Snape wasn't even looking at them at the time. It's possible he was entirely unaware of their presence nearby.
The quotes regarding Legilimency and Occlumency that I've found online and in the passages I remembered and went searching for are rather vague. Severus waxes lyrical about what Legilimency isn't and makes only sweeping generalisations about what it is. Harry describes images 'racing through his mind like a flickering film' when Snape is riffling through them. The descriptions of what Harry sees when Snape looks into his mind could be any POV, but when he accidentally breaches Snape's mind it's unmistakably 3rd person.
Snape seems to suggest that the Legilimens can use the emotional reactions of the victim to hone in on particular memories. For example, if they start to feel panicked, the memory which initiated that feeling is likely to be worth a look. I suppose that could indicate that a Legilimens can detect current emotional changes, if not the emotions that were experienced at the time the memory was made. This still gives a good opportunity for additional insight, as the replaying of the memory is likely to stir up current emotions in the victim. I think I'll cling to this theory!
It could be deduced that J.K wanted Snape to be vague about the precise nature of Legilimency and Occlumency to add to Harry's frustration during lessons. He expects a lot from him without giving him much to work with. The more I delve though, the more I wonder if the main purpose of the ambiguity was to give J.K extra wiggle room when answering difficult questions from the fans like me who read too far into fictional things x)
Thank you for pitching in! You've prompted some interesting new thoughts.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-02-15 02:53 am (UTC)The quotes regarding Legilimency and Occlumency that I've found online and in the passages I remembered and went searching for are rather vague. Severus waxes lyrical about what Legilimency isn't and makes only sweeping generalisations about what it is. Harry describes images 'racing through his mind like a flickering film' when Snape is riffling through them. The descriptions of what Harry sees when Snape looks into his mind could be any POV, but when he accidentally breaches Snape's mind it's unmistakably 3rd person.
Snape seems to suggest that the Legilimens can use the emotional reactions of the victim to hone in on particular memories. For example, if they start to feel panicked, the memory which initiated that feeling is likely to be worth a look. I suppose that could indicate that a Legilimens can detect current emotional changes, if not the emotions that were experienced at the time the memory was made. This still gives a good opportunity for additional insight, as the replaying of the memory is likely to stir up current emotions in the victim. I think I'll cling to this theory!
It could be deduced that J.K wanted Snape to be vague about the precise nature of Legilimency and Occlumency to add to Harry's frustration during lessons. He expects a lot from him without giving him much to work with. The more I delve though, the more I wonder if the main purpose of the ambiguity was to give J.K extra wiggle room when answering difficult questions from the fans
like mewho read too far into fictional things x)Thank you for pitching in! You've prompted some interesting new thoughts.