Snape/Petunia Connection [was Snape's "Mind Set"]

[Moonstruck]

No: HPFGUIDX 44344

All right, Amy Z. and I have discussed this thoroughly
;-P and hopefully, I can make this clear enough
without making myself look completely moronic:

My mom and I were fooling around with some of the
names and found this interesting possible clue:

PETUNIA EVANS
 
SEVERUS SNAPE
 
Okay, remove the letters in "SNAPE" from "PETUNIA
EVANS." Then, remove the letters in "EVANS" from
"SEVERUS SNAPE."
 
You'll find that if you rearrange the remaining
letters, you get the names "PETUNIA" and "SEVERUS."
 
Go ahead. Give it a try -- it really works!

Now, as Amy Z. pointed out to me, the kind of letters
used in the names make it such that removing the last
names would logically *have* to leave us with the
first names. That, though, is exactly why I'm
suspicious. 

It simply seems too coincidental that these names are
so similar that they produce this kind of strange word
puzzler. I've tested many other pairs of names from
the books and never found such a tidy "message" as I
do here. Nor can I think of two names in the books
that are so similar that this kind of thing can be
accomplished.

Consider this:

"SEVERUS" and "PETUNIA" both consist of 7 letters.

"SNAPE" and "EVANS" both consist of 5 letters

"SNAPE" and "EVANS" are essentially the same name
rearranged, minus the "P" in "SNAPE" and the "V" in
"EVANS," conveniently enough, however, the "P" in
"SNAPE" can be found in "PETUNIA" and the "V" in
"EVANS" can be found in "SEVERUS."

We *technically* don't yet know that Petunia's maiden
name is Evans. We've always known her as "Petunia
Dursley." Thus, a Snape-Petunia connection hasn't been
hinted at until after the fourth book (in a Rowling
interview). This seems to make sense, because it's not
something Rowling would want us to suspect right away.


And one could assume that the surname "EVANS," a
rather commonplace, inauspicious name, is simply an
arrangement of the letters needed to make this
Snape-Petunia name connection possible -- just as "TOM
MARVOLO RIDDLE" is a rearrangement of the phrase "I AM
LORD VOLDEMORT."

Consider, also, that Snape and Petunia have
disturbingly similar dispositions toward Harry. They
are both disparaging of him to an almost abusive
degree. They both seem to take out their negative
emotions toward James and Lily -- though especially
James -- on Harry (who looks so much like James). 

And we have yet to be given a truly convincing reason
for their extreme and emotional dislike of Harry. We
suspect Petunia was jealous of Lily, either for her
skills as a witch or the praise apparently heaped on
her by Lily and Petunia's parents (or some other
reason Rowling hasn't hinted at yet). 

But Snape's jealousy of James Potter doesn't quite
fittingly explain his outsized hatred of Harry. We
know it wasn't the "joke" that caused his distaste for
James -- Snape hated him before then, as evidenced by
Dumbledore's comment in SS/PS that Snape "couldn't
bear being in your father's debt" and that Snape saved
Harry so that "he could go back to hating your
father's memory in peace." (300)

If Snape was related to Petunia and, thus, Lily
perhaps he shares the belief (voiced by Petunia,
Vernon, and Marge) that James Potter somehow worsened
Lily's life or even caused her death. Snape, like the
Dursleys, tends to characterize James as a scoundrel,
a low life.

A Snape-Petunia connection might also reinforce
suspicions that Petunia herself possesses some kind of
wizarding skill, be it untapped or unevolved.

Does that mean Snape and Petunia might be siblings?
Does this name puzzler even signify a relationship
between Snape and Petunia? Perhaps not. Make of it
what you will, but it's certainly something to
consider given the inexplicable similarities between
their names and personalities.

-Jessica


 



=====
"Oh, I'll settle down with some old story/About a boy who's just like me/Thought there was love in everything and everyone/You're so naive!/After a while they always get it/They always reach a sorry end/Still it was worth it as I turned the pages solemnly, and then/With a winning smile, the boy/With naivety succeeds/At the final moment, I cried/I always cry at endings"
- "Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying," Belle and Sebastian

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