[HPforGrownups] Re: Snape's office sealed?

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 43545

In a message dated 03/09/2002 02:14:55 GMT Standard Time, bboy_mn at yahoo.com 
writes:


> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "fruhu" <iwant12 at h...> wrote:
> > In GoF page 408 (UK hardb.) Snape says he seals his office with a 
> > spell none but a wizard could break. But in her second year Hermione 
> > steals Boomslang skin from his private stores, and I don't remember 
> > there being a problem with breaking a seal. She just sneaks in there 
> > quickly when the others are at potions class.
> > 
> > "fruhu"
> 
> bboy_mn comments:
> 
> When Hermione stole supplies, they were from the supply stores in the
> classroom. Other references to Snapes office haven't given me the
> impression that it is in or near the potions classroom. Well, it's
> certainly in the dungeon, but I get no indication that it is attached
> to the potions classroom. 
> 
> So I don't think Hermione stole supplies from Snape's private office,
> but from his private supplies cuboard/room in the classroom. 
> 
> I don't have it here in front of me, but I think we might have two
> separate events. One is Moody/Couch in Snape's Office as seen on the
> Map, and Snape's later statement that ingredients were missing from
> his private stock. Those two are not necessarily the same event.

My thoughts:

1) Snape says 'none but a wizard', not 'none but a qualified wizard' and 
doesn't seem surprised at the idea that a student should break in. In fact, 
he's the one who suggests it.
Hermione is a witch and a very good one who is capable of using spells beyond 
her training level.
I seem to remember someone once pointing out that this remark was in response 
to Filch's assumption that it was Peeves who had broken in and that he was 
explaining that this was impossible.
(My question has always been what on earth the use is in sealing your office 
with a spell that a wizard *can* break, when the place is crawling with them, 
but no matter. Additionally, Dobby seems to have got in.)

2) We know that Crouch/Moody was stealing the ingredients for Polyjuice 
potion from Snape's supplies.
Referring back to our friend Occam, the most likely explanation is that he 
and Hermione were stealing the ingredients from the same place.

3) We cannot be certain if the Polyjuice ingredients might be needed for more 
innocuous potions or not, but Polyjuice potion seems to be something that 
only the most advanced (if any) students might make. It is not clear that if 
Snape *did* have two offices and store rooms that he would keep such 
ingredients in the one near his classroom. Plus, Hermione stole from Snape's 
*personal* stock, not a stock of restricted ingredients kept handy for 
students. 

bboy_mn:
>If Rowling is trying to give us a clear visual image of Snape's office
>then I think it proximity to the potions classroom or attachment to
>the potions classroom would have been significant enough to mention. I
>can't believe that THIS office is In, Near, or Attached to the potions
>classroom. If it is, I don't see how Rowling could not mention that
>fact in her narrative. It's just too important a detail to be left out.

Eloise:
I think that a corridor in the dungeons is pretty precise for JKR (I don't 
find her description of the geography of Hogwarts at all easy to visualise). 
After all, what do we know before then? Just that Snape's classroom is in the 
dungeons. The Egg and the Eye supplies us with the information that he sleeps 
somewhere in the vicinity too. I have always assumed that his office, 
classroom and living quarters are all either adjacent or close to each other. 

Why is it important to *say* that it's close to the classroom? I don't think 
it is, particularly as it is at the beginning of the book: JKR, especially in 
the earlier books tends to treat us as if we know nothing that has happened 
in previous books and we have not yet visited the Potions classroom in this 
one.

I fact, I think we have much more indication of place here, than regarding 
any of the other teacher's territories.

bboy_mn:
>While I'm sure that Snape has an office area in the potions classroom
>in which he keeps his student restricted supplies, I still think his
>main private office is in another area of the dungeons, and in this
>office, he keep his private personal stock of ingredients. I think
>this other private office is the office that Moody/Couch was searching.

Eloise:
But if he has two, why doesn't he refer to Moody's having searched his 
offices, rather than his office?

Eloise



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