Snape and dementors Was Re: Why does Dumbledore make Snape DADA teacher?

[steven1965aaa]

No: HPFGUIDX 158596

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "zgirnius" <zgirnius at ...> 
wrote:

> I'll just jump in, shall I?
> 
> > HBP, p. 448 US Hardcover
> > "...Ron was now struggling to finish a viciously difficult essay 
> for Snape that Harry and Hermione had already completed. Harry 
fully expected to receive low marks on his, because he had disagreed 
with Snape on the best way to tackle dementors, but he did not 
care..."

Steven1965aaa:

IMO Snape would not be as effective at dealing with Dementors 
through the Patronus charm because his "happy memory" would not have 
the same power as Harry's.  IMO the patronus charm is a "love" charm 
and that's why Harry's is so powerful.  I don't mean "love" charm in 
the sense of love potion --- I mean that the swelling of emotion and 
feeling associated with a happy memory would make the spell 
powerful, just like Harry's swelling of feeling made Voldemort's 
possession of him in the ministry intolerable for Voldemort. Just a 
guess of course, and I don't mean to say that Snape would not be 
capable of generating some measure of positive emotion, but this 
would explain why Harry is so good at this particular charm.