Dark Book, was Re: Dark Magic (+ a little Marietta)/Karma and the Twins

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 176917

> Carol responds: 
> I agree with you to some extent--McGonagall [the interim 
> headmistress, not the new "headmaster"--I thought for a moment that
> you meant Snape] is assuming the worst of the Slytherins based on 
> one student's (Pansy Parkinson's) behavior, and she has become
> rather murderous here, ready to kill even first-years, apparently, 
> if they side with Voldemort.  (The likelihood of their doing so, 
> given Slughorn as their HoH and no known DE parents other than 
> Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, is rather slim, however.) I 
> dislike Mcgonagall's behavior from the moment she calls Harry's 
> Crucio gallant. Her behavior--dismissing the entire House and 
> allowing the other students to point wands at them--suggests that, 
> in her view, the Slytherins are guilty until proven innocent.

Jen: McGonagall was trying to cool down a very heated moment without 
injury or death imo.  Pansy's has a history of associating with a 
former student who became a DE and two other Slytherins who have been 
praticing the Cruciatus on students 'who have earned detentions' as 
Neville said in The Lost Diadem chapter.  Pansy states her intention 
to turn Harry over at Voldemort's request: "But he's there!  Potter's 
*there*!  Someone grab him!" (Chap. 31, p. 610, US)  The students who 
stand are warning that anyone attempting to take Harry will have to 
do so by force and will be outnumbered.  Had MgGonagall done nothing 
at that point *then* I might say she made a grave error.  She's 
trying to prevent violence and get on with preparations for the 
battle as the minutes tick away.  There's no time to sort out which 
Slytherins might have connections to Voldemort and which are 
Hogwartians.  Even if some Slytherin students stay behind, their 
loyalty is tainted by association.  What else did others think was a 
better solution at that point given the context?

Carol:
> After all, Snape has been the headmaster for the entire year and he
> has promised Dumbledore that he'll protect the Hogwarts students. He
> would do as much as he could to control the Carrows. He would, for
> example, make sure that the curses that the new "DADA" teacher,
> Amycus Carrow, taught were "age appropriate," just as Umbridge had 
> tried to do at the opposite extreme the previous year. Learning 
> *about* the Unforgiveable Curses was supposed to be reserved for
> the sixth year (see GoF), so, under Snape (hired by the new 
> Ministry, which still includes Umbridge as Senior Undersecretary to 
> the Minister, actually *learning* those curses would probably be 
> reserved for sixth and seventh years. After all, Snape is 
> attempting to maintain a respectable front and at the same time, 
> avert the suspicions of the DEs that he's undermining them.


Jen:  The students have been under pressure all year from the Carrows 
which in my understanding greatly enhanced the split between the 
houses.  I'm sure Snape did what he could to protect the students but 
his hands were tied by his secret allegiance, and violence and 
torture of students sounded like a regular affair the entire year.  
If it wasn't happening directly to students, they were observing what 
happened to others.  

It's too much to reprint here, but on pages 573-576 from The Lost 
Diadem chapter (US ed.), Neville talks about various events the 
Carrows were responsible for, including:  Having students (plural) 
practice the Cruciatus curse on others who received detention 
(Neville points out a deep gash on his cheek at this point); the 
Carrows tortured 'mouthy' students but don't want to spill too much 
pure blood so they stop short of killing them; chained up a first 
year; caused students to think twice about trying to help other kids 
after torturing Michael Corner 'pretty badly' for attempting to 
release the chained-up first year; kidnapped kids to force relatives 
to behave; attempted to go for Gran when they couldn't stop Neville 
from fighting back.....

It doesn't sound like Snape was able to stop the Carrows from doing 
much when it came to punishment except those times when he was able 
to step in to divert the punishment, like when he assigned Ginny et. 
al. to detention with Hagrid.