Snape Quote of the Week #20

  "It has happened," [McGonagall] told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."
  Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"
...
  The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.
  "So sorry--dozed off--what have I missed?"
  He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.
  "Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."
  Lockhart blanched.
  "That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
  "I--well, I--" sputtered Lockhart.
  "Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.
  "D-did I? I don' recall--"
  "I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"
~The Chamber of Secrets, Ch. 16 "The Chamber of Secrets"

I split this because I thought the parts in between were unimportant. The only reason I even included the first thing is because it got me curious... Isn't that a bit out of character for Snape? He doesn't often display fear... he usually keeps it cool. I'd figure that he'd get stony-faced at the most.

So what's got Snape so nervous? Do you suppose that there's a... specific girl he's worried about? J.K. Rowling said that she's going to reveal more information on the characters in Pottermore... Maybe there was someone besides Lily that Snape cared about. Who knows, maybe Rowling didn't intend any deeper meaning with this. But I'm going to interpret it that way.

And then the rest of it... is just hilarious. I've always hated Lockhart. From the moment he was introduced in Flourish and Blotts, I was like, "Ugh, he's such a pompous prat." And seeing Snape make snide remarks to him is awesome.