Who is the adult (Was: Who's to blame for Occlumency?)

[mnaper2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 100704

Darrin:
> 
> We know more than that. We know that Dumbledore is disappointed in 
> Snape's performance, to the point where he believes he made a 
mistake 
> putting him in charge of the job. He says Snape couldn't get over 
the past.
> 
> That means Snape didn't do the job. Whether he gave D-Dore the 
courtesy of 
> a "resignation" by saying "I can't do it, Headmaster" or he just 
stopped, in spite 
> of Lupin, Sirius and D-Dore's urgings really doesn't matter much, 
does it?

Ally:

Well, DD did say it was a mistake not to teach Harry himself, but I 
think its a leap to go from there to saying Snape didn't do the job.  
We know that Snape taught Harry for several months and Harry himself 
in a fit of grief says that he never practiced despite being told to 
do so by Hermione.

And remember, in the end, occlumency wasn't important after all.  It 
didn't help Harry one bit.  So how could Snape have failed at a job 
that didn't really matter?  I think its strongly suggested in the end 
that DD knew about Snape and Harry's falling out and, by that time, 
had an inkling that occlumency wasn't going to be that important.  If 
he thought it was important at that time, then wouldn't he have at 
least told Harry to keep practicing on his own?  Wouldn't he have 
sent someone - Lupin, Sirius, etc. - to tell Harry that?  

I really suspect that DD hoped all along that occlumency would be a 
way for Harry and Snape to resolve some of their differences, in 
addition to teaching occlumency.  By the time Snape had his fit, DD 
was beginning to realize or had realized how little good occlumency 
was doing, so he let the whole thing drop.  It was a moot point by 
then.

Ally