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

[Annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 185908

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Annemehr wrote:
<snip>
>  As far as we know, Protego doesn't protect you from
> animals.
> >


> Carol responds:
> Protego is a Shield Charm that "cast[s] a temporary invisible wall
> around [the caster] to protect him from minor curses" (GoF 608), 
<snip>


Annemehr:
Yes, that's what I was thinking of, when I considered the effect of 
the charm - a protection from curses.

Carol:
<snip>
> That the barrier
> created by Protego does more than block the "minor to moderate hexes
> and jinxes" mentioned by the Twins in connection with their Shield
> Cloaks and Shield Hats (HBP Am. ed. 119) is shown when Harry casts a
> Protego to protect Ron from Hermione in DH: 
> 
> "'Protego!' The invisible shield erupted between Ron and Hermione. 
the
> force of it knocked her backward onto the floor. . . . 'I knew you
> weren't dead,' bellowed Ron, . . . approaching as close as he could
> with the Shield Charm between them" (DH Am. ed. 580-81).
> 
> If neither Hermione nor Ron can get through the conjured wall 
between
> them, a conjured snake could not get through the conjured wall 
around
> Harry that would have been created had Lockhart told him how to 
cast a
> Protego.


Annemehr:
I completely forgot about that bit in DH.  Interesting.

So, I wonder if Snape could have used it to shield himself from 
Buckbeak at the end of HBP - or, can't you use it when you are 
moving, because then you'd just run into your own wall?  Or would it 
move along with you?  And I suppose it'd be against the rules to use 
it in Quidditch, where at least the keeper would find it very useful.


> 
> Carol, wondering what Annemehr thinks that Snape was "up to" given
> that we know he was protecting Harry
>

Annemehr:
Well, the scene just reads that way to me.  I am sure Snape noticed 
that Draco by this point could do some jinxes, e.g. the frying-pan 
one he'd just done, and that Harry hadn't managed to learn Protego 
from Lockhart.  So why would he feel the need to suggest one 
particular spell?

I am also pretty sure that Snape knew that Draco already knew how to 
do Serpensortia, because I can't believe he'd set Draco up there with 
only the *name* of a brand-new spell whispered in his ear, to go with 
against Harry.

It's completely possible that he taught Draco the spell himself, in 
anticipation of having him set the snake on Harry at the club 
meeting.  Because, if it was supposed to be a big coincidence that 
Draco just *happened* to send a snake at Harry the parselmouth, then 
Snape's whispered instructions to Draco are absolutely superfluous to 
the scene.

I.E., if it were only an accident that Harry faced a snake rather 
than something else, what difference would it make whose idea it was?

So, what was he up to?

If he was only trying to humiliate Harry, or to deflate his ego a bit 
(after that flying-car incident, you know), then any jinx would have 
sufficed, since Harry didn't know Protego.

The only thing that makes sense is that he was trying a little 
experiment to see whether he could evoke Parseltongue in Harry (in 
connection with Dumbledore's plan). Because, DD knew *who* was 
opening the Chamber; it was Tom Riddle all the time.  And Harry was 
someone with a connection to Riddle.

Annemehr