The Spying Game

[elfundeb at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 39782

I said:

> shuts her  up in his 
> usual fashion. 
> 
 Pip replied:

> > > Uh - I'm not actually willing to go through all four books right 
> > now  [grin] but can anyone remember any other scene APART 
> > from the Shack and the Hospital where Snape *screams* at 
> > Hermoine in quite this way? 
> > > He does NOT shut her up in his usual fashion. Also it's some 
> > of the words he uses to shut her up which are fascinating.<<<
> 
Pippin responded:

> > Snape resorts to screaming because  he doesn't have the 
> > authority over her that he has in class, where he can silence her 
> > by taking points (much more effective when backed up by peer 
> > pressure) or simply refusing to recognize her.  Snape can't afford 
> > much more delay 
> 
       [snip]

> >   I think Snape  losing his temper is quite understandable. It's 
> > not as if he hasn't been building up to it. He comes close to 
> > losing it on an earlier occasion: in his office when  he's 
> > questioning Harry. He doesn't get all the way to capital letters, 
> > but he does snarl, spit, turn pale and speak in italics. <g>
> > 
> Pip responded:

> Yes, but there he was questioning *Harry*. He gets angry (or acts 
> angry) when questioning *Harry*. Is there any other scene where he's 
> got beyond cold sarcasm with *Hermoine*?
> 
> 
I only checked PoA (and only two episodes, the Potions class where Hermione 
gets in trouble for helping Neville with the Shrinking Solution and the DADA 
class where Snape substitutes for Lupin) and while it's true that Snape did 
not scream at Hermione in big capital letters, the scene in the Shrieking 
Shack does follow the same pattern as the classroom episodes.

In the Potions class, Hermione offers to help Neville, and Snape cuts her off 
coldly with the comment that he didn't ask her to show off.  Hermione went 
pink and shut up.

In the DADA class, when Snape ascribes the class' lack of knowledge about 
werewolves to Lupin's supposed shortcomings as a teacher, Hermione volunteers 
werewolf information without being called on.  Snape accuses her of speaking 
out of turn for the second time, and takes five points from Gryffindor.  
Hermione is in tears.

In the Shrieking Shack, Snape begins with the same pattern, though he's 
already seething with anger at Sirius.  Hermione suggests that Snape should 
listen to Sirius and Lupin, and Snape reminds her she is out of bounds, in 
the company of a convict, and should be quiet.  That's essentially what he 
always tells her in class when she speaks out of turn, i.e. he tries to shut 
her up in the usual fashion.  

What's different here is what happens next.  Hermione does not get pink or 
red or cry.  Instead, she keeps on pressing Snape.  "But if -- if there was a 
mistake --" and it's only at this point that Snape loses it ("looking quite 
deranged").  He doesn't want to hear what they have to say.  He wants to 
deliver his prisoner.  So he calls her stupid, and tells her not to talk 
about what she does not understand.  He's trying to get her to shut up.  And 
it works.

There's a lot Hermione doesn't understand, including the fact that Snape has 
the revenge he wants in his grasp and he's not going to ruin it by hearing 
his prisoners' story.  Moreover, this remark comes right after Hermione 
suggests that there's been a mistake.  But to Snape, there can be no such 
thing as a mistake, because that would take away his revenge.  So he tries to 
tell her she doesn't understand.  To me, this explanation makes perfect sense.

Debbie, who needs sleep


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