Half-Blood Hints

[lagattalucianese]

No: HPFGUIDX 145637

>
...
> 
> Pippin
> who has imagined a happy ending where Ginny shows up riding a
> dragon, rescues Harry from the burning lava, and they fly off to
> a cave where they are greeted by live!Dumbledore. The dragon
> turns out to be Animagus!Snape. Hey, a girl can dream...
>
La Gatta Lucianese:

Speaking of large, black, batlike creatures, has it occurred to 
anyone that Snape's animagus might be a thestral? It too has bat 
wings, can fly, and is ridable. And it's more like a unicorn (my 
other choice for Snape's patronus) than a dragon is. I keep hoping 
that we'll learn more about thestrals in Book 7. (Hey, a girl can 
dream...)

Canon (all OotP, American Edition); emphasis mine throughout:

Chapter 10: "The coaches were no longer horseless. There were 
creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if he had had to give 
them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, through 
there was something reptilian about them too. They were completely 
*fleshless*, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which 
every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-
less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither--vast 
black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to 
*giant bats*. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the 
creatures looked eerie and *sinister*. *Harry could not understand* 
why the coaches were being pulled by these *horrible* horses, when 
they were quite capable of moving by themselves."

Now Snape is described repeatedly as being thin, and his eyes (SS.8) 
are described as "cold and empty". Quirrell (SS.17) describes him 
as "swooping around like an overgrown bat", and says he "does seem 
the type" to be Voldemort's agent--certainly sinister. JKR calls 
Snape a "deeply horrible person". And Harry repeatedly says he cannot 
understand what Snape is doing at Hogwarts, just as he can't 
understand why the thestrals are pulling the carriages.

More Canon:

Chapter 33: "Harry whirled around. Standing between two trees, their 
white eyes gleaming eerily, were two thestrals, watching the 
whispered conversation as if they understood every word."

Compare the description of Snape's eyes glittering strangely 
(GoF.36). He also has a habit of coming up silently behind people and 
overhearing their conversations, whispered and otherwise (CC.5).

And here is the really interesting kick in the head as to where 
Harry's relationship with Snape may be going (more Canon): 

Chapter 34: "Harry wound his hand tightly in the main of the nearest 
thestral, placed a foot on a stump nearby, and scrambled clumsily 
onto the horse's *silken* back.... He looked down at the back of his 
thestral's *glossy black head*.... He closed his eyes and put his 
face down into the horse's *silky mane*.... He gave his thestral a 
quick, *grateful* pat.... "

And here's the real kicker, when Harry first catches sight of the 
thestrals in the Forbidden Forest:

Chapter 33: "'Yes,' he whispered, moving toward them. They tossed 
their reptilian heads, throwing back *long black manes*, and Harry 
stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining 
neck. *How could he ever have thought them ugly?*"

Will Harry ever feel that way about Snape? I'm betting on it.