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

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 93754

 
> Eloise:
> Well, you know, I'm sorry, but much as it pains me to say it, I 
think that probably Snape is simply using Filch.  
snip
 We know from PS/SS that Filch was under orders to tell Snape if any 
> students were wandering the corridors at night. Filch is an extra 
set of eyes and ears for Snape (in fact with Mrs Norris, two sets of 
eyes and ears which again begs the very question under discussion 
here)
snip> 

Potioncat:
I think you're right.  Snape sees Filch as someone who can serve him 
although I'm not sure I'd call it "using" Filch so much as using his 
services.

I think the reason Snape wants Filch to report any wandering 
students, is because there is a dangerous situation going on and he 
is concerned about safety.   
 
  
 
> Eloise:
xsnip
> 
> I think he's amused because Harry *is* in the wrong place at the 
wrong time and he hopes to take advantage of it. Perhaps he's also 
amused because he's standing in Lockhart's office with portraits 
wearing curlers dodging out of sight. He can witness Lockhart making 
a prat of himself and exploit the situation  to his own advantage 
against Harry. Or so he hopes. 
> 
> The smile he is trying to suppress develops, once he starts to 
speak, into a 
> sneer:
> 
> >>"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place 
at the
> wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he
> doubted it.<<
> 
> and from there into a full blown smile as he finally catches Harry 
et al out:
> 
> >>"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering 
across
> his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living 
people
> at their parties."
> 
> "We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach gave a huge
> rumble.
> 
> Snape's nasty smile widened.
> 
> "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely 
truthful," he
> said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain 
privileges
> until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he 
should
> be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be
> honest." <<
> 
> The smile disappears as soon as Dumbledore refuses to blame Harry 
and Snape 
> and Filch are once more united:
> 
> >>Snape looked furious. So did Filch.<<


Potioncat:  I think you may  have hit on it, the smile isn't about 
the cat.  It's hard to understand how he can be amused though, given 
how serious the Chamber of Secrets is.  

I've wondered if he didn't use some form of legilimency and was 
letting DD know that he saw deception in Potter's mind.  I think he 
added the quidditch restriction because Snape will use any means to 
win quidditch. He may have been angry at DD's apparant dismissal of 
the dishonesty issue rather than the quidditch restriction.
> 
snipping Sue and Eloise comments
 
> Sue: 
> >Snape is quite flattered at the young Malfoy's suggestion that he 
become headmaster after DD's  departure.  He certainly didn't protest 
the idea or defend DD.
 
> Eloise:
> Could the smirk be because this was confirmation that he had Lucius 
Malfoy exactly where he wanted him (is *Lucius* actually the lap 
dog?) If he wants to  maintain his reputation amongst the Voldemort 
supporters, then it's to his advantage to play the card that Draco 
put into his hand.

Potioncat:
I didn't see that Snape was flattered, I thought he was well aware 
that Draco was playing up to him.  He did support DD by saying he 
wouldn't be gone long. But he did it in a way that as Eloise said, 
played the hand.
> 

Eloise (I think): 
> I don't think it's to do with fear that Mme Pomprey will report 
what's he's 
> up to. Mme Pomfrey isn't one of Dumbledore's inner circle. At the 
end of GoF, 
> although she hears the same revelations as Fudge (including that 
Snape was a 
> DE), Dumbledore is very careful to make sure that she is well out 
of earshot 
> before allowing Sirius to regain his human form. I doubt very much 
that she knew 
> about the Philosopher's Stone. I doubt that any did, other than 
those who were 
> directly involved in its protection. Filch was part of the 
protection in that 
> he had a role in guarding the corridor. Why tell anyone else?

Potioncat:  I think you've gotten this too!  The students weren't 
supposed to know and perhaps many of the staff didn't either.  So it 
made sense to use someone other than Poppy.  And it certainly made 
for a large red herring! 

Eliose: 
> As for why he chose the staff room? Good question. I did wonder if 
it were  all JKR's fault. imperio'ing him to do it there so that it 
was easier for Harry 
snip

Potioncat who just couldn't snip the part about JKR imperio'ing the 
characters.