Veritaserum was Re: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: ch. 32 "Out of the Fire"

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 118434


Potioncat wrote:
> Harry started to drink then saw the kittens and did not drink.  That 
> doesn't take away from the fact that Snape tricked Umbridge with 
> fake veritaserum.  And I loved the part, "You didn't use it all?  
> You only needed three drops." (paraphrased)
> 
> We know Snape told the Order twice.  He verified that Black was 
> safe. We don't know what his plan was to tell Harry that Black was 
> safe.  (Or even if he planned to tell him.)
> 
> I think one possibility is that Snape had reason to think Umbridge, 
> Harry's gang and Draco's gang were in Umbridge's office, when in 
> fact Harry and co had made it into the forrest and Draco's gang were 
> tied up in the office.

Carol responds:
That makes sense and explains his "stalling." He would not know that
Harry, Hermione and Umbridge had gone into the forest until he rescued
Draco et al. and sorted out that mess (undoing hexes, sending Draco to
Madame Pomfrey if necessary, and getting the details from angry
Slytherins all talking at once. He would have consulted Dumbledore
first (otherwise he wouldn't know that DD was on his way to 12
Grimauld Place) and then consulted the Order for the second time.

My only question is how he found out that the Inquisitorial Squad was
tied up in Umbridge's office. Someone must have finally broken free
and gone to tell him. By that time, Harry and friends were already at
the DoM and probably in the middle of their fight with the DEs.

As for Snape not deducing sooner that Harry had gone to the DoM, why
would he? He knew that Harry couldn't apparate from Hogwarts even if
he knew how. He also knew that Harry didn't have access to his broom.
He knew that Buckbeak was in Grimauld Place with Sirius. Maybe he
thought about the Thestrals or the flying Ford Anglia at some point
and realized that it was actually possible for Harry to act on his
mistaken idea that Sirius was being tortured. Or he may have assumed
that Harry had contacted Sirius and found out the truth.

Carol, wishing she could get inside Snape's mind