Few Snape teaching DADA scenes (was: This Snape hater accepts Snape is good-

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 138119

SiriuslySnapeySusan wrote:
> And I want to know just what Snape proposed was a BETTER means of 
> taking on Dementors than using a Patronus!  Remember that
assignment, where we're told Harry disagreed with Snape on that topic?
 Well, what did Snape tell them, darn it?  Why didn't we get to hear
the lecture or witness the exchange (if there was one)? 
<snip>

Carol responds:
I don't have a fully developed theory about this question, but
certainly one of her motives is to deprive us of entertainment--um,
no, I mean keep us in suspense as to whether Snape is helping or
hindering the students. However, the fact that Harry and friends don't
complain about these classes seems to suggest that they are indeed
learning useful information. And those scary posters in the first
class give them an idea of exactly what they're facing. (I do wish
we'd heard the proper way of stopping an Inferius, but either Snape
didn't give that information or Harry wasn't listening.) Snape seems
to have concentrated on teaching "nvbl" defensive spells and perhaps
on anticipating your opponents' moves (also suggested by the last DADA
lesson after the tower scene!). Possibly he taught them not to use
Dark Magic to fight Dark Magic (twice he reprimands Harry for using
it), but again, we don't know. But surely Harry, who is suspicious of
Snape in relation to Draco, would report any lapses in his teaching
methods (he's not helping us learn to protect ourselves!) if he
spotted them.

Quite possibly he can't openly make such statements because they would
reveal his allegiance to Dumbledore, and with Draco, at least, he is
certainly playing the DE-pretending-to-be-loyal-to-Dumbledore role.
It's interesting, however, that Draco (who has lost all interest in
school and NEWTs) sees the DADA class as a joke, part of Snape's act,
which again suggests that he is teaching a standard DADA class (better
than most of his predecessors would have done) with no suggestion of
Dark Arts being desirable.

I've forgotten whether Harry has DADA with students from other houses,
as he does in NEWT potions, or whether he has it with his fellow
Gryffindors. I think it ought to be a required course for all
students, and we know that Crabbe and Goyle, who failed their DADA
OWLs, are taking it. I don't think this is favoritism. I think it has
to do with the importance of *defense* against the Dark Arts for all
students at this critical time.

As for the Dementor question, I'm curious, too. I think it's
important, though, that Expecto Patronum is a difficult spell to
master and even students who can cast a Patronus in the DA sessions
probably can't cast one when faced with an actual Dementor. (Harry
couldn't in PoA. He was saved by his own future self. Even in OoP, he
saves himself and Dudley with great difficulty.) So if Snape has an
alternate method that doesn't require casting a Patronus, then he's
presenting valuable information to students who haven't won a
Tri-Wizard tournament or faced Voldemort himself in a duel.

I really hope we learn the answer to your question in Book 7. I doubt
that JKR just threw it in. (Chalk up another point for the HBP?)

Carol, who also wonders whether Snape used a potion or a countercurse
to save DD when he was on the point of death from the ring Horcrux