Snape and insomnia

[judyserenity]

No: HPFGUIDX 37201

Porphyria wrote
an excellant post, in which she many insightful things, including:

> Snape is not an insomniac. He does not *make a habit* of prowling 
> the school late at night, if by late at night you mean after the 
> time at which you would expect a grown man to go to bed. I've been 
> combing the canon for an essay I'm writing and I can back this claim 
> up. If anyone would like to dispute me on this I will post a very 
> LOONy list of Snape-encounters with notes on the time of day. :-) If 
> there *is* a professor who is afflicted with insomnia, that honor 
> would have to go to McGonagall (maybe she's the real vampire!
> <*cough*>).


I agree completely.  Frankly, I've been mystified by all the times 
Snape has been described on this list "as prowling around after dark." 

Sure, he does run into Harry a lot.  However, many of these times are 
during the day: in PS/SS, when he tells the trio they should be 
outside; in PoA, when Harry is trying to sneak off to Hogsmeade; in 
GoF, when Snape won't let Harry in to see Dumbledore.  

The times when Harry sees Snape wandering around after dark, there is 
usually a good reason:  For example, in GoF ("The egg and the eye" 
chapter), Snape comes into the corridor because he hears Harry's egg 
wailing.  It's clear that Snape was in bed before that (he is wearing 
a nightshirt and speaks of going *back* to bed.) And, the egg woke 
Filch, too.

There are also some times when Harry sees Snape in the corridors after 
dark, but Snape is there because of some danger that has caused all 
the staff to take up patrol duty.  I can't remember if this happens in 
CoS (guarding against the monster), or PoA (guarding against Sirius), 
or both. 

-- Judy, defending Snape as usual