The Draco / Snape Relationship

(Remember -- the term 'relationship' has no sexual connotations in this article)
This is an example of an email exchange I had with a visitor, Samantha. She asked me of my thoughts on the Draco \ Snape relationship. I figure this is an important question that many people have - at least, I did. With her permission, I reprint some of our conversation.

My thoughts in Green Samantha's thoughts in Silver and Italics

The impression is such that Snape favors Draco. From the very first book, Snape seems to give Draco 'special treatment' and praise ("he was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs" SS), --That's fairly interesting, mostly because of when this happens: first book, first class. I'd wager to guess that there is an already-established relationship between Snape and Draco on some level. -- and the fact that he calls Draco by his first name. This definitely indicates some favoritism, but the degree and the reason(s) are unknown.

I personally believe that Snape's favourtism toward Draco is being exaggerated. This is reasonable, considering that the novel is from Harry's point of view, and as the object of Snape's dislike, will tend to see all of Snape's actions in a more extreme light.
I see this evidence in the PoA book. When Malfoy first enters Potions class, he is given a very weak and careless response by Snape:
" 'Settle down, settle down,' said Professor Snape.
Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd had given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favoured his own students above all others."
While this comment is perfectly legitimate, notice what happens when, in the same novel, Harry comes into DADA class late. --Very true; I hadn't noticed that before. :D -- Snape does not give a detention, he just takes a very reasonable 10 points from Gryffindor because Potter was 10 minutes late. That doesn't sound like favourtism to me. In this case, then, Ron and Harry's assumption was wrong. And it would not be the first time that they are wrong.

However, there is the incident in GoF when Malfoy and Potter tried to curse each other, and Snape completely ignored Malfoy's part, and gave both Potter and Weasley a detention and a 50 point deduction. I like to personally think, though, that the deduction was for them cussing out Snape in the hallway (remember he could not hear the exact words, but 'he got the gist, however').

Yet I am hesitant to really say that all Slytherins are favoured by Snape just on the basis of the behavior of him to Malfoy.
IF Snape favors all Slytherins like he does Malfoy:
--Snape is characterized as even more irrrational (betraying what he indicates is his philosophy, a life ruled by individuality and rationality)
-- The Slytherins are all generalized ass being the same as Malfoy -- which is highly unrealistic just on the basis of human behavior. You just can't have 200+ male and female Malfoys!
-- Malfoy as a character loses his appeaal. He becomes only the no-good evil copy of his father. Unless some effort is made by Rowling to made Malfoy human, then he will become the personification of all that is evil and suave in the world.

Now, it would be okay if Malfoy stayed like this, but there is more and more evidence that Rowling's characters are becoming more in-depth and fully-rounded (see: Snape). It is my personal hope that Malfoy becomes his own person rather than identified with the Slytherin House. --I think he will become his own person. While he certainly doesn't exhibit many redeemable qualities throughout the books, this could be Harry's own fault as narrator, because he only takes notice of Draco's presence when Draco is, to be quite frank, pissing off Harry or his friends. Additionally, the theme "like father, like son" certainly does not apply to these books. --

What does this have to do with the Snape / Draco relationship? Well, I'm hoping that some reason will be given for Snape's favourtism. Because right now it is an unfounded bias, besides some of fandom's theories.

-- One other thing I caught on my second read-through of OotP this past week. In "Snape's Worst Nightmare" while in Occlumency lessons, Draco just runs right into Snape's office ("Snape's office door banged open and Draco Malfoy sped in"). Not his classroom, mind, but his office, which makes this occurrence all the more poignant. Harry certainly doesn't run or casually stroll into any of his teachers' offices without at the very least knocking first (ex. Cos: Harry even bothers himself to knock on Lockhart's office door). So the fact that Draco just allows himself in and is not even reprimanded ("Professor Snape, sir - oh - sorry -"//"It's all right, Draco.") shows that he and Snape must be pretty close, in a fairly intimate relationship. Though, we still don't know the nature of it, sadly. --

Any thoughts, comments, are wanted. Especially if I missed something.