Snape's Patronus

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 160842

Mindy:
> Hi, my name is Mindy. I have been following the posts but I have
> never stuck in my ideas before. But I just wanted to say that what
> makes a person happy depends on the person, I think. Snape might
> think about the times he hurt Harry or was very unfair to someone
> and for him that is a VERY happy memory. Just my idea. I really
> enjoy reading all the different posts.
> bye-bye

zgirnius:
Hi Mindy! This is a good point. The memory (or thought, it can be a 
happy thought) does not have to be 'nice', it just has to make the 
user happy. For example, Harry cast the Patronus for extra credit on 
his DADA OWL by imagining that Umbridge was sacked.

On the other hand, we also have Rowling's assertion that Snape was 
loved. Memories of that person would presumably be happy ones in the 
more usual sense. Similarly, important milestones in his life-I would 
bet that Snape came to Hogwarts as a student with high hopes: he's 
getting away from what seems to have been a less-that-ideal family 
situation (a man yelling at a cowering woman while child!Snape cries 
nearby...), and he would be learning lots of magic, in which he seems 
to have already had an interest as a first year.

And, of course, if Dumbledore is right about Snape, the day he went 
to Dumbledore with his story about Voldemort and the prophecy, and 
was believed/trusted, would be another.

Just another thought about Snape and Patronuses: If he was completely 
unable to cast one, would he open himself up to a rather humiliating 
retort from a fellow Order member who must know, by criticizing 
the 'weakness' of Tonks'? She could have just replied, "At least *I* 
have one.