[HPforGrownups] Snape questions

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 192763

On 4/2/2015 3:48 AM, liz.treky at ntlworld.com [HPforGrownups] wrote:
> Voldemort was said to be the most power legilimens, yet Snape could 
> apparently easily fool him into thinking he was on his side. Snape 
> said in lessons with Harry to control his mind/emotions, so how hard 
> for Snape was it to have to work with the guy who killed Lily? I 
> seriously think that is why he came across so cold and uncaring to 
> everyone.
> Also, Snape was no fool, he must have known Voldemort wanted full 
> control of the Elder wand, so had he just accepted he would be killed 
> (very unlikely for a Sytherin), or was his death an easy option for JK 
> Rowling considering public opinion by that time.
>

  Bart:
Many indications were given that Snape had magical talent and ability on 
the same class as DD and Morty, better in some ways (notably his 
understanding of potions) and less in others. Ever hear of the 
unstoppable force meeting the immovable object? Snape was a brilliant 
occlumens, and Morty was overconfident. So, as long as Snape remained 
clever and always had a believable explanation for Voldemort's question, 
he didn't examine too carefully whether or not Morty was telling the 
truth. One problem with Snape was that he expected his students to be as 
hard-working and careful as he was. With many students, it caused them 
to work harder to try to meet Snape's expectations With others, like 
Neville, his methods broke their confidence so much that they worked at 
well below their potential.

As far as the Elder Wand goes, the game of "Wand, wand, who's got the 
wand" was probably more complicated than it needed to be. But the owner 
of the wand didn't have to be killed in order for control to pass, only 
defeated (like Grindy or, for that matter, DD, who was disarmed by Draco 
before he was killed by Snape, passing control of the wand to Draco, not 
Snape).

A lot of readers were disappointed that JKR didn't have a "good 
Slytherin" student, one who took the attitude, "That Quidditch stuff is 
just games, Harry. This is REAL." Still, there WAS Slughorn; highly 
ambitious, willing to manipulate people to get what he wanted, but, in 
the Battle of Hogwarts, also willing to put himself at risk fighting 
against Morty's forces.

Bart
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