The Continuing Tragedy of Severus Snape: Reflections on Books 1-5

[Unspeakable]

No: HPFGUIDX 164486

Hello all,

Apologies if I'm going over old ground but I've been wondering
recently about Snape's other greatest regrets (Loyal!Snape, that is!)
and how they've been accumulating with each book... but in a way that
is mostly unacknowledged in the text. No-one wonder Snape is so
angst-ridden, he's indirectly responsible for quite a few catastrophes
prior to HBP!

PS/SS:
Already Snape's bitter, childish jealously of Dumbledore's
relationship with Harry (manifested in his spitting at the Quidditch
match) seems to be warping his judgment. Snape ill-advisedly pursues
his own investigation of Quirrell (though we assume Dumbledore had it
covered) perhaps hoping to thwart him single-handedly and so regain
DD's favour? As it is, Snape fails (despite his best efforts) to
prevent Harry a) rushing into danger, b) nearly dying and c) defeating
Quirrell and taking the credit. Add to that DD's public demonstration
at the Leaving Feast and no one wonder Snape is determined to press
for Harry's expulsion at the earliest possible opportunity next term!

Question: might it have been different if Harry *had* known the
answers to those Potions questions: reminding Snape forcibly of Lily
instead of James?

COS:
Snape has his revenge by 'outing' Harry as a Parseltongue and
potential Heir of Slytherin. In the end, this leads Harry to risk his
life (again) in the Chamber of Secrets and to defeat Riddle (&
Lockhart, which is a relief all round). But Snape must be worrying
about Harry dying before he can discharge that life-debt...

Question: does Snape suspect that Harry's scar is a Horcrux?

POA:
Well, the result of Snape *totally* losing it in the Shrieking Shack
(Lily-died-despite-my-warning -because-James-trusted-you-Sirius!) is
that the real culprit, Wormtail, escaped... to rejoin Voldemort.
Sirius Black is (still) the Most Wanted, Remus Lupin is a disgraced
werewolf and Fudge thinks that Dumbledore employs deranged staff. Nice
one, Severus... still it's good to know you're (supposed to be) on our
side! 

Question: did Lupin really think that Snape gave a **** about the
Order of Merlin?

GOF:
This is the one I find *really* tragic. Moody-Crouch made one crucial
mistake that should have been enough to unmask him as a Death Eater.
Namely, his (completely false) claim that Dumbledore had authorized
him to search Snape's Office, which betrayed a fundamental
misunderstanding of Dumbledore's character. Snape was appalled and
furious – 'Dumbledore happens to trust me' (GOF25) – brave words: but
did he really believe it? Evidently not. When Crouch cleverly alluded
to the Dark Mark - 'spots that don't come off' etc. - Snape was
crushed. After that, he didn't dare put Dumbledore's trust to the
test, for fear of being more bitterly hurt, IMHO. Thus when Crouch was
given the Veritaserum - & confessed that '[Snape] found me in his
office, I said I was under orders to search it'  - this was almost
certainly the first that Dumbledore had heard of the matter! Poor
Snape. Now he *knows* it's all his fault (Cedric's murder and
Voldemort's return). 

Question: if Snape wasn't in the Graveyard then where was he during
the Third Task? (He's notably absent from the crowd, at least from
Harry's POV.)

OOtP:
Now Snape's finally in a position to risk his neck spying for the
Order... but his penchant for emotional mistakes continues (making him
a steaming hypocrite, of course!). I'm not just  referring to the
Occlumency 'fiasco' – but to the stupid taunting of Sirius Black,
(which probably *did* make some contribution to the tragedy – Harry
knew his godfather pretty well, IMHO). This means that Snape's most
significant role – as the one who tried to persuade Sirius *not* to go
to the Ministry on the fatal day – is completely overlooked by Harry
Potter. 

Question: does Snape *want* Harry to hate him? (Answer: probably yes,
actually, if he blames himself for the Potters' deaths.)

So all this together might help to explain why Snape isn't very good
at the Patronus Charm... or at least disagreed with Harry 'on the best
way to tackle dementors' (HBP21)? :-(

Cassy V.
(http://book7.co.uk/: evidence-based synopsis)