Excuses, excuses (more Lupin) & a Snape Rant

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 34625

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "cindysphynx" <cindysphynx at h...> 
wrote:

> ::tearing sound of velcro as the gloves come off::
> 
> I would match Lupin's error rate with Snape's any day.  Snape 
> mastered the art of screwing things up long ago.  Here are the 
Top 10 
> reasons Snape is a champion, Grade A, first-class, Number 
One screw-
> up:

Oh, Snape very definitely  has an attitude problem, very definitely. 
Though I wouldn't characterize it as screw *up*. <veg> 

Most of the points have already been dealt with, but

 
> 
> 3.  A ten-year old girl solved Snape's potions obstacle in about 
1  minute.

IIRC Hermione had to think it over.IMO the obstacles were never 
meant to be impassable. They are lures for the thief (wizards 
can't resist showing off, remember). Why leave three 
broomsticks in the Keys section, why not fill all five bottles with 
poison, why not set the chess board with a problem which Black 
can't win?
> 
> 4.  Snape, a fully-qualified wizard, can't figure out the 
Marauder's  Map, but Fred and George, underage students, 
could.

Snape only had it for a few minutes. I'm sure he would have 
figured it out if he'd had a few more.

> 
> 5.  Snape lets Moody intimidate him into not investigating who 
had  burgled his office.  He also used a locking charm that 
Moody broke  rather handily, not once, but twice.

Snape's locking charm is just enough to discourage entry by the 
unauthorized --he *doesn't* want to make it look like he's hiding 
something.

> 7.  Snape can't prove that Harry went to Hogsmeade, when all 
he had  to do was threaten to burn the map unless Harry came 
clean.

The map is *evidence*, it mustn't be destroyed.
> 
> 8.  Snape may have allowed Fudge to bring the dementor to 
Moody's  office, where it promptly sucked out Crouch Jr.'s soul, 
making him as  responsible or even more responsible than 
McGonagall.

Snape, as a reformed DE, dare not put his loyalty to the Ministry 
in question, even if the MoM is wrong.
> 
> 9.  He is responsible for Peter's escape, and as a result, 
> Voldemort's re-birth.  Had he listened in the Shrieking Shack, 
there  would have been an additional wizard there to keep control 
of the situation.  
 
I have a new theory about this: see next post



Snape also might have Crouch Sr.'s blood on his hands for 
> needlessly detaining Harry as Harry searched for Dumbledore.
> 

As has been noted, Crouch was already dead. Snape's 
interference did stop Harry from vainly looking for Dumbledore in 
the Staff Room, which would have wasted even more time.  I'm 
also quite sure that Dumbledore can get out of his office far 
more quickly than anyone else can get in, even with the 
password, so Snape may  actually have helped by making Harry 
lose his temper.  Standing outside the boss's door and yelling 
can be a most effective way to get in without an appointment. I've 
done it myself, once or twice. 

> 10.  Experienced dueler that Snape is, he allowed three 
underage  wizards to disarm him.  This occurred because 
Snape didn't have the  good sense to disarm the kids right away 
(note that Lupin did disarm  the students when he arrived in the 
Shack).    

Snape, reformed DE, will never, ever attack Harry Potter in front of 
witnesses.  

Pippin