related to fucking Voldemort and it wouldnât matter, you donât humiliate your students like this on the first day. Especially since you know (and Snape knew) that Harry lived with the Dursleys and he didnât exactly have time to read the whole Potions book just in case the teacher is an asshole and decides to quiz him on the first day. Because believe me if your teachers did that, youâd totally consider them assholes. And he doesnât want the answer, because he ignores Hermione. He just wants to humiliate a student. (It doesnât matter who it is. Couldâve been Malfoy himself and it still would have been bad.)
 Donât come at me with âHeâs not a good person, but heâs a good teacher.â bullshit. Heâs a good Potion Master, but thatâs all. Heâs not a good person and heâs not a good teacher. Those of us who do teacher courses or are actually (decent) teachers can see heâs not.