Parental Snape and Non-Compliant Lupin (WAS: A case against Evil Lupin)

[ssk7882]

No: HPFGUIDX 39985

Amanda wrote (of Snape's dialogue in Lupin's office, while waiting
for Lupin to swill down his Wolfsbane potion in PoA):

> I always sort of had the idea that Snape was continuing to speak 
> when not necessary--it is sort of awkward, isn't it? I thought he 
> was trying to do a foot-stomper for Harry ("Hell-LO! Are you 
> listening? This guy, he has to take a *potion,* he gets sick every 
> *month,* clue IN"), by calling attention to the potion indirectly. 

I like that, Amanda.  I'd never thought of it that way before.

I'd always read it as a foot-stomper as well, but one far more for 
Lupin's benefit than for Harry's.  I gloss most of Snape's lines 
there to read: "Damn it, Lupin, would you *drink* that stuff 
already?  Are you a grown man or aren't you? Do you think I don't 
have better things to do than to stand over you all day waiting for 
you to take your medicine?"

There's a strange sort of irritable parent/recalcitrant child dynamic 
going on in that scene, to be sure.  Lupin really does strike me as 
pulling the "All *right!*  I'll *drink* it!  But not while you're 
standing over me, okay?  Just leave me alone, and I promise that I'll 
do it.  Geez, don't you *trust* me?" behavior that I'm afraid that I 
do tend to associate with adolescents who are being Difficult.  

Poor Snape, meanwhile, is trapped in the parental role, a role in 
which he often finds himself trapped in canon, even though he is 
profoundly temperamentally unsuited for it.

The flavor of the dynamic always left me with the impression that 
Dumbledore had given Snape express instructions to make certain that 
Lupin was really drinking his potions.  I tend to agree with Pip that 
Lupin has a bit of a non-compliance problem, and I think that 
Dumbledore realized that -- or at the very least suspected it -- and 
so appointed poor Severus as the task-master when it came to Lupin's 
medication.  This would also explain why Snape was bringing Lupin his 
potion in person on the night of Shrieking Shack.


> Snape does act to protect Harry; he can't be happy to find Harry 
> there in the office of a werewolf. I sort of saw this as being 
> reluctant to leave, making forced conversation in an attempt to 
> keep an eye on things. 

I'm certain that he was not happy to find Harry sitting around 
chatting with Lupin in his office, especially at that time of the 
month, and especially since Lupin has the power to humiliate Snape by 
telling Harry embarrassing stories about his schooldays.


> This was also my take on his backing out.

I read his backing out to read: "I'm watching you, Lupin.  Drink.  
Your.  Potion." 


-- Elkins