Severus Snape;a skilled Legilimens

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 180070

 "biancawatanabe_123"  wrote:
>
> It was stated in OOTP that Snape could read other people's minds just
> like LV. 

Potioncat:
Once upon a time I could identify bits of HP plot very closely to book 
and chapter, but alas, no longer. I really don't recall ever being told 
that Snape could read minds like LV. I know he was said to be an 
outstanding Occlumens. Could you give me the chapter your information 
comes from?

However, I think we were given clues all along that Snape was 
developing his skill at Legilimency--even before we were told about the 
spell. But it's always seemed to me that it was a developing skill, not 
an established one.

> Then why is it that in the SS, when LV was sharing his body
> with Quirrel, he didn't realize that Snape was faithful to Dumbledore?

Potioncat:
As Carol pointed out, LV didn't have a chance to use Legilimency on 
Snape while he was sharing time with Quirrell. But, the things LV 
learned that year is what led him to say that something along the line 
of "one who I think has left me forever..." in GoF.

Or if you intended that the other way, I'm not sure Snape was yet able 
to Legilimens Quirrell. Now, the bigger question is, what did DD know?

> And in the GOF when Barty Crouch Jr. was stealing boomslang skin,
> lacewing flies and other ingredients to make Polyjuice Potion from
> Snape, why did Snape suspect Harry of stealing them when he could just
> read Harry's mind and figure out if it was really him all along who
> was stealing?

Potioncat:
Again, what others have said, it's not so much reading a book, as 
getting glimpses. Snape was clearly using Legilimency on Harry that day 
in the classroom when he made Harry sit near his desk, then said 
horrible things to him. (GoF) But he didn't get a clear picture. It 
seems Legilimency suffers from the same weakness as other forms of 
communication, that is, sometimes you hear and see what you want to.

Along the same lines as with Quirrell, why didn't DD know that it 
wasn't Moody? Snape was too busy keeping his distance to have used 
Legilimency. And why was that, come to think of it?