[HPforGrownups] Re: Snape's DE past/ Life Debts/ Snape and Neville/ Snape & Petunia

[Richelle Votaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 44515

Risti writes:



> always wondered something.  Why didn't Snape kill James Potter?  We
> know he was a death eater at one point-I would imagine a through and
<snip>
> even any Harry.  The only reason I can come up with is this:James
> Potter once saved Snape's life....

Well, that is probably the most logical reason to explain it.  And as others
have said, I think James Potter was at the very least Snape's equal as a
wizard, if not more powerful.  And what little we see of Snape's magic, he
does seem to pack quite a punch.  Also, even Voldemort said that James faced
him "like a man, straight-backed and proud."  Even if James died doing it, I
do like to think he put up a good fight in the process.  To me that
statement implies that he did.

Anyway, more than why Snape didn't kill Sirius Black.  He hated him with a
passion, and had a fairly good reason, considring Black tried to kill him.
Or get him killed.  Eye for an eye and all that.

Ani writes:

> > re: Snape's behavior toward Neville.
>
> As much as I'd like to say that Snape is hard an Neville for some
> nice reason, I really think he treats Neville like that simply
> because the poor boy is so bad in potions. I speak from expirience
> when I say the quickest way to get a chem teacher (chemistry class is
> pretty close to potions in my book) to hate you is to blow something
> up, especially when you really should not have been able to.

Oh, I don't know.  I wasn't so good at chemistry in college, and my
chemistry lab teacher adored me.  He seemed to think it was all terribly
cute in a stupid sort of way.  I had a good partner, fortunately, so nothing
got blown up. :)  Snape, however, does seem to be about the last person to
find anything or anyone "cute."  But then, you can't judge a book by its
cover.

Michelle writes:

> As much as I like these theories, what you have said above about
> James (and Lily) knowing, and all , I can't imagine this getting past
> Dumbledore and Dumbledore categorically states in PS that the
> Dursley's are Harry's only living relatives, now If Snape is a
> relation to Lily then the Dursley's wouldn't be Harry's only living
> relatives would they?
> ...unless Dumbledore wasn't telling the truth in front of Hagrid and
> McGogonnal? Come to think of it I don't think Dumbledore has ever
> said to Harry that the Dursley's are his only living relatives - I
> think Harry's just assumes that (To the books...!) so maybe we have a
> conspiracy theory here...

Well, there are a couple of ways around this.  One being that Dumbledore is
hiding someone from McGonagall and Hagrid who is a relative of Harry's, as
you said.  Another being that technically speaking Dumbledore said family,
not relative. So you could technically have a relative that you don't
consider "family."  Although the Dursleys are hardly my idea of "family."
So I don't like that explanation.

First, let me say I've never bought into the Snape/Petunia thing.  Though I
could be wrong.  But if it were so, to me this could be the best
explanation, at least the best I can come up with.  Snape could
*technically* be related to Petunia without being related to Lily.  And Lily
could still be related to Petunia also. Take, for example, the following
senario, which only works (I think) if Petunia is younger than Lily.  I'm
making up names here for convenience sake, to keep the relationships from
getting to mixed up.

Suppose "Ann" and "Bob" Evans have a child--Snape.  "Ann" dies, leaves,
whatever.  "Bob" remarries "Claire".  "Claire" has a child from her previous
marriage/relationship with "David"--Lily.  "Bob" adopts Lily, and she is
raised with his name--Evans.  "Bob" and "Claire" Evans have a child
together--Petunia.  Making a total of three children, none full blood
brothers and sisters.  Snape and Petunia would be half brothers through
their father, Petunia and Lily half sisters through their mother.  Snape and
Lily would only be stepbrother and stepsister.  No blood relation there,
which is the important part in the Dursley protection thing.

This scenario, of course, would open up a whole new can of worms.  What
would Lily's real father's name have been?  :)  Okay, now I AM drifting off
course!

Richelle


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"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
---- Lady Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring
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