Blind Spots in Leadership

"Third year, it was dementors on the field and a fall of more than fifty feet. Again you only arrived on the scene after the fact and did nothing to aide him. Were you hoping he would die, Minerva? Certainly would save you the trouble of trying to get the rest of us to see him as the next Dark Lord wouldn't it?

And again you let your house team remove him from the line-up but not out of concern for his safety though that's what you told everyone including him. You only did it because the dementors had interrupted the game and you blamed him for them swarming the field.

I seem to recall you walking around muttering about how he summoned them with his connection to the dark side just to cause chaos uncaring of the safety of the students. Mutters your house team picked up on and acted upon to kick him off the team for safety's sake."

He was careful to keep the disgust he felt out of his voice and off his face. He'd long wanted to take her to task over the way she'd treated Mr. Potter and his quiditch skills but hadn't really had the chance before now.

She always put the boy back on the team at the beginning of each year but by the time the second Gryffindor game rolled around the boy was always kicked off for one lame reason or another. Usually because of the bad-mouthing of the Unholy Trio. For which she'd always blame Potter when the team lost their game. But that third year, she'd been the one bad-mouthing the boy.

Pomona decided to weigh in. "But what strikes me about all of this is, it was you who decided he should play quiditch. Mr. Potter didn't decide to try out for the team in his first year.

He didn't even know how the game was played if the rumor mill is correct. Poppy even tried to tell you he was too small. Too lightweight to play such a rough game. You didn't listen. Because Filius is right. You wanted the Quiditch Trophy in your office rather than Severus'. I do believe you also threatened to punish him if you heard he wasn't practicing hard enough.

I also know you've told him each year before the trouble starts you expect the trophy in your office at year's end. And you blame him for every game your house loses after he's evicted from the team each year. As if he's the only player on the team. You do realize there are six other players on the team don't you? That just because a game is usually decided by who catches the snitch that isn't the only way to win a game?"

Filius took over again having gotten his disgust under control. "So you can't seriously expect anyone to believe he only gets seriously injured when he's somewhere he doesn't belong and has no permission to be."

Then he too set down his napkin and hopped off his chair. He followed Severus from the Great Hall hearing the slow swelling that meant his words had been heard by some of the students and were now being discussed amongst them.

Murmurs broke out behind him as those students who had heard the discussion, repeated it to others who hadn't. Every word Professor Snape had said to Professor McGonagal had been clearly heard by the student body already in attendance for their evening meal in addition to what the other Heads of Houses had said. Professor Snape had been trying to keep his voice down; to keep it between the adults as had both Professors Sprout and Flitwick.

But his habit of using a silky-smooth, quiet voice in his classroom to deliver his lectures or when he caught a misbehaving student in the halls, had attuned the student body to catch even the lowest vocal commentary from him. If for no other reason, just so they could know why exactly their house had lost points again or someone had been given another detention. But especially when it was clear at a glance he was angry. Most especially when he was angry.

And Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice was just as recognizable albeit for different reasons. The student body genuinely liked Filius Flitwick and they all tried hard to pay attention when he spoke. He was generally believed to be the most fair and impartial teacher of all the staff. He also made his classes fun so they all enjoyed having him as a teacher. For all those reasons, when he spoke the students tried to pay attention. Because he had their respect and they wanted to show him it.

One of the first lessons student of Hogwarts learn was How to Read Professor Snape. It didn't matter which house you were sorted into.

Learning to read Professor Snape was an important survival skill. It was important they learn it as quickly as possible since he was the teacher most likely to give out detentions and strike points or infractions of the rules.

And he was the one with the hardest class to receive a fair mark in. But he was also thought of as one of the most fair right alongside Professor Flitwick.

Because, while he did favor his own house in the awarding of points, he never actually struck points for no reason or assigned detentions unfairly or without reason as the other teachers would.

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