Snape's and Black's grudges (was: Living with Sirius)

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 28345

Anne wrote:

> If Snape was able to see Lupin on the map, at least up to the point 
> that he entered the Shrieking Shack, it would seem that he would 
have 
> noticed Harry, Ron, Black, and Peter on the map as well (as long as 
> he looked at the map before they all entered the shack).  I'm 
> wondering if he only saw Lupin on the map because the others were 
> already in the shack, and went after him as a combination of duty 
(to 
> give Lupin the potion) and a combination of wanting to 'catch him' 
> and prove that Lupin is a danger to have at Hogwarts.  


There are a couple of good theories raised here.  First, perhaps 
Snape's motive is to give Lupin his potion.  Nope.  Doesn't work 
because Snape doesn't bring the potion with him.  Second, maybe Snape 
saw HRH, Black and Pettigrew on the Map before Lupin disappeared off 
the edge.  Unlikely, because Snape specifically mentions seeing 
Lupin, and somehow omits a mention of seeing a dead man and a 
convicted murder.  

It seems that the key is whether Snape is going to the shrieking 
shack to investigate/harrass/undermine Lupin or whether he has some 
reasonable basis to think Harry (or anyone else) might be in danger.  
 
Anne wrote:

>I could 
> imagine Snape arriving at the Willow and noticing Harry's 
> invisibility cloak.  Seeing that, and not knowing that Black and 
> Wormtail were inside, he might think that Harry had gone in after 
> soon-to-be-werewolf Lupin, and was now in the same danger Snape had 
> experienced years ago when Sirius tricked him.  So now Snape's 
> motivations would change.  Could he have gone in with the intent of 
> SAVING Harry, maybe as a way to repay his debt to James?  

I don't think this helps Snape, either.  First, I am unsure how, when 
Snape find the cloak next to the willow, that he knows it belongs to 
Harry.  In "Snape's Grudge", Harry does not have the cloak in his 
pocket when he is taken to Snape's office.  I can't think of a prior 
instance in the HP series in which Snape sees Harry with the cloak.  
But for some reason, when Snape reveals himself in the Shrieking 
Shack, he clearly knows the cloak is Harry's.  Mini-FLINT?

Anyway, when Snape finds the cloak, he doesn't necessarily know that 
it is Harry's cloak.  Harry is not the only wizard with an 
invisibility cloak (Moody has one). For all Snape knows, it might be 
Lupin's cloak, and Lupin might have used the cloak to sneak out if he 
were on his way to transform.  

And no matter how you slice it, when Snape left his office in the 
first place, he had no idea Harry's cloak was on the ground by the 
willow.  So when Snape set off after Lupin, he wasn't motivated by 
any desire to protect the students.  I still think it was all about 
snooping around after Lupin, just like it was many years ago.

Cindy (who is not in a particularly charitable mood with Snape today)