Harry, Snape and Dementors WAS: Re: CHAPTER Chamber of Secrets Chapter 18:

[willsonteam]

No: HPFGUIDX 189350


 
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> Alla:
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> If Snape would have given Harry an Outstanding for acknowledging his method and still asked him to learn another one, different story.  As it is, I am doubting Snape's good faith.
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> He did not even acknowledge Patronus in theory. I am not asking him to show it in practice.

Potioncat:
I think this was quoted earlier, but here it is again chp 21:
Ron was now struggling to finish a viciously difficult essay for Snape that Harry and Hermione had already completed. Harry fully expected to receive low marks on his, because he had disagreed with Snape on the best way to tackle dementors, but he did not care; Slughorn's memory was the most important thing to him now.

We don't know what the outcome was for the essay. It was viciously difficult, so I'm pretty sure the title wasn't as simple as "Describe the Best Method for Tackling Dementors." Harry has chosen to include his opinion about Expecto Patronum over Snape's method. but even at that, the essay isn't the main thing on Harry's mind, he's more concerned about Slughorn's memory.

We don't know if Snape himself compared the two methods or simply taught one. We don't know what mark Harry was given, or if Snape commented in any way on the paper. At worst Harry must have gotten the score he expected--we don't read later that Snape gave him an Outstanding nor do we learn that he made an especially nasty remark or took any other notable action. We don't know if Harry's essay answered the question, or went off on a tangent. All we know is that Harry used the assignment to voice his opinion about the Patronum Charm.

Much earlier, in chp 9 (which is where we meet the Half-Blood Prince but we won't discover it till chapter 28)(why do I hear Belle singing?)

Sorry, in chp 9 Snape is teaching nonverbal spells. He attacks Harry who panics and casts a verbal Protego, sending Snape crashing into desks. Snape does not react, other than to comment that the spell was supposed to be nonverbal---and Harry is cheeky. Hermione, Ron and Seamus acknowledge it. So if Snape is not abusive in this situation, I don't see why he would be for the essay.


> Alla:
> 
> Heee, please do not go back to lurking. I am ready to agree that he knows a charm, but see to me it is one or another, either he is acting in bad faith toward Harry, RE: not acknowledging that method that works deserves a good grade OR he does not know it.
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> Quite frankly I am convinced that he is acting in bad faith, but I am willing to entertain the possibility that he does not know that.
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> Do you see the third possibility?

Potioncat:
I say, we only know what Harry expects. We don't know what happens and we don't know what Harry actually wrote. We may have our opinions about what went on, but we don't really know.

We also don't know of any of the other DA members felt compelled to comment on the Patronum Charm.

Part of what I'm saying is that if the purpose of the test was to show that the student had learned about the spells taught in class, then any essay about a different spell would be irrelevent. It's like in math class when a teacher teaches a specific method for doing problems and she wants the students to learn that method, she will not allow a different--though valid--method to be used.

But what I really got out of going back to canon was that Harry had  already completed his essay. Wow! What an improvement.

Oh, and I fully agree with Alla--Pat should not go back to lurking.
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