Snape, trying very hard not to smile? Or is he just allergic to cats?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 93714

Carol wrote:
>>I'm not sure that Snape and Filch [are] friends, but they're certainly
allies in the quest to find students out of bounds after hours, and
they were both working to prevent anyone from trying to enter the
corridor with the sorceror's (philosopher's) stone. <snip> 
I've always wondered why Snape didn't go to Madam Pomfrey (rather 
than Filch) with his injured leg. <snip> As for Snape's speech
patterns around Filch, he would have no need to impress or intimidate
the castle caretaker, so he could be more himself around Filch than
around the students even if he and Filch aren't close friends.<< 
 
> Potioncat responded:
> I came to the conclusion that Snape went to Filch for help rather 
> than to Poppy because either he hadn't told DD he was watching 
> Quirrell or that he wanted Quirrell to think he was working for
himself. "Where your loyalties lie" I think referred to "Dumbledore or
me" I don't think Snape knew LV was so close or he would have used
that opportunity to try to destroy him. 

Carol again:
I agree that Snape probably didn't know that Voldemort was right there
inside Quirrell's turban, but I think Quirrell must have known that
Snape's loyalties lay with Dumbledore, in which case loyalty to
"Dumbledore or me" wouldn't make any sense. I also think Snape *did*
want Quirrell to know that he suspected him of disloyalty to
Dumbledore, which would imply loyalty to Dumbledore's enemies, if not
Voldemort then the DEs. IMO, the mere fact that Quirrell was after the
sorceror's stone, which could confer immortality, would suggest to
someone as sharp as Snape that Quirrell must somehow be working for
Voldemort and that Voldemort was trying to return. Since JKR was
setting up Snape as a red herring (the apparent villain) in the first
book, she kept the dialogue deliberately vague, so I can't back up
what I'm saying with quotations. I'm only presenting the view that
makes most sense to me.

Potioncat:
> I also thought Snape and Filch might be friends of sort. However in 
> GoF during the egg/Moody incident when Harry is invisible and it 
> seems to be just Snape and Filch the tone Snape uses with Filch 
> makes me think Filch is just an employee of Hogwarts in Snape's 
> mind.  He was someone he could call upon back in the SS/PS days.  
> Certainly, Snape and Filch have different loyalties in OoP. <snip>

Carol:
I think there's definitely a difference in rank (wizard vs. Squib,
teacher vs. caretaker) that Snape may subtly exploit when he's not
angry about having his office broken into at three in the morning, and
there's definitely a difference in their preferred methods of
discipline (Filch has no subtlety. He's all for medieval torture
chambers rather than sarcasm, deducting points, and detention.)
There's a huge difference in intellectual and educational level that I
think would prevent them from being close friends, but there is or was
also a common bond of trust in Dumbledore that made them allies in the
first three or four books. (I think Filch is yet another person to
whom DD gave a second chance, but of course that's just speculation.) 

But, as you suggest, Filch's devotion to Umbridge in OoP while Snape
(as far as we can tell) remains loyal to Dumbledore is a definite
parting of the ways. I wonder if Filch will prove a traitor in Book 6
or 7. Fortunately, he doesn't seem very bright, but he's sadistic, and
he could prove dangerous in his way.

Carol, with apologies for not replying to your wand post but I didn't
have anything to add