[HPforGrownups] Veritaserum was Re: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: ch. 32 "Out of th...

[Lynx412 at AOL.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 118470

In a message dated 11/23/2004 4:21:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
justcarol67 at yahoo.com writes:

> Potioncat wrote:
> 
> >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.
> 

       Sigh, I'm not sure how much of that to snip. 

       I think you're on the right track here. I suspect that Snape's 'delay' 
had a much more practical reason. Snape simply *could not* rescue Harry & 
company. Remember his position. He's now on probation, he's probably a double 
agent serving both the folks who want Harry at the Ministry and the folks who 
want him safe. So what can he do? He delivers his message and stays away! He has 
an excuse for the DEs, Umbridge blocked him, and he can enjoy the thought of 
that little Peeping Tom suffering a bit. He has, at this point, no idea how 
badly DU wants to stop Harry. He has no way of knowing DU sent those Dementors, 
he has no way of knowing she's going to threaten Harry with an Unforgivable. He 
doesn't even know about the quill! Why should he act? he doesn't know they're 
gone until he finally finds an excuse to go to DUs office and finds Malfoy & 
crew and hears their story. he takes a quick look in the forest, realizes it's 
hopeless and contacts DD & the order, snarkily [because he's Snape] telling 
Padfoot to stay at headquarters, maybe with an 'this is all your fault anyway' 
thrown in for good measure. And the stage is set...

       Cheryl


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