More About Snape and Occlumency (long)

[inkling108]

No: HPFGUIDX 121704


Hello, Inkling here:

Thanks to everyone who responded to my fears about Snape.  Since 
there are so many thoughtful arguments, I've decided to reply to 
them in one post rather than trying to respond individually.  
Hopefully this will make it easier to follow, and be easier on list 
volume as well. (Waving at the List Elves!)

Keep in mind, my views on Snape are a work in progress, and have 
already changed several times.  But, after pondering the many 
excellent posts on the topic, here is how I see things at the moment:

(Warning -- long post follows)

Before we get into what Snape is actually up to in these lessons, 
lets take a look at what we know about occlumency.  It won't take 
long, since it isn't much.  Snape defines it as follows:

"Occlumency, Potter.  The magical defense of the mind against 
external penetration.  An obscure branch of magic, but a highly 
useful one." 

Okay, it's a branch of magic.  Now, all the branches of magic we 
have encountered so far use specific techniques and incantations to 
do the job (with the exception of potions, where you don't need 
incantations).  So you might expect occlumency to feature these as 
well.

Jump to Snape's lessons.  No methods, no incantations, just general 
instructions like "Clear your mind" and "Focus, now."   Pippin, it 
is true that Snape gives Harry useful information when he tells him 
that Occlumency requires similar skills to resisting the Imperius 
Curse.  But this is still fairly general stuff.

(Lupin, by contrast, followed up a general instruction (repell a 
dementor by projecting a postive emotional force) with specific 
methods.   If he hadn't, would Harry have been able to produce a 
patronus?  Don't think so.)

But are there specific methods to teach?  Well I can think of at 
least one, using a Shield charm.  But Snape does not teach Harry 
this.  Harry discovers it on his own, which unnerves Snape.  He goes 
white and shaky and says, "I don't remember telling you to use a 
Shield charm" 

And can it be there are no incantations associated with Occlumency?  
It seems similar to a Patronus charm, in that you are using your 
mind to repell a foe.  Normally that sort of thing requires an 
incantation.  But Snape never mentions one.

Now, all this does not necessarily add up to a case against Snape.  
The problem is that Snape is our main source of information on 
Occlumency.  If it turns out he is not giving a full or accurate 
presentation, then we are being misled along with Harry.

But I think we do have enough information to conclude that Harry has 
a legitimate complaint when he says to Snape: "You're not teaching 
me how!"  This is not just his anger speaking.  Snape is, in fact,  
being vague.  And rather than respond to Harry's complaint, he 
changes the subject ("Manners, Potter!") -- not a good sign.

Likewise, I think Harry's concern that the lessons are opening 
rather than closing his mind is legitimate.   I don't think, Carol, 
that it can be explained as emotional reaction.  I wholeheartedly 
agree with Alla on this one.  Harry may project emotion onto events, 
but he is not imagining the events themselves.

Now, these are all pretty recent conclusions.  I used to think that 
the problem between Snape and Harry was primarily emotional.  Well, 
maybe it was in the first four books, but in Book 5 I think there 
has been a change.  What I see now is JKR using emotional drama to 
skillfully distract us from what's really going on.

For example, in all the drama of the pensieve scene between Harry 
and Snape, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Snape managed to 
end the lessons right after Harry found out he could use a shield 
charm to flip the Legilimens spell onto Snape and get a look into 
his mind.  Coincidence?

Similarly, with all the focus on Harry's emotional reaction to 
Snape, and the escaped Death Eaters, it's easy to overlook the 
significance of LV being "the happiest he has been for fourteen 
years" on the night of the first lesson.  Fourteen years -- a huge 
clue, but you don't notice at first because there's so much else 
going on.  (Man, JKR is good!) We are led to believe this happiness 
was because of the death eaters' escape.  But consider this:

According to the Daily Prophet, the Death Eaters escaped in the 
early hours of the evening.  Now, if GOF is any guide, the first 
thing they would do is apparate at LV's side.  Which would mean his 
reaction -- overjoyed or not --would have occurred hours before 
Harry supposedly tuned into it.  It would also mean they rejoined 
Voldemort just before Snape's first lesson.

In his essay, Voldemort's Pawns, Stic presents the following 
nightmare scenario:

1) DE's break out and rejoin LV.

2) LV questions Rookwood and finds out only he and Harry can remove 
the prophecy (what Harry later sees is LV's memory, not the live 
event)

3) LV, knowing that his spy Snape is about to give Potter occlumency 
lessons, contacts him, informs him of the new plan, and orders him 
to open Potter's mind as much as he can.

4)Snape obeys, all the while careful to appear as if he is trying to 
help Harry learn occlumency.  He attains some success.

5)He reports his success to LV.

6) (this part is my speculation) LV decides to test the waters, 
finds he can now knock a fully conscious Potter flat and make him 
forget his own name.

7) LV is the happiest he has been for fourteen years!

Awful -- but plausible.  The worst thing is, it actually fits with 
the timeline of events better than the standard explanation.

There's more to say, but I've gone on quite long already, and I do 
have to cut it short for now.

Still suspicious  (but still hoping she's wrong),

Inkling