OOP - "A lot more about Snape"

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 61359

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lhunneb" <LHunneb at a...> wrote:
> JKR said in the interview with Pax that we were going to learn a lot 
> more about Snape, which got me thinking...
> 
> Snape already has bad feelings about Harry from the way that he was 
> treated by James' crew back at school.  But he also shows every sign 
> of trying to do the right thing when it really comes down to it - 
> such as at the Quidditch match and helping to protect the Sorceror's 
> Stone, etc..
> 
> What if Snapes conflicted feelings are from something deeper that we 
> will learn about in this book?  
> 
> What if, through his activities a spy, he suspected that Peter 
> Pettigrew was on Voldemort's side, but never told James or even 
> Dumbledore because he was still resentful from the school days 
> thing.  It might have been one of those passive-aggressive things.  
> Maybe he didn't have absolute proof, so he justified to himself not 
> speaking up about his suspicions.


> 
> Then, when Voldemort attacked the Potters, Snape would have 
suspected 
> Peter, even though everyone else said the betrayer was Sirius.  I 
> imagine Snape being torn up about it.  He tells himself that it 
isn't 
> his fault.  That Sirius is the betrayer, so he must have been wrong 
> about Peter, all the time knowing in his heart that he should have 
> spoken up.
> 
> This would explain almost everything we've seen Snape do in relation 
> to Harry and Sirius too.  He doesn't like feeling the way he does, 
so 
> it comes out in his hostility towards Harry.  Harry is a living 
> reminder to him of the attack.  People don't like to be confronted 
> with a daily reminder to their guilty conscience.
> 
> It is also why he doesn't want to listen to HRH or anyone else about 
> how Sirius is innocent.  This would be admitting his failure, and he 
> isn't ready to face that.
> 
> Now, with Voldemort back and Sirius on the good guy team again, he'd 
> have to face it, so Book 5 is the time for us to learn about this.
> 
> What does everyone think?  Could this be true?

What a fascinating scenario you've painted.  Personally I'm a fan of 
the LOLLIPOPS theory concerning Snape's motivation & feelings [that 
they stem from his having been in love with Lily], but I like this 
alternative as well.  It is certainly plausible.

What fun it will be to find out which is right--if either!

Susan the Snape *and* Sirius Fan,
a newbie, who's making her first post to HPfGU, and who has a major 
thing for Alan Rickman as Snape [hubba hubba]