The ethics of Veritaserum

[bluesqueak <pipdowns@etchells0.demon.co.uk>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49326

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Janet Anderson" 
<dorigen at h...> wrote:
> Joanne asked:
> 
> >Does the theft of a few potion ingredients really warrant this
> >response? It's one thing to search a student's possessions with
> >probable cause, but it is quite another to search that student's
> >mind. Really creepy.
> >
> >And why in the world does Snape walk around with Veritaserum in 
his pocket?

Janet:
> 
> I believe I can answer that. Snape doesn't walk around with 
> Veritaserum in his pocket. What he does do is lie like a rug in 
> order to scare a student he doesn't like. He's always doing this; 
> he threatens to poison people more than once in his class, but as  
> far as I know, he has never actually done so.(And I suspect that  
> if someone like Clueless Neville managed to poison himself, he'd 
> be  right there with an antidote.
> Janet Anderson

Pip:
Agreed. Note that Snape even returns Trevor the tadpole to his 
original state, rather than telling Neville to go get a jamjar 
[grin].

The boomslang skin is used for Polyjuice, and Snape knows that the 
Trio have used Polyjuice before [CoS]. Or at least, he's quite 
capable of putting together Hermione's taking out a restricted book 
on powerful potions, missing potions ingredients and Hermione's 
several weeks long stay in hospital.

It's not just the theft; it's the fact that Polyjuice is dangerous. 
Several weeks in hospital because Hermione used the wrong hair... I 
think Snape may be furious simply because he can't believe the Trio 
could be so *stupid* as to try Polyjuice again. 

Pip!Squeak