Snape's Messenger Patronus ((was Re: Snape's Dementor lesson

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 182639

> Carol responds:
> It's *possible* that Snape left his office, ran all the way to
> Hogsmeade, and Apparated there and back, after which he searched the
> forest, but it would be a lot faster and more efficient, especially
> considering that Harry's going to the MoM was an emergency, to
> communicate by Patronus. DD, of course, suggests that he has done so,
> informing Harry that the Order members have more reliable means of
> communication than Umbridge's fireplace (and we later see other Order
> members using Patronuses to communicate). Snape could, of course, have
> used Umbridge's fireplace to send the second message, since Umbridge
> had not come back, but he could not have used it to send the first
> one, since Umbridge was still there.
> 
> Another possibility, which makes more sense than taking the time to
> run to Hogsmeade to Apparate, is Dumbledore's fireplace. Unlike
> Umbridge, Snape probably still has access to Dumbledore's office, and
> it's possible that Dumbledore somehow prevented the MoM from
> monitoring it. If so, Snape could safely use it to communicate with
> both the Order and DD. However, since no one mentions that possibility
> and DD implies that Snape communicated with the Order using the usual
> method, I'm pretty sure that he used his Patronus and the other Order
> members simply didn't make the Lily connection, being too concerned
> with the content of his message to consider the form of his Patronus
> (Mad-eye, Kingsley, and Tonks would be unlikely to make the
> connection, while Black and Lupin would be aware of the "Mudblood"
> incident and would close their minds, IMO, to the possibility that
> Severus Snape still loved the long-dead Lily Potter. Surely, the
> ex-DE's Patronus couldn't represent the hated James's wife!).

Montavilla47:
It's interesting how close you are to what I came up with to 
explain how Snape contacted the Order on that night.

As you later mentioned, I thought that Phineas Nigellus would
be the most effective way for Snape to contact the order initially.
(I wasn't sure how long it would take a patronus to travel from
Hogwarts to London--but the portraits seem to travel 
almost instantly.)

I doubt very muh that Snape ran all the way to Hogwarts to
apparate to Dumbledore for one very compelling reason--
by the time Harry and friends disappeared, Dolores Umbridge 
had also done so.  Hagrid had fled into the hills, Dumbledore
was off somewhere else, and Minerva McGonagall was in the
hospital.  Had Snape left the school that night, he would have
been leaving it vulnerable to any kind of mischief (especially
from the students!)

In case anyone is interested (I know I keep putting this
up for reading, but it explains things better than I can
in a single post), here is the address for the story:

http://www.sugarquill.net/read.php?storyid=2786&chapno=1