Snape the Iconoclast

[melclaros]

No: HPFGUIDX 78518

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "abigailnus" <abigailnus at y...> 
wrote:
> Severus Snape is, arguably, the most fascinating character in the 
> Harry Potter series. 

....AMEN! oh...sorry....


she continues:
And now we come, full circle, to Snape. One of my favorite theories 
about the events that drove Snape to join the Death Eaters has to do 
with the Prank, or rather, with the aftermath to it. This theory 
suggests that Snape was so disgusted with the punishment - or lack 
thereof - that the Marauders received after nearly getting him 
killed, that he lost all respect for Dumbledore. None of the 
Marauders are 
expelled. A dangerous werwolf is allowed to continue studying with 
unsuspecting students. Snape himself is cautioned against saying 
anything, as though he were at fault. To add insult to injury, the 
very next year, James is made Head Boy! According to this theory, 
Snape became disgusted with Dumbledore, seeing his claims of 
fairness and impartiality as hypocrisy, and rejected Dumbledore's 
ethics.


ME:
This has been my pet theory as well and was only reinforced with the 
awful penseive scene. Much discussion has taken place here as to how 
or why that particular memory could possibly be Severus Snape's 
*worst*. He seems to have had a rotten childhood, lots of crap 
memories to be had there (budgie being found feet-up on Christmas 
morning and the like), it looks as though he come from poverty 
(despite what we've read in Dickens, that isn't usually cause for 
happy reminiscing either) and of course, he was, for an indeterminate 
length of time a *Death Eater*. It's rather difficult to believe that 
there isn't ONE memory from those days that isn't just a tiny bit 
more harrowing than a school-yard humilation.
So...what is it about THIS memory? My belief is that if it 
wasn't "the straw that broke the camel's back" it was most certainly 
the "beginning of the end". I believe this memory is his worst, not 
because of the event itself, but because of its consequences. There 
are a few hints as to this--hints? No, slaps upside the head!

The 1st is McG's tirade at Harry and George which actually occurs 
Prior to our witnessing the penieve memory. Harry and George are sent 
to McG's office for fighting with Draco after Quidditch.

(pg 414 US ed.):
"I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition. Two onto one! 
Explain yourselves!"
"Malfoy provoked us"
"Provoked you?" shouted Professor McGonagall, slamming a fist onto 
her desk so that her tartan bisquit tin slid sideways off it and 
burst open littering the floor with Ginger Newts. "He'd just lost, 
hand't he, of course he wanted to prvoke you!"
and etc....

WELL! We don't know if McG was Head of Gryf. when the James Gang were 
in residence but we do know she was on the staff. When I read this 
scene a second time (since again, it comes prior to the pensieve 
assault) I tasted bile. It is QUITE apparent that the little bit of 
fun by the lake was never reported to anyone in authority--even if 
McG was NOT head of house then, she CERTAINLY would have heard about 
it if it had been dealt with AT ALL. If she reacts this way to her 
students taking part in a *provoked* attack, what would have been her 
response had she witnessed what we saw?

The 2nd slap comes from Snape himself during the Occulmency lesson.
In what appears to be a hypocritical tirade about sulking and holding 
grudges, on closer reading becomes a WARNING to Harry.

(pg 536 US ed)
"I told you to empty yourself of emotion!"
"Yeah? Well I'm finding that hard at the moment" Harry snarled.
"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape 
savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who 
cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow 
themselves to be provoked this easily--weak people, in other words--
they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind 
with absurd ease, Potter!"

A warning indeed. Severus has just given Harry a list of the 
weaknesses V. "looks for". One of them was his. He sees Harry sliding 
down that very same slippery slope.
And if we didn't get it then (most of us didn't, I didn't at first) 
we are immediately smashed over the head with The Pensieve.
Severus' slope becomes slipperier. The smoldering gets hotter, the 
plotting and behind-the-back hexing continues ("And why the hell 
not?" the boy thinks, "it's not like anyone's going to *do* 
anything!") and the feud escalates, apparently unnoticed--certainly 
without intervention of any authority--until The Prank.

And THAT was "all she wrote" for Severus. The cicle is complete--
we've come back to Abby's post and the quote above. I remember 
posting in a fit of pique one evening on another forum "You're asking 
the wrong question! The question isn't 'why did Snape *join* the 
Death Eaters?'
The question is 'why didn't he *invent* them?'


Melpomene--who's happy with this theory AND the Lily pursued Severus 
Idea.