Horcrux hunting

[lolita_ns]

No: HPFGUIDX 153179

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "whirledgirl" <blink_883 at ...> 
wrote:
 Has Snape even got a memory 
> happy enough to create a patronus? Enough love, which seems to be 
> the type of memory patronuses (patroni?) 'respond' to more? 
> I suggest that maybe Snape has not got a patronus, revealing he is 
> in fact not 'good', a real DE. This is why we haven't seen it, why 
> it would give him away. 

Lolita:

Yes, he can cast a patronus. Remember in OotP, when DD says to Harry 
that Snape realised that Harry thought that sth might be wrong with 
Sirius, and then *contacted him immediately*? DD then goes on to say 
that the Order have a more reliable means of communication than 
Floo. And then later, in answer to her FAQ poll, Rowling said that 
yes, they do have more reliable means of communication, and that is 
via Patronuses. So, what Snape used to contact Sirius *immediately* 
was, indeed, a Patronus.
Besides, I do not think that Snape was a 'poor, unloved little 
thing'. He may not be the most content person there is, but I don't 
believe he is such an unhappy soul as fans so often want him to be. 
We do have a cannon fact that at least DD thought well enough of and 
probably cared about him. And so do the Malfoys, it seems. 
When you think about it, even Lupin, whose life has probably been 
*much* more miserable than Snape's (being afflicted with a terrible, 
incurable curse since his earliest childhood and therefore almost 
always unemployed, shunted and avoided), can cast a Patronus. 
Happy memories aside, if what it takes to cast a Patronus is skill 
and power, we have been led to believe that Snape is a powerful 
wizard indeed, and therefore, looked at from that side (e.g. power) 
only, he has no problems in casting a Patronus.
As far as not using Patronuses to repel Dementors - we know he 
doesn't, since he doesn't agree with Harry on the best way to fight 
them, and we do know that Harry uses a Patronus - he probably uses 
occlumency. Which, in a way, may even *be* a better way - you don't 
need a wand, and if you close your mind (emotions and such), they 
might not even detect you. Harry's method, you will recall, includes 
*fight*. Snape's probably includes flying under the Dementors' 
radar. 


Cheers,
Lolita.