Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

I'm halfway through re-reading CoS and there's something that I haven't noticed before. When the trio brews Polyjuice Potin, they steal from Snape's private stores, yet he doesn't say anything. In GoF he notices ingredients missing and knows exactly what those ingredients are used for and he confronts Harry. How come in CoS he doesn't? Or if he does, he doesn't say anything. Could it be because there were less ingredients missing in CoS and he didn't notice?

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

He had no proof in CoS and nothing to go on.

In GoF he was missing Gillyweed, which he knew Harry had used in the tournament and would not be able to locate with any kind of ease, since it was pretty rare, and most likely no one else needed it besides Harry. Plus he was missing Polyjuice Potion ingredients, and he knew the trio had stolen those in the past.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

He might not have thought any Second Years were capable of brewing Polyjuice Potion, so, possibly, the Trio slipped under the radar. That was an extremely advanced and difficult potion to brew.

I keep wondering why he thought Harry needed Polyjuice Potion. Did he think Harry was going to transform himself for one of the tasks?

(An aside: notice the difference in the Polyjuice Potion in CoS and both GoF and DH 1? No way that goop Hermione mixed up would be able to be drunk from Moody's flask.)

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

In GoF, it was Moody who was stealing from Snape's stores. He had to be taking a lot, because he needed to make enough Polyjuice Potion to take it once an hour throughout the day, every day that he would be seen in public. Whereas in CoS, Hermione stole just enough to make one batch to use once.

So my take is that Snape did not notice the theft from his stores in CoS, but realized by the end of the book that the Trio had made Polyjuice, and connected it to the fireworks incident (Cat!Hermione was something I presume he heard about, she missed classes because of that incident). Since this latter incident was considerably later, it was late to confront Harry. But in GoF when he did notice, he therefore assumed the Trio were at it again.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

well it could be, but I don't think that would have stopped Snape from confronting Harry. He was a smart man, he would have put two and two together and realized that Herry threw the firework in Goyle's cauldron so that Ron or Hermione could sneak and steal the ingredients. We are shown that he suspected Harry of throwing the firework in the first place. I think, in his mind at least, it was proof enough to at least confront Harry.

I doubt that. He knew Hermione well enough to know she'd be paying attention in class. I don't think he would have taken them out of the equation so easily. But it's possible none the less.

Ah yes! I had forgotten about Hermione. Surely he would have recognized the signs (he might have even brewed a potion to help de-hair her). It would have been proof enough that they had stolen from him even if he hadn't noticed the ingredients missing before. So why didn't he say anything? He never just overlooks stuff like that, not without a good reason anyway. He always takes any opportunity to get Potter in trouble.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Sure, but perhaps he didn't know why Harry threw the firework, until Hermione's furry little problem, and he then realized those ingredients were missing.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Don't we see Severus zapping flies with his wand while at home in TPT? His mother can (and is allowed to) perform magic, can't she? From what I understand, the Ministry wouldn't be able to distinguish who is doing what–or have I misread that?

We don't see any other textbook that belonged to Severus, so we don't know that they weren't covered by notes as well.

Snape obviously excelled at Potions, but wasn't his first application to teach at Hogwarts for the DADA position? He was probably about 21 at the time. The fact that he could even be considered for that position at such a young age indicates to me he would have been an exceptional student in many subjects while attending Hogwarts. He's making his own spells by sixth year at the latest. Not even Hermione does that. In fact, the only other student we are shown that is so creative at that age is Dumbledore himself.

Also, at around 21, Severus has enough talent and skill at Occlumency to deceive Voldemort (who’s been practicing Legilimency for decades by that time.) He seems to have a firm grip on the healing arts as well. And Snape is the only Hogwarts teacher that we know of that taught more than one subject.

Absolutely agree. From the little that we see, it is quite clear to me that Snape experienced substantial emotional abuse and neglect. He basically had to raise himself. His experiences outside his family apparently were just as dismal. It’s extraordinarily difficult to make the right choices in such circumstances.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Even if so, why didn't he say anything? It's not in his character. He might as well have started congratulating Harry for disobeying the rules

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

All spells performed don't trip the MoM's system, I think. Tonks packing for Harry would be one example. Sending out little sparks to zap flies would be another. However - a curse would set off the alarm. And i don't think a witch is allowed to perform magic in front of a muggle, even if they are married.

You're right - I'm not sure I understand that, either.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Snape was a bit passive-agressive. I'm sure he felt he got back at them in his own way, even if he didn't have concrete evidence for issuing detentions. He was bizarrely fair in that way. I don't recall Harry ever getting a detention from Snape that he actually didn't deserve.

Could Eileen perform magic when Tobias was out of the house? Weren't Lily's and Hermoine's parents allowed on Platform 9-3/4? And in Diagon Alley? If the Muggles know about the Wizarding World, wouldn't performing magic in front of them be rather a moot point?

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

I don't find Snape passive-aggressive. He was quite direct. I think he had evidence enough for detention what with Hermione's furry little problem. He usually would have at least tried to get them in trouble with Dumbledore.

That is strange...why weren't they allowed to perform magic in front of Muggles that already knew about magic. It's quite redundant. I don't think that the MoM would have interfered if Snape were to practice a few spells while he was at home. The only problem is he didn't have a wand before going to Hogwarts so the only way would be if he used his mom's wand. I think that's where the problem lies.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

:lol: But isn't it suggested that the finished potion (i.e. one with the personal "ingredient" of the one to be imitated) can vary in flavor and appearance? Like in CoS Hermione's glass of potion turned "sick sort of yellow." Then we find out the others were "the khaki color of a booger" and "a dark, murky brown."

More interestingly though, then it says Harry was "careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion..." which suggests that although the "mother potion" had a mud-like viscosity, whatever it became with the addition of Goyle was at least possible to spill, if not quite so easily.

It's too bad we don't have a Professor Snape here to discuss exactly what the explanation is, but I think based on his own modifications of formulae in his potions book, and say, on the presumptive differences between Hermione's reasonably good draught of living death and Harry's excellent one (hers having been purple earlier, Harry's having turned pink, and remaining the palest one in the class), there's no hard-and-fast rule for what physical properties a potion will have.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

His spying on Voldemort would indicate passive-agressive tendencies. Could you really see a straitforward personality (such as Sirius') capable of such a feat? After Harry's disasterous incursion into Snape's pensieved memories, Harry is surprised that in his next potions class Snape completely ignores him. Until the end when Snape "accidently" destroys Harry's assignment and gives him a zero for it. Very passive-agressive.

Not that he is always that way, which is why I said "a bit". Mostly he is quite direct. And I don't recall him trying to get Harry in trouble with Dumbledore very often--he usually handles it himself. If my memory holds (that could be doubtful) the only time he appeals to DD against the Trio is at the end of PoA.

And he might just have used his mother's wand on occasion. I wouldn't put it past such a clever (and desperate) boy. We also see Snape perform wandless magic on several occasions--could that be something he started developing before attending Hogwarts?

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

I don't believe Snape destroyed Harry's potion. I think it's more likely that Harry set the potion on the edge of the desk and it fell off. Harry was in a lot of emotional turmoil at the time and not paying much attention to things. I can't see Snape being unprofessional enough to destroy a student's school assignment. And when he removes points and gives detention, there's no question about why this is being done - he says so.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

If I remember correctly, he appealed to Dumbledore at least on one more occasion in CoS. And it's not necessary to be passive-aggressive in order to have control over your mind. So yes I think a straightforward person could very well be an outstanding Occlumens. He was an introvert and I think that was a great help with his Occlumency skills but there is a difference between passive-aggressive and introvert behavior. However let's say he was 'a bit' passive-aggressive, (I still don't think so though :rolleyes: maybe he had such behavior at times but not so often as to call it a character trait) that still doesn't really explain why he didn't do anything about the Polyjuice potion. He's no even shown doing anything slightly nastier than usual to the trio and I think that stealing wasn't on his list of things to accept from students.

Well I don't know how he would have gotten his hands on his mother's wand without her noticing and practice with it while she was at home. (I assume she didn't leave home without her wand) but it is possible. He was a Slytherin after all :D

That's a very interesting idea. I haven't thought about that. Maybe he could have although you'd have to be a very powerful wizard to do such a thing (not that he wasn't) so I don't know if a 10 year old with no magical training whatsoever (except perhaps books) could do wandless magic. I mean he certainly could, all magical children do it, but I mean control it as well.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Not sure Sirius is an example of a straightforward personality. IMO having self control was the key to being a good Occlumens.

I don't think you can learn wandless magic from books. Its possible that Snape had some sort of control on doing magic without a wand before coming to Hogwarts like Tom Riddle but I doubt it was something he learned from a book. I'd imagine it was something he figured out himself.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Arg! Of all the days to forget the ipod with my audiobooks on it! :grumble:

I remember an instance when he comments on Harry's potion being bad and gave him zero marks and then vanished the potion so that harry couldn't fix it, thereby not having any way to achieve any marks on the potion.

I recall this moment in terms of Umbridge's inspection of Snape though, not Harry's having just seen SWM. Perhaps I'm not remembering correctly. =^/

There absolutely is a difference, and I, at least, never meant to imply that only introverts are capable of being passive-aggressive. Introverts and extroverts are equally capable. I also don't think whether he was passive-aggressive has any bearing on his ability at occlumens. His introverted nature, as you say, was probably a bigger contributor in that ability.

I think there's enough evidence to say it was apart of his personality. Was it a dominant part such as his introvertism? Maybe not. But it was there. You don't have to be passive-aggressive 24/7 to be considered a passive-aggressive person. It just has to be prevalant enough for people to notice and/or comment on it.

(IMO, everyone is passive-aggressive to a certain extent)

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Yes, exactly and that's why I think that in order to say that someone is passive-aggressive it ought to be a more dominant trait. Otherwise the whole population of the world is passive-aggressive. I don't think Snape was generally passive-aggressive person, sure he showed such behavior on some occasions but we all do.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

Snape couldn't repair the vial and return Harry's potion to it? He couldn't look at the potion on the floor and grade it right then? I absolutely hate when he does things like this, but he does do them and at times he is so very childish. I chalk it up to his putting any emotional growth or self-examination on hold in order to prepare himself to fight Voldemort and to protect Harry. I so wish he had survived and been given a chance to move on with his life--as I believe Dumbledore had wanted and planned for him to do.

So it's not a constant thing--he mostly handled it himself.

And I didn't mention anything about Occlumency, although Snape did need that ability when spying on Voldemort and a straitforward personality could indeed have some abilities as an Occlumens. But I think spying in general (even for Muggles) takes somewhat of a passive-agressive personality to be as successful as Snape was at it. The very nature of spying is passive-agressive: pretending to be someone and something else in order to uncover information that will result in the destruction/downfall of the person you are spying upon.

As MerryLore suggests, I just don't think he had enough evidence to officially do anything. As far as us seeing a nasty response from him, I think it safe to assume that it could have happened whithout us being specifically shown--if it doesn't move the plot along, JKR doesn't include it per se.

I turned out to be a very early riser (4 or 5 am without an alarm.) You have no idea what I got away with before my parents woke up!

Actual curses I think he would have learned from his mother’s books. Wandless magic he may have discovered and experimented with on his own.

Whatever you say, dear.

Re: Severus Snape: Character Analysis Reboot v.6
 

I can't actually think of any other case where Snape confronts Harry about something retroactively. In GoF quite possibly the theft is very recent. Various other confrontations I can think of are about things as they happen or immeidately after, like Harry's head being in Hogsmeade. :D So to me, the circumstances seem diffferent enough to explain the different reaction.

Or possibly, he figures in CoS that the Trio learned their lesson from Hermione's mishap.