What Dark Arts?

[Rebecca Hoskins]

No: HPFGUIDX 137439

Potioncat:
SNIP
> And I think Snape was horrified to realise Harry had gotten the 
> book. He seemed surprised and upset in the bathroom. It is still
> my belief the book went missing long ago. 

You have just jogged my memory:- During the confrontation between 
Snape and Harry at the end of 'Flight of the Prince', Snaped yelled, 

" You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who 
invented them -I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions 
on me, like your filthy father, would you? i don't think so...no!" 
HBP p563

I took this to be a reference to James' presumed use of 'levicorpus!' 
during the scene in the penseive (Snapes Worst memory, OotP). But 
what if it was more that one curse that James and Co stole? What if 
James had been responsible for Snape's potions book going missing?

I doubt that they read it too much - after all Lupin said that he'd 
never heard of the Half-Blood Prince (p315, HBP). Maybe they nicked 
a few good jinxes and then discarded it, having not read the name at 
the back. The thieving of personal objects/ belongings is a very 
common part of bullying in schools today (and presumably always has 
been). Even Tom Riddle did it at the orphanage. And Luna Lovegood had 
her personal belonging stolen during the OotP.

So, I think that the marauders may have stolen Snape's book, and it 
somehow made it's way to the storecupboard.

What I find difficult to believe is that Snape was potions master for 
15 years and didn't find the book lying in the storecupboard. I find 
that very difficult to believe indeed.

Rebecca