Eavesdropper in Hog's Head/someone in the Weasley-shed?

[lolita_ns]

No: HPFGUIDX 139776

Finwitch wrote:
> As for Trelawney in&out trance while giving the Prophecy, well I 
> suppose it happened every time there was three dots in the prophecy 
> line.
> 
> 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord Approaches' 
> Snape's probably listening at the door to this, which Trelawney 
> notices. Someone is Approaching at this point, Aberforth that is 
> (the bartender)... born to those who have thrice defied him... 
> (Aberforth begins to drag Snape away)... born as the Seventh Month 
> dies... (Aberforth's dragging Snape and throws him out so Snape 
> hears no more.)
 
 
Lolita:

The only problems with this interpretation are the following:

1) Trelawney says that she started feeling a little dizzy, and then, 
the next thing she remembers is Snape standing outside the door 
making some poor excuse as to why he was there. That is ONE 
interruption, not several. She doesn't say, 'Oh, I started feeling a 
bit dizzy, and there was a commotion. We were interrupted by Severus 
Snape. Then I started feeling dizzy again...' She got into trance, 
and when she 'awoke' she saw Snape. That's it. 

And also, she said that Aberfoth dragged Snape INTO the room. Now, 
that would mean that, even if he had interrupted her, he would have 
been in the same room with her for the remainder of the prophecy. And 
that doesn't hold water. So, my guess is that, after Trelawney had 
delivered the prophecy and Aberfoth showed up with Snape, DD said a 
few more sentences to Trelawney, she left, and he remained in the 
room with Snape, for a little chat. I am almost positive that it was 
at this moment they conconted the whole 00Snape thing, and I would 
bet that it was DD who approached SS, not the other way round. 
However, this whole issue remains to be resolved in Harry Potter and 
the Final Showdown.

2) Harry SAW the memeory of the prophecy in the pensieve. JKR said 
that it's objective, and you will agree that there is no reason for 
DD to tamper with his own memeory he intends to show no one (well 
until he finally reaches the decision to share the information with 
Harry). So, pensive is OBJECTIVE. The Trelawney in the pensive spoke 
WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS. Therefore, Snape DID hear the whole prophecy.

Or, that is according to the facts presented in the books. However, I 
believe that Rowling indeed wanted to have Snape hear only the 
beginning of the prophecy. And all this ambiguity which positively 
invites us to over-interpret the whole sorry episode may be, I am 
afraid, just another instance of sloppiness on her part. Or possibly 
not. It may be yet another red-herring. 

3) There are sequences of three dots in Trelawney's second prophecy, 
too (the one Harry witnessed). And there was no interruption 
whatsoever. (see PoA, UK adult version, p. 238)

And, speaking of sheds and spiders, and all... If you comb through 
the books, Snape is more often associated with spiders than with 
bats. (he walked like a spider when he was 15, his handwriting is 
spidery, he has glittering black eyes - just like the spider in the 
maze, in 'Snape's worst memory' he clutches at Harry's arm with a 
spidery grip - or maybe his fingers are just unnaturally long - he 
lives at Spinner's End and spins yarns to either DD or LV or most 
probably both... etc.) 

I once read an editorial on MuggleNet about a possibility that Snape 
is an unregistered spider animagus. Personally, I wouldn't like it to 
be true, for purely aesthetic reasons - introducing yet ANOTHER 
unregistered animagus at this point of the story arc would be a 
rather poor plot device. Not to mention, a highly unsatisfying Deus 
Ex Machina. And I don't see what could be gained by it. But Rowling 
is certainly not going to ask for my litetary expertise, so it's 
quite possible that she would choose to go there. 

And then there is that fishy comment about Snape's Boggart and 
Patronus being confidential, in order not to reveal a lot. Hmm...

(Just for the record, I think that the Boggart is probably Lupin)

Cheers,
Lolita.