Snape saves Harry (or does he?)

[Peggy Richter]

No: HPFGUIDX 154828

While there have been several references to Snape saving Harry, I am 
not sure that he actually does.  Take the broom incident of SS/PS for 
example: Snape gives the "counter-curse" to Quirrell's broom hex.  
Quirrell is indeed trying to kill Harry by getting the broom to "buck" 
him off.  But would a fall off a broom actually have KILLED Harry?

We know from SS/PS that Neville can fall from 20 feet and sustain 
nothing more serious thatn a broken wrist (the first flying session, 
page 182 of the paperback American edition).  And we know later that 
Neville recounts being dropped as a child from a window -- and 
bouncing.  We know Harry has levitated to the school roof as a child 
when Dudley and pals were harassing him. We know that at the World cup 
a flyer can go at high speed into the ground (twice) and while dazed, 
not require hospitalization (and flying into the ground at speed is a 
much higher impact problem than simply falling to the ground.  While 
JKR isn't good at "maths" the basic principles of physics and energy 
don't really require "maths").

Speculating, it's unlikely that Harry would have been the FIRST person 
to ever fall or be knocked off a broom during a game.  And we know the 
Twins have stated that no one has ever gotten killed at Hogwarts 
playing the game.  Further, Snape isn't the ONLY teacher there.  If 
Harry had actually FALLEN, how likely is it that every teacher present 
would have simply let him fall and die?  We know from the POA, that DD 
knows a spell to slow a person down -- it may be something new to the 
students but to ALL the teachers present?

In POA, Snape "may" believe he is rescuing Harry from Lupin and Sirius 
but he certainly didn't go to the Whomping Willow to do so. Snape only 
discovers Harry is inside the tunnel or the shack by finding the 
invisibility cloak outside the willow.  And whatever Snape may believe 
about Sirius, by the time Snape arrives, Harry is in absolutely no 
danger from Sirius.  Regarding the danger of Lupin, it is SIRIUS who 
intervenes to save HHR, not Snape.  Snape only recovers after it is 
too late.  Nor does Snape save Harry from the dementors when they 
attack Harry and Sirius in POA -- it is Harry himself who does that.

In GOF, Snape is not there to "save" Harry from his encounter with LV -
- and in the encounter with Crouch/fake Moody, it isn't Snape who 
saves Harry but DD.

In the OOP, it's argued that Snape "saves" Harry by sending the Order 
to the MOM -- I disagree.  He had to notify the order that Harry was 
missing -- if he hadn't, either as DDM OR as ESE, he would have had to 
explain that serious lapse to Dumbledore.  He had no way to know that 
his information was timely enough to help Harry or not. 

the same goes for HBP at the end.  Leaving Harry for LV to deal with 
isn't necessarily "saving" Harry.  It might (as I believe) actually 
reflect LV's orders - we know LV has given similar ones in GOF.  
Failing to kill Harry himself is not the same thing as saving Harry.  

I don't believe Snape has actually ever actually SAVED Harry and 
certainly not at the risk of his own life.  Which is one reason why 
LID!Snape makes some sense as an explanation of his actions.  
PAR