Snape - A very good hater

[B Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 69509

This is an expansion of a theory that was included in a post of mine a 
few days back. It was greeted with apathy, mostly. But you're not 
getting away with it that easily. It 'feels' right. OK, the  reasoning 
is tenuous, contrary interpretations sprinkled about, but I'll  bet my 
second best cauldron that it's close.

Snape. Great fictional character. Certainly one that catches the eye. 
So complex that even after 5 books we are still not certain of who, 
what, why. But some where, there are clues. After 5 books there must be.

It is easy to grasp the obvious and use this as the basis for the 
theories that have accumulated. But our Severus has complex motivations 
and all is not straight-forward.

Snape hates Harry because of James and his crew. Really? I don't doubt 
Snape hates James and Sirius, probably Lupin and feels contempt for 
Wormtail. But Harry? Why should he hate Harry? Probably doesn't like 
him much, reminds him of James, but Snape isn't an idiot, he's cold and 
calculating. He knows that Harry has nothing to do with events long 
gone.

You've ignored it, you see. The important bit. Snape is playing a part. 
Snape is a Death Eater who's switched sides and is hoping like hell 
that other DEs such as Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe haven't caught on. (And 
they obviously haven't -  Malfoy praises Snape to Umbridge.) How would 
it look if a good little DE didn't take every opportunity to  torment 
the proximate cause of Voldemorts downfall? It could be awkward  if 
Sneak!Draco ran home with less than convincing tales. There have even 
been a few hints, particularly in OoP, that in private Snape is not so 
unfeeling about Harry as he once seemed.

Agreed, this does not make him an angel. Snape doesn't like anyone. He 
shows respect for Dumbledore and probably McGonagal. Everyone else - 
cold, contemptuous, distant or worse. He's a tough teacher. But how 
often has he singled out individual students for personal punishment? 
Lots of low marks, homework, points from Gryffindor, sarcasm, insults. 
He has had  numerous opportunities to inflict detentions and other 
individual punishments galore. But they rarely happen. Yes, he demands 
that Potter be expelled, with alarming frequency in the earlier books, 
but who to? Dumbledore. And does he think his demands will be approved? 
Of course not.  Sound and fury, signifying not very much. It's a mask.  
If the series were an old war film, Snape would be the cliche Sgt.: 
train 'em hard, be tough! Because otherwise they won't make it.

He wears another mask for Voldemort. He appears to support while 
actively opposing. Very, very dangerous.

Why? Why has Snape switched sides? He fears Voldemort, refuses to speak 
his name. He knows you cannot just abandon Voldemort once you join him, 
he won't tolerate it. But Snape is  a clever man, maybe he could 
prevaricate, gloss over, slide away from the inner circle; he is an 
Occlumens after all. If anyone could do it, Snape could. Instead he 
becomes an active agent for Voldemorts enemies. Something more than a 
dislike for Voldemorts methods is needed to justify this.

It is not an intellectual choice. It's got to be personal; a deep gut 
hatred to spur a character like Snape to such action. Dumbledore has no 
doubts about his commitment. He knows that what drives Snape is more 
powerful than any reaction to schooldays bullying. James, Sirius, 
apparently Harry; they don't compare with how he feels about Voldemort.

Something terrible happened and Snape blames Voldemort. And will do. 
For ever.

O.K., what?

JKR has confirmed that there are staff members who have families. But 
it's confidential. To be revealed later. There are only two real 
candidates for plot significant families. Dumbledore for possible 
bloodlines and Snape, probably for motivation.

Let's try a little speculation.

Who hexed Bertha because she watched him kissing Florence? James or 
Sirius would laugh it off, but not our Snapey. He would hex, afraid of 
providing more ammunition for James to torment him with.

Who was the shouting, hook-nosed man in the memory Harry glimpsed? Most 
assume Snapes father. Not necessarily. Snape is hook-nosed, after all. 
Read the passage again. A string of three memories.  Harry was sure he 
had broken into Snapes memories, seen scenes from Snapes childhood. It 
was unnerving to think that the child he had seen crying was standing 
in front of him. In no case was there a definitive identification of 
any character made. Harry is under mental attack, stressed, he gets 
just a glimpse. Is JKR being sneaky and could she claim there is just 
enough ambiguity to be a genuine red-herring?

This is the best possible lead to a motivation for Snape that I have 
come across yet.

Suppose the man is Snape, the woman Florence, the child theirs. I doubt 
if Snape would be a sharing, caring father; or a lovey, dovey husband. 
But he would not tolerate an intrusion into *his* family. What if 
Voldemort did intrude, violently, irrevocably. How would Snape react? 
Voldemort would have a new enemy. One who thinks. A Cassius. Ready with 
a metaphorical dagger.

Convinced? No, maybe you aren't. Tell you what, you find some clues IN 
THE TEXT for a credible motivation for Snape's actions against 
Voldemort.

I'll be happy to read them.

Kneasy