First lesson WAS: Re: Marietta, was Slytherin's Reputation

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185851

jkoney
> <snip>
> It was Snape who matched Malfoy and Harry together instead of
letting Harry and Ron practice. <snip>

Carol responds:

Which was a good plan since Ron's wand was backfiring! And pairing
Harry with Draco gave Harry incentive to try harder than he would with
Ron.

I'm not sure about the Serpensortia spell, but it *may* have been
Snape's way of testing to see whether Harry was a Parselmouth. It
certainly served that purpose whether it was his intention or not. And
Snape easily Vanished the snake before it could do any harm.

In addition, had Snape not demonstrated Expelliarmus to the entire
Duelling Club, Harry might never have learned it. No DADA teacher,
including Lupin (who specialized in magical creatures) ever taught it,
nor does it seem like a spell that Harry would have needed for the TWT.

Like it or not, Harry owes his knowledge of Expelliarmus to Snape--and
Harry acknowledges as much in CoS.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," he says to
Lockhart after he's Disarmed him and Ron has caught the wand and flung
it out the window (CoS Am. ed. 298). Heck, he even calls Snape
"Professor"! 

Carol, who thinks that the duelling club is our first clue that Snape
is on Dumbledore's side for reasons that go far beyond repaying an old
debt to Harry's father