Understanding Snape

[puduhepa98 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 153699

>Ali
>My argument, as it were, is that it would not be logical for  Snape
>[or, for that matter, any of Harry's teachers] to think that  Harry
>would not have found a way to get to the Dept. of Mysteries. Think  of
>it this way [or at least the way I see things
 
>Eggplant
>Voldemort's plan was to trick Harry to go to the ministry, but  when
>Snape showed up Harry was caught by Umbrage so Snape figured the  plan
>had failed, it never occurred to him that Harry would manage to  escape
>and make it all the way to the ministry. With the plan canceled  anyway
>it couldn't hurt to tell the Order of the Phoenix what Harry said,  in
>fact he had to if he wanted to remain a spy for Voldemort. Dozens  of
>people heard Harry talk to Snape about padfoot (and at least  6,
>probably more, were not Death Eaters) and sooner or later The  Order
>would hear about it and wonder why Snape didn't tell them  immediately.
 
Nikkalmati:
Ok Ali thinks it is obvious to anybody that Harry would get away from  
Umbridge and manage to get to the MOM within a fairly short period of time,  while 
Eggplant thinks it never occurred to Snape that Harry would escape and get  to 
the MOM!  First, we have to assume that by now Snape knows Padfoot  refers to 
Sirius, although I do not believe we are told this in canon.  It  is also 
assumed that Snape knows through LV or DD or by figuring it out from  Harry's 
dreams that LV is trying to lure Harry to the MOM.   He checks  to be sure Sirius 
is at Grimauld Place, notifies the Order, and then checks the  forest in case 
Harry and friends need rescuing.(Thanks Neri)  Snape seems  to be going on the 
assumption that Harry either could have gone to the MOM or he  could be in 
the forest.
 Any interference in LV's plan would be a serious violation of his  loyalty 
to LV, if any. In fact, if Umbridge is preventing Harry from getting to  the 
MOM and LV's long-laid plans are about to be frustrated by a stupid little  
toad, I would think Snape would be obliged to get her out of the way and free  
Harry to get on with his trip.     If he is ESE or OFH and  he can't hit Umbridge 
over the head to get her out of the way, there is no  reason to inform the 
Order so they can go to the MOM and arrest the DE's waiting  for Harry to 
arrive.  It would perfectly explicable to say to DD he checked  with Sirius and he 
knew Harry was "safe" with Umbridge or at least that he  would not be able to 
leave Hogworts.  If Harry and friends managed to get  to the MOM, they would be 
killed or captured and there was no one in that office  (least of all dozens 
of people) who overheard Harry who would know who Padfoot  was or who would be 
inclined to report Snape's failure to the Order  anyway. He didn't need to 
expose himself; he just needed to keep his head  down and his mouth shut.  He 
did neither.

>Neri
">Must" seems to be too strong a word here, but it  certainly appears
>so. I quite agree that the ESE!Snape theory has a  problem explaining
>his actions that night, as much problem as the  DDM!Snape theory has in
>explaining these same actions, in fact. Which  strongly suggests to me
>that he's neither.
 
Nikkalmati:

ESE!Snape or OFH!Snape both have to explain Snape's actions here in  order to 
maintain their view of the character.  I can't for the life of me  see why 
either ESE or OFH Snape would pass up the opportunity to ensure LV's  plans were 
fulfilled.  If Harry was seized or killed that is pretty much  END GAME right 
there. 
 I am not sure what DDM!Snape supporters need to explain.  I have  seen some 
reference to previous discussions that it took too long for him to  inform the 
Order and that he was trying to time it, so that the Order would get  there 
too late, but he could easily claim he did not get any message from Harry,  or 
he didn't understand it, or say that he had spent the time searching the  
forest instead.  I am not seeing that any delay would be to his advantage  and it 
would be very risky to get the timing right (and in fact he did not time  it 
right).  Pretty sloppy work on his part. 
Nikkalmati


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