[HPforGrownups] Metathinking etc.

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 45149

At 22:22 09/10/02 +0000, bluesqueak wrote:

<snip>

>But I don't think it's an interpretation that the text actually
>doesn't support - for example, if you can manage to explain why
>kindly old Dumbledore is practically *laughing* at one of his senior
>teachers having a near nervous breakdown in Chapter 22 of PoA,
>*without* recourse to 'Dumbledore is secretly an evil sadist', then
>you can argue that I'm twisting the text and everything is exactly
>as it seems. But until then, I'll stick with Snape is acting, which
>means there must be a reason for him to be acting, which in turn
>means...

My assumption has always been that he is practically laughing for exactly 
the same reason why I burst out laughing when I first read that scene. 
Snape bursts into the room and rants at everyone there demanding an 
explanation. Dumbledore explains exactly how Harry & Hermione did it, yet 
Snape dismisses it. Dumbledore is playing the usual trick of misdirection: 
tell someone what is going on in an outlandish situation, but the other 
person won't see beyond the fact that it's outlandish and just dismisses 
it. We all know that outlandish things can happen, but we prefer to dismiss 
them for the sake of what we believe to be our sanity.

I think it's a wonderfully written scene, is perfectly within (obvious) 
character for all concerned and needs not hide any ulterior motives for 
anyone involved. I can absolutely see why Dumbledore is amused. In fact, 
he's already amused as they enter the room (because he knows that 
everything is under control and much as he trusts Snape, he doesn't see 
eye-to-eye with him about Harry and likes the idea of Snape disproving his 
own prejudices with his own eyes). Here's the scene pretty much in full:

-- quote --

... [T]hey heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them....

"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.
Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey 
was staring at the door.
"Really -- they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"
Harry was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing
nearer -
"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the
room with him. When this gets out --"
"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU
CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS - HAS -
SOMETHING - TO - DO - WITH - POTTER!"
"Severus -- be reasonable -- Harry has been locked up --"
BAM.
The door of the hospital wing burst open.
"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked,  we 
just saw -"
"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and
Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.
"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT-"
"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are 
saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. 
Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are 
suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, 
I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."
Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly
shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind
his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed
out of the ward.

-- end quote --

Also note, from the bits of the conversation we can hear from the interior 
of the infrimary, that it seems that it is an already-ranting Snape who is 
leading Fudge and Dumbledore there, presumably ideally to prove Harry & 
Hermione's absence, or at least confront them over what happened. The only 
reason Snape would need to put on the show (presumably for Fudge's benefit) 
is because he led him there, and the reason he led them there was to put on 
the show. This is a causal loop and doesn't make sense of the theory you're 
trying to prove.

Unless you're insisting that he's doing it for *Harry & Hermione's* 
benefit? Why? To further prove that he hates them? He's given them ample 
proof of that. To show Fudge that he hates them? To what end? He knows that 
Harry and Hermione have been through a tough time and need rest. He knows 
their best friend is in another bed with a broken leg. Yet he insists on 
storming in and putting on a show. Why?

If Snape's outburst was to stop the kids talking about rats, the best thing 
he could have done was to do nothing at all. If he knew what was going on 
and was involved in planning it, all he needed to do was to retire to his 
bedchamber (and stroke his fluffy white kitten) ;-) and leave Dumbledore to 
explain the situation to Fudge, and the kids to have their rest. Dumbledore 
had already told H&H to keep quiet about their use of the Time-Turner, so 
none of that was going to come out, although he knew they'd tell Ron about 
it, as he was involved at the centre of the action, and Scabbers had been, 
after all, his pet.

Assuming it wasn't Snape who was leading them there, Fudge had absolutely 
no reason to interrupt the kids in the Infirmary. Even if he did, 
Dumbledore could have perfectly adequately prevented Fudge from going 
anywhere near them, at least until he'd managed to tell them not to talk 
about the Marauders having been Animagi or their Animagus forms (which they 
woudn't have done anyway). Incidentally, at no stage afterwards does 
Dumbledore issue them with such instructions, which means that interpreting 
Snape's outburst in that direction simply becomes a nonsense.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who's not had a chance to read HP4GU for a few days 
and is trying to catch up again - backwards, as usual :-)