GoF CH 27-29 Post DH look

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 182144

Pippin:
<snip>
> > > Snape was messing Harry about, for sure, but even if Dumbledore
had gotten there in time it would only have been a brief reprieve.
> >  
> > > Fake!Moody would never have allowed his father to reach Dumbledore
> > > without some kind of trouble. If he feared he was  about to be
> > > exposed, he'd have nothing to lose by killing Harry.  
> > 
> > Alla:
> > 
> > Eh, sure Dumbledore decides whom Dumbledore is going to see if 
> > Dumbledore **knows** who is here to see him. I do not see that 
> > Dumbledore knew that at all.
> > 
> > It surely may have been a brief reprieve, my point is that thanks to 
> > Snape as I wrote to Mila, we will never know that for sure.
> > 
> > There may have been one percent chance to save Barty Sr. Surely you 
> > would not argue that it is an absolute fact that he could not be 
> > saved?
> > 
> > My point is that it is possible that Snape robbed him even of that 
> > tiny chance. Why? Oh, because he hated Harry that much and takes 
> > every possibility to show him that in my opinion.
> > 
> > JMO,
> > 
> > Alla
> 
> Montavilla47:
> Not a contradiction, because you have every right to think that
> Snape is simply being a jerk in this moment.
> 
> On the other hand, who's to say that Dumbledore didn't have some
> magical videocamera that showed Harry  looking for him and 
> specifically *asked* Snape to go intercept the boy before he ran off
> again.
> 
> We're talking about Dumbledore here.  He said that he had watched
> Harry more closely that Harry realized...
>
Carol adds:
Not to mention that Snape is extremely concerned with Dumbledore's
trust of him in this book ("Dumbledore trusts me!"), and if Snape were
to prevent or hinder Harry in something so important, Dumbledore would
be seriously displeased.

As it is, Snape first prevents Harry from going off in the wrong
direction by yelling "POTTER!" as Harry is about to head to the staff
room and then keeps him at the bottom of the stairway until Dumbledore
comes down. He even informs Harry in his indirect, sarcastic way, that
Dumbledore is in his office ("The headmaster is busy, Potter"), which
again prevents Harry from running off.

We *know* that Snape is Dumbledore's man. We *know* that he's
protecting Harry but doesn't want Harry (or anyone else) to know that.
If he tries to help Harry openly ("Don't worry, Potter. Dumbledore is
coming downstairs in a moment") or gives him the password, Harry would
be suspicious and Snape's (self-imposed) cover will be blown. (We have
Harry's perception via the narrator that Snape is thoroughly enjoying
himself, which may or may not be accurate, but Snape can enjoy seeming
to thwart Harry and help him by detaining him at the same time, just
as, in HBP, he seems to be helping Draco but is really trying to
thwart him.)

So he gives Harry a hard time (which is what I meant by "tease"--it's
better than what the Twins do to Dudley Dursley!) and helps him at the
same time, exactly as he does in PoA when he discovers the Marauder's
Map and suspects that it's helping Harry to get into Hogsmeade where
he's not supposed to be.

If, as I suspect, DD has told Snape that he'll be coming downstairs in
a moment (perhaps, as Potioncat suggests, after he puts his memories
back in his head), Snape is not delaying the process at all (or only
by the short time that it takes to speak a few sentences apiece). He's
just keeping Harry where Harry needs to be when DD emerges a very
short time later. Nor does Snape need to have been ordered by DD to
detain Harry; protecting Harry and knowing what he's up to is already
Snape's business. IMO, he's finding out what Harry is up to by
questioning (and taunting) him, and, once he has the general idea,
keeping him at the foot of the stairs until DD comes down. And note
that Dumbledore shows no sign of irritation with Snape; he knows how
Snape operates.

The only way that Snape could have speeded up the process would be to
give Harry the password as Harry requested, which I doubt that he has
permission to do (and in any case, Harry rushing up the stairs would
only meet DD coming down, which DD does anyway a very short time
later). Instead, Snape says, "The headmaster is busy, Potter," which
informs Harry that DD is indeed in his office and keeps him from
rushing off again in the wrong direction.

It's quite simple, really. Had Snape not come out of DD's office when
he did and kept him there by questioning him and seeming to disbelieve
what he said, Harry would have run to the staff room and missed DD
altogether. Harry *thinks* that Snape is thwarting him (as Snape
appears to be doing), but we already know that Snape is watching over
and protecting Harry even when it seems otherwise.

Step 1) Call him back from going the wrong direction.

Step 2) Detain him by questioning and seeming to doubt him.

Step 3) Inform him subtly that DD is in his office and prevent him
from running off on a wild goose chase.

Step 4) Step aside when the job is done and DD comes out.

Whether DD knew that Harry was out there and ordered Snape to detain
him or Snape acted on his own initiative, we have no way of knowing.
But it doesn't matter. Without Snape's seeming interference, Harry
would have run off to the staff room and missed DD altogether.

On a sidenote, I think Potiomcat suggested that this incident occurred
right after Snape had informed DD about his and Karkaroff's Dark Marks
growing darker (correct me if I'm wrong), but that can't be right.
That conversation occurred the night of the Yule and this incident
occurs at the start of summer term. I think that Snape reports
regularly to DD; we just don't see it happening most of the time.

Carol, who thinks that Snape is teasing* (definition 3a) or tormenting
Harry for a reason, just as he does near the beginning of HBP as he
escorts Harry to the Great Hall

* Tease <snip> 3 a: to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or
provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way  b: to annoy with
petty persistent requests: pester; also: to obtain by repeated coaxing
c: to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts:
coax  d: to manipulate or influence as if by teasing e: to make fun
of: kid <snip> Merriam-Webster Online