Snape's patronus changing (was Re: JKR's website update)

[lolita_ns]

No: HPFGUIDX 145408

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "spotsgal" <Nanagose at a...> wrote:
  The only other possibility I can
> think of is that somebody's (Snape?) patronus will change in HP7 and
> JKR used Tonks to introduce the idea to us in HBP.
> 

Lolita:

Nice one. I've been thinking along the same lines. Into a Phoenix, 
perhaps? Thus both tastefully throwing red herrings of Still alive!DD 
into the game and confirming the theories of DDM!Snape...

(This wording is the result of my belief that yes, DD is dead, and 
yes, SS is DDM. You are welcome to disagree.)

The only thing that makes me ponderous about Snape's Patronus changing 
is the fact that the change, if it indeed happens, might be needed, at 
least partially, to make room for SS contacting Harry with some 
Patronus-delivered information throughout Year 7. 

(A slight digression: Snape might contact Hermione, she is, after all, 
the 'more gifted friend', but I don't think that he would try and 
contact any Order members. He knows the Prophecy - it is questionable 
to which extent, but still - and consequently knows that Harry - not 
the rest of the Order - is the one who could do with some help. Also, 
if I were a fugitive from the law whom the whole WW deemed responsible 
for one of their brightest members' death, and if I really had to pass 
some important information to the Side of Light, I would rather 
contact a teenager at odds with the representatives of that law - i.e. 
the Ministry - than a bunch of adults who would, no matter the 
differences of opinion, be only too happy to turn me in.) 


But if this were the case (i.e. Snape contacting Harry via Patronus), 
why would the change be needed at all? (I mean plotwise, not 
emotionwise) As far as we know, Harry has never seen Snape's Patronus. 
He has no idea what it looks like. He would be getting messages from a 
strange Patronus - regardless of the fact that it might have changed 
in the meantime. Of course, a Phoenix Patronus would make him wonder, 
since he saw DD die... Or maybe not. We, the readers, know that DD's 
Patronus was a Phoenix, courtesy of Ms Rowling, but I am not sure that 
Harry does. (Apart from that moment in GoF after DD and Harry had 
found Krum in the Forest, when DD shot sparks to call Hagrid to him, 
which was a clue for us - in hindsight - as to DD's Patronus, but 
apparently, Harry didn't muse over it.)

On the other hand, why would Rowling not want to reveal what Snape's 
Patronus was, if she had planned for it to change? She said that 
revealing it would give away a lot... Hmmm... Maybe Harry *did* see 
it, somewhere in the background... I can think of no such instance, 
but it might be that my memory needs refreshing. In any case, her 
remark that revealing SS's Patronus would give away a lot, strongly 
suggests that we should be right to expect to see that Patronus. 
(Unless it is something as simple and tacky as having a Lily-shaped 
patronus or sth similar, which I think would be sentimentality at its 
worst, and not at all in character for SS)

As far as emotions go, I would say that the odds of SS's Patronus 
changing into a form that is reminiscent of DD are pretty high. And, 
*if* an Order member were to intercept the message - which we have 
also seen happen - they would be, I think, both shaken and suspicious. 
Which makes it a nice device. Plus, this would strengthen the idea of 
SS being DDM, until we are shown the definite truth at the end of the 
book.

Lolita