"I thought he could overcome his feelings..."

[Tammy]

No: HPFGUIDX 129094


> a_svirn:
> > It is also the man who is supposed to be a "superb Ocllumence". 
> > Well, he has to be, because whenever his loyalties lie, he is 
> > successfully deceiving at least one of the two most powerful 
> > wizards in the Potterverse (if not both of them). And doesn't the 
> > first requirement for Occlumency is the ability to detach oneself 
> > from one's emotions? If Snape is capable to achieve this with LV, 
> > surely he can handle Harry? And if he can't it makes one really 
> > wonder about his motivations. 
> > Personally, I think that he perfectly able to "overcome his 
> > emotions" in an emergency and that he staged the whole episode with 
> > the Pensieve. 
> 
> 
> SSSusan:
> The other oft-cited scene where Snape lets loose with his emotions is 
> the scene in PoA after he learns Sirius has escaped and he suspects 
> Harry of being involved.  He's right angry there, and there's no 
> containing his emotions.  In fact, Fudge seems truly appalled by the 
> venom of Snape's outburst (says "the fellow seems quite 
> unbalanced").  I'm curious whether you see this as also a place where 
> Snape was play-acting?  
> 
> I'm not trying to *disagree* with you about the Pensieve scene; I'm 
> just genuinely curious what you make of our Potions Master in the PoA 
> scene and whether you think he was acting or that it was a true 
> exception to his being able to control his emotions.  You make a good 
> point that Snape has told us a successful Occlumens must be able to 
> control his emotions, and, well, Snape *is* still alive, so he must 
> be able to do that at times.  
> 

Tammy:
I'll take a stab at that one. I think that Snape is simplifying
Occlumency for Harry's sake. Snape also says that you need to "shut
down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie." I think
that Snape is a master of that - whatever feelings he has against
VOLDEMORT or the other DE's, or whatever good feelings he has towards
Dumbledore. He can mask those, and control those. 

Snape is telling Harry he needs to controll all of his emotions simply
because all of Harry's emotions betray him and make him vulnerable.
But with Snape the anti-Harry, anti-James, anti-Remus, and anti-Sirius
feelings work to his benefit (whether he's actively spying or not, he
still keeps up the "role" as a former DE, friend to Lucius, etc). If
Lucius or Bella or Voldie probe into Snape's mind and find no emotions
whatsoever, then they would know he's faking it. If they probe in
there and find Snape imagining different ways to poison precious
Potter or imagining Sirius getting his soul sucked out, that's
perfectly normal for someone of Snape's status. Therefore Snape
doesn't bother to try to control those feelings.

-Tammy