Is Snape really THAT good in Potions?(was: Snape and the Kappa)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 119415


Magda:

Here's some canon: we know that Snape has been teaching at Hogwarts
since Harry was one year old, that he was approximately the same age 
as James Potter, and therefore when he was hired he was about 21-23
years of age.  
Since we know from JKR that there are no such things as wizard
universities, we have to ask what his qualifications were as a
potions man to enable him to be hired at so young an age.  I really,
really doubt that it was because he took good notes in his 6th and
7th years' potions classes. 


Alla:

For the record, I believe that Snape is an expert in potion making, 
but I'd like to argue other side.

The fact that he was hired in such young age really does not tell  
me much.

Why? Because as Neri said he could have been hired for ther eason 
which have nothing to do with his potion making skills. It could 
have been the need to protect Snape for example and Hogwarts could 
have been the best place to do just that.

Pippin argued that Dumbledore did not hire any help for potion 
teaching, therefore Snape competency is not in question.

That would have been very true, IF we did not see how many truly 
incompetent teachers Dumbledore hired . Do I need to start the list? 
Lockhart is one, Trelawney is another, etc.
What I am trying to say that it looks like Dumbledore does not 
always care about professional qualifications of his staff  and 
hires them for the reasons , which are known only to him.