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

[Carol Bainbridge]

No: HPFGUIDX 44406

Jessica wrote:
 >"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."

Steve B.replied:
...what if Snape and Petunia were siblings or at
least cousins. That would make Snape and Lily relatives. If this were
the case, then perhaps Snape's dislike for James was based on a
protectiveness he has for Lily, his little sister or cousin.
That would also give James a motive for saving Snape's life (because
Snape would be James's girlfriend's brother or cousin). That would
also explain why Snape seems to love and hate Harry. As Harry's
uncle, Snape feels like he must watch over Harry. At the same time,
because Harry reminds Snape so much of James, Snape dislikes Harry.

I have really been resisting the temptation to put too much into these 
letters and their meaning, but for some reason the exchange between Jessica 
and Steve triggered a thought and linked a couple of problems that have 
been discussed here before.  Here's my thought --

What if Snape is not a brother or cousin to Petunia, but a half 
brother?   This is really farfetched and I'm not really sure that I believe 
a bit of it, but it does seem to make a little bit of sense to me.  I can't 
remember anything about Snape's parentage being provided in the canon, so 
if I'm suggesting something that's impossible, then I'll go back to square 
one.  Suppose Snape's father was first married to a Muggle named Mr. 
Evans.  They had a baby boy, Perseus, who was a little wizard.  Mrs. Evans 
died and Mr. Evans later remarried to a Muggle woman.  Along comes Lily and 
Petunia Evans, both technically Muggles.  However, little Lily is a witch 
and is invited to Hogwarts.  This would certainly explain how the Evans 
family knew enough about the WW to be proud to have a witch in the 
family.  Now before Mr. Evans remarried, he didn't think he should raise a 
little wizard when he was a single Muggle, so he gives his little boy up to 
be raised in the WW.  Mr. Evans must have recognized the anti-Muggle 
feelings in the WW and may have thought it best to change his son's name 
too before handing him over, so he rearranges the letters in his son's name 
and voila!  Severus Snape.  (He may have come up with this name because his 
son's disposition was a little, um, severe.)

Perhaps too Snape has had an unhappy childhood and thinks it would have 
been better had his father kept him and maybe he resents his mother's death 
too.  At Hogwarts he has to watch beautiful, happy Lily, who's so talented 
and who marries James Potter, a real popular guy.  I can see him being very 
resentful of the entire situation.

I also believe that Snape is a man of honor -- of sorts -- a man who does 
his duty.  Sure he was a DE, but he saw fit to return to the good 
side.  The same sense of duty/honor is part of what keeps him from doing 
harm to Harry and has him protecting Harry instead.  Being the kind of 
person he is and being a half brother to Lily would certainly help explain 
his love/hate relationship with Harry, especially if he didn't have such a 
happy childhood and the reason for the lack of happiness came from his 
father giving him up and remarrying a Muggle.

Carol Bainbridge
(kaityf at jorsm.com)

http://www.lcag.org