[HPforGrownups] Lily's Patronus (WAS: Re: Patronus question again)

[Christy]

No: HPFGUIDX 187201

Phyllis wrote:

<...when Harry views Snape's last memories in the Pensieve in DH, Snape casts his doe patronus in Dumbledore's
office and says something to the effect that it's the same patronus as
Lily's. So the implication is that Snape saw Lily cast her doe patronus
at some point during her lifetime.>

The passage reads:
"But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"
"For <i>him</i>?" shouted Snape. <i>"Expecto Patronum!"</i>
>From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
"After all this time?"
"Always," said Snape.
(DH, pg 687, Am Ed)

There is no indication that Snape saw Lily's patronus (and to my recollection we've never seen it or heard of it either) -- nor IMO does it matter one way or the other what her Patronus is. The point is the form his Patronus takes. IMO this passage implies that his Patronus takes its form because of his love for Lily (a love that remains "after all this time" and "always") and, also perhaps, because his time with her was when he was happiest. I think his regret over his part in her death and his sorrow over his loss also plays a part...making Snape's Patronus bittersweet.

The passage is important because it confirms to Harry that Snape helped him a few months ago in the forest and that Snape's feelings regarding Lily were geniune. (I doubt you can fake a Patronus.)

What I find interesting about this passage is Dumbledore's surprise over Snape's patronus and his surprise and sorrow over the longtivety of Snape's feelings -- he's used Snape's feelings towards Lily to manipulate him for years. Given that an order member can use his or her Patronus to communicate with other members, has Snape never had a reason to use his to communicate with Dumbledore? (I suppose that is possible.) In OOTP, Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape contacted Sirius in response to Harry's cryptic message while in Umbridge's office, and that order members have ways to communicate that are more reliable than the floo network. I assumed he meant that Snape sent a message via Patronus (after seeing Tonks do it in HBP and knowing that Dumbledore did it in GOF). If he used his doe Patronus to contact HQ to verify Sirius was OK, certainly someone noticed the relationship of doe to stag... Sirius might have and died before he had a chance to rib Snape
 about it or tell anyone (I can't imagine he would let that opporunity pass)...


      

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