Remus, Severus, mind-games? (stupidly long)

[Kirstini]

No: HPFGUIDX 71554

Mim wrote:
>And then Remus lies through his teeth to Snape who is on to him and
who, let's not forget, is obviously acting in Harry's best interest
in that scene. Remus undermines Snape's authority, not to mention
passes by an oportunity to start making some sort of amends with 
Snape>

'Scuse me, but I'm going to quote hugely on this one. I'm going to 
start with a little SUNLIGHT from way back in 52129 (this one goes 
out to all the DISHWASHERS in the house
) 
"Recall, if you will, "Flight of the Fat Lady" (p. 156) where Snape 
unexpectedly walks in on Harry and Lupin conversing. How do they 
address each other? "Thanks very much, Severus." "Not at all," said 
Snape. Where, in this conversation, is their vicious enmity? Where 
is the anger that will cause Snape that very evening to accuse Lupin 
of aiding a Death Eater in front of Percy Weasley? Perhaps Snape 
knew that Harry was listening in, and was compensating?"

Oh, I love that theory. Go back and read it all if you haven't 
already. 
Alright, Risti, yes, I will have a quick squizz at "Flight of the 
Fat Lady". And just below your quote, I find:
"'Professor Snape has very kindly concoted a potion for me,' he 
[Lupin] said. `I have never been much of a potion-brewer, and this 
one is particularly complex...I am very lucky to be working 
alongside Professor Snape. There aren't many wizards who'd be up to 
making it.'
(PoA, Bloomsbury hardback, p118)
 Well, would you look at that. That would appear to me to be a 
teacher intent on preserving good relations with his pupils (even 
those to whom he has a particular connection) without undermining 
even the most hated of teachers and therefore the easiest of 
targets, particularly in a situation like this when point-scoring 
could be a satisfying little game. Indeed, Lupin not only refuses to 
take cheap shots at his opponent, but he compliments his skills – 
behind his back (to aforementioned special/hating pupil). At the 
same time, he puts himself down (perhaps understanding tha Harry has 
to an extent begun to hero-worship him). He's bloody well grateful 
for Snape's potion-making prowess, and instead of publicly 
dismissing this debt to a person who he should, by the evaluation of 
most of this thread, be at continual loggerheads with, he 
acknowledges, whilst establishing that particular skill in a 
context. Snape is the underdog in this situation – Lupin anticipates 
what Harry is trying to tell him and neutralises the idea.

Another quick cut to Lupin acting similarly:

"At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, 'Possibly no one's 
warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I 
would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not 
unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear.'Neville went 
scarlet. Harry glared at Snape; it was bad enough that he bullied 
Neville in his own classes, let alone doing it in front of other 
teachers.
Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows.
'I was hoping Neville would assist me with the first stage of the 
operation,' he said, 'and I am sure he will perform it admirably.'" 
(PoA, as above, p100)

Mmhmm. At the risk of sounding like Darrin (not that that's 
necessarily a bad thing, but, you know
), there is one person 
getting down to some serious undermining here, and that person is 
Snape, with that whole "don't give a rat's arse about any bloody 
adolescent in a delicate state because of past traumas well known to 
me
" thing that he's got going on.
 Are Lupin's actions in the next quote (the nub of this discussion) 
really as offensive?

"Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash 
off his shabby robes.
'You called, Severus?' said Lupin mildly...
Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs Moony, 
Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed 
expression appeared on Lupin's face.
'Well?' said Snape.
Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that 
Lupin was doing some very quick thinking.
'*Well?*' said Snape again. 'This parchment is plainly full of Dark 
Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where 
do you suppose Potter got such a thing?'
Lupin looked up and by the merest half-glance in Harry's direction, 
warned him not to interrupt.
'Full of Dark magic?' he repeated, mildly. 'Do you really think so, 
Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment 
that insults anybody who tries to read it. Childish, but surely not 
dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop -'
'Indeed?' said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger... 'You 
don't think it more likely he got it *directly from the 
manufacturers*?'
Harry didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, 
apparently, did Lupin.
'You mean, from Mr Wormtail or one of these people?' he 
said. 'Harry, do you know any of these men?'
'No,' said Harry, quickly.
'You see, Severus?' said Lupin, turning back to Snape. `It looks 
like a Zonko's product to me -'
Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office [and told a whacking 
great lie, but hey, that's alright if you're helping out a friend, 
kids...]
'Well!' said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around 
cheerfully. 'That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this 
back shall I?...Harry, Ron, come with me. I need a word about my 
vampire essay. Excuse us, Severus.'" (PoA, as above, pp212-3)
  
a)	"This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is 
supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin." – doesn't that count 
as, if not undermining, then at least sowing seeds of doubt about 
another teacher's skills in a pupil's head? Compare to Lupin's 
behaviour in quote 1.
b)	'Full of Dark magic?' he repeated, mildly. 'Do you really 
think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of 
parchment that insults anybody who tries to read it. Childish, but 
surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop-`  – 
yes, here Lupin may appear to be getting his own back (within his 
own field of knowledge) at Snape, but he also renders the map's 
direct insult to Snape, which a pupil has witnessed, redundant 
("insults anybody"), whilst passing judgement on some (not all ie. 
full moon rambles) of his own past actions (`Childish, but surely 
not dangerous?') 
c)	`Indeed?' said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with 
anger... 'You don't think it more likely he got it *directly from 
the manufacturers*?'
Harry didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, 
apparently, did Lupin.
'You mean, from Mr Wormtail or one of these people?' he 
said. 'Harry, do you know any of these men?' – safe tactic. Saving 
his own skin. Doesn't have to tell Dumbledore that there  were three 
unregistered Animagus wandering around Hogwarts in the mid-70s. But 
at the same time, neutralising a discussion which Snape (with his 
grudge against Sirius and James) refuses to understand is 
unacceptable to have infront of this particular pupil. We read Lupin 
through Harry at this point, and Harry, the pupil in question, 
doesn't comprehend any sort of dig at Snape, any sort of undermining 
of Snape's  authority,  any realistic hint of the history between 
the two. Which he isn't supposed to. It isn't an appropriate 
discussion to be having in front of a pupil. 
d)	"`Harry, Ron, come with me. I need a word about my vampire 
essay. Excuse us, Severus.'" – yeah, that one was a cheap shot. But 
he only said it after Snape had set the werewolf essay which, given 
that Snape has occasionally been seen in daylight, was a lot more 
personally damaging.

Lupin might pass by a particular opportunity to make amends as we 
see it in page time, but he doesn't respond to Snape's needling 
either. He treats him, consistently, as a well-respected colleague 
in front of his pupils (reacting, perhaps, against the situation his 
inexcusable non-intervention put him in twenty years before?). And 
yes, he is consistently mature and pleasant in his actions. 
Pettigrew? I'd probably feel similarly in Lupin's situation. I have 
two explanations possible for that one:
 - MAGIC DISHWASHER with SUNLIGHT ULTRA.
 - He's just discovered that the friend who he thought had killed 
another friend and turned to the dark side hadn't done. In fact it 
was another friend, who Lupin had thought was dead, but who, it 
turned out, had tried to sell *both* friends up the Swanney in 
return for a stroke of Lord Voldemort's hemline. Yeah, I'd be 
feeling vaguely murderous too.

Kirstini
Sorry