in defense of Harry OOP Spoiler

[Michael Vaccian]

No: HPFGUIDX 66930

Hello ya'all,

Just recently finished OoP, and *had* to find a place where I could 
share thoughts on the book(s). I've been trying to read the last few 
hundred posts to gear up for ongoing discussions, but I'm a first 
time poster and might have missed a number of arguments -- so please 
be indulgent. :)


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "davidbartmess" 
<david.bartmess at m...> wrote:


> Prof. Snape... "I left my potions book here."  Then repeats the 
same 
>  mistake after his next potions class!  Snape would have a field 
>  day!  Detention?  House points?  Perhaps both....  Yet were really 
>  expected to believe that:  
>  1)  Snape makes the mistake of leaving Harry alone with the pensive
>      not  once, but twice, knowing full well, that Harry has the
>       habit
>      of breaking rules, and getting into trouble.
>  2)  The particular memory in the pensive put's Harry's father in a 
>      very bad light.
>  3)  Harry will be hurt by that memory.
>  4)  Snape now has what he considers to be a good reason to stop
>      giving Harry Occulumency lessons.
>  
>  This all seem just a little too coincindental for me to believe.


IIRC, Draco is fetching him at that point, and stumbles upon the 
pair. The "remedial potions" excuse is given, and I felt that Snape 
probably wanted to pour his thoughts safely back into his head, but 
thought it might be unwise to do so in Draco's presence.

Snape's angry reaction to Harry's snoopiness later on strikes me as 
very genuine. Again, he might have been faking, but it doesn't feel 
that way. If Snape was on Voldermort's side, droping the lessons 
isn't enough of an excuse for a smoking gun (especially since he'd 
probably have to account for it later on). And I think Snape wouldn't 
have warned the order about Harry being at the Department of 
Mysteries (or would have delayed long enough for the DE to do their 
thing without the cavalry showing up to crash the party. 

-Michael V.