Snape's Attack on Flitwick

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 139557

mhbobbin replies:

Valiant attempt, Valky, but Flitwick's battle hardiness (assuming
he's weak and that canon deliberately misleads) does not give Snape
a legitimate pro-Order anti-Voldemort reason to take Flitwick out
unless you are saying Snape knocks Flitwick out of the battle "for
his own good". This seems like a stretch. At that point Snape
doesn't know --I believe--exactly what's going on or what Draco's
mission is. Dumbledore had not called on him--as he had other Order
members--to protect Hogwarts that evening. And Draco had not
apprised Snape of needing Death Eater assistance that evening.
Without knowing the situaion, Snape pre-emptively removes Flitwick
from battle.



Valky:
You know I agree Mhbobbin, it is a stretch, and upon some sleeping on
it, I really like it less than ever.

mhbobbin
Unless Flitwick truly just fainted and it wasn't Snape's fault at
all.


Christina:
Flitwick did seem distressed when he ran into Snape's office (Hermione
said that she didn't even think that he noticed she and Luna were
there), so maybe he fainted in his panic.

Valky:
Feeling very much alone, I have to admit I am becomeing increasingly
convinced that this is a case of fainting. Mostly because fainting
would be *in character* for Flitwick. He is so often seen
overbalancing and becoming overwhelmed by things, such as when he
meets Harry and titters so much he falls off his chair, when he
squeals and is terrified and bursts into tears in COS, and then I
can't get the suspicious rumour floating around about him being a
duelling champion when its clear that that is the type of reputation
Lockhart would be trying to avoid, out of my mind now that I have
considered it. That last point is very JKR style humour IMO, I just
like it too much to let it go now.

So I am ever more considering now that Snape could have been telling
the truth, Flitwick might well have summoned all his courage to run
and get help from Snape, exhausting himself so that he barely managed
the job before fainting. The fact is this really does fit better than
Duelling Champion Flitwick, I mean *honestly* if Flitwick is really a
duelling champion then whats the point of sending him flying down to
the Dungeons to get Snape, why be one brilliant dueller short in
battle? MacGonagall had an opportunity to send Ginny Weasley, or
Neville Longbottom. Why pick Filius over these two? A Fifth year girl
and one of the seemingly softest touches in the whole school, whats
wrong with that picture? 

Alla:
And I think we saw that Flitwick knows many very different charms, I
speculate that he is a good duelist ( I thought I remembered someone
mentioning this fact in the books, but I could be totally wrong, so I
won't swear by it)

Valky:
That was Hermione in COS the Duelling Club chapter, she says someone
told her he was a champion, but you might want to read my thoughts on
it before considering it canon. :D
I can't find who first suggested a memory charm might have been used
on Filius by Snape, and who mentioned Filus not seeming to disagree
with the contention that he was stunned by Snape, but I'd like to
respond to that too. Fainting, is usually proceeded by acute
disorientation, so if Flitwick fainted then its likely that he
wouldn't have any good coherent memories of the seconds beforehand
anyway. IOW he wouldn't really know what happened, so he couldn't very
well disagree with the explanation that he was Stupified. JMO of course.


Carodave:
I remember (don't have my book, sorry) that there was a welt of some
kind on Flitwick's forehead, presumably where Snape's curse hit. I
don't think he could have just fainted. 

>Jen:
>The only thing countering a fainting incident was Hermione saying
>Snape 'Stupefied' Flitwick and she usually knows her spells.

Valky:
About Stupefy, I have no idea if it leaves a mark. The best source of
that canon would be GOF, my copy was lent and is not yet returned so I
can't check,  the place to look would be when Dumbledore Stupefies
Crouch JR, we get a clear interrupted shot of the effects, so if it
does leave a mark we'll see it there. In OOtP noone who was hit by
Dumbledores hex in his office seemed to show any signs of a physical
mark from it, so I am already beginning to believe that Stupefy
doesn't leave a mark, and the bruise of Flitwicks head comes from him
falling into something. 

If that's the case, then the bruise is on the front of his head, so he
fell forward. If he fell by way of Snape hexing him then Snape hexed
him from behind.

In relation to Hermione knowing, I am not sure about that either,
Hermione is really chastising herself for not taking Harry seriously
at the time when she decides for herself it must have been Stupefy.
She is not looking at Flitwick, she's looking at a memory definitely
coloured by her own sense of guilt. There's no guarantee here that she
is being completely objective, though I agree she certainly would be
one to count on for an objective viewpoint.


Carodave:
If Dumbledore thought
enough of Flitwick's skill to have him on patrol that night, then I
remain Dumbledore's (wo)man enough to trust that Flitwick can carry
his own...except when blindsided by someone he thought was an ally.
After all, DD could have skipped over Flitwick and had another Order
member patrolling, no need to use Flitwick if he's not a strong
asset.

Valky:
I think this is a strong argument against Fainting Flitwick. I agree
it seems wrong to have a non fighter patrolling Hogwarts in this time
which DD was aware would be dangerous, OTOH I think there is much to
be said about what little Flitwick could be capable of in compensation
even if he is no dueller. He certainly can get the job done in a
crisis, even if he did faint when he got to Snapes office, he got
there in the end, he kept his head together long enough to do what was
necessary. And then when he did come to, he ran straight to the
children of his house to check on them, so again even if he did faint,
he acted heroically and did what he thought was right whilever he was
concious. There is definite compensation in that. An effective patrol
takes all types and a reliable running man is one of these types. If
MacGonagall called the group a Guard rather than a Patrol, I know its
semantic (sorry), it would certainly leave no doubt that Flitwick is a
fighter, but they were a Patrol, not a Guard, so I am not certain he
is at all. 


Valky
Still out there on a limb with Flitty Flitwick who can't duel.