Minerva's opinion of the Marauders
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We don't know if Minerva was head of house back then, so we don't know if it was her responsibility to discipline them in general. We do know Minerva's considered judgment on James/Sirius: "Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course--exceptionally bright, in fact--but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers--"
This from the woman who may have been at school with Tom Riddle. Minerva was NOT a fan of James Potter; either she was too junior to interfere with their games, or if she was head of house, Dumbledore probably interceded on the boys' behalf. Or she simply couldn't figure out what to do to stop them. They were punished plenty, acto Filch's files--but never in ways that had an effect on their behavior.
But overall Severus doesn't bear grudges as much as, perhaps, he ought to about the older staff. I'd say Dumbledore bore quite a lot of responsibility for letting those little proto-torturers go unchecked, and Severus was devoted to Dumbles.
Or maybe---when I started working in therapy on the abuse I suffered as a child, it was a long time before I got around to being angry about the other adults who stood by and let it happen. It was even a while before I could be angry at those I had specifically asked to help who had failed me.
Severus has never had therapy, and I doubt anyone, ever, has given him reason to think along the lines that he deserved to have been protected from abuse. And how much can he really afford to be angry at Dumbles or Minerva, or even Sluggy, for failing him when he was a child?
As to Sluggy--the only time we saw them together, Severus was remarkably tolerant of Sluggy's drunken affection. And Sluggy clearly holds Severus in respect for his abilities. On the other hand, Snape didn't budge an inch when Sluggy tried to get him to go lightly on Draco's gatecrashing. He's Draco's Head of House, and he'll decide. Echoes of Lockhart offering to brew the restorative potion! But Severus is "curt" here, not "icy:" which given the stress he's under (this is his first chance ALL TERM to drag Draco off in private to find out what the fool boy's plans are) must indicate, I think, some underlying warmth for Sluggy.
This from the woman who may have been at school with Tom Riddle. Minerva was NOT a fan of James Potter; either she was too junior to interfere with their games, or if she was head of house, Dumbledore probably interceded on the boys' behalf. Or she simply couldn't figure out what to do to stop them. They were punished plenty, acto Filch's files--but never in ways that had an effect on their behavior.
But overall Severus doesn't bear grudges as much as, perhaps, he ought to about the older staff. I'd say Dumbledore bore quite a lot of responsibility for letting those little proto-torturers go unchecked, and Severus was devoted to Dumbles.
Or maybe---when I started working in therapy on the abuse I suffered as a child, it was a long time before I got around to being angry about the other adults who stood by and let it happen. It was even a while before I could be angry at those I had specifically asked to help who had failed me.
Severus has never had therapy, and I doubt anyone, ever, has given him reason to think along the lines that he deserved to have been protected from abuse. And how much can he really afford to be angry at Dumbles or Minerva, or even Sluggy, for failing him when he was a child?
As to Sluggy--the only time we saw them together, Severus was remarkably tolerant of Sluggy's drunken affection. And Sluggy clearly holds Severus in respect for his abilities. On the other hand, Snape didn't budge an inch when Sluggy tried to get him to go lightly on Draco's gatecrashing. He's Draco's Head of House, and he'll decide. Echoes of Lockhart offering to brew the restorative potion! But Severus is "curt" here, not "icy:" which given the stress he's under (this is his first chance ALL TERM to drag Draco off in private to find out what the fool boy's plans are) must indicate, I think, some underlying warmth for Sluggy.