Whoa Nelly! Lots of Snape, was Harry in NEWT Potions Class?

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 87719

Pip!Squeak wrote:
> It's interesting that on the one occasion where Snape has the Trio 
> absolutely bang to rights with an expulsion offence (when they 
> attacked him in the Shrieking Shack), he back-pedals furiously. 
> Suddenly, the kids are under a spell. They weren't responsible. 
> Three years of shrieking `Expel Potter', and when Snape *really* 
has 
> the opportunity, he's going `hold on a minute
' [grin].

Now Neri:
There is a simpler (and more sinister, I'm afraid) explanation why 
Snape back-pedals on this. If he insists that HRH should be expelled, 
there will be a hearing or some similar public discussion, in which 
there will be no way to avoid the question why three students (not 
just Harry) believed in the possibility of Sirius Black's innocence 
enough to attack a teacher. This would have look extremely strange 
since everybody thought Harry was Black's intended victim, and the 
nutter!Harry theory was not yet at large at that time. In order to 
keep the evil!Black story from any lingering doubts, Snape had to 
maintain that HRH were enchanted somehow by Black, and so are 
innocent of attacking a teacher. So Snape just lets Harry get away 
this time only in order to nail the one he hates even more.

Lupin is the one who presents the dilemma to Snape in the best 
way: "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside 
Azkaban?" And in answer, Snape sends Sirius not only to Azkaban, but 
to the dementors' kiss. He won't even consider the possibility that 
Sirius could be innocent, not even for one second. And I can't see 
any back-pedaling or pretending-to-be-the-bad-guy here. So at least 
in this case, Snape did let his emotions control his rational thought 
and moral sense, and was saved from committing a terrible injustice 
only by DD and Harry.

A thought just came to me that (as in another case I mentioned in a 
pervious post) here also JKR compares Harry and Snape, but this time 
Harry clearly comes the better man. When he entered the Shrieking 
Shack, Harry also believed in Black's guilt, and he had as much 
motive as Snape to hate Black. But unlike Snape, Harry gave the other 
side the chance to present its case.

Neri