Snape flying away

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 187248

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "allthecoolnamesgone" <allthecoolnamesgone at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Susan Curcio <susanfullin@> wrote:
> >
> > In DH30, Snape crashed through a window to escape the irate Profs.   Mcgonagall says "he learned a few tricks from his master". This means he knew how to fly like LV, not that he was an animagus, right?
> > 
> > Susan
> >
> 
> Karen
> 
> That's the way I have always read it. There are passages in DH where Harry 'sees' Voldemort flying without a broom. It must have been a particular mark of Voldemort's favour for him to show Snape how to do it or maybe an indication of how powerful Snape was that he was able to do it. There is no evidence Dumbledore ever flew without a broom, Hagrid referred to his use of Thestrals when he needed transport. 
> 
> Perhaps the spell was sufficiently 'dark' or difficult to restrict its use. After all Apparition was sufficiently difficult and dangerous to require a test so unassisted flying was I assume way beyond that level.
>
Carol adds:

Our only "authority" here is McGonagall, who assumes that Professor Snape learned to fly from his "master," but she also assumes that Snape is a murderer and a loyal DE. So the unanswered question is whether she's right. If Voldemort taught Snape--and only Snape, AFAWK--to fly, why would he do so? Why would he want a second in command with powers resembling his own, especially given the likelihood (in his view) that any new favorite would fail him and fall out of favor as Lucius Malfoy had done? If Voldemort had known that Snape was such a superb Occlumens that he could "hoodwink the Dark Lord" (as Snape expresses it to Bellatrix), he would not have been pleased. He would not have tolerated a potential rival.

That being the case, I'm inclined to think that Snape taught himself to fly, just as he apparently taught himself Occlumency. When and how, I have no idea. The only foreshadowing we have is the constant bat imagery applied to Snape. Other than that, his ability to fly (which he did not demonstrate during the Seven Potters chase) comes out of nowhere.

Carol, wishing as always that Snape could have developed his many talents without ever having joined the DEs