What would Snape have to do....

[bimbledor]

No: HPFGUIDX 138681

Gatta wrote:
> > 
> <snip>

> Which brings me to an interesting (at least to me) speculation about
> Snape's actual feelings about Harry, and how Harry ended up with
> Snape's Potions textbook. If Snape hated James (which he pretty
> obviously does) but loved Lily, even from afar, he would be bound to
> feel rather ambivalent about their son. Could he have planted the book
> in the Potions classroom in the knowledge that Harry, having been
> turned down for his (Snape's) N.E.W.T.s class but accepted for
> Slughorn's, would arrive at Hogwarts without a textbook? And the hope
> that Harry, having acquired the book and recognized it for the
> treasure it was, would hang onto it as a kind of legacy from its
> previous owner? Is this a kind of passing of the torch? If so, it
> would be of a piece with Snape's other attempts to prepare Harry for
> the contest that lies ahead of him.


bimbledor:

I wondered about that, also.  Snape's character seems far too anal to
have simply forgotten a book as personal as his Potions one. However,
leaving it behind with other textbooks in the cupboard meant Ron could
as easily have received it as HP. It seems highly unlikely that Snape
or whoever planted the book would have brought Slughorn in on the
secret exchange. Also, Snape's reaction when he legilimenses HP after
HP has shouted Sectumsempra at Malfoy, would have to be regarded as a
complete fake from beginning to end. The line of speculation here
begins to get too convoluted and far from the canon for me to support.

p. 524, HBP US ed.-
<But Snape ignored this.  "Apparently I underestimated you, Potter,"
he said quietly.  "Who would have thought you knew such Dark Magic? 
Who taught you that spell?" 
"I - read about it somewhere."
"Where?"
"It was - a library book," Harry invented wildly.  "I can't remember
what it was call-"
"Liar," said Snape.  Harry's throat went dry. He knew what Sanpe was
going to do and he had never been able to prevent it....<snip> the
Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making sawm hazily to the
forefront of his mind. <big snip to p. 527>
<One by one, Snape extracted Harry's books and examined them. 
Finally, the only book left was the Potions book, which he looked at
very carefully before speaking.
"This is your copy of Advanced Potion-Making, is it, Potter?"
"Yes," said Harry, still breathing hard. <snip>
"Do you know what I think, Potter?" said Snape, very quietly.  "I
think that you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention
with me every Saturday until the end of term."

I am left to conclude that in his ecstasy over finally gaining the
DADA job, he simply uncharacteristically forgot his text in the back
of the cupboard.  The fact that he calls HP a cheat IMO is definitive
that he would never have given the book to HP willingly.

I do think one of the reasons DD finally gave Snape the DADA job was
to ensure that HP could continue to a NEWT in Potions, in order to
enable HP to gain the skills if not the position of an auror.  I
thought about DD planting the book, but the same problem arose re Ron
receiving it.  I also can't imagine DD including Slughorn in secret
plans, either.  

Any further thoughts on this?