Yet Another Snape Theory

[alexpie at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 34759

Apologies if something similar has appeared; I have trouble reading the 
digest when it appears as a download.
  JKR stated that she envisioned Snape in SS as "35 or 36."  Now, then, that 
would make him about 14 years old at the time of Voldemort's rise to power.  
That, coupled with his knowledge of the dark arts upon his arrival at 
Hogwarts, leads me to believe that he came from a family of Death Eaters, a 
la Malfoy and his cohorts.  Thus, one could say he didn't necessarily make a 
conscious choice (except for the choice to leave V).  Another possibility is 
that he joined the Death Eaters in his late teens or early twenties (he had 
to have left by 24 or so, it was over when he was 25) to avenge the death of 
his parents, only to desert when he found Voldemort and his crew too 
reprehensible for him to deal with. That would explain a great deal of his 
bitterness (he has now joined the side that destroyed his family), and 
perhaps, his attraction/repulsion (I mean in a basic emotional, not 
romantic/sexual, sense) to Harry, who grew up under the cloud of parents 
being murdered as well.
  On another note, I was falling asleep on the couch last night when a brief 
news report aired about some grammar school children breaking out in 
rashes--I heard it as "breaking out in in rats," and was very disappointed 
when I realized it wasn't a report from Hogwarts...
 Ba (who was Barbara, until another Barbara joined the list, then Barb until 
another Barb joined the list, and will doubtless be just "B" soon.)


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