CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 29, Career Advice

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 116631


> Potioncat:
> Did I hear my name?  ;-)
> I'm still curious as to why JKR wrote it this way.  Did she expect 
 everyone to think Snape broke it?  Did she expect anyone to 
question  it? Did he break it? (My earlier statement was that if 
Snape wanted  to get at Harry, he would break the flask in front of 
him, not behind his back. And therefore, I don't think he did.)<

Pippin:

I think it's written so that those who don't analyze this stuff too 
deeply will assume that Snape broke it in plain view of Draco, 
and it will not significantly impact the story if they go on thinking 
so right to the end. 

I think Snape broke it  with wandless magic so that it 
looked like the potion exploded spontaneously a la Neville. 
Thus the "whoops", the zero, and Draco's snigger. We may get to 
see Snape  cause a surreptitious explosion  in the future, so that 
those of us who are sadly obsessed with this sort of thing can 
go, "Aha!"

As to *why* he did it...remember in PoA when he backed out of 
Lupin's office after delivering the potion? He's not only getting 
back at Harry for abusing his confidence, he's  also saying, 
"Don't turn your back on an enemy."

Pippin