Possible Discrepancy in PS

[Andrea]

No: HPFGUIDX 18144

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., koinonia02 at y... wrote:
> Isn't Snape asking Quirrell if he has found out yet?  Snape wants 
> the info. 

That's certainly what Harry thinks!  We have to draw a distinction 
between what *Harry* thinks all of this means, and what we can see it 
means with the knowledge that Quirrell was after the Stone all along. 
 Snape's words can be taken with both meanings.

> > Then the words are drowned out and Harry only hears, "...your 
> little 
> > bit of hocus-pocus."  Harry thinks that Snape wants to know how 
> > Quirrell was protecting the stone so Snape can defeat it, but 
> > Snape is 
> > actually referring to the spell Quirrell was putting on Harry's 
> > broomstick during the Quiddich match.
> 
> Why would Snape need to know about the spell Quirrell was putting on 
> Harry's broomstick?  I think Snape is wanting to know what Quirrell 
> is doing to protect the stone.  Snape wants to know how to get past 
> Quirrell's beast and he wants to know what Quirrell has done. 

Again, that's what *Harry* thinks.  All we hear Snape say is "...your 
little bit of hocus pocus."  Harry (and we, on first reading) assume 
that he's trying to find out how to get past Quirrell's protection.  
But Snape could just as easily have been saying, "And don't think on 
the Quiddich field just now I didn't notice your little bit of 
hocus-pocus" or something along those lines.

> 'So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying 
> to force Quirrell to help him get it.  He asked if he knew how to 
get 
> past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's hocus-pocus'-I 
> reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, 
> loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some 
> anti-Dark Arts spell which Snape needs to break through-'

This is what Harry thought when he first saw everything play out, but 
it's shown later that Quirrell himself was the problem.  Snape wasn't 
the bad guy in this case, so we have to re-evaluate our assumptions 
from earlier.

> There are two parts to this little scene which interests me just as 
> much as what was just brought up.  One is where Snape tells 
> Quirrell, 'Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's 
> Stone, after all.'  How does Snape know HH & R know about the stone?

He doesn't.  That line is in explanation for why he's talking to 
Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest, where students aren't allowed.  Less 
chance of a student, who isn't supposed to know about the PS, 
stumbling across them.  Dang Harry! [g]

Hope I explained things a bit better. :)


Andrea