More Snape thoughts

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 68476

My comments on various Snape threads

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "stlcole" 
<cole.bitting at a...>
wrote:
> The one plot problem I have is Snape's attempt to interfere with 
> Quirell in PS. Certainly, Voldemort was aware of Snape's
opposition.  Shouldn't Volde be highly suspicious of Snape's 
alligence, even if  Snape can plausibly argue that he - Snape - 
didn't know that Quirell > = Voldemort? Any one else bugged by 
this plot element?<<

Oh, you're not the first person to notice that one! :) But Snape can
claim that he thought that Quirrell's suspicious behavior was 
being sanctioned by  Dumbledore in order to test Snape's loyalty. 
Since Voldemort probably has no more idea than we do why 
Dumbledore should trust Snape, this would make sense to him.

Personally, I think the answer to why Dumbledore trusts Snape 
was hinted at back in CoS, when Dumbledore said that only 
those with real loyalty to him could summon Fawkes. Perhaps 
the Order are those who have proved their loyalty in this fashion?

Even if Voldemort does suspect that Snape is spying, it would be 
far more  useful to let him go on doing it, while making sure that 
no really useful information leaks out, than to kill Snape and run 
the risk of having him replaced by an undetected agent. 

If Snape has suspected all along that Harry will develop a link to 
Voldemort's mind (did he understand the significance of Harry 
clutching at his scar in book one?) then insuring that Harry 
absolutely *hates* him and thinks it's mutual  is probably the 
best cover Snape could possibly have.  

As to the question of why Dumbledore can't trust Snape to teach 
DADA, we've seen that in the upper levels of the course, practical 
DADA requires the equivalent of live ammo exercises. 
Somebody has to cast dark spells so that the students can learn 
to recognize and block them, as Fake!Moody does with the fourth 
years in GoF. Putting Snape in a position where he would have 
no choice but to use Dark Magic doesn't seem like a good idea.
Perhaps when Voldemort is no more...

One idea I haven't seen in all the musings on Snape's Worst 
Memory is that  the chapter title simply reflects Harry's point of 
view.  Harry isn't given to musing on Snape nearly as much as 
we are <g> and it just hasn't dawned on him that Snape would 
have worse memories than the one he saw. 

Also, the memories you want to hide most are not necessarily 
the ones that are the most painful. Harry wants to hide Cho's 
kiss. Certainly he has far worse memories than that, but it's the 
one that he doesn't want Snape prying into, because it would 
make him feel so vulnerable. Snape probably feels the same 
way about the James memory. 

>From what we've seen legilimency only gives brief glimpses into
another's past, but perhaps a  legilimens can delve more deeply 
into a memory if desired. If that is the case, Snape would also 
have to consider which memories might prove especially 
attractive to Harry. Harry probably isn't going to want  to tune in
on  Snape being punished by Voldemort, but   his father's 
schooldays would be irresistibly intriguing. Of course by storing 
the memory in the Pensieve, Snape   brought about, with typical 
JKR irony, the very thing he was trying to avoid.  

Still, why only three memories, when  we know that Snape and 
James were regular antagonists?  Perhaps most of their 
contests were more equal.

Pippin
who always burst into uncontrollable tears when she was 
teased as a child and thinks that eleven year old Snape had the 
same problem, hence Snivellus.