[HPforGrownups] Re: Twitchy, prowling Snape?

[SnapesSlytherin at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 86134

In a message dated 11/29/2003 6:42:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, justcarol67 at yahoo.com writes:

> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Berit Jakobsen" <belijako at o...>
> wrote:
> > Did anyone else notice how Rowling describes Snape in the pensieve 
> > scene? OoP p. 566 Bloomsbury:
> > 
> > Quote: "Round-shouldered yet angular, he [Snape] walked in a twitchy 
> > manner that recalled a spider, and his oily hair was jumping about 
> > his face."
> > 
> > The twitchy spidery thing really caught my eye. This is not at all 
> > how Rowling describes Snape's manner of walking as a grown-up. 
> > Whenever Harry sees him, Snape is either "gliding", or "sweeping", 
> > or "striding" or "walking swiftly". All these imply someone moving 
> > elegantly and with ease rather than clumsy or oddly. So why this 
> > twitchy description in the pensieve scene? What does a twitchy walk 
> > say about the person in question?
> > 
> > The only other description of Snape's walk that might not fit in with 
> > the "elegant" is his "prowling" (PS p. 165 Bloomsbury). It says Harry 
> > recognised his prowling walk in the scene where Snape threatens 
> > Quirrell in the forest. I don't know if "prowling" goes into 
> > the "twitchy" category or not :-) But if Harry easily recognised 
> > Snape's prowling at the time, it follows that Snape usually walks in 
> > a prowling manner, or Harry would not have recognised him. Does that 
> > mean Snape usually moves around "striding in a prowling manner"? I'm 
> > confused .-)
> > 
> > So, what to make of this? Is Snape's walk twitchy, or is it 
> > sweepingly elegant? It couldn't possibly be both? And what does it 
> > say about him as a person...?
> 
> Carol:
> I think the "twitchy" walk was part of his awkward adolescence and
> that he either grew out of it or consciously overcame it. I don't
> think "prowling" is incompatible with gliding. Remember that Harry
> still thinks that Snape is sneaking around trying to get the stone for
> Voldemort in this scene. But the gliding of the adult Snape is not
> sneaking so much as one of the elements of his persona that gives him
> power over others, his students in particular. It goes along with his
> whispers or his sometimes silky voice. The neglected, abused boy has
> transformed himself to the best of his ability into someone that it
> would be foolish and dangerous to mess with. He doesn't torture his
> students like Umbridge; he cows them. And what he'll do to his real
> enemies when his powers are unleashed should be very 
> interesting indeed.
> 
> Carol

Now me (just joking!) Oryomai:

I agree with Carol in the fact that he changed himself for his better, but I have a different idea as to when/how/why he changed.  I figured that TwitchyTeen!Snape changed into Sexy!Snape (*vbg*) of now during his time with the Death Eaters.  The Death Eaters gave him power and strength.  I assume that he was a Potion Maker or something of the like for them, so he was important.  For probably the first time in his life, Snape was decently well-liked.  He fit in somewhere.  That's all any of us want.  He probably learned from people like Lucius Malfoy (who I imagine was always the way he is now), and he became like them.  Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, Snape, IMHO, owes alot of who he is now to the Death Eaters.

Any thoughts?
Oryomai