What has Snape seen (Was Re: bullies? twins, padfoot and prongs)

[Kathryn Jones]

No: HPFGUIDX 118675


> Hannah:
> As to what he's seen or done, in some ways I hope he's not done
> anything too awful, but OTOH I think it would be a bit lame if it
> turns out he just hid away at HQ with his nose in a cauldron the
> whole time.  I reckon he'll have seen a lot of nasty things, and
> done at least a few himself.  For instance, I can see him managing
> the Cruiciatius curse without too much difficulty, if it was on
> the 'right' person.
>
> Not sending Snape out to fight would be wasting a valuable resource
> for LV, IMO.  All the signs point to him being pretty handy in a
> duel, especially where he'd have the upper hand to start with. 
> There's the quick reactions, the ability to keep his cool (at least
> in certain situations), his mastery of plenty of hexes... No, he'd
> have been there at various muggle killings and Order fights, maybe
> as Lucius' right hand man.  Even once he'd turned spy he'd still
> have had to participate when required in order to maintain his cover.


Kathy writes:
    I think you have a lot of good points.  I do wonder about his value 
to V as a fighter, however.  This is not expressed very well in the 
books.  He knows a lot of spells and hexes, he has several important 
skills, Legilimency and occlumency, he is capable with defense, using 
expelliarmus on Lockhart, and using a spell that cut James face in the 
pensieve scene.  For the most part though, and this has been brought up 
by other posters, Snape,warns, threatens, tries to intimidate, but 
almost never takes direct action. In the stand-off with Sirius, he was 
waiting for Sirius to make the first move.  The only indication of his 
power level is in SS when he attempts to control the broom wandless.  He 
is fighting against both Quirrel and V. and holding his own.  He was not 
the smartest student at Hogwarts, much as it pains me to say this, James 
and Sirius were considered to be the brightest.  He is not described as 
tall in the books, (Sirius is taller) and he is thin.   He has  only two 
real claims to fame. 1) he is a Potion's Master  and 2)  he is a logical 
thinker.

 He appears to have some very strong inhibitions against actual physical 
or magical violence rather than the enjoyment needed to be a truly 
successful DE. He threatened Harry in the Shrieking shack several times, 
threatened Sirius at least once.  This did have some effect, so Sirius 
obviously believes him to be capable.  He got chewed on by Fluffy, and 
knocked out by Harry.  The most he has done in the books as an adult was 
give Harry a good shove and perhaps, deliberately or accidentally 
explode a jar of cockroaches.  I am not convinced that he is still spying.

 I suspect he would have chosen to remain in a position making use of 
his specialty and enjoying the status that he would have gained from 
that rather than risking himself  on murdering muggles and fighting 
aurors.  It doesn't even tell us in the books that he was killing flies, 
or stunning flies, or if it was even him in his memories.  If he was a 
smart man, and Slytherin, don't forget, he'd have stuck his nose well 
into a cauldron and tried very hard to leave it there while 
eavesdropping diligently.
Kathy J.