Ultimate and Last Bragging Rights

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 171053

SnapesSlytherin:

> Alternate 1. What are Snape's patronus and boggert? 
> Patronus: I don't think he can...I don't think he 
> has a happy enough memory to make a Patronus...

Eddie:

> Maybe this is why he prefers a different way of 
> fighting off Dementors than Harry.

houyhnhnm:

I don't think you need to have a *nice* happy memory 
to conjure a Patronus.  When Harry produced one for 
extra credit during his Transfiguration OWL practical, 
he used the mental image of Umbridge getting sacked.  
If all it takes is the thought of something bad 
happening to someone you don't like, I would expect 
Snape to be a Patronus champ.

I think there is some other relevance to the fact 
that Harry disagreed with Snape on the best way to 
tackle Dementors, than that Snape has trouble producing 
a Patronus.  For one thing, Harry made a prediction 
that Snape was going to grade him down for disagreeing, 
but we never found out what he got on the essay.  We're 
still waiting for that penny to drop.  The purpose of 
the passage could be only to show the tenacity of Harry's 
distrust of Snape.  It could also be intended to show 
Harry's growing maturity and self-confidence in his 
expertise as a DADA practitioner.  He is not afraid 
to disagree with a professor, even one with whom he 
has had an adversarial relationship.  

Or it could be laying the groundwork for something 
that is going to happen in DH (I hope).  Going just 
by all the mist on both the US deluxe and UK book covers, 
I think Dementors are going to play an important part 
in the action of DH.  Soul bits and soul suckers; 
there's got to be a connection.  Since I'm a kinda 
sorta believer that Harry's scar contains a Voldemort 
soul bit (and an adamant DDM!Snaper), I'm hoping that 
Snape's method of dealing with Dementors will come into 
play to liberate Harry from the little Dark Lord in 
his head without destroying Just!Harry.