SHIP Snape/Lily (some FF)

Sat Feb 15 16:41:04 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 52301

I'm looking forward to discussing this idea, as I'm fairly new to HP. 
Although I'd been meaning to, I only got around to reading the books 
after the COS movie. (I'd previously seen the PS/SS film in 2001.)

In the PS book when Quirrell said that Snape was at school with 
Harry's father and that they loathed each other I immediately 
thought, 'Did they hate each other because they were both in love 
with Harry's mum?' At that point I incorrectly assumed that H/R/Hr 
was going to become a love triangle, which would echo one between 
James/Snape/Lily.

Then I read POA and the reason given there for the dislike was that 
Snape was jealous of James because of his ability at Quidditch and 
the trick played on Snape. At that, I thought so much for the love 
triangle and decided I'd been barking up the wrong tree. (The 
Whomping Willow {g})? And after GOF it seems unlikely that R and H 
will both fall for Hr.

However, once I visited the Sugar Quill and Fiction Alley and saw 
that other people believed that Snape had been in love with Lily I 
wondered if I had been right in the first place, even if for the 
wrong reasons.

I've now started reading Snape/Lily fanfic. I'm following Liz Barr's 
There is No Such Place. I've also read Didokali's By Any Other Name 
and To Sever The Lining of a Cloud by Textual Sphinx. I enjoyed them 
and I am now looking for more. I think I saw one called I Was Right, 
and its sequel which I can't remember the name of, which involved 
Snape and time travel, but I haven't read these yet. Were they on fan 
fiction net? Are there any other fics worth reading?

Another thing that intrigues me is JKR's enigmatic comments, such as 
this one in the Connections interview in 1999:

Q One of our internet correspondents wondered if Snape is going to 
fall in love?

JKR Yeah (laughs). Who on earth would want Snape in love with them? 
That's a very horrible idea. 

Q There's an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape 

JKR He, um, there's so much I wish I could say to you, and I can't 
because it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that question, 
can I just say to you that I'm slightly stunned you've said that and 
you'll find out why I'm so stunned if you read book 7. That's all I'm 
going to say.

The only scenarios I can envisage from this are that it is confirmed 
that Snape was in love with Lily or Snape turns out to be the teacher 
with a spouse/family. How do other people interpret this?

There's another quotation I've seen on one of the transcripts on the 
Leaky Cauldron, which says we find out why Snape hated James partly 
in book 3 and partly in book 7. Again, this could point to a rivalry 
over Lily although as there is speculation that Snape was the spy who 
warned that Voldemort was after the Potters (possibly even going 
there on the night they were killed) so it could have something to do 
with this and the life debt Snape could not pay back due to James' 
death.

If the Snape/Lily ship does appear in canon, how do you think JKR 
will handle it? I get the distinct impression that he is not one of 
her favourites. In the Connections interviews she also referred to 
him as "not a particularly pleasant person at all", In another 
interview archived on Aberforth's goat she said that she enjoyed 
writing Snape because he was deeply horrible. Given these remarks, 
and the way in which she expressed disbelief that anyone would be 
pleased that he might care for them, do you think it would be 
portrayed as a one-sided crush?

Moving on from this, so far, Lily and James have been portrayed as 
deeply in love. Lily is arm in arm with James, alight with happiness, 
on the wedding photos (POA). James tries to defend Lily in Harry's 
flashback in POA. Characters like Hagrid and McGonagall sing their 
praises. 

I agree with the argument that some of this idealisation comes from 
their plot function. It's been pointed out that the hero in legends 
and literature is often an orphan with unpleasant guardians, who 
makes his parents seem perfect in comparison, and Harry certainly 
fits this pattern.

There has been a lot of emphasis on James and Lily still being a good 
influence. Lily's love apparently saves Harry from Voldemort's curse 
in PS/SS. Harry's Patronus took James' animagus form. Would a prior 
Snape/Lily ship undermine this, especially if JKR did go for the 
option that Lily did like him (I'd be pleased if this was so, because 
it seems more realistic that Lily might have gone out with someone 
before James, although, from what JKR has said, I'd surprised if she 
went for this interpretation). Or would Snape loving Lily, whether 
she returned it or not, be a lesson for Harry that his parents 
weren't perfect. It would certainly complicate things between him and 
Snape and possibly undermine any alliance against Voldemort.

As of book 4 there is no canon evidence for this ship. The only 
comment that could be construed as such is in the first potions scene 
PS/SS chapter 8. One of Snape's earliest lines is, "Potter 
 What 
would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of 
wormwood?" I'm sure someone has already pointed out that asphodel is 
the scientific name for the lily. A clue, coincidence, or reading too 
much into things? What do people think?

I fervently hope that Snape/Lily does happen (rather than him turning 
out to be her long-lost brother or something or no link at all), even 
though I know fandom is split on the issue. I know this is a 
perennial debate, but it's quite new to me, so I apologise for going 
on at length. I really want to hear everyone's feedback.

JoTwo2003