Snape and Occlumency

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 121622


Inkling wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the link, Potioncat.  I do think that, taken as a whole, 
> Snape's actions in PoA are defensible.  For example, I was impressed 
> that he didn't turn Black directly over to the Dementors when he had 
> the chance (when Black was unconscious), even though he had 
> threatened to do it earlier.

Carol responds:
Glad you liked my post, which was intended to alleviate Potioncat's
fears about Snape in PoA. I think a number of people have provided
important reassurances for you regarding OoP, notably that that the
DEs were waiting for Harry in the DoM and that Snape probably couldn't
see the Thestrals. (I think at least part of his time must have been
spent in damage control--discovering the bound Inquisitorial Squad,
undoing some minor hexes, sending Draco off to Madam Pomfrey to undo
the bat-bogey hex, and finding out what had happened from a group of
hysterical teenagers. It must have taken a bit of time even to
determine that Harry and Hermione had gone off with Umbridge to the
Forbidden Forest. The Thestrals could have flown off before he even
had the whole story.) 

I don't for a moment think that we can deduce from the failed
Occlumency lessons that Snape is working for Voldemort. First,
consider all the evidence from previous books that he's on DD's side
(saving Harry from Quirrell in SS/PS, his help in the Crouch!Moody
matter, his dangerous mission at the end of GoF). And in OoP itself,
note that Snape *does* inform the Order of Harry's vision and that if
he had not done so, Harry would be dead. 

Inkling wrote:
> But I agree with Alla that OotP is a different story. <snip> 
> I just can't get past the fact that his so-called lessons contained 
> no specific instructions and had the opposite result from what was 
> (supposedly) intended.  JKR makes quite a point of this: "Before he 
> had started studying occlumency, his scar had prickled 
> occasionally...Nowadays, however, his scar hardly ever stopped 
> prickling, and he often felt lurches of annoyance or cheerfulness 
> that were unrelated to what was happening to him at the time, which 
> were always accompanied by a particularly painful twinge from his 
> scar.  He had the horrible impression that he was slowly turning 
> into a kind of aerial that was tuned to tiny fluctuations in 
> Voldemort's mood, and he was sure he could date this increased 
> sensitivity firmly from his first occlumency lesson with Snape."  
> (just in case the "sure" doesn't convince, she adds "firmly" :-)
> Something as dramatic as this, IMHO, cannot be laid simply to 
> Harry's lack of effort in occlumency.  His mind is, in fact, under 
> assault, and it has something to do with what's going on in Snape's 
> lessons.

Carol responds:
But remember that he also felt a pain in his scar just as he was being
touched by Umbridge and it was only past experience (probably
including his first association with the pain in his scar with Snape
instead of Quirrell) that enabled him to realize that Umbridge wasn't
a DE (however evil she undoubtedly is) and that the timing was
coincidental. Harry may well be "turning into a kind of aerial," but
as Pippin points out, this seems to be an inevitable consequence of
Occlumency lessons *for Harry* because of his connection to Voldemort.
It probably is not an inevitable consequence of Occlumency lessons per
se. If Snape is recalling his own lessons in occlumency (presumably
taught by DD since Voldemort is not going to give his DEs protection
against his own Legilimency), he would not have experienced any such
vulnerability and may not be aware that Harry is doing so. Or it may
be that both he and dumbledore want to see exactly how far Voldemort
has gotten into Harry's mind. note that Snape *does* tell Dumbledore
that Harry is dreaming of the DoM corridor, but DD does not order a
halt to the lessons. (I believe he also tells DD that Harry has seen
Rookwood, but I could be mistaken.)

Also, we need to remember that Snape has no need to make Harry angry
for these lessons. Harry is already angry--at Snape (thanks in part to
Sirius planting doubts about the Occlumency lessons in Harry's mind),
at Dumbledore, at Cho--at everyone except the legitimate target,
Voldemort. Snape does tell him what Occlumency is, and as much as DD
will allow him about why Harry is taking the lessons. He is remarkably
tolerant (for Snape) when Harry (inadvertently) uses a stinging hex
and a Protego. He is only angry when Harry sees things he's not
supposed to be seeing, things related to Voldemort and/or the DoM,
especially when Harry willingly prolongs those visions to see more of
the corridor. Harry admits (to himself) that he has not practiced and
that he wants to continue having the dreams. If Harry had calmed
himself and emptied his mind of emotions at bedtime, he would not have
continued to have the dreams. He is opening up *himself* to Voldemort,
which is why Snape is angry. But DD doesn't want Harry to know about
the Prophecy, so Snape can't explain that to Harry.

If, as you suspect, the lessons were actually harming Harry and Snape
wanted Harry harmed, would he have ended them for any reason?

One more point. We need to look at the narrator here. Harry's dating
the increased prickling to the beginning of the Occlumency lessons is
his own view, not objective fact. He hates the lessons; he hates
Snape; he *wants* to think that the lessons are harming him. That does
not mean that they actually are harming him, or that Snape wants them to. 

It seems to me that Snape and Dumbledore may have a false expectation
for the lessons. Occlumency gives *Snape* the ability to prevent
Voldemort from seeing memories or sensing emotions that would enable
him to detect a lie, and Snape and DD seem to think that the same
skills will prevent Voldemort from entering Harry's mind via the scar.
It's necessary for Snape to forcibly invade Harry's mind to get him to
react against the invasion using skills similar to those he used to
throw off the Imperius Curse. But Voldemort isn't entering Harry's
mind forcibly through eye contact or a Legilimency spell. He's luring
Harry into *wanting* to have that dream, hoping to get him to go after
the Prophecy. Even when he plants the vision of Sirius in Harry's
mind, he doesn't do so forcibly. It's enough like the earlier dreams
that Harry wants it to continue, and similar enough to the true events
involving Mr. Weasley that Harry doesn't question it.

IMO, the failure of the Occlumency lessons has nothing to do with
Snape's loyalties (though it may relate to his abilities as a
teacher). It results from mutual antipathy, Harry's own desire to
continue the dreams and his unwillingness to control the anger that is
consuming him, and, possibly, from the nature of Occlumency itself.

I see no evidence in OoP that Snape is disloyal either to the Order or
to Dumbledore. And he has shown himself disloyal to Voldemort often
enough that to let Voldemort have Harry would be to sign his own death
warrant.

Carol, hoping that she's helped Inkling feel at least a bit better
about Snape