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There's been a lot of interesting debate about the flying issue: did Voldemort teach Snape to fly, as McGonagall assumes, or was it Snape who taught Voldemort, as many Snape fans have suggested?
Leaning in favor towards the latter theory is the fact that Lily was able to fly as a child. Unaided flight is supposed to be impossible for wizards, so that would appear to be quite a remarkable feat, even if it was merely the sort of spontaneous wandless magic that young witches and wizards exhibit, that fades as they get older. At the time, Muggleborn Lily would not have realized that how remarkable this was, but Snape, having been raised by a witch mother, might have. I could see them having tried to develop a flying spell when they were older.
If they did begin researching such a spell while at Hogwarts, they probably weren't successful, since the spell doesn't seem to be common knowledge. Surely they wouldn't have been able to resist showing off such a spell, and we've never heard about anyone flying at Hogwarts during the Marauders era. Slughorn spoke effusively about what a talented Potions student Lily was--surely he would have mentioned if she had been able to do something as remarkable as flying without a broom. Surely Lily would have shared such a useful spell with her husband and maybe the other members of the Order.
So Snape and Lily probably didn't invent such a spell when they were teenagers. It is possible that they were able to make a few significant strides towards it, but were unable to perfect the spell before Lily severed their friendship. And afterwards, they abandoned their research and chose not to continue it singly, since it brought back too many painful memories.
However, it is possible that years later, while doing some unrelated research for either Dumbledore or Voldemort, Snape stumbled across something that helped him complete the flying spell. Then at some point, probably when he needed to curry favor with the Dark Lord, he gave the finished spell to Voldemort. Voldie doesn't seem like the type to give credit to others, so he doesn't broadcast that Snape is actually the one who invented the spell, and everyone assumes that he created it. Snape, playing the role of the loyal lackey, keeps quiet and lets Voldemort take the credit. (And even if the Death Eaters knew that Snape created the spell, Mcgonagall probably wouldn't have been privy to that information anyway.)
But...a big problem that I have with this scenario is that Snape regards his memories of Lily as something very painful and private and precious. Of course he wouldn't tell Voldemort about Lily's connection to the spell, but I can't see Snape sullying her memory by giving something that he associates with her to the Dark Lord. He would do it only as a last resort, if there was no other way to fulfill the promise that he'd made to Dumbledore, to protect Harry for Lily's sake.
And quite frankly, it seems like killing Dumbledore would be enough to win Voldemort's favor without needing to give him a flying spell, which is pretty cool but hardly vital to the Dark Lord's plans to take over the wizarding world and kill Harry.
I suppose that it's possible that Snape could have given the spell to Voldemort prior to Dumbledore's death, and that Voldie didn't have an opportunity to use it publicly until that scene in Book 7. Perhaps when Snape returned to the Death Eaters at the end of Book 4, Voldemort was extremely distrustful of him, and the spell helped win him a little goodwill. Still, it seems like a clever spy like Snape would be able to work his way back into Voldemort's trust without it, and if Voldemort was that mistrustful of Snape, I don't think that a nifty flying spell would be enough to ease his suspicions. Snape would have had to do something more direct to prove his loyalties: provide important information, and/or help take out some of his Order allies, as he claims to Bellatrix that he did in Book 6.
So perhaps Voldemort really did invent the flying spell (or rediscovered a long-forgotten spell), and gave it to Snape as a reward for killing Dumbledore. Or Snape was the one who created the spell and gave it to Voldemort, but it had nothing to do with Lily: it was something that he researched on his own, out of curiosity, or because he doesn't like using broomsticks. The Pensieve memory of him in Book 5 as a young boy on a bucking broomstick may be a hint that he isn't good at it, although he seems to have mastered the skill sufficiently enough as an adult to referee Quidditch games. Maybe the research into the flying spell originally started off as a way to compete with James: if Snape couldn't be a naturally talented broomstick rider like his rival, then he could have decided to one-up James and do something better--fly without a broomstick. But again, since he didn't show off the flying spell in school, he probably did not perfect it until years later, long after his rival was dead. By then it might have seemed pointless and a hollow victory, so he had no qualms about turning it over to Voldemort to gain some favor rather than keeping it for himself.
Or maybe it was something as simple and trivial as Voldemort expressing a whim for such a spell, and Snape set out to impress him by achieving the impossible. Or, as I suggested earlier, he came across the flying spell while doing research for something unrelated, and thought it might be useful.
Still, it does seem like a pretty big stretch of coincidence that Lily, Snape, and Voldemort are the only witches or wizards that we see who can fly without a broomstick, but I can't quite figure out how to connect the three in a way that makes sense.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3931239/1/F
This fanfic shows how Lily inadvertantly got teenage Severus interested in the possibility of unaided flight.
Alison
I have often wondered whether the reason Snape knew a counter-curse for Harry's 'bucking broom' in Bk1, might be because his own broom was once cursed with the same 'bucking' curse (the memory we see in Bk5).
If so, then he might develop the spell not just to 'impress', but as a back-up plan in case he's on a broom that starts bucking while he's in mid-air. We know Snape was allowed to avoid the raids in VW1, but once he kills Albus he knows he will no longer have an excuse and must be sent on raids. In fact, he supplies the info for a known attack in the 7 Potters.
Personally, IF I had watched someone else cursing a broom well enough that even a super-talented natural (like Harry) could not stay on AND I had once experienced a 'bucking broom' myself (and so knew exactly how difficult I would find it to stay on myself) - I would have begun (or restarted) research on learning to fly on my own right after the incident with Harry's broom.
IF not then, then surely as soon as I could after the game in which he refereed (and was almost knocked off his broom by Harry). To give him further impetus, he also probably saw Harry's fall from his broom when the dementors came too close during a game in Bk3.
Snape is after all, probably the only wizard who had seen Lily 'fly' as a child - even if it was only a kind of slowing down of gravity or a catching of the wind. So he would logically come to the conclusion that it must be possible - even if it was originally only a search for a way to slowly drift to ground after falling off a broom. -- Hwyla
Alison
But I also think that IF Snape did invent the 'flying' spell, then he would HAVE to hand it over to Voldy - just in case Snape ever DID need to use it himself. IF he did, then it wouldn't be very good to need to explain to Voldy just why he never 'shared'. So IF he invented it earlier, then he doesn't need to share it until after he killed Albus, when he knows he will suddenly be one of the DEs going out on raids (and just MIGHT get knocked off a broom)
Therefore IF Snape taught it to Voldy, then I think it happens between Bk 6 & 7.
PS - watch out for those sharp plot-bunny fangs! They can cut deep! -- Hwyla
Yes, that's an excellent reason for him handing the spell over to Voldemort, regardless of any sentimental feelings that he might or might not have about it.
I knew if I posed the question that my fellow Snapedom members would be able to come up with some great answers! ^_^
And indeed, that would make it all the more ironic that Snape later saves Harry from a similar curse.
Well, Hagrid said only powerful Dark magic could interfere with a broomstick. But since Hagrid was proven unreliable in plenty of other situations I wouldn't use that to rule out James and Sirius being the culprits - whether as capable of using such a spell or willing to do so if it were considered 'Dark'.
For instance, it just might be something Sirius had learned at home before coming to Hogwarts. I'm not convinced that Sirius was so strictly against his family for years and years before Hogwarts. Judging from Snape's memory, I think he was more just a rebel in search of a cause on that first train ride to Hogwarts.
And with an older cousin like Bella around? She finished Hogwarts just before Sirius began. It's possible he might have learned something of the sort from her.
Lastly, it might not be quite so strong of a protection on a broomstick IF it isn't up in the air. I might need to reread that memory of Snape's - I don't recall whether he was trying to keep from being thrown off the bucking broom or just trying to mount a bucking broom. It's possible that the protections kick in only when a broom is being ridden - especially if they get their energy source from the wizard riding the broom.
But why would a broom that wasn't cursed 'buck'? -- Hwyla
I personally it makes sense to me, and where I think it fits pretty much into canon, but that is just me. I it also brings up the issue of what is dark magic and why would being able to fly be considered dark? I think this is reason enough for Lily to not let others, besides Severus, know that she could fly.
But I came here to point out Northangel27’s LESS challenge on DA, which deals with the idea that Lily, taught Severus how to fly. There are many stories and art work that deal with this idea.
http://northangel27.deviantart.com/journ
Here is also another great piece of art on the subject.
http://community.livejournal.com/less_fo
http://northangel27.deviantart.com/jour
http://community.livejournal.com/less_f
And thanks for all the links! I'll check them out in more detail when I have time, but at first glance, those look like some wonderful pieces of art!
I think we can be absolutely certain Voldemort did not know how to fly before the end of the first war or he would have done it then, he was never the modest type. We also know he took Kreacher in the boat when he placed the locket in the cave, back in 1979, but he flew to the island in the cave when he came to check on the locket in DH. From his return to the 7P battle in DH I don't think there were opportunities where he could have flown rather than do whatever it was he was doing on camera - mostly we see or hear of him talking to people or torturing them. Does anyone think unaided flight would have been useful to him in either of the battle scenes in GOF or OOTP? And he escaped from the Ministry by Apparating, which was the logical move for the situation even if he knew how to fly. So he could have acquired the skill anytime after his return to his body.
If flying had anything to do with Lily than I can see only 2 reasons for Severus to teach it to Voldemort: the first is, as Hwyla mentioned, as a cover, so he could use it himself and not be accused of hiding things from his Master. The other is if Dumbledore found out about this skill and demanded that he share it with Voldemort. Why would Dumbledore make such a demand and when would he have made it? Consider how Voldemort uses flying: Mostly to make an impression of magical superiority as in the 7P battle. Also as a method of long distance transport when he is searching for the Elder Wand. And as a method of transportation in protected spaces such as his cave or Nurmegrad prison. I'd say only in the last of these three is unaided flying a clear advantage over Apparition or supported flying. So perhaps Dumbledore wanted Severus to keep Voldemort busy with something that has a lot of flare but very little pragmatic use. I would guess Severus would have been given the assignment of giving Voldemort flying lessons sometime after the end of OOTP (yes, in addition to watching Draco, teaching DADA to dunderheads for the first, and alas, last year ever and Head of house duties), when Dumbledore's first method of wasting Voldemort's time - dangling the prophecy as bait in front of him, failed.
If Voldemort taught unsupported flying to Severus, I don't think it was as reward for services rendered. While both Voldemort and DEs claim he rewards those who serve him, the only kind of rewards we have seen him give are the opportunity to make even greater sacrifices to him or rewards that backfire like Peter's hand, or, had things turned otherwise, Lily - had she lived she would have served as a hostage to keep Severus in line. If Voldemort taught Severus how to fly it was in preparation for his role as headmaster in a hostile school (just like he may have arranged for Severus to learn Occlumency in preparation for spying on Dumbledore). The purpose would have been to overcome Hogwarts' various protections - whether to allow Severus access to the headmaster's office before his formal appointment (we know the window was open - Hermione did summon those books) or to allow him a method to get quickly out of the anti-Apparition protections if Voldemort ever needed him to do so.
That's also a good point about Voldemort not being the type to give rewards to his followers. It does make more sense that he'd teach the spell to Snape for practical reasons.
He made a public promise in front of many DEs to reward the Lestranges when they were eventually freed from Azkaban. Where was their reward? They were sent on a mission again, Rodolphus was left to rot another year in Azkaban, Bellatrix was told she'd be dealt with later. I suppose being chosen for the most important mission that year was their reward, just like the headmastership was Severus'.
Maidofkent
And now everything was cool and dark: The sun was barely visible over the horizon as he glided alongside Snape, up through the grounds toward the lake.
(Note that Harry is so focused on Voldemort taking the wand that he completely forgets he just saw Severus flying.)
maidofkent
Maidofkent