"Sevvie" (was Re: Snape's DE past (for the record))

[mnaper2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 111390

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...> 
wrote:
> Totorivers wrote:
> snip
> And please give me quote of Snape 
> > being particularly witty or something, because it is an 
assumption 
> > everyone makes, and there *are* scenes where Snape seems 
> > particularly dumb.
> > 
> 
> Potioncat:
> Fair enough!  I'll show you witty if you'll show me dumb.  I have 
to 
> apologise for not providing actual quotes. Everything will be 
> paraphrased.
> 
> SS/PS: Logic puzzle.  Opening speech in Potions class. 
> 
> CoS: After Ginny is taken to the Chamber, Snape greets Lockhart as 
> the savior and tricks him into "Going after the monster."  which 
all 
> the teachers go along with, knowing Lockhart will hide and get out 
> of their way.
> 
> PoA: Wolfsbane Potion, which, if we believe Lupin, takes great 
> skill.  Assigning the werewolf paper to reveal Lupin's secret. He 
> flips out in the Shrieking Shack...no, not a good example.  He 
flips 
> out in the hospital wing...oops, not so good either.  Well, he's no 
> James Bond.
> 
> GoF: Keeping Harry distracted while DD comes down, while appearing 
> to be interfering with Harry's efforts.  (Harry is looking for DD, 
> and Snape says DD is too busy to see him.)  Making whatever 
> preparations to go do whatever DD was sending him to do. (Which I 
> think happened after the scene just mentioned.)
> 
> OoP:  He gives Umbridge fake veritaserum, knowing she doesn't have 
a 
> clue how to use it or whether it is real.  And when she asks for 
> more asks, "You didn't use it all, did you? Three drops were 
enough."
> 
> He gets Crabbe/Goyle(can't recall which) to loosen his hold on 
> Neville without seeming to really be concerned about Neville.
> 
> 
> Snape is doing something for the Order.  He isn't a trained spy.  
> He's a person in a position to find information.
> 
> The main reason I follow Snape so closely is that the first book 
> was "spoiled" for me when someone gave it away that Snape wasn't 
the 
> bad guy.  At that point on, I read Snape differently.  I never did 
> suspect Quirrell!
> 
> Potioncat

Ally:

I also disagree that there's any canon support for the idea of Snape 
as mediocre.  Mean spirited, a bully, petty, yes.  But also quite 
intelligent and clever and highly skilled as Potioncat pointed out 
above.

Potioncat, I would add to your list a couple things:

-the fact that Snape is known by the Order to be a superb occlumens, 
an archaic form of magic not many people know;

-we know he successfully spied on Voldemort during his first reign, 
based on things DD has said, so obviously he has a fair degree of 
competence as a spy;

-and doesn't even Sirius refer to his cleverness at one point?

Snape has flaws as a character, but that doesn't make him mediocre.  

Ally