Foreshadowing dream?

[Mistress Siana]

By now we know that Harry's dreams are never unimportant but mostly kind of foretell things connected to Lord Voldemort. I'm reading PS/SS again, and noticed that during his first night at Hogwarts, Harry had the following dream:

He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier, he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggeled with it - then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, who's laugh became high and cold, there was a burst of green light, and Harry woke.

This dream actually contains quite a lot of foreshadowing - all of the element are connected to Voldemort, but at that time, Harry was unaware of that fact.

1) The high, cold laugh. It's chracteristic of Tom Riddle/Voldemort, but Harry didn't get to know it until years after that dream. Nobody else laughs that way.

2) Quirrell. At that time, Harry thought of Quirrell as a strange but rather friendly bloke. Yet he and his turban (!) appeared in that nightmare.

3) The burst of green light - Avada Kedavra.

4) The Slytherin destiny - the fact that Voldemort transferred some of his powers and qualities to Harry.

And then there's Snape. The dream was before Harry even talked to Snape, before he found out about Snape's hatred for him, before he suspected him, even before he knew Snape was head of Slytherin. So why that association? Does it have a meaning that Snape appears in a dream all the other elements of which are not only connected to Voldemort, but turn out to be threats to Harry? Is it just because Snape once was a Death Eater? Or can it be a sign that Snape's loyalities are not what they seem?
(Or am I reading too much into things?)

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Personally I think he was just full, tired, and was in a very deep sleep, but you never know with HP.
Anyhow, he's always had recurring dreams about bursts of green light, which we assumed were images from the night his parents were murdered. But maybe not, if your theory is right, he could be picturing the future? Hmm anyhow he probably had just thought that Quirrel looked funny in the turban earlier in Diagon Alley when they met. The Slytherin destiny thing, well he was afraid of being put into that houe because of the bad reputation, and had been worrying so badly about it before the sorting.
And just after the sorting, during the feast, didn't his and Snapes eyes meet, and he thought that Snape didn't like him very much.
I'm pretty sure it all adds up in a natural way, but who knows?

[carsten]

...Or can it be a sign that Snape's loyalities are not what they seem? (Or am I reading too much into things?)

Excellent point, keen observation.

I cannot add much to your idea, but I don't think JKR would lay out traces that early in the series. She would ask a little bit too much of her readers, if she gave clues for books 6+7 in book 1. So relax.

[Evil Wizard Petting Zoo]

I think the dream was important for the first couple of books, but I don't think it has much bearing on the main plot anymore. Although, the point about Snape's loyalties is pretty good. Personally, I think Ron is the key to the future. (Theres an old thread about that somewhere) I think Ron is going to be a Seer when he grows up maybe. But he does say things in passing that he means to be funny, and they turn out to be true. I know there's a lot of examples in that old thread, but the one I found was in CoS...The trio were discussing how Tom Riddle got his award for services to the school and Ron says jokingly, "maybe he got it for killing Moaning Myrtle" and Tom Riddle did in fact kill Myrtle!!!

[carsten]

...Personally, I think Ron is the key to the future. (Theres an old thread about that somewhere) I think Ron is going to be a Seer when he grows up maybe. But he does say things in passing that he means to be funny, and they turn out to be true. I know there's a lot of examples in that old thread, but the one I found was in CoS...The trio were discussing how Tom Riddle got his award for services to the school and Ron says jokingly, "maybe he got it for killing Moaning Myrtle" and Tom Riddle did in fact kill Myrtle!!!

Haven't heard about this one! The more I think about it, the better it sounds!

Another sign for your theory: His strong resentment against Trelawney. If he is gifted for beeing a seer, he should at least sub-conciously know about it. A false seer should get very much on his nerves.

Can you remember Ron's reaction to Firenze? They should find some common ground, if you are right.