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

[suehpfan]

No: HPFGUIDX 129096

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:
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.  

Sue(hpfan) now:

I think Snape is able to control his emotions when he has to. Losing 
control is a choice (as I continue to remind my 8 year old :p).  Some 
times it takes nerves of steal to keep it together but as SSS says, 
he must have them or he would be dead.  IMHO, Snape would do just 
about anything to keep Harry from finding out how truly important he 
is to the WW.  As a matter of fact he takes every opportunity to tell 
him "you are niether special nor important..." Ootp pg 591 US.  Which 
is completely ridiculous as Harry and Snape both know.  If he weren't 
special or important he wouldn't be taking Occulmency lessons.

As far as being really angry when he pulled Harry out of the 
Pensieve, I think he was.  I don't know whether I believe Snape left 
the Pensieve out on purpose or not.  I suspect he did, even if it was 
subconcious.  If those memories were his most sacred to protect, he 
must believe Harry is capable of getting to them by breaking through 
his mental barrier which would lend credence to Snape's beliefs about 
Harry's power.  What better way to give insight into Harry's power 
but to see his father as the "better" (in a power sense only) 
wizard.  

To sum up my ramblings, I don't think Snape planned the Pensieve 
scene,  didn't keep it from happening yes, planned it? No.  I do 
think he chose to react the way he did.  He wants Harry to be afraid 
of him.  I believe Snape knows Harry is a more powerful wizard than 
he is and the older Harry gets, the more dangerous Harry becomes.  It 
seems to me what really makes Snape angry is when he loses control of 
a situation ie.: when Sirius escaped, he believed he was in control 
and was going to see Sirius destroyed.  He was furious about the 
failure of his plan.  The same is true of the Pensieve scene.  He 
removed those memories in an attempt to control what Harry could 
possibly access and was thwarted.

I think Snape's Occlumency lessons will come back to haunt him just 
as Crouch!Moody's lessons on throwing off the Imperius curse did.

Sue(hpfan) who believes Harry mastered Occlumency (even if he doesn't 
know it yet) despite Snape, not because of him.  And that Occlumency 
never would/will help against Voldemort because of the link between 
the two.