Snape's Attack on Flitwick

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 139583

So many people to respond to!

On Flitwick:

First, it's possible Flitwick fainted.  He had sprinted down several 
floors, from the fight outside the door to the Astronomy Tower into 
the dungeons.  Just the exertion alone could have caused him to pass 
out.  He's a small man, those are a lot of steps to *run*, and we 
don't know what sort of shape he's in, other than he can negotiate 
the stairs well enough when he isn't running and upset.

Second, it's possible that Flitwick worked himself into such a lather 
that he overloaded and fainted.  He's always been the fretful one.  I 
suppose that makes him more suceptible to imagining this or that, 
getting himself more and more worked up.  Hermione said Snape told 
her and Luna that Flitwick "collapsed", which almost sounds like 
something medical, other than passing out or fainting.

Third, he was running.  It's possible he simply slipped on something 
and fell, hitting his head.  In the heat of the moment, whichever 
Snape you prefer, he honestly might not have noticed that Flitwick 
fell rather than collapsed.

Fourth, Dumbledore told Harry a couple of times to 'wake Snape'.  If 
Snape was asleep and Flitwick woke him, he might have reacted by 
stunning him, without meaning the guy any harm.  You just don't go 
and wake people like Snape by shouting about Death Eaters and 
attacks, nor by bursting into the office talking (shouting?).

Fifth, pure speculation:  If Snape was expecting Harry to wake him, 
perhaps it was planned that he would stun him to keep him from being 
hurt or killed in a fight.  This is purely speculation, and depends 
on Dumbledore knowing that something, though not exactly what, would 
happen while he was gone.

This was the night (a night?) the *Order* was patrolling, along with 
others, the DA, and maybe non-Order teachers.  With others possibly 
sleeping in reserve (Snape, at least as an excuse not to have him 
there the whole time?), to take over guard duty at a certain time.  
(Though, why Molly and Arthur weren't there if it was Order business, 
I don't know.  They were 'on their way' in the chapter 'The Phoenix 
Lament'.)  This was the night when Harry believed something might 
happen, based on Draco's celebration in the RofR.

When Dumbledore saw that Harry could not go for Snape, he froze him 
in his cloak on the tower.  He had tried to send Harry for Snape 
since they left the cave.  Since he had provided for Order patrols, 
he could easily have set Harry up to be stunned by Snape when he went 
to fetch him.  'Wake him'.  And, waking someone like Snape, who 
trusts no one, can easily result in one's being stunned, 'on 
accident' if anyone asked later.  Dumbledore repeated a few times 
that Harry was too valuable to risk himself that night.

If this is the case, and canon refuses to confirm or deny, then when 
Snape saw that he'd stunned *Flitwick*, he knew that everything had 
gone wrong.  ESE! or ESG! or OFH!, he knew the basic plan was now 
useless.  He diverted Hermione and Luna, either to keep them out of 
action or to protect them, and we know the rest.

As for Flitwick being a duelling champion, it's possible.  He may not 
have been as skittish as a younger man.  Or, he just panics when 
faced with unscheduled events.  Competition duels would have been set 
up beforehand, there were no surprises other than his opponent's 
moves.  Also, that was when he was younger.  He may now be out of 
practice.

I do like the idea, though, that this was a story the staff 
circulated so Lockhart would leave Flitwick out of his club.  It's 
perfect to get back at Lockhart, and would show that the staff was on 
to him early in the year.  True or not, it's funny, just because it 
digs at Lockhart.

Ceridwen.