Snape flying away

[allthecoolnamesgone]

No: HPFGUIDX 187274

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:


 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.
> 

Karen

Interesting point, I don't see how Voldemort could have known that Snape was an Occlumens as I would imagine that he would not tolerate any hint of concealment from him amongst the Death Eaters. So it must have been a doubled skill not only concealing his mind but concealing the evidence of concealment. Stealth mode for the mind and emotions.

> 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. 

Well I have always thought of Occlumency as partly a character trait which is then enhanced with training, so like any talent really. I have wondered though whether Dumbledore gave Snape training in it once  he had 'turned' him. His survival after Voldemort's return to power was absolutely dependent on his ability to deceive him as to his true loyalty, which we know he only just succeeded in doing and even so Bellatrix still doubted it hence the Unbreakable Vow. However, before Lily's death and V's fall it may have been less pressured after all V 'knew' Snape was 'his' spy but also knew that Dumbledore thought he was 'his' spy on V. So what I am trying to say, not very clearly perhaps is that without the additional hatred of V which Lily's murder provided, Snape had less to conceal in the first War. However, we know from the Princes Tale that Dumbledore knew that V was likely to return and that he, Dumbledore, would need Snape as a spy in the future. So knowing that Snape now had a well of negative emotion towards V to conceal he would need occlumency to an even higher degree than previously. So I think Dumbledore may well have given Snape some intensive Occlumency training in the quiet years after V's disappearance. Even so the 'Are you ready, are you prepared?' at the end of TGoF betrayed anxiety over Snape's possible fate.

Just my thoughts of course.

> Carol, wishing as always that Snape could have developed his many talents without ever having joined the DEs
>
Oh me too. He was obviously PhD level in potions but had to spend his working day teaching 'dunderheads' instead of in research which was probably where his talents would have led him. I read an interesting thought in a Fanfic or on another forum, that his childhood poverty may well have meant he had a second-hand wand. This could have hidden his true ability in areas of magic where a wand was essential as the link with his wand would perhaps not have worked as well as with one which had 'chosen' him from new. However potions seems to rely on the innate power of the Wizard/Witch with less reliance on a wand, which allowed his true ability level to shine through in Potion-making.