Snape as Noble teacher/ Slytherin

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 168330


Carol earlier:
> > 
> > Snape must have known that Dumbledore was right behind him. Yes,
he was giving Harry a hard time, pretending to doubt his story, but at
the same time he was keeping him where he was so that he would be
there when Dumbledore finished descending the staircase. Had Snape 
not kept Harry there, Harry would have gone off on a fruitless search
of some other corridor. <HUGE SNIP and canon> Far from delaying Harry,
Snape actually saved him time.
> <SNIP>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I know this interpetation.  But that is sort of makes Snape's
tormenting the innocent just to get his jollies argument stronger, IMO.
> 
> If Snape was standing there to make sure Harry will wait till DD 
comes down, what should he had done unless he wants to make fun of
Harry just **for the sake of having fun at his expense** I think he
should have said - wait Potter, Dumbledore is coming. What does he do
instead?  Not that. That tells me that he wants to have fun at Harry's
expense to enjoy it. No matter how upset Harry is and how much in need
of help he is.
><sniP>

Carol responds:

"Tormenting" is a bit strong, I think. Certainly, he *could* have
simply siad, "The headmaster is coming. Wait here," but, being Snape,
he preferred to cross-examine Harry and find out as much as he could
before Dumbledore came down. The end result is the same: by calling
Harry to him and keeping him at the foot of the stairs, by whatever
means, he prevents Harry from going off on a wild goose chase. 

They could not have prevented Mr. Crouch's murder, in any case, since
Fake!Moody, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, waited only till
Harry was out of sight to Stun Krum and kill Mr. Crouch. Then he hid
his father's body under the Invisibility Cloak and consulted the
Marauder's Map, which told him that Harry had talked to Snape before
returning to the forest with Dumbledore. Crouch!Moody then pretended
to have talked to Snape, who told him that DD was in the forest
looking for Mr. Crouch (GoF Am. ed. 690).

At any rate, "tormenting the innocent to get his jollies" is purely a
subjective interpretation of Snape's actions, as is "for the sake of
having fun at his expense." I see no evidence that Snape is having
"fun" (unless you count what Harry perceives as an "unpleasant smile")
or that he sees himself as "tormenting" Harry (though Harry is
certainly frustrated because he mistakenly thinks they're wasting
time). Snape is delaying Harry and obtaining what information he can
from him as they wait. It's a purely practical matter from his
perspective, as far as I can see. 

The point is that, by whatever means, Snape prevented Harry from
wasting time by rushing off toward the staff room. And imagine Harry's
reaction if Snape had politely offered to help him. He'd think that
Snape was someone else polyjuiced as Snape! So Snape has to act as
Harry expects him to act in order to keep him where he needs to be.

Had Snape not acted as he did, or used some other delaying tactic,
Harry would not have been at the foot of the hidden staircase when
Dumbledore arrived. And that's what matters, IMO.

Carol, who thinks that Harry, having faced Quirell!mort, a Basilisk,
and Dementors (among other perils), has a good idea of what
constitutes true torment, and it's not being cross-examined by a
sarcastic teacher who only *seems* to be preventing him from talking
to Dumbledore