Help! Pip has set my mind on fire! WAS Re: Question about Snape and Quirrell

[marephraim <htfulcher@comcast.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49677

RE: Pip's reply to my questions...

With several interruptions during composition, I've attempted here 
to reply to Pip's excellent reply to my initial questions. In the 
process I think I've discovered a possible clue to future 
developments. Forgive it is somewhat disjointed as a message, it is 
both answering Pip and drifting to speculation about future books

> All references by MarEphraim and myself are to the UK paperback 
> edition of PS/SS.

> Snape would know that while Quirrel himself couldn't have been 
> casting a curse/jinx at the time, Harry was looking at Snape and 
> Quirrel (because Snape and Harry's eyes met). Quirrel has just 
> come back from dangerous, dark infested areas. That would put him 
> at the top of the 'may have been got at' list, at least in Snape's 
> suspicious mind.

I must admit that the consideration Snape would think a curse/jinx 
was the cause of Harry's pain never occurred to me. At most, I would 
have thought he'd consider it odd or worrisome. On the other hand, 
the eye contact issue seems only a herring in that we later learn 
about the necessity of eye contact (p. 141) from Hermoine, 
conversing their suspicions with Hagrid. 

> If you are expecting an attack on the Stone, you would expect 
> either > a) a major frontal assault with great force or
> b) a sneak attack, possibly with a planned distraction to divert
> the defenders attention away from the Stone.
> 
> A troll in Hogwarts is a major distraction. It's not a huge leap 
> of the imagination to work out it may be aimed at leaving a clear 
> route to the Stone. 
> 
> We don't actually know that Snape leaving for the Stone was 
> unnoticed by *all* the teachers. By Book 4 Snape is working very 
> closely indeed with Dumbledore and McGonagall (in rescuing Harry 
> from Fake!Moody). It's possible (though uncertain) that he may 
> have been *assigned* to do a quick 'fade from the scene and head
> for the 3rd floor' in the event of odd happenings; Dumbledore and 
> McGonagall being the ones who deal with the known danger.

This is good reasoning. I had never considered Dumbledore's motive 
in moving the Stone to to Hogwarts, that He believed He Who Must Not 
Be Named, or someone, was already looking for it. 

On the other hand, there is a slight finessing of detail regarding 
the time-table of Quirrell's trip (p. 55; GOF p. 567) as taking 
place shortly before Harry's arrival at Hogwarts. Note that Hagrid 
speaks of it as though it happened some time in the past (he had 
taken a year off, come back sadly diminished and was not the same 
since), while You Know Who (at the end of Harry's fourth Year) 
speaks of his encounter with Quirrell as having taken place "four 
years ago." However, the context of the Dark Lord's rejoinder could 
still indicate that the encounter occurred earlier, and that by four 
years ago his means of return seemed assured. This is a minor point.

> Possibly he did go to Dumbledore. But Quirrel's story would 
> undoubtedly be that he woke up on the floor and realised that the 
> troll might have been a trick to get at the Stone, so he rushed 
> straight there to protect it...

It seems to me that this attributes suspicion on Quirrell from Snape 
but not Dumbledore. I ask myself, if Snape had suspected some kind 
of alliance with He Who Must Not Be Named, would not a Veritaserum-
laden Butter Beer have revealed all, including where to find him? Or 
perhaps, Snape (and Dumbledore) initially feared that someone, not 
necessarily You Know Who, was after the stone. 

Pip is correct that Snape must have gotten to Fluffy first as his 
conversation with Quirrell (p. 165f) raises an accusation as 
question that Quirrell promptly denies.

On the other hand.... This whole exchange between Snape and Quirrell 
leads to other questions that bear on the remaining books (5, 6, 7): 
Snape argues with Quirrell but if he is to later (OoP, etc.) play 
double-agent for Dumbledore, he must be careful to appear interested 
in the stone only for himself, and not out of loyalty to Dumbledore. 
If the Dark Lord had already taken over Quirrell's body by this 
time, a) he would know (correctly guess) that Snape could never 
again be trusted; or b) turn on him as he had done with Quirrell 
himself. If he hadn't taken over Quirrell, nonetheless, he would 
surmise 'treason' on Snape's part. 

Flammel's Flintbox! 

Does this mean that Snape will be killed off in OoP, or will the 
Dark Lord and Dumbledore each attempt to use Snape to mutual 
advantage, Dumbledore knowing that He Who Must Not Be Named _must_ 
at least suspect Snape, and You Know Who -- knowing that Snape is 
traitor to the Dark Mark -- feeding him disinformation! 

OR! will this prove the vehicle by which Dumbledore will meet his 
doom (not guessing that Snape is under the Dark Side's suspicion)?!!!

> Was Snape working on his own at this point, or was he reporting to 
> Dumbledore as he is seen doing in Goblet of Fire? Was he
> protecting the Stone as a 'lone ranger' or as part of Dumbledore's 
> team? Will Book Five *ever* reach the publishers?

Refer back to "where loyalties lie" in above reference.

> For some answers, queue up for the next exciting installment...

I have a feeling that the material about Quirrell and Snape in PS\SS 
will prove of major import in book five (of course, I also had a 
feeling that 2000 was going to be the year of the Polka)!

M.E.