Dealing with Dementors: Harry v Snape, Love v Happy

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 139955

> vmonte:
> Kemper, do you happen to know what page (in the HBP book) this scene 
> is in? I cannot find it. Do we know that it is an entirely new spell 
> or that Harry just disagrees with Snape's theory/method regarding the 
> spell?  I honestly don't remember. 

zgirnius:
Hi Vivian, the quote is in Chapter 21 (p. 448 in the US edition). 

"...Ron was now struggling with a viciously difficult essay for Snape 
that Harry and Hermione had already completed. Harry fully expected to 
receive low marks for it, because he had disagreed with Snape on the 
best way to tackle dementors,..."

vmonte:
> I would venture a guess that Harry probably has more experience in 
> using this spell than Snape does. In what capacity would Snape have 
> used this spell, not including sending messages?  
> Nothing really compares to actual practical experience, IMO.   

zgirnius:
>From the quote above we really have no idea how Snape and Harry 
disagree. It could be (as Kemper suggests) that Snape offers a 
completely different approach from the Patronus Charm, be it a novel 
spell of his own invention, or some sort of non-spell magical technique 
(Occlumency, denying them memories to feed on? anti-Dementor spray? 
pure speculation on our part). Or, it could be a disagreement about the 
Patronus Charm itself-how to most effectively cast it, perhaps. (Maybe 
you are right that Snape lacks truly happy loving, etc. memories, but 
Snape can cast a Patronus with something other than a happy memory...)

Regarding your remark about practical experience, we really do not know 
whether or not Snape has any. We know that the Dementors have 
apparently allied themselves with Voldemort. Does this mean simply that 
they no longer work at Azkaban, and are just doing whatever they like? 
Or, is there some plan or plans in motion? If so, is there any 
coordination between Death Eaters and Dementors? Assuming Dementors are 
not models of reason and self-control, how would hypothetical Death 
Eaters protect themselves while working with Dementors? Snape might 
have had experience with them in the course of his Death Eater duties, 
or he might have spoken with people who had such experiences.

Finally, as Kemper points out in his post (thanks for PoA quote, 
Kemper!, I never noticed the plural there...) Lupin says there 
are "defenses". Harry has only tried one. If there are indeed other 
known defenses to be found in books on DADA with which Lupin is 
familiar, presumably those defenses have been tried and found to be 
usable by other wizards. Even if Snape lacks personal experience with 
Dementors, it is entirely reasonable, even desirable, for him to teach 
these other approaches.

Giving Harry a poor grade on his essay would be entirely justified if 
Harry failed to make a reasonable argument explaining why his preferred 
method is superior. (Something more than just saying, Expecto Patronum 
works for me. Indicating he knows some of the pros and cons of the 
different possible approaches. Since the point of writing a theory 
essay is of course to demonstrate that one has learned and can 
understand, the theory.) Of course, Harry may have done this and still 
expects a bad grade. 

Since we are now way into the subject of Snape and Patronuses...I seem 
to recall reading about an interview in which JKR was asked what 
Snape's Patronus is, and that she answered it would give too much away 
for her to say. I wonder...any connection to our thoughts here? (And, 
did I just imagine this?)