Nature of a Patronus / Snape's Patronus

[koinonia02]

No: HPFGUIDX 153757

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "minerva_523" 
<minerva_523 at ...Message #153753, wrote:

Now Cacaia-
> There are two mentions of Snape as an "overgrown bat"- I believe 
>both in Sorcerer's Stone and HBP, so I always kind of assumed 
>Snape's >Patronus was a bat. 
snip
>...wouldn't he, if he was, be an illegal animagus?). 
snip
>Now that I think about it, there are quite a few references that 
>link him with spiders (one that immediately comes to mind is the 
>description of how he walked as a teenager, twitchy, kind of like a 
>spider)



"K":

Snape and bats are mentioned at least four times. Snape and spiders, 
at least twice, a rabbit and dragon at least once. As for Snape 
being an illegal animagus, what's that compared to a murderer?  ;-)

BATS

(1)Sorcerer's Stone
Chapter 17 
The Man with Two Faces

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering 
treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the 
type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an over-
grown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-
Professor Quirrell?"
pg 288


(2)Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 11 
The Dueling Club

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a 
large and malevolent bat. 
pg 193


(3)Goblet of Fire
Chapter 29 
The Dream

"If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly, "we might've got 
there in time. 'The headmaster is busy. Potter... what's this 
rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?" 

"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" said Ron quickly. "Maybe ---
 hang on --- how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the 
forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?" 

"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," said 
Harry. 

"Wouldn't put it past him," Ron muttered.
pg 566


(4)Half-Blood Prince
Chapter 9 
The Half-Blood Prince

Typically, ten minutes into the lesson Hermione managed to repel 
Nevilli's muttered Jelly-Legs Jinx without uttering a single word, a 
feat that would surely have earned her twenty points for Gryffindor 
from any reasonable teacher, thought Harry bitterly, but which Snape 
ignored. He swept between them as they practiced, looking just as 
much like an overgrown bat as ever, lingering to watch Harry and Ron 
struggling with the task.
pg 179
----------

SPIDERS

(1)Goblet of Fire
Chapter 18 
The Weighing of the Wands

Harry sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing 
horrific things happening to him... If only he knew how to do the 
Cruciatus Curse... he'd have Snape flat on his back like that 
spider, jerking and twitching.... 
pg 300

(2)Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 28 
Snape's Worst Memory

Harry looked around and glimpsed Snape a short way away, moving 
between the tables toward the doors into the entrance hall, still 
absorbed in his own examination paper. Round-shouldered yet angular, 
he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair 
swinging about his face. 
pg 643
----------

RABBIT

Chapter 28 
Snape's Worst Memory

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it 
is..."

Sirius's head turned. He had become quite still, like a dog that has 
scented a rabbit.

"Excellent," he (Sirius) said softly. "Snivellus."
pg 645
----------

DRAGON

Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 11 
The Dueling Club

Harry smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions 
class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. 
pg 186