Re: part 4 But for spying it is much more profitable to be trusted by 'the enemy' - and a Harry Potter who ran to Severus Snape for help and guidance would have been the perfect gift for Voldemort, pretended or otherwise. Severus didn't even remotely consider this option. So what is he, stupid and inefficient?
We could argue that Snape knew that and did not want Harry to trust him. Precisely because then Voldy would have expected Snape to deliver Harry up as a gift. So it was an intentional plan on Snape's part to get Harry (not to mention the rest of the Order) to distrust him.
But honestly? Snape has the emotional IQ of a teaspoon. As I mentioned above, I don't think he is capable of adopting the calm, cool, repressed persona much of fanon attributes to him. And I also don't think he was capable of handling a class of Gryffindors containing Harry Potter and Slytherins containing Draco Malfoy in any way other than the one he used. And Dumbledore had a lot of nerve expecting it. Or maybe Dumbledore did not expect it---he never seemed to care all that much what the students learned, so long as the Gryffs knew they were to be favoured.
You, and everyone else who reads this, has to understand that we do this in good fun and without any anger (at least on my side). We're both on snapedom and love to discuss characters and their motivations.
Hear, hear! I feel like I can be pretty straight-forward in my theories with you and it's fun to discuss them. But I do want to emphasize that it is just in fun and without anger. We share (I think) the attitude that Snape is basically a good guy with some serious flaws and deserves much better than he gets in canon. And it's fun to play around with him and see how many different ways there are to get him there.
And let me emphasize again that I am really enjoying your story! I hope you know that, and that I think you are doing a wonderful job. It's a little odd, though, to realise that my interpretation may be so off from your intentions. Frankly, the reason for that may be that you appear to have a much higher opinion of canon Granger than I do. One of the challenges in HGSS fics, IMHO, is to get her from canon Granger into a woman that is worthy of our hero. And one of the failings of so much HGSS fic is the refusal of some fic to acknowledge that she is anything other than perfection that Snape should worship just because he exists and she deigns to look at him. ;-) Of course, the failings of so much other HGSS fic is the premise that he is some sex god that she should be panting after from the age of 13. :-( But that's a discussion for another place and time.
Hope I haven't spammed up you IJ beyond forgiveness...