That’s possible too, I guess, but it’d be rather hypocritical on Harry’s part given how insistent he is, in the very same conversation, about clearly distinguishing between observation and inference.
Reasonably sure Eliezer did that intentionally. It’s very much his style.
Edit: This whole idea is a joke on the reader as well. So you’re convinced Snape is S and Dumbledore is Santa Claus? But all you observed was Snape burning some letters that could help Hermione, and Dumbledore saying “you know me too well” (note: not a real admission).
(Of course, considering prior probabilities shows that these doubts would be unreasonable. But the same holds for the first letter-writer being the same person as Santa Claus. All told, it looks like Eliezer’s poking fun at Harry’s “Observations, not inferences!!” diktat.)
Reasonably sure Eliezer did that intentionally. It’s very much his style.
Edit: This whole idea is a joke on the reader as well. So you’re convinced Snape is S and Dumbledore is Santa Claus? But all you observed was Snape burning some letters that could help Hermione, and Dumbledore saying “you know me too well” (note: not a real admission).
(Of course, considering prior probabilities shows that these doubts would be unreasonable. But the same holds for the first letter-writer being the same person as Santa Claus. All told, it looks like Eliezer’s poking fun at Harry’s “Observations, not inferences!!” diktat.)