Nice vs. Good, honesty, and Snape: Was Snape, Apologies, and Redemption

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 153264


> 
> Pippin:
> Um, no, that was  straightforward canon interpretation.
> The other three characters who show a consistent ability to tell 
what
> Harry is thinking, ie Dumbledore, Voldemort and Snape, have all been
> identified as legilimenses. At this point it seems more speculative 
to say 
> definitively that Lupin is not a legilimens than that he is. How 
else do we  
> account for his ability?

Potioncat:
It would also explain how he knows that Snape is so good at 
Occlumency. Although, if he can tell, so could LV...

Pippin:
> What's interesting form the ESE!Lupin standpoint is that Neville's
> boggart isn't a botched potion or even dead Trevor. ESE!Lupin 
> theory would be that the image of Snape bursting through a closed 
> door and going for his wand has nothing to do with potions class 
> and everything to do with some buried memory of Neville's.  
> Could young Neville, lying in his cot, have see Snape burst through 
> a door and stun an attacker from behind? 

Potioncat:
I really like this idea. The biggest problem is that Snape would have 
had to burst in without any of the 4 DEs seeing him. He would have 
had to stun all 4 at once without stunning Neville or his parents. 
(Although not stunning the parents may not have been so much a 
concern by that point.)

It does seem clear--well, to me at least--that Snape has a reason to 
speak to Lupin before the Boggart lesson. Just like in the 
conversation about the spare bit of parchment, there could be a 
completely different message going on between Lupin and Snape than to 
Harry and the readers. 

I always thought he was warning Lupin that Neville's fear might 
uncover something DD wouldn't want uncovered. But at this point, 
Snape doesn't trust Lupin, so why would he warn him....

It's 2AM in my world and I'm thinking in circles. 

You know, Snape insulted Neville in front of another DADA teacher 
too. Back in Lockhart's day, Snape said that Longbottom's wand caused 
devastation with the simplest of spells. Of course, at that time, his 
purpose was to get Harry on stage. Or was it?
> 
>Pippin: 
> I can well believe that ESE!Lupin lies awake thinking of how he
> might  determine where Snape's true loyalties lie. Certainly it's
> kept enough of *us* awake at night. And Snape would lie
> awake thinking of ways to stop him, such as coming down
> very hard on Neville in potions class that day so that Neville's
> image of scary Snape in the boggart lesson Snape knew was
> coming would be the present day Snape and not
> someone twelve years younger.

Potioncat:
It does come back down to the fact that he's given the two Prophecy 
boys reasons to fear or at least dislike him. It could be a very nice 
cover for something...
> 
> Pippin:
> No, he did not. A boggart is not limited to one fear, as Molly 
showed
> us in OOP. Lupin could have suggested that Neville might want to 
think
> of something else. 

Potioncat:
I would think if a witch could prepare herself for an attack on a 
Boggart by choosing her fear, Molly would have been fighting a 
different image. 

But I haven't given up on the Prophecy Orb as Lupin's fear either.