Snape's Worst (and Best!) OoP Moment?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 132533

You know, I think we've actually gone about a WEEK without a Snape 
thread here.  Isn't that amazing?  Perhaps I should leave well enough 
alone, and I really don't want to start anymore *bickering* <eg>, but 
this is something I've been thinking about for awhile....

Snape has his defenders and his apologists and many, many who fall in 
between.  He has, however, taken a lot of grief over his behavior in 
OoP.  On my recently completed re-read  of canon [Show of hands!  How 
many AREN'T re-reading?? One... two... just as I thought, two out of 
17,000], it just struck me that what I'd consider Snape's WORST 
moment of the book wasn't what I'd expected going in.  It wasn't 
Occlumency (this last re-read had me seeing Severus in a little more 
positive light there).  It wasn't a classroom interaction with Harry 
or Neville.  It wasn't even the "Whoops!" moment with Harry's potion, 
since I can't PROVE that Snape did that, nor that he did it 
intentionally (though I believe both to be true).  No, his worst 
moment imo was his *goading* of Sirius as 12GP.

Let's look at the following scene:

'I am here on Dumbledore's orders', said Snape, whose voice, by 
contrast, was becoming more and more quietly waspish, 'but by all 
means stay, Black, I know you like to feel... involved.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' said Sirius, letting his chair fall 
back on to all four legs with a loud bang.

'Merely that I am sure you must feel - ah - frustrated by the fact 
that you can do nothing useful', Snape laid a delicate stress on the 
word, 'for the Order.'

<snip>

'I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you, I do not have unlimited 
leisure time.'

'I'll get to the point, then', said Sirius, standing up. He was 
rather taller than Snape who, Harry noticed, balled his fist in the 
pocket of his cloak over what Harry was sure was the handle of his 
wand. 'If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry 
a hard time, you'll have me to answer to.'

'How touching', Snape sneered. 'But surely you have noticed that 
Potter is very like his father?'

'Yes, I have', said Sirius proudly.

'Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply 
bounces off him', Snape said sleekly.

Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table 
towards Snape, pulling out his wand as he went. Snape whipped out his 
own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape 
calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand-tip to his face.

'Sirius!' said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him.

'I've warned you, Snivellus', said Sirius, his face barely a foot 
from Snape's, 'I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I 
know better-'

'Oh, but why don't you tell him so?' whispered Snape. 'Or are you 
afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has 
been hiding inside his mother's house for six months?'

'Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted 
his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?'

'Speaking of dogs', said Snape softly, 'did you know that Lucius 
Malfoy recognised you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? 
Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station 
platform... gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole 
in future, didn't it?'

Sirius raised his wand.

'NO!' Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in 
between them. 'Sirius, don't!'

'Are you calling me a coward?' roared Sirius, trying to push Harry 
out of the way, but Harry would not budge.

'Why, yes, I suppose I am', said Snape.
[Excerpts from OoP, chapter 24]


Okay.  So just what does Snape WANT from Sirius?  He's using every 
opportunity to dig at Sirius in this scene, to rub in to him the fact 
that he's not DOING anything, not being USEFUL, not even leaving the 
house, calling him a coward.  Snape insults Sirius for staying IN, 
yet he also castigates him for the time he went out, even though 
Sirius did so in animagus form.  (Is there a reason Sirius should 
have known Lucius would know about Padfoot?)  It seems to me there 
was *nothing* in this scene except a nastily cruel series of digs at 
Sirius, designed to point out his "worthlessness."  

Now, I'm NOT saying Snape is to blame for Sirius' death – I'm not 
going that far – but I will say that I understand Harry's anger at 
Snape.  He recalled this interaction, and he knew Snape was baiting 
Sirius.  It was pretty reprehensible behavior, imo.  

So that's my vote for Snape's worst OoP scene.  Anybody want to 
nominate another or comment upon this one?

And just to try to keep things *POSITIVE*, how `bout nominations for 
Snape's BEST moment in OoP, too?  I think I might vote for the first 
Occlumency lesson, where he really did try to rein in his general 
loathing and answer some of Harry's questions.  He wasn't perfect, 
but it was pretty "big" for Snape.  

Of course, I'd entertain other nominations before deciding for 
sure. ;-)

Siriusly Snapey Susan