Occlumency questions

[dzeytoun]

No: HPFGUIDX 114614


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dungrollin" 
<spotthedungbeetle at h...> wrote:
> 
> I've been reading a load of backposts (though Yahoo!Mort may have 
> stubbornly not revealed the most pertinent amongst them) and 
> wondering about Snape's Worst Memory and the things he put in the 
> pensieve.
> 
> The assumption that (after my grossly inadequate search) appears to 
> have been made, is that Snape hid those memories because he
> didn't want Harry to see them. But could it not also/rather be 
> because they were memories he found so emotion-provoking that he 
> would not be in a fit state to teach Occlumency with them in his 
> head?
> 

Good question.  It's interesting, isn't it, that Snape has so many 
problems with the very things he scolds Harry about?  If ever there 
was a man who wears his emtions on his sleeve, it would be Snape.

> This would work with the idea that `The Pantsing' is not
> actually Snape's worst memory - there must be plenty of worse
> things that have happened to him - the title of that chapter came 
> from Harry's assumptions.  `The Pantsing' is then
> downgraded to the status of a rage-provoking memory that Snape 
finds 
> difficult to supress, particularly in Harry's presence.

Yes, it does seem odd that that would be a former DE's worst memory.  
But on second thought, what makes a memory bad?  Fear? Anger? Horror? 
Sadness? Embarassment?  Or are all these things weighed differently 
for different people?  Maybe from Snape's perspective a memory of 
murder isn't as bad as this memory.

> 
> I then wondered whether having some thoughts removed to the 
pensieve 
> may have changed some of Snape's answers to Harry during the 
> lessons. These memories are in the pensieve when he tells 
> Harry `Yes, that is my job', though not throughout the first
> speech of the first lesson.  Could there have been a memory that he
> didn't have that would have changed that answer?  Others have
> noted that it wouldn't make sense for Snape to imply so directly
> that he was spying if he were afraid that You Know Who might be 
> hacking Harry's brain (figuratively speaking).

Very good point.  It also makes you wonder what You-Know-Who's 
reaction would be if he popped in and found Snape teaching Harry 
Occlumency.  One possibility is that Voldie thinks that Snape is a 
double-agent.  Therefore, he would put down the remarks about spying 
to part of Snape's cover.

> 
> But something else jumped out at me, and I've not found any 
> discussion of it – perhaps because everyone was so delighted to
> have so much else to analyse in the few pages dedicated to the 
> Occlumency lessons – is that Snape glosses over *how* they know
> that You Know Who knows that Harry's seeing into his mind.
> 
> OotP: Chapter 24, Occlumency. UKHB: 470-471
> `How do you know?' said Harry urgently.  `Is this just
> Professor Dumbledore guessing, or -?'
> `I told you,' said Snape, rigid in his chair, his eyes slits,
> `to call me "Sir".'
> `Yes, sir,' said Harry impatiently, `but how do you
> know-?'
> `It is enough that we know,' said Snape repressively.
> `The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you
> are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings...'
> 
> So how *did* they know? Snape (over the course of half a page 
> because of Harry's constant interruptions) basically says that it 
> was during the snake vs Mr. Weasly vision that You Know Who 
realised 
> that Harry was seeing what was going on.  How did LV know?  And how 
> do Snape and the Order know that he knows?
> 
> Is it significant that they know that, but not that Harry's
> already dreaming about the corridor?  Is Harry's dreaming about
> the corridor *up until* snake.vs.Weasly because You Know Who is 
> dreaming of getting his hands on the prophecy, but *after* 
> snake.vs.Weasly Harry's dreaming because You Know Who is feeding
> him misinformation?
> 

This is an interesting set of questions.  Barring further 
revelations, I suppose from Voldemort himself, I don't suppose we can 
know.

> Have I just repeated what a load of other people have already said?
> 
> Dungrollin, pondering half-formed thoughts...