Opening of Book 6 - Theories, Anyone?

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 114389

> > Angie wrote:
> > JKR has said that Harry's stay at Privet Drive will be the 
> > shortest yet.
> 
Magda replied:
> Harry is picked up early from Privet Drive because he's being taken
> to a special, private Order memorial ceremony for Sirius - who's
> death is not official knowledge because - oh, for all kinds of
> reasons.  
> 
> The person sent to pick up Harry is Snape - who very much wants to
> see Harry on his "home turf" so that he can finally determine if 
the memories Snape saw in occlumency lessons were real or not 
because he really doesn't want to surrender his Harry-as-spoiled-
brat-in-the-home-of-Lily's-sister image of the kid. 
> 
> Harry has spent a couple of weeks convincing Vernon and Petunia
> (jumpy after meeting Mad-Eye's mad eye) that wizards really 
are "just folks".  So the last thing they're prepared for is the 
stereotypical grouchy bad-ass dark wizard apparating into the 
breakfast room one sunny morning and announcing he's there to pick 
up Harry....

Hannah now: I like this idea of Snape turning up at Privet Drive to 
collect Harry - can you imagine the look on Harry's face?  I can 
just see DD deciding they need to spend some quality time 
together... I would be very interested in the interaction between 
Snape and the Dursleys .  I don't get the impression Snape knows 
much about muggles.  It would be interesting to see how he treats 
them; would he sympathise with Vernon over having to bring up 
Potter, or would he be disgusted by them and their attitude to 
Harry?  It might also give us some more idea about Snape's attitude 
to muggles and feelings about pure-blood supremacy, which could 
shine more light on his joining/leaving the DE's. 

It might just be because I'm a massively biased Snape fan, but I've 
always felt that Snape had a certain amount of sympathy for Harry 
over the occlumency memories he saw, particularly at first (later he 
was just annoyed that Harry still hadn't learnt to hide them).  I 
know he's not exactly gushing pity for Harry, but that would be out 
of character.  His 'to whom did the dog belong?' comment sounds a 
lot less nasty than his usual stuff.  Harry just can't see it 
because he is too busy 'hating Snape' for having seen those memories 
in the first place.

I think with Snape that, while he considers it OK for him to be mean 
to students, he wouldn't necessarily condone other people behaving 
as badly towards them.  For example, IMO he loathes Umbridge, and 
certainly doesn't seem very supportive of her.  

It would be so funny if Snape apparated into the Dursley's kitchen.  
I wonder if Aunt Petunia's first words would be 'it's that dreadful 
boy from twenty years ago!'
Hannah