Lily's Patronus (WAS: Re: Patronus question again)

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 187204

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Christy <keywestdaze at ...> wrote:


> 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.


zanooda:

It's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it :-)? It's not like DD had to mention Lily every time he needed something from Snape :-).


> Christy wrote:  

> 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? 


zanooda:

I think DD knew Snape's Patronus very well, I just believe that his "After all this time?" has a little different meaning. I suppose DD assumed that Snape's feelings grew colder with time (which doesn't necessarily means that his patronus would change), like feelings are supposed to do :-). He was touched and surprised when Snape showed him, using his Patronus, that he still cared about a woman who died 15 years ago.



> Christy wrote: 

> 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 


zanooda:

Yeah, me too :-). I suppose, Snape sent his doe to Sirius anonymously, like he sent her to Harry, without speaking. He could send her just to have a look around the house to find out if Sirius is there and not to talk to him. Just a few days ago someone on a Russian forum said that Sirius would have probably died on the spot from a heart attack if this beautiful and gentle doe suddenly gave some sarcastic remark in Snape voice: "While you are drinking here, Black ..." :-).


> Christy wrote:

> If he used his doe Patronus to contact HQ to verify Sirius 
> was OK, certainly someone noticed the relationship of doe to 
> stag... 


zanooda:

More than that, some of the Order members would know and remember Lily's Patronus... . Snape contacted the HQ twice, first time just to check on Sirius, and Sirius was the only one there at the time. Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione went to the forest with Umbridge, and Snape waited for them to come back. When they didn't return, he suspected that Harry found a way to get to London, so he contacted the HQ again. This time there were indeed several Order members there and they all went to the Ministry. But I think that this time Snape could have used Umbridge's fireplace, for example, because her office would be empty.