"Snape's Job"

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 93325

>several posts snipped<
> 
> Sigune again:
> Just to put this straight: when I posted this excerpt I never for 
a 
> minute thought about the 'glint' as being a sign of malice. It 
struck 
> me, though, because we all know this comparison of Snape's eyes 
with 
> dark tunnels and their description as being without the friendly 
> glimmer of Hagrid's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was 
> the first time we read of anything like a spark in Snape's eyes. 
This 
> suggested to me a kind of enthousiasm or pleasure I have never 
seen 
> associated with him before. It seemed /positive/, like Geoff 
points 
> out, which is exactly what puzzled me.
> 
> I agree with other posters who remarked on the importance 
recognition 
> has for Snape; but frankly I don't read much recognition in 
Harry's 
> outburst 'in temper' - and Harry feels 'he had gone too far'. He 
> expects anger and gets 'an almost satisfied expression' and 
glinting 
> eyes instead! If what Harry said did come across as something 
> positive, it certainly wasn't meant to be so in the first place.
> 
>snip<
> Coming to think of it, by refusing to further teach Harry 
Occlumency, 
> is Snape not jeopardising his own safety? Unless, indeed, he is 
doing 
> other things than spying. Maybe he is researching an anti-potion 
to 
> the one that resurrected Lord Thingy... :) (I am one of those who 
> like to believe the Resurrection Recipe was Snape's work to begin 
> with, though of course there is no canon support at all.)
> 
> Heh - Snape is so delightfully open to interpretation that I am 
> starting to hope JKR will never fully unravel all the mystery, so 
> that we will have maneuvering space forever :)



Potioncat:
I was very glad to see your original post on this.  I thouht I was 
the only one who wondered about this episode.  And I've tried to 
lurk throughout it to see what the general interpretation was.

I'm like you and Geoff, I don't see malice in the "glint" but I'm 
not sure Harry's comment was right on the button.  It seems like 
there's more to what Snape is doing, but he wants Harry (and 
others?) to think he is a spy. 

I also wondered if Snape had something to do with the potion LV used 
to get his body back.  I'm in the graveyard right now, and LV has 
just spoken, "....it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that 
revived me tonight..." (GoF chapter 33 p656 US paperback.) So it 
doesn't sound like something Snape came up with, but let's hope he 
knows something about it.  

Potioncat