CHAPDISC: HBP24, Sectumsempra

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 161224

> justcarol: 
> 11. Professor McGonagall tells Harry that he could have been 
> expelled.
> Why does Snape tell the staff "precisely what happened" yet punish
> Harry only for being "a liar and a cheat"? 

zgirnius:
I found this question particularly interesting (thanks, Carol!) as I 
had not really considered it before at all.

I think Snape tells the staff precisely what happened because the 
staff are going to find out anyway. Draco tells Pansy, who spreads 
the story around the school pretty quickly. Snape could have acted to 
prevent this by ordering Draco not to tell anyone, but I think, in 
light of his own experiences in his sixth year, that Snape would be 
very reluctant to give such an order.


So why does Snape punish Harry for bring 'a liar and a cheat'? I am 
not precisely sure, but I made a list of facts. (My favorite last 
resort, when thinking is not getting me anywhere <g>).


1)	Snape knows it is his spell, from his book, when he makes his 
comment to Harry and sets the punishment. In particular, he knows 
that what Harry said about not knowing the effect of the spell, is 
likely true.
2)	Has Snape used the spell while at school? (Perhaps on James, 
in the incident Harry saw?) Does this affect how he evaluates a 
decision to use such a spell?
3)	Snape almost surely knows that Draco broke Harry's nose 
earlier that year. He knows Draco is a Death Eater. He may have 
suspicions that Harry felt it necessary to use the spell in self-
defense.

Putting these together, I come up with the possibility that perhaps 
Snape does not entirely diapprove of Harry's use of the spell. 
Obviously it was a stupid thing to do, not knowing the effects, but 
it may have been done in self-defence and without intent to cause 
serious harm. In other words, Snape may actually find Harry's lying 
and cheating more objectionable.

Finally, there is the question of why Snape did not present his full 
reasons to the staff. He could have told them precisely what 
happened, and that Harry lied to him, and has been cheating in 
Potions class by taking credit for original ideas which are not his 
own. So why didn't he? 

I think a big issue is the issue of proof. Harry hid the book, so 
Snape can't simply show it. Snape is certain, but this is based on 
his use of Legilimency, and his authorship of the notes in Harry's 
book. He is in a situation where he knows Harry lied to him and 
cheated at Potions, and Harry knows he did the same, so his comment 
makes sense to Harry. But proving it to anyone else would be a 
problem.