CHAPDISC: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ch. 19: The Silver Doe

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 182741

Debbie:
> > 1.  Phineas Nigellus learns critical information about Harry's 
location, which Hermione carelessly provides while the beaded bag is 
open.  Has Phineas really been hanging out in that cramped bag all 
this time?  Why is he willing to do this?
> 
> Oryomai:
> I thought that perhaps Severus had told Phineas to keep watch on
what the three of them were doing.  Phineas would assume it was due to
Harry's status as Undesirable Number One and wouldn't question a
Slytherin headmaster anyway. <snip>

Carol responds:

I agree that Headmaster Snape had told Phineas Nigellus to keep watch
on them, but I don't think it was because Phineas believed that Harry
was Undesirable Number One. Phineas is not on the side of the Death
Eaters or the infiltrated MoM. He idolizes Snape as a Slytherin
headmaster, yes, but he's overheard almost all of the conversations
between Snape and Dumbledore (the talk in the forest being one
exception, but that talk is followed by the information that Harry has
a soul bit in his scar, which DD is trusting Snape to convey to Harry
after his death). Phineas knows that Snape is protecting Harry; he
knows that DD has ordered Snape to kill him when the time comes; and,
IIRC, he sees Snape cast his doe Patronus in "The Prince's Tale" and
knows why DD trusts Snape absolutely (as if his spying and lying to LV
and risking his life and protecting Harry weren't enough in themselves
to merit such trust).

Phineas accepts Snape's reprimand when he (Phineas) refers to Hermione
as "the Mud-Blood," and he reveals his own loyalties, which parallel
Snape's, when he says near the end of DH, "Let it be noted that
Slytherin House did its part. Let our contributions not be forgotten!"
(DH Am. ed. 747).

I think that he enjoys his role as spy, undercover as the "evil"
Snape's snidely Slytherin representative, letting a few details (like
the detention that Snape assigned to HRH's friends) slip and listening
for information that will help Snape, whom he knows is working with
Portrait!DD, especially their location, so that Snape can deliver the
real Sword of Gryffindor.

Regarding Oryomai's observation about the doe Patronus reflecting
Lily's relationship to James, I wondered about that, too. It's
certainly not how Harry sees the doe (blindingly bright and beautiful
and providing him with powerful protection), nor do I think that's the
way snape would see it (it's a representation of his idealized Lily).
JKR, perhaps, thought of James and Lily as a matched pair rather than
Lily as James's ideal mate. At any rate, I know that the symbolism of
a stag is easily researched, but I haven't found anything on the
symbolism of a doe. (Bambi's mother comes to mind, but who knows
whether that's what JKR was thinking of.)

Carol, sorry to snip the rest of Oryomai's post without responding but
in a bit of a hurry today