[HPforGrownups] James, Sirius, Lupin, Snape

[wynnde1 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 48157

Maria asked,

> And another question concerning Lupin: why does Snape hate him? As far as 
> the Prank goes, Sirius is the one to blame, since it was him who actually 
> told Snape where to go to find Lupin. Snape's hate of James is also 
> understandable. But I can't understand why Snape hates Lupin. We haven't 
> heard Snape say about Lupin's behavior to him. 
> 
> Does he just really, really detest werewolves? Or does he hate "James and 
> everyone who was friends with him" up to the point where the hatred is 
> blind? Or did something else happen that we don't know about?
> 
> 

It's my opinion that Snape hated Lupin because for many years Snape believed 
Lupin *did* have had a part in the planning of the "prank." In the Shrieking 
Shack, Snape finds out that this belief was incorrect, and that Lupin was not 
in on the "prank" at all (from what we know in canon, it seems as though 
Sirius started it entirely by himself, telling no one else but James, who 
then ran in and saved Severus). So now Snape knows the truth - that Lupin 
wasn't at fault. But, being Snape, he is slow to let go of a grudge, which is 
(IMO) why he "outed" Lupin to the Slytherins, leading to Lupin's resignation. 
Of course, he might also feel that a werewolf who can't be trusted to take 
his potion every month is not an appropriate member of a boarding school 
teaching staff, and this was his way of making sure Lupin left. (Snape has a 
point there - Lupin did neglect to take his potion, and could have easily 
killed - or worse - a student. Even so, as I adore Lupin, I would have rather 
they found some other way around this - making sure he was locked away 
somewhere safe each month, for example). But, even though I adore Snape as 
well,  I don't think his primary reason was the safety of the students in 
this case <g>. I think he meant it as an attack on Lupin, for the many years' 
worth of resentment he'd held against him, even if it was based on a 
falsehood.

I hope there will come a time when Snape will be able to let go of this and 
perhaps he and Lupin will be able to be civil to one another (friendship may 
be asking a bit much <g>). Now he knows that he doesn't really have any 
reason to resent Lupin, I'm hoping his resentment will wear off eventually. 
Lupin strikes me as the sort of person who would be happy to let bygones be 
bygones with Snape, and offer his hand in friendship if an opportunity arose.

:-)
Wendy




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