Snape's DADA lesson WAS: Re: CHAPDISC: HBP9, The Half-Blood Prince

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 147787

Alla wrote:
> Harry's VERBAL spell was faster and more effective that Snape's
NONVERBAL one, IMO. Should Harry be praised for that? IMO yes, at 
least  something like -" that was effective, but now go back to try
doing it  nonverbally."  <snip>
>  
> Julie:
> And you would expect SNAPE to do this? Even a DDM!Snape,  whose goal
is to pound knowledge into Harry whether he likes it or not (and 
enjoy every minute of that pounding, of course!) isn't going to 
praise Harry for doing a spell the wrong way, even if he did it well.
He's  not that type of teacher, nor is McGonagall. That would be more
likely from Dumbledore or Lupin. <snip>

Carol responds:
Canon supports Julie's and Potioncat's argument that what earned Harry
his detention was the disrespect, so I won't repeat their arguments or
Potioncat's quotes. 

I would like to add, however, that Snape stepped in in the first place
because Ron was failing so abysmally to cast a nonverbal spell for
Harry to deflect nonverbally. As a former teacher, I can imagine how
frustrating it must have been for Snape that the students were just
not getting it, and if he's DDM!Snape, that Harry--the Chosen One--was
having no chance to practice because of Ron's ineptitude. (Rather like
having the inept Lockhart demonstrating DADA spells in CoS; Snape
steps in and gets rid of the snake that Lockhart fails to vanish.) So
Snape steps in to provoke Harry into nonverbally Protego-ing *him*
instead of Ron. 

Harry, of course, already has his wand out, and the Occlumency lessons
have at least taught him to instinctively protect himself, as has the
battle in the DoM. And in his mind, Snape is not a teacher trying to
help him learn nonverbal spells but a DE trying to attack him. So his
verbal spell is faster than Snape's nonverbal one--if Snape even had a
nonverbal spell in mind. ("The Flight of the Prince" makes me doubt
this; if Snape had really wanted to attack Harry rather than provoke a
response, he could easily have done so given his Legilimency and fast
reflexes.) This swift reaction is IMO, exactly what Snape wants, just
as he *wants* Harry to defend himself in the Occlumency lessons, but
with one difference: he wants Harry to defend himself nonverbally, a
lesson he reinforces at the end of the book. So he does not give Harry
detention for the attack that he himself deliberately provoked. He
merely reminds Harry that the Shield Charm should have been nonverbal.
It's only when Harry mouths off that Snape gives him detention. Not a
word about attacking a teacher, only that Snape will not "take cheek,
even from the Chosen One."

Carol, noting that the duel later in the book shows Snape's duelling
skills to be vastly superior to Harry's, and Snape could easily have
beaten Harry to the draw in DADA class had he chosen to do so