Lots of Sevvie / Harry's new pet

[catlady_de_los_angeles]

No: HPFGUIDX 37858

The good captain Tabouli wrote:

<< the Captain turns a baleful eye onto the Catlady, who appears to 
have the impression that Snape would have had to fall in love with 
Lily at 11. She shakes her head firmly, and sits the Catlady down for 
a stern word. >>

Actually, I'm a feline stowaway on SS LOLLIPOPS; I was very much 
touched by the good captain's kindness in fixing up a nice ELF TABBY 
sleeping basket for me in the corner of the sitting room of the 
FLIRTIAC suite, but I don't believe in either LOLLIPOPS or FLIRTIAC. 
Strolling arrogantly down the gangway with my tail elegantly waving, 
as if leaving were entirely my own idea, I meow an explanation that I 
don't believe in Severus/Lily, even tho' it would tidily explain 
almost all the plot, because I am quite convinced that Severus is gay 
(and *suffering* from internalized homophobia). Not interested in 
marrying Lily OR Florence Norris Filch. Btw look how he choked down a 
laugh over Filch's hysteria when Mrs. Norris was petrified. And I 
just have the feeling that Filch never knew Mrs. Norris when (if) she 
was human. 

<< In an interview with JKR, I'm pretty sure she said that there are 
no wizard primary schools, and that purebloods are home-schooled. >>

<< If [Severus] did go to some form of primary school, it sounds to
 me like his first priority was not to excel at his schoolwork and 
beat his classmates, but to get revenge on whoever has mistreated him 
enough to warrant learning that many curses. >>

I checked both the Lexicon and the Goat Pad and I can't find anything 
from JKR on the subject of how wizard kids get their primary 
education. Therefore, I choose to believe that some are home-schooled 
and some go to smallish primary schools, run by entrepreneurial 
witches, and that young Severus was one who went to a primary school. 

I believe that Severus is a pureblood from an old wizarding family 
with a family tradition of being interested in Dark Arts (IMHO, they 
contributed a few fine DADA professors to Hogwarts over the 
centuries). (A commoner family, like the Weasleys, not a noble family 
like the Malfoys, but a commoner family can acquire quite a few books 
and antiques when they live in the same house for a thousand years.)

His parents found him exceedingly boring; they had never wanted 
children, but felt a duty to have one son to carry on the family 
name. I have a very strong belief that young Severus learned all 
those curses (from books in his parents' library) because the only 
time his parents ever showed any approval of him was when they found 
him studying and learning curses -- I think he had learned quite a 
few before he even started primary school. 

I believe that he was seeking approval and triumph, not vengeance, 
until he'd had a few run-ins with the other kids at primary school. 
This is what I think, even if it can be argued that I am merely 
projecting my own experience of inept but not abusive parents and 
definitely abusive primary school classmates. 

<< However, mysteriously enough, Sirius makes no mention of Snape 
cursing them in high school. Instead, he describes Snape as acting 
entirely within the rules and snooping around trying to get them 
expelled. >>

I think that students cursing other students isn't against the rules 
as long as no one gets killed or permanently seriously damaged: who 
would want to admit that they had fallen for an ambush when they 
could instead claim to have been practising duelling? 

Abigail wrote:

<< I can certainly imagine a situation in which Snape sees that a 
Slytherin student (Draco or C&B, or anybody else) is teetering over 
the edge and just needs a bit of a push to come back to the light 
side - but of course Snape can't give that push because he doesn't 
dare risk his mission. There are greater things at stake than one 
kid's soul, right? I think this    might be a major dilemma for 
Snape, pitting his duties as head of house against his duties to 
Dumbledore and the greater good. >>

He *could* tip off Dumbledore to send someone else (ideally, a 
Slytherin Old Boy or Old Girl) to recruit the wavering Slyth kid to 
the Light Side.

Caroline USC wrote:

<< so I was wondering if ya'll had ideas about what types of pets 
might be particularly useful to Harry? >>

It has been suggested that Harry's new pet will be a Big, Black Dog! 

Btw, USC South Carolina or USC Southern California?