Snape and Quirrell in the Dark Forest

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 125280



a svirn:
I'll try to answer in the reverse order. 


> > 
> > Joe in SoFla  wrote:

> 3- I further think the hocus-pocus bit was related to Quirrell's 
> jinxing of Harry's broom. Notice that Harry's hearing of teh 
> conversation was interrupted by an owl so that all he hears is 
Snape 
> saying: " --- your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting." It is 
> perfectly plausible Snape is asking what Quirrel was up to in 
> jinxing Harry's broom, which Quirrel was vehemently denying.
> 

a_svirn:

It is plausible I agree. What I do not understand is 1) why Snape 
waited for so long to bring the topic. The broom-jinxing episode 
took place during the Gryffindor-Slythering match, and the chat in 
the forest occurred after the Hafflepuff-Gryffindor match. If I 
remember correctly there were a couple of months at least between 
the two. There should have been enough opportunities to discuss the 
matter. 2) What exactly Snape was trying to achieve? If his main 
concern in the matter was the safety of the Stone and that of 
Hogwarts students why did he try to reason with the villain who 
appeared to be a serious threat to both? Especially, after he tried 
to kill a student?! And not even straight after the incident but 
after some time?  He should have alerted DD or even Aurors, not drag 
Quirrel to the Forest in hope to intimidate him.

> -Joe in SoFla:

> 2- I think Snape's trying to get past Fluffy had to do with 
heading 
> off Quirrell.
> 
a_svirn:

For one thing he did not have to get through Fluffy to head Quirrel 
off. All he had to do was to catch him red-handed in the act of 
getting past Fluffy. Besides, at the time Quirrell did not know how 
to get past Fluffy himself. He only concocted the scheme with that 
dragon egg during the Easter break. The episode with Fluffy took 
place in November before even the match with Slytherin. And the chat 
in the forest occurred somewhere after Charismas break. And Snape 
didn't exactly warn him off Fluffy. He wanted to know whether 
Quirrel LEARNED how to get past it. And then he proceeded to 
threaten Quirrel, saying something to the effect that he wouldn't 
want Snape as an enemy. But if he spoke as someone loyal to DD 
surely it was too late for that? Someone who tried to steel the 
Stone and kill a student was already an enemy. 

The way it looks Snape tried to tackle Fluffy even before Quirrel 
did but without success and then tried to "beat" the information 
about it out of Quirrel. 


-Joe in SoFla:


> 1- I personally can't see to whom *else* that loyalty might be 
given 
> in the context of Snape's grilling of Quirrell.

a_svirn:

Well it's just it – we don't know. There is always the question of 
loyalties where Snape is concerned and JKR delights in giving us 
conflicting evidence. However, I think DD was not the only one who 
could possibly have claim to Quirrel's loyalty. I think that Snape 
and Quirrel were "partners in crime" of sorts, but at some point 
Quirrel started to play "solo". Consider. The first time Harry sees 
Snape he is talking to Quirrel quietly. He certainly did not bother 
to converse with other DADA teachers which graced Hogwarts 
afterwards. Then there is all this business with the Stone 
protection. The way it was arranged every teacher was supposed to do 
his or her bit, and DD was the only one who knew the whole. It looks 
however that Snape and Quirrel worked on their bits as a team. 
Hagrid provided Fluffy, Sprout – Devil's Snare, Flitwick charmed the 
keys, McGonagall did the chessmen and DD magiced the Mirror. Snape's 
bit was the riddle, but the solution to the Snape's riddle was also 
means to get trough Quirrel's flames. That means that they worked on 
these two obstacles together and were in each others confidences. 

Another thing. We only learn that Snape is a "good guy" during the 
last confrontation with Quirrel. But he only told us that Snape 
(although he hated Harry) didn't want him dead. And why should he?! 
That would complicate things enormously from Snape's point of view. 
As he put it in OotP "a lot of tedious paperwork". Not to mention 
Aurores all over the place. And then again who would look the most 
probable culprit? Everyone knew how Prof. Snape hated Harry. 
And notice, Quirrel didn't exactly deny that Snape was after the 
Stone. All he said was that Snape certainly LOOKED the part of the 
villain better than poor stuttering Prof.  Quirrel. Harry figured 
that meant that Snape was innocent. But there is another 
possibility. Namely that Quirrel was going to go along with 
the "partnership plan" up until certain point and then, steal the 
Stone and frame Snape the way Riddle framed Hagrid. And if he could 
get rid of Harry somewhere along the line so much the better. 

I am not saying that Snape was INDEED after the Stone. But I do 
think that DD had known about Quirrel from the beginning, and the 
whole thing was set up as a trap for LV-in-the-Quirrel with the 
Stone as bait. And to ensure that LV would bait the hook DD used 
Hagrid (without him being the wiser) and Snape who pretended to be 
as greedy as Quirrel, thus achieving two objectives simultaneously: 
1) being au current with his progress and 2) posing as a very 
plausible ex-DE. In which case the question of loyalty might have 
arisen when Snape "realised" that Quirrel was trying to betray him.