Snape & Harry's potions grade

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 101634

x
> Shaun:
A question I've had ever since I read it through the >second time was
> if the mark was an 0 or an O - was it a zero or an >Outstanding? I 
assume
> Snape pays attention to what is going >on his class, so could 
often work out
> what mark something got >even if it never reached him for marking. 
I can't
> find the text at >the moment, but I seem to recall it saying 
something like
> 'the >mark looked suspiciously like a zero'.  I can see Snape as 
the >type
> that could quite easily give Harry a good mark if it was >deserved 
because
> he *has* to - but at the same time taking >great delight in 
letting Harry
> think he's failed.


>Christina: 
> (OotP, p 661, US version)
> At the end of the lesson he scooped up some of the potion into a 
flask,
> corked it, and took it up to Snape's desk for makring, feeling 
that he might
> at least have scraped an E. He had just turned away when he heard 
a smashing
> noise; Malfoy gave a gleeful yell of laughter. Harry whipped 
around again.
> His potion sample lay in pieces on the floor, and Snape was 
surveying him
> with a look of gloating pleasure. "Whoops," he said 
softly. "Another zero,
> then, Potter..."
> 
> So yes, it was definitely a zero, not an O for outstanding, and 
Snape did it
> on purpose.
> 
>Potioncat:
I think these are two different times.  I can't find Shaun's 
original post to read.  But there's a time in an exam that Snape 
passes by and writes down a grade without speaking and Harry thinks 
the grade looks like a zero. But we're never told for certain.  
Sorry that I can't look it up.  I'm not even sure which book it was.