Lily and Snape WAS Re: Snape as the HBP (Was: CHAPDISC: HBP30, The White Tomb)

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 165797

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...>
wrote:
> Carol, who just does not get this compuslion to discredit Snape,
> especially on the part of DDM!Snapers
>

Valky:
LOL, I sense a vague swipe at PotionsGenius!Lily here. ;)

If that be the case, I did want to say that it's not even the point of
the theory to discredit Snape as a Potions Master; that would be
pretty impossible anyhow considering that Slughorn recalls Snape as
having been great at Potions, anyhow, so clearly he was. 

If we are to take the HBP text and separate it into its useful
Prince-added elements the list wuld look something like this :

1. Spells and Incantations (with invention/research notes aside them)
2. Theory notes. 
3. Practical tips and hints.

It's clearly safe to say that #1 are all Snapes handiwork; he claims
the spells as his own and demonstrates his familiarity with their
inner workings when healing Draco. No contest.

#2 and #3 as far as I can see are more ambiguous elements, especially
#3 and I'll get to why that in a moment. First #2 is slightly
ambiguous as to where the totality comes from; my guess is that these
notes are likely to have come from various sources originally. To nail
down those sources - 1. We can probably write off Sluggy, we've seen
his classes and he's no help 2. There is of course Snape's own
research efforts, and we can be fairly sure of those per the Pensieve
scene in OOtP, Snape appeared to be quite diligent in his study and
it's not a leap from the pensieve scene to a heavy study habit, I
don't think.  Now 3. there is another possible source for this
information, and we have our example of it in Hermione. It's not
unlikely that a few of the notes were taken down by Snape in class
when they seemed at all useful. Now we can say Slughorn is a pretty
lacklustre 'teacher', but he surely knows how to brew a quality potion
and he does (quite loudly "OHO!") recognise a good idea when he sees
one. That is to say, in a class, Snape would recognise something said
or offered by any of the class members that got Slughorn's tick of
approval was of some very real value, and there's a good chance he'd
note it, assuming he hadn't thought of that himself. 

I think if we break down element #2 it would be fair to say 90% of it
was Snapes own research, with an added contribution from those around
him.  

And so my point with that is to say - I invariably credit Snape with
as near enough 99% of the elements 1 and 2 in the book. it is only on
element 3 that I think an extra consideration could be taken. 

The practical hints in the book have the most ambiguous source of all; 

For one in this subject such things need only be seen, in order to be
known.
 
additionally there is also a stark difference between these particular
innovations in Snapes notes, and the other innovations in Snapes
notes. Take the spell Levicorpus for instance, when Harry is looking
at the margin with this spell in it he sees that Snape has made more
than one attempt to get it right, crossed out that attempt and tried
again until he got the results he wanted, these innovations are
pedictably revised. OTOH the practical potions hints are never
mentioned as having been revised, not once, at all. They are simply
written. Snape is a logical genius, we know this as canon, so where is
his trail of logic? It's there in black and white in the spells, it's
percievable in the theory notes, but it's virtually non-existent in
the practical hints, that makes little sense for a logical man like
Snape. It does however point directly at another source - Lily Potter,
who we are told directly by Slughorn *does* have an intuitive talent. 

If neither of these are enough for anyone, there is a kicker to this
ambiguity of the Potions hints......

The Mint Leaf. Do we really believe Snape deliberately added a
delicate and aesthetic touch to a complicated potion purely for its
delicate aesthetic touch? Doesn't that sound more like something a
sweet kind-natured young lady would do? 

JMHO

xxoo
Valky who really doesn't want to discredit Snape's genius; just keep
it in a perspective, and, of course, the gold ideal, call JKR out on
her misdirection. ;)