Knowing it was Snape (was: What has Snape seen)

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 119152


 
> Eloise:
>snip
> But I think there's a difference. With the Snape memories, we see 
the 
> action completely from the outside. We see a boy sitting alone in 
his 
> room, shooting flies. We see a boy crying in a corner while a man 
> shouts at a woman. We are given a description of him. There are no 
> descriptions of Harry's appearance in the memories.
> 
> With Harry's memories,
> 
> "He was five, watching Dudley riding a new red bicycle, and his 
heart 
> was bursting with jealousy...he was nine, and Ripper the bulldog 
was 
> chasing him up a tree and the Dursleys were laughing below on the 
> lawn...he was sitting under the sorting Hat and it was telling him 
he 
> would do well in Slytherin...Hermione was lying in the hospital 
wing, 
> her face covered with thick black hair...a hundred Dementors were 
> closing in on him beside the dark lake...Cho Chang was drawing 
nearer 
> to him under the mistletoe..."
> 
> All these memories are, IMO, told from Harry's viewpoint.


Potioncat:
I think it could be argued that JKR chose a way to "show" memories 
in both the pensieve and in Occlumency.  I'm sure she tried 
different approaches and chose what would work best.  To my mind, 
these are shown the way a movie or TV program would show a memory. 

The way I read these is that he "sees" himself.  No it isn't the 
way I remember things in RL, but for a written description it works. 
He sees himself at 9 running from Ripper (like a homemovie)
But I don't think she's being inconsistent...(having only looked at 
the one session)

In Snape's memory, Harry sees people, no, he doesn't feel the 
emotions, but again, it's the difference I think between having been 
the character and watching the character.


>>Eliose:
> If you're correct and some of those memories are told in the first 
> person and some in the third, then it supports to my argument that 
> JKR is not consistent in the way she depicts memories and 
therefore 
> we cannot make an argument from the fact that we *see* a young 
person 
> in Snape's memories (that most interpret to be him) that ergo it 
is 
> *not* Snape after all.

Potioncat:
No, I see it differently. Some are told in one way and some in 
another for a purpose. In the one session, the one event which is 
told differently is Hermione in the hospital scene. Occlumency!Harry 
didn't register himself in that scene the way he does in all the 
others. I think it was told differently on purpose, and done in a 
way that wasn't obvious.  It reminds me of certain riddles which 
depend on a word being different. ("I don't know how to spell 
obivious.  Can you spell it?"  "Sure. I...T")

If Kneasy is right, and if Sevrerus hexed James' broom, we have an 
early example of the feud between them.  And we see Severus as the 
bad guy...which should please most readers.

I'm not sure which it is.  The most obvious is that the teenager, 
and the boy on the broom are Snape.  Also the most likely is that 
the young boy is Snape. But I think it's up for interpretation until 
we hear more from JKR.
Potioncat