Understanding Snape;

[fair wynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 153663

Ali

>If I were Snape and had not alerted the Order about Harry, bringing
>about the death of "the Chosen One," the ensuing discussion would have
>involved someone asking Snape about the situation.  What is Snape's
>defense then?  He didn't think of it?  That no one thought of it
>either?  They're flimsy excuses, ones that I think he would be called
>upon to explain further.  In my opinion, it is illogical [to Snape and
>anyone who has interacted with Harry in the past five years] to think
>that Harry Potter wouldn't have found his way to the MoM, and this is
>the point upon which my "argument" lies.  Were it someone like
>Neville, I would expect that the "I didn't think of it" excuse would
>be valid, but Harry, in his years at Hogwarts, has proven himself very
>much an "action before logical thought" person, and that is why I
>think the "I didn't think he'd find a way" excuse wouldn't work.


If I understand you correctly, it should have so blatantly obvious to anyone 
other than someone rather slow (like Neville), that after Harry disappeared 
with Hermione and Umbridge (at Umbridge's wand point) into the forest, that 
he would have naturally overpowered Umbridge, and made his way to the MOM 
despite having no broom, no floo available, no train, no ability to 
apparate, no bus, etc.    And even though no one other than Snape and Harry 
(and the children that went to the MOM), knew that Harry had "seen" a vision 
of Sirius at the MOM?  And even though no one but Harry and Snape knew that 
Harry had told Snape?

So anyone questioning Snape later, if he had not alerted the Order and Harry 
would have been killed, would have assumed that 1. Snape knew Harry had a 
vision and 2. what that vision was about and 3. that in spite of going into 
the forest with Umbridge at wandpoint, Harry had instead overpowered her and 
tried to get to the Ministry and 4. In spite of Umbridge's not returning 
from the forest to say that Harry and Hermione had escaped, that they had 
escaped anyway and left Umbridge dead, injured, or otherwise indesposed in 
the forest and 5. that in spite of having no apparent means of getting 
there, Harry had gone to London to the MOM.

And Snape would be in trouble because this would all be obvious to anyone 
questioning him.

Maybe.  Perhaps.....

Certainly we, the readers, know that Harry is going to get there.  We have 
the privilege of seeing all of Harry's actions in the 4 previous books, his 
thought processes, etc.  And of course, we know JKR means him to get there!  
But even knowing what Harry's done in the past, without also knowing he had 
blood on his clothes and that he could see thestrals, how would we the 
readers have imagined him getting there?  But Snape, nor really any other 
adult characters, knows anywhere nearly as much about Harry's previous 
activities as the readers.

So I suppose, although I think I understand what you're saying, in my 
opinion it's not plausible to believe anyone would have expected Snape to 
figure all of that out.

wynnleaf