Different values of Snape/ Re: House elves

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 181048

> Aleta:
> Snape does engage in (intended) animal cruelty to Neville's 
> toad. When he doses Trevor with Neville's shrinking potion, 
> Snape fully intends to kill the toad. It is only because 
> Hermione helped Neville that he had a proper potion, and 
> Trevor was reduced to a tadpole which Snape could restore 
> to adulthood. Snape would have been happy to kill the toad 
> just out of spite.

zgirnius:
That is your opinion. However, Snape is shown in the books as very 
knowledgeable in Potions. He can loook at a potion, see it has the 
qrong color and consistency, and know not only that it has been made 
wrong, but at which step the student went wrong and how. (The scene 
you mention contains an example - Snape knows what Neville has dene 
wrong in making his potion. There are others.)

It follows, that when Snape fed Neville's potion to the toad, he knew 
it was a properly made Shrinking Solution, so he knew all he was 
going to be doing is demonstrating the effect of the correctly made 
potion.

We have no way to know, other that our own guesses, what Snape would 
have done if Neville had not, by whatever means, fixed the potion.