Spying game/ MAGIC DISHWASHER

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 39825

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Edblanning at a... wrote:

> Now, returning to LOON mode, this is something where there *is* a 
> right answer!
> 
>Debbie:
> 
> > > 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.
> > 
> Pip:
> > Errr... no, she doesn't. She helps Neville when he asks her by 
> > hissing instructions at him out of the side of her mouth. I guess 
> > this is an example of the way two people can read a scene in 
totally 
> > different ways  - because to me the point here is that Snape 
> > *doesn't* push it. He doesn't take House points off Gryffindor 
here - 
> > even though he shows later in the Boggart class that he was 
perfectly 
> > 
> 
> 
> Since Debbie's gone to bed, I'll defend her :-)
> 
> POA (UK PB, 96)
> 
> "'Please, sir,' said Hermione, 'please, I could help Neville put it 
right - '
> 'I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger,' said 
Snape, coldly, 
> and Hermione went as pink as Neville."
> .....................

(Since I'm now back from work, I'll defend myself [grin] )

You misunderstand me. I am referring to immediately *after* Hermione 
goes pink, when Neville moans "Help me!", and the bit later in the 
scene where 
'Hermione was muttering instructions to him [Neville]out of the 
corner of her mouth, so Snape wouldn't see.' p. 97
Snape refers to this in the boggart class scene, where he is 
sarcastic about Neville being unable to do anything difficult 'unless 
Miss Grainger is hissing instructions in his ear' p. 100

My point is that here is an example of Snape letting something go - 
he was quite clearly aware of exactly what Hermione was doing, but 
obviously didn't think it worth pursuing (probably because while 
Neville was being given heavy hints, he was at least preparing the 
potion himself). His behaviour in the Shack and the Hospital is quite 
unlike his behaviour to Hermione elsewhere and, IMO, shows that it 
was *important* she keep quiet. See  #39662 for an analysis of when 
and why he shuts her up in the shack and hospital.

Amy Z writes:
> Uh oh. I'm making a good case for the Snape/Dumbledore tag team,   
> aren't I? 
<g>

That's the thing about MAGIC DISHWASHERs. You think you don't need 
one, then suddenly you find you're using it all the time [grin].

Grey Wolf writes:
> If I understood it correctly, Snape believed in the shack that     
> Sirius and Lupin were as guilty as Wormtail, but it's beside the   
> point. His act is focusing on allowing Peter scape (from his PoV,  
> the least dangerous of the three, and the most probable to have a  
> life debt to Harry), which is in turn based on acting as if he     
> didn't know of his existance (or else, he would have to tell the   
> MoM about him, and Dumbledore's A plan would go down the drain). It 
> is very unlike Snape, if you think for a while, to let his passions 
> out, and there is something very strange about the whole shack     
> situation.

Yup, that's a very good summary. I would add that Snape could also 
not let it be suspected that the escape was allowed because it would 
make Voldemort extremely suspicious to say the least. In the Shack, 
Snape shows himself far to competent to make 'oops, he just slipped 
through my fingers' very believable.

It's all in incredible, can(n)oned detail in #39662. Nearly 6000 
words of detail. :-)

Grey Wolf writes:
> I was thinking on doing a re-cap post on the entire MAGIC          
> DISHWASHER theory, explaining the broad outline, the arguments     
> against it, the patches we've worked out and the origin of it's    
> name, but I'm not sure if that should be Pip's work (it's her      
> theory, after all), or if she would allow me to do so (which I     
> think she would, because it's more a chore than a "thinking" post), 
> and if I should wait to see if she finally was going to put        
> together a post expanding the theory into the graveyard scene of   
> GoF.

I would be very happy if you wanted to do a recap post.I was trying 
to sort out the various pro and con posts last night and got horribly 
confused - and I started the theory in the first place! But it's sort 
of spread. :-)
I do intend to do the graveyard scene, but I doubt that will be out 
before the weekend,or possibly even next week. Besides, if that post 
generates as many replies as my Shrieking Shack one did... [grin]

Pip(who has been watching all this with the slightly incredulous 
feeling of someone who rolled a small snowball down a hill and has 
seen it turn into a minor avalanche)
Squeak