On the perfection of moral virtues.

[leslie41]

No: HPFGUIDX 169035

Mike:
First off, if he's in such danger why doesn't he bring the Wolfsbane 
potion with him? And please don't tell me he'll spill it. I'm sure 
Severus can come up with a bubble charm or some such to keep it from 
spilling. Also, remember he was only aware of Lupin heading for the 
Womping Willow, he knew not of the trio, Black, nor Pettigrew already 
in the Shack. Snape doesn't seem that concerned with the 
possibilities, and he has the history to know what he's in for.

Secondly, is tying up an untransformed werewolf enough to thwart him? 
Well, Snape seemed to think that was enough, didn't he? So he still 
didn't seem to take Lupin as that much of a threat to life and limb.

Finally, if there was actual mortal danger, who prevented Lupin from 
killing anyone? That's right, Sirius Black in his animagus dog form. 
So either Snape felt there was no real mortal danger in the 
possibility of facing a werewolf, or he rather stupidly relied on 
someone else coming to his rescue. Someone that he didn't know was 
there when he left the castle and someone he didn't know had the 
ability to transform into an animal large enough to thwart a 
werewolf. Which version of Snape do you like?

Leslie41 now:

Actually, my Snape is neither of those versions, because the 
assertion that he should have brought the goblet with him is flawed 
in that it doesn't see things from Snape's perspective.  Snape 
believes he's going into a confrontation with Lupin and the man he 
thinks he's protecting, the outlaw and dangerous Azkaban escapee, 
Sirius Black.  

So, um, what point would there be in bringing the potion?  Snape 
believes he's going into a fight.  Enemies do not usually hold off 
battling to imbibe potions, even potions that might keep them from 
turning murderous.  In fact, Snape might even think that Lupin 
deliberately didn't take it.  From his perspective, Snape's best hope 
is to get there immediately before the moon comes up and subdue the 
prisoners--or rather turn them over to the Dementors.  And he has 
plenty of time to do that (somehow I don't think that even a werewolf 
would be a match for them).         

Snape wrongly believes the worst about Lupin and Black, but it is no 
less than what most everyone else believes in the Wizarding World, 
with regard to both of them.  (And Snape has far more reason to 
believe the worst about them.)  It's not Snape that gets Lupin 
fired.  Snape just spreads the word that Lupin's a werewolf.  It's 
the complaints about a werewolf teaching at Hogwarts that do that.  

It seems to me that Snape's critics often seem to view his behavior 
with the knowledge and understanding that *they* have of the other 
characters (taking Harry's perspective, to to speak), not the 
knowledge that Snape himself has.