Broken potionvial WAS: Re: Bad Writing? (was: JKR and the boys)

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 163179

In 163015 Carol summed up with: 
> Carol, who still thinks that it was Harry who carelessly placed it,
> causing both Snape and Draco a moment of unexpected and vindictive
> pleasure

Potioncat:

I retract my suggestion that Draco broke the flask.

There have been several good posts, and I couldn't decided whether to 
attach my reply to this one, or to Wynnleaf's...and then I couldn't 
decided what to snip.

As several busy days, and several new HP events have passed since we 
were actually spinning this thread, I had some rare moments to 
consider. Another list member expressed surprise that this was being 
debated, because in her mind it was clear when she first read the 
book that Snape had broken the flask. That made me think---and I 
cannot verify that my memory is accurate--that when I read this 
passage I thought the flask had fallen. I don't think any other 
explanation even came to my mind until someone here said that Snape 
had broken the flask.

This is one of those "moments" that is debated so intently that it's 
hard to remember which part is canon and which is HPfGU-
contamination. To clear my mind, I went to chapter 29 of OoP. 

"He had just turned away when he heard a smashing noise; Malfoy gave 
a gleeful yell of laughter. Harry whipped around again. His potion 
sample lay in pieces on the floor, and Snape was surveying him with a 
look of gloating pleasure.

'Whoops,' he said softly. 'Another zero, then Potter...'

Harry was too incensed to speak. He strode back to his cauldron, 
intending to fill another flask and force Snape to mark it, but saw 
to his horror tht te rest of the contents had vanished."

Canon never tells us that Harry thinks Snape broke it. Hermione never 
says anything about how horrible it was that Snape broke it. (To be 
fair, she also doesn't comment on how unfair it is that Snape doesn't 
give him credit.)

The real debate ought to be, why do we read this passage so 
differently? The actual truth is, JKR gives no hint at all that 
anyone broke the flask. She has the flask break out of sight. She 
shows Draco and Snape gleeful about the broken sample and Hermione 
apologetic about the evanescoed potion. So, for some reason, she 
chose not to show the reality. Does she have a reason for the 
ambiguity? Did she even expect anyone would question what happened?

And, really, isn't blaming Snape for breaking the flask a little bit 
like Snape blaming Harry for stealing ingredients from his private 
potions locker? (GoF)

Potion"TheWall"Cat (WWF--Wizarding World Fanatic???)who was also 
surprised that it's 'whoops', not 'oops' and who was recently reading 
a section that inclued Remus, forgetting that ESE!Lupin isn't 
canon....