Coward

[Alz]

This is a simple one really ...
During Flight of the Prince Harry comes face to face with Snape and calls him a coward - twice.
Snape totally flips out - I mean he really looses all composure the whole deal.
Many people have attributed this to the fact he just killed Dumbledore and that took a lot of courage blah blah - gotta say I am not opposed.
But then I read on some more into that - Snape seems to start shouting at Harry about James ...
I wonder - do you think that is how he was tempted into the DE's?
He was picked on and treated pretty bad at home when young and then at school he was bullied - do you think James and others would taunt him for being a coward for not responding?
Think about it - in the Advanced Potions book he wrote some spells - but yet seems the only time we saw them was when they were being used against him.
Do you think he was actually passive - a pacifist in a way - and the taunts at him for not retaliating drove him towards being a DE - to prove he wasn't a coward?
He actually attacked Harry when he was called a coward - through all Snape's nasty episode's with Harry he never lost it like that and would never think to hurt Harry - afterall he is protecting him ;)

[kashlie]

I agree...Snape has always kept his cool with Harry, in fact, i rather think he has made a point of it, trying to make Harry snap instead.
For Harry to call Snape a coward in any other situation may not have had the same result though, when we consider what he had just done.
Imagine, killing Dumbledore, the greatest wizard to have ever lived, only to be called a coward by a schoolboy. Snape had sacrificed half his life for both Voldemort and Dumbledore, which ever side he is on, and he no doubt believes he is far from being a coward now. He spent half his life proving it, probably to himself, and had most likely not been called a coward to his face since he left Hogwarts.
I have no doubt in my mind what so ever that James, Sirius and Lupin called Snape a coward during their time at Hogwarts. They did horrible things to him, so calling him a coward would have been tame in comparison.

[Sirius-fan-forever]

I think the only reason he flipped out was because how much courage it required for him to kill dumbledore. Whether he killed him because there was no way out for dumbledore, or because it was prearranged between him and dumbledore, I think it was a very hard thing for Snape to do. I like to believe that he killed dumbledore because dumbledore asked him to. But even if he didn't, it was still a very hard decision for him. It was probably one of the hardest things he had to do, and Harry calling him a coward would have really pissed him off.

[Alz]

I think the only reason he flipped out was because how much courage it required for him to kill dumbledore. Whether he killed him because there was no way out for dumbledore, or because it was prearranged between him and dumbledore, I think it was a very hard thing for Snape to do. I like to believe that he killed dumbledore because dumbledore asked him to. But even if he didn't, it was still a very hard decision for him. It was probably one of the hardest things he had to do, and Harry calling him a coward would have really pissed him off.
As I said in the initial post - I don't dispute this train of though one bit - totally agree!
I just feel it runs deeper - like Harry raked up the past and shoved it straight into Snape's face. I expect Snape was feeling pretty emotional post killing Dumbledore - no matter how you see that episode - but his reaction - his face - his complete lack of restraint - loosing composure - that really hurt the guy and struck some painful nerves!
I feel that this runs a lot deeper and I think that coward became a word that terrorised him to the point he became a DE - to make himself big and powerful - important and such ....
We know that his heart wasn't in it - he tried it but I don't think his heart was in it - he got the short term ego boost but then also had nightmares ...
His decision to leave the DE's and join Dumbledore wouldn't have been easy - he would have to assume the guise of double agent and face the wrath of two of the most powerful men in the Magical world ... I really don't think he saw himself as a coward at the end of the day - especially that day!