Lily's and James' Parents

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 84866

Jen asked:
> Does anyone have any suspicions to how Lily's or James' parents
> died.  It was close after graduating from Hogwarts.  Their parents
> would not have been old because Lily and James were in their late
> teens, early twenties when they died.  Do you think it has to do with
> LV?????  I do...  I know JKR has not made this an issue but maybe
> Harry's grandparents' history will have some light shed on it, or
> Petunia will hold the key or spill the beans.

Fred replied: 
<snip>
> Let's suppose
> 
> 1. Following the "worst memory" incident, Severus Snape reflects on
Lily's
> action and her kindness to him. No girl's ever been kind to him before,
> they've all been like the "broomstick girl" in the other memory. He
develops
> a crush on her (or possibly an obsession).
> 
> 2. Lily, of course, starts going out with Severus's worst enemy,
and, later,
> marries him.
> 
> 3. Severus leaves school, signs up for the DEs and takes the Dark Mark.
> 
> (the last two aren't supposition, of course, they're canon)
> 
> 4. During the Voldemort era, Severus is either guilty of, or at least
> complicit in, killing both the Potters and the Evanses. Killing the
Potters
> is his way of getting back not only at James, but also Sirius.
Killing the
> Evanses is his way of getting back at Lily for rejecting him (and
hey, you
> don't need an excuse for killing a muggle or two...)

<snip>

I seriously doubt that Dumbledore would have hired Snape under these
circumstances, much less allowed Harry to be alone in his presence for
occlumency lessons. I think it's much more likely that the reason
Dumbledore trusts Snape is that Snape somehow warned his enemy, James
Potter, that Voldemort was looking for him or that one of his friends
(he would not have known who) was about to betray him. Dumbledore has
stated repeatedly that he trusts Snape, and he would not do so unless
Snape had done something to prove that he was truly opposed to the
Death Eaters. And remember, he was already spying for Dumbledore for a
year before the Potters were killed. It is extremely unlikely that he
was involved in their deaths except, perhaps, to warn them. You're
also forgetting that he owes James Potter a life debt. Killing him or
being involved in his death would be some sort of unforgiveable sin
that could not escape detection by Dumbledore.

As for the Evanses, it's unclear to me why they would have been killed
at all. Voldemort hesitated to kill Lily. He had no reason whatever to
kill her parents, or to seek them out in the muggle world.

Carol