Did Snape set up the Pensieve scene?

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 169286

Hi, I've been wondering if maybe Snape deliberately let Harry look
into the Pensieve in "Snape's Worst Memory." This would accomplish a
few things. 1.) It would give Snape an excuse for ending the
Occlumency lessons. He wants to end the lessons because he's already
gotten the memories he needs from Harry, & doesn't want Harry to
actually learn Occlumency. 2.) It would give him some petty revenge
to show to Harry that Snape was right about his father all along.

Dumbledore has emphasized how important these lessons are, so if
Snape ends them, he needs to provide Dumbledore a valid (non-evil)
reason in order to preserve DD's loyalty & trust. It needs to be a
truthful reason, since DD will ask Harry as well. DD had already
told Snape that Harry's curiosity once led him to look into the Penseive when nobody was around. Snape set it up so that Harry would do the same thing in his office. Here's how I think it went:

1.) Montague, the Sytherin captain, was trapped in the Vanishing
Closet by Fred & George a day before. Snape, as head of Household,
searches the castle for the missing boy until finally finding him in
the Closet on the first floor.

2.)Snape sees his opportunity. He stuns Montague, moves him to the
fourth floor bathroom, and modifies his memory so that Montague will
only remember apparating into the bathroom. He asks Draco to search
that very area for the missing student, and tells Draco to notify
him AT ONCE if Montague is found.

3.) Snape goes to his lesson with Harry. Before the lesson, he
removes the memories into the Pensieve in front of Harry, almost
tempting his curiosity. The text says that he "lazily" raised his
wand to begin the spell - every other time, Snape invokes the spell
immediately, giving Harry no chance to prepare. Why is he
acting "lazily" now? Because he's waiting.

4.) On cue, Draco bursts in to tell Snape that Montague has been
found. Snape doesn't snarl at this intrusion, but remarks "very
well", and heads out of the office - leaving Harry behind. Snape
doesn't put back his memories, doesn't put away the Pensieve, and
doesn't escort Harry out. I find this odd - Snape has accused Harry
of rummaging through his office before, and closely guards his
privacy. Why would he suddenly leave Harry alone there?

5.) Harry, tempted by curiosity, does the same thing he did in DD's
office - he dives into the Pensieve. Snape quickly takes Montague to
the clinic, comes back down & enters to "discover" Harry. In a fit
of rage, Snape yells, tosses Harry out, and ends the lessons from
then on. He's created a valid excuse for stopping the Occlumency
lessons, and he's also managed to gather Harry's memories & open his
mind so that Voldemort can plant a vision more easily. Finally, when
DD discovers this, it ironically increases his trust - because it "proves" that Snape wasn't hiding any memories of treachery/betrayal in the Pensieve, only a schoolyard fight. DD believes Snape is touchy, but loyal.

Evidence: First of all, students can't apparate in Hogwarts.
Supposedly, Montague was found in the bathroom after "apparating"
out of the Vanishing Closet. This simply isn't possible. If he was
in the bathroom, someone or something else moved him there. Who?
Why? Snape had the means, motive & opportunity.

Montague's symptoms are very unusual. Supposedly, he was only
trapped in a closet for a day before apparating out. So why are the
side effects so severe? He is described as "confused" and stunned.
His parents are called, and he actually ends up spending weeks in
the clinic, until he is finally sent to the hospital. It sounds like
the effects of a "Confounding" potion or memory loss potion. And who
knows potions? SNAPE. Harry bursts into the clinic a few days later,
and finds Madame Pomfrey feeding Montague a "bright blue liquid".
JKR rarely mentions these details unless they are important. Why is
the kind of potion important? We know that Snape makes the potions
for Madame Pomfrey - what if he told her to feed Montague this
potion regularly as a "cure"? However, the potion is not a cure, but
a befuddlement potion that is aimed at preventing Montague from
remembering the real events.

The circumstances of Montague's "apparition" and "illness" are very
unusual & almost inexplicable - I believe JKR meant these to be
clues to indicate that something else actually occured here.

lizzyben04