How much does Snape know? was Wormtail's Name In the Confession (WAS: Spying Game...)

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 40460

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "darrin_burnett" <bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> Marina wrote:
> > 
> > Also keep in mind that what we're reading is Harry's
interpretation 
> of
> > Snape's facial expressions, and Harry's not exactly the most 
> reliable
> > interpreter of the finer nuances of Snape's facial expressions.
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> No, we're not. Harry has never been the narrator of the books. It is 
> a third-person omniscient narrator.

No, it's third-person limited POV.  And except for the opening
chapter, where we get a glimpse into Frank Bryce, the third person
whose limited POV we're getting is Harry.  We see only what he sees,
we hear only what he hears, we learn only what he learns and when he
learns it.  His thoughts and feelings are the only ones we're privvy
to, and we see everything the way he sees it.

> 
> Here is the quote, from page 712 of the American edition of GoF:
> 
> Snape had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face
was 
> one of mingled fury and horror.
> 
> "Him!" he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal
dislike.
> 
> Harry is not interpreting his facial expressions. An all-knowing 
> narrator is telling us what the facial expressions were.

The narration is telling us what Harry saw, filtered through the lens
of Harry's point of view.  Harry looked at Snape's expression (which
is the only reason why the narration can tell us about it), and saw it
as "fury and horror".  The other characters present may have see it as
something entirely different; we just don't know.  

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com