Snape's minor memories (Was: Snape and Dumbledore on the Tower)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 165387

Carol earlier:
> 
> > He does fine the one time we see him fly, as referee in a
Quidditch game. If he were a bad flyer, he'd never have volunteered
for that job.
> 
houyhnhnm:
> 
> On the other hand, Snape's willingness to referee (which we know by
the end of PS was done to protect Harry from Quirrel) could be taken
as evidence of his loyalty to DD and his determination to preserve
Harry's life, *in spite of* the fact that he is a poor flyer
> ------------------------------------------
> "I've never seen Snape look so mean," [Ron] told Hermione.
> ...
>  [Harry] saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped--
> ...
> Snape spat bitterly on the ground.
> ------------------------------------------
> All of which is meant to convince the reader of Snape's antipathy to
Harry and his desire to see Gryffindor's team defeated.

Carol:
Here, I agree with you. Classic JKR diversionary tactic.

houyhnhnm: 
> But a white-faced, tight-lipped, mean face could just as well be
seen on someone forcing himself to do something he was afraid of.
> 
> And Snape could have spat on the ground, not because he was
disgusted with Gryffindor's win, but because, short as it was, by the
time the game was over, he was starting to throw up in his mouth.
>

Carol responds:

But you're reading the evidence to fit your interpretation. I think
that if he were a poor flyer, we would have seen some indication of
that in the narrator's commentary. And surely, Harry and Ron would
have commented on Snape's ineptitude and laughed at him. 

The spitting on the ground suggests bitter disappointment ("Snape spat
bitterly on the ground"), not nausea from air sickness. If that were
the case, he'd be vomiting or swaying and looking faint, not spitting
"bitterly." We know that Snape refereed the game to prevent Quirrell
from killing Harry. His bitterness must have something to do with
being thwarted in his objective--or with being angry with Harry for
some reason. (We can compare Karkaroff spitting on the ground when he
thinks that Barty Sr. has Stunned Krum and accuses DD of "double
dealing and corruption," the only other example of a wizard spitting
in the books.) The white face also suggests that he's livid with anger
for some reason. My guess is that Harry caught the Snitch too quickly
and thwarted his attempt to expose Quirrell's murderous intent.

The only other hint that Snape might be bad at flying is Lupin's
supposed reason for Severus's dislike of James, that he was jealous of
James's talent for Quidditch, and we know quite well that his hatred
has an entirely different basis, including the use of his own spells
against him, the so-called Prank, and James's "arrogance" in not
believing that Black was the spy and traitor.

Brooms don't buck off their riders unless they're jinxed. Compare
Harry's broom when Quirrell is jinxing it in SS/PS.

And what purpose could be served by showing that Snape, so good at
every other form of magic we've seen him attempt, is bad at flying? Is
there some need to undermine the image of his powers that starts
building with the DADA lesson in CoS, or even the task he sets up in
the thir-floor corridor, and builds throughout the books? I'm sure
he's not as good at flying as Harry, but neither is anyone else
(except Viktor Krum, the world's greatest Seeker, and the Irish
Chasers at the QWC).

Carol, not at all questioning Snape's loyalty to DD, but thinking that
it and his courage are much better illustrated when he goes off to
face Voldemort at the end of GoF