Not a Harry Dream

[Catlady]

No: HPFGUIDX 11648

Unlike others, I STILL haven't dreamed about the Harryverse.  But I did
think up some things while in the process of falling asleep last night.
I meant to include them in one of my previous two posts, but forgot.

The Malfoy family arms (this is all according to ME): the device is not
Slytherin's green field and silver serpent, but it is similar: on a
silver field, a green serpent twining around a black sword and dripping
venom on it. The supporters are (dexter) a man all covered with flames
(good, detailed, art shows the look of agony on his face: he's being
burnt alive. More careless depictions just look like a devil) and
(sinister) an angel -- you know, white feathery wings, white robe,
handsome face, blond hair -- and careful depiction shows that the dagger
in his hand is dripping blood from having just stabbed someone's back.
I'm not sure about the crest (the image on top of the helmet) and the
motto. Suggestions?

While at it, I decided that the old and distinguished Snape family also
claims to be descended from Salazar Slytherin, via Slytherin having
seduced one of Hufflepuff's students, who was as beautiful as she was
stupid. When she was expelled from school for being pregnant, she
refused to tell who was the father. Her family was very angry with her
but still tried to find SOMEONE willing to marry her, and was lucky
enough to find an ugly but rich old man who had a large family of sons
from his first wife, and therefore did not need a faithful wife to give
him heirs, but wanted a beautiful concubine for his lechery.  The little
girl was named Salacia and grew up with the rich old man as her
stepfather, and grew up to be as beautiful as her mother and as
intelligent as her biological father. When she had reached the age to
start falling in love, a travellin' man came along, a wizard of fortune
named Severus. Salacia and Severus fell in love, forged a will making
her the heir of her stepfather, killed the old man (who deserved it),
killed any other family members who were inclined to contest the
(forged) will, got married, and had a son named Salazar, thus beginning
a thousand year tradition of Snape first born sons being named
alternately Salazar and Severus. The family name "Snape" came from Snape
Farm, the part of the estate that Severus II son of Salazar son of
Salacia kept for himself when dividing the property with his siblings...
When our Severus got old enough (7 or 8 years old) to read the big
ancient books in his father's library, he found that what his parents
had told him (above) was the cleaned-up version.  There was a lot more
incest and fratricide in the tale as told in those books. This confirmed
the theory he had already formed, that his ancestors were as loathsome
as his parents.

Just being prosperous farmers with a lot of books used not to be enough
to deserve a coat of arms. The Snapes gave themselves one that is not
only unofficial, but against the color rules: Slytherin's silver serpent
on a black saltire (an X cross) on a green field. Once I consulted a
dictionary and found that 'saltire', like 'saltation', comes from the
Latin word for 'to jump'.

Many many thanks to Amanda for explaining Device, Supporters, Crest, and
Motto to the multitudes. Amanda, I think that the parti-colored
backgrounds of the House banners shown on the calendar are a poor
ignorant American's take on 'diapering', which I recall Fox-Davies
having explained as enlivening a solid color field with a small, subtle,
repeat design, like little tiny flowers on a field vert.

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