The Dueling Club - an interpretaion

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 57698

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:

> Now, was this what Snape had in mind all along, for Harry to 
reveal 
> that he was a Parselmouth? Hard to tell.
> 
<snip> 
> It is reasonable to surmise that Dumbledore suspected, or 
knew, Harry  was a Parselmouth. His theory about V-Mort 
transferring some power to  Harry is one thing. It is possible the 
Dursleys told Mrs. Figg about  Dudley getting trapped in the 
snake cage at the zoo, which she might  have reported to 
D-Dore.<<<

Dudley trapped in the snake cage is  movie contamination! <g> 

The vanishing glass and the  escape of a boa constrictor are in 
the book. The news might have reached Dumbledore from  Mrs. 
Figg,  but it might have made the Muggle news as well, in which 
case Dumbledore might have  realized that it had happened on 
Dudley's birthday and looked into it further.

> 
> Now, does it follow that he ordered Snape to reveal it in that 
> fashion? Possible, but I doubt it.

What if Dumbledore floated the idea that Harry might be a 
Parselmouth past Snape, and Snape, who is always 
maintaining that there is nothing so very special about Mr. Potter,  
didn't believe it?  

Snape could have arranged the demonstration in order to show 
that Dumbledore was *wrong*. The  "shrewd and calculating 
look" may have been Snape covering his surprise (we know he's 
a good actor, because he was a successful spy.)

Pippin