[HPforGrownups] Poor, Picked-on Snape? (Was Depictions of Mental Illness)

[Irene Mikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 51494


Marianne wrote:

> I know the assumption exists that Snape was the friendless outcast, 
> mercilessly picked on for seven, long years by the mean, handsome, 
> popular, arrogant, jocks that make up MWPP, but canon seems fairly 
> thin to support this. 

You can call it real life contamination, or personal experience projection.

> I could just as easily say that intelligent 
> Snape was taught these curses by his parents, for whatever reason, 
> and decided one day early in his Hogwarts career to cement his 
> reputation among his fellow Slytherins like Evans and Rosier by using 
> one or two curses on that slow, pudgy, stupid Gryffindor first-year 
> Pettigrew.  However, Pettigrew was rescued by his friends, who also 
> were no slouches when it comes to magic, and, lo and behold, a 
> rivalry was born.

And I have no problem with this theory whatsoever. Would explain neatly 
why he has it for Neville too, if you subscribe to the generational 
parallels theory.


Irene