Snape: The fact that he exists

[Lee]

No: HPFGUIDX 70539

> Having spent alot of time searching the messages one possibility I 
> haven't managed to find anyone else raising is that Snape is or is 
> perceived to be gay. James may have a prejudice, heightened by his 
> denial that one of his friends is gay. I know that the subject of 
> Sirius being gay has been raised but it is Lupin who neither 
> acknowledges, condones or prevents the bullying. He tries to 
distance 
> himself. 
> 
> I believe that this is because he knows that he has a parallel with 
> Snape is some way. It is either the vampire/werewolf thing or that 
> they are both gay.
> 
> I'd love to hear if this has occured to anyone else.
> 
> Pooh


This is a very interesting theory, and before I even dare touch on 
the "slash" quotient, lets look at some of possibilities from the 
book first.

One, the pensieve event MAY have occurred before, or after, Snape 
discovered Remus' secret. If it was after, then there would be 
genuine reasons for James and Remus in particular to not bring 
attention to Snape, they would want to keep low, or risk Remus' 
secret getting out. And the story about the whole incident in the 
shrieking shack.

However, considering that they have just taken their O.W.L.S and are 
about 15 years old, its more likely that they have NOT been 
discovered by Snape yet, so they wouldn't have to tread carefully. 

Now to the point. James and Sirius call him Snivellus. Which is not 
only a clever play on his name, but also a clever play on his 
behavior. Was Snape a teachers pet? Who tattled and ratted the same 
way Draco would? That wouldn't explain why James hated Snape with 
such a passion.

However, Snivellus has many gender-radical connotations: IE: Whiny, 
petulant, soft, cry-baby, weak, OR thin, feminine, delicate, soft 
voiced.  If we look at James, and look at the people he keeps around 
himself, then we could definitely argue that James would see somebody 
like teen-Snape as a weak person, an easy target, somebody who is 
handy around when you need a punching bag or amusement. This explains 
why Snape becomes such a bully himself, he has grown up seeing that 
its wrong to be the least been weak or sensitive, and would have 
stomped on any of those characterstics in himself as much as 
possible. However, he does give us a few hints of how he may have 
been as a teenager. He does seem rather dignified, cool, rational, 
where back then he was a rather bit quick to act before thinking, and 
he is very cautious not to appear too sensitive. He's almost OVER-
insensitive, trying his hardest to be his meanest because kindness is 
a sign of "femininity".

There are a few strange mentions in the books that I want to bring 
up. One, Snape hates James because he saved his life. Why? Why would 
James saving Snape's life make him hate him? Because now that James 
is dead, Snape has a debt he can never repay, and he is now trying to 
pay it off by keeping an eye on Harry. 

Then, the thing with Sirius. Snape thinks, at first, Sirius killed 
James and Lily. If he hated James so much, wouldn't he not care so 
much.

But he HATES Sirius almost ten times as much as James! He has shown 
us that he would rather let Sirius die than ever admitting that the 
man is Innocent. He was "REVENGE" on somebody. He wants to get back 
at someone! He wants (in the words of Filch) "To see someone 
punished" for what happened. He wants whoever killed James to be 
punished!

Here is a very highly and probably very silly theory. What if, after 
James saved him, Snape actually started to CARE about James? It would 
certainly explain a tiny little bit. One, why Snape turned from the 
death eaters *because they killed James and Lily* Two: why he hates 
Sirius so much *because he was considered to be the person who killed 
them up until a point. And still would be by Snape because he 
convinced Peter to be Secret Keeper* Three: (and this is a big three) 
Why he hates Harry so much. Harry is the child of "LILY" and James, 
the woman who Married James. Also, Harry is very similar in 
appearance to James. Imagine the pain, of coming into a classroom to 
teach each day to see your long past dead puppy-crush from school 
sitting in the front row? Would kind of hurt wouldn't it?

I can imagine that if that were the case, then Snape is looking out 
for Harry in honor of James' memory. But the fact that Harry "LIVED" 
and James didn't could explain the hatred as well. The fact that 
Harry is now around, with Gryffindor friends, similar, but not the 
same as James, ALIVE, while James is gone.  That in itself could be a 
huge source of pain. This would also explain why Snape insulted Lily. 
He may have hated her because James liked her and didn't like Snape. 
Bitter stuff there.

Its funny how many old "friends" Snape has in the books that show up. 
Lupin, as well as the other faculty, call him by his first name, 
Severus, but you'd think that Lupin would call him "Professor" Snape 
considering the animosity. What is going on there? Um, he's old 
friend with Moody (or fake Moody, may be the Death Eater thing, I 
dunno) Kakaroff tries to convince Snape to leave with him, (concerned 
for him maybe? Friends?) his affinity for Draco Malfoy (and dad?) O_O 
if anyone else can give examples, by all means, I've only got Goblet 
of Fire with me here at the lab to look through, the rest is from 
memory.

Anyhoo, thats a whole bunch of ideas, and it doesn't all make sense, 
agh. But one more thing. If Snape is gay, and he's in DENIAL, when he 
meets people like Lockhart, who are the "stereotype" of that 
behavior, then his own behavior towards them, irritable, gruff, 
violent, is quite understandable. Some people, in denial, attack 
those that seem to represent everything they are trying to deny. Is 
this why Snape has greasy hair? The world may never know. XD


Lee

P.S. REALLY Off Topic thought.

Its funny how James' behavior parralels the Death Eaters from GoF who 
are dangling the Roberts' in mid-air in a painfully similar way to 
how Snape was dangled by James. (and I like James, so I mean no 
offence) I'm not saying James was a Death Eater, but it WOULD explain 
why Snape betrayed Voldemort, and went to Dumbledor's side. If Snape 
had been at the brunt end of that, then seeing the Death Eater's do 
that to Muggles may have been the cause of Snape leaving Voldemort. 
Remember that Mr. Weasley said that the Death Eaters had done that 
during Voldemort's first rise. You can persue this in another subject 
heading if you'd like. ^-^