Snape and Lucius - same person?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 95003

> Sylvia wrote:
> > Even if Homer had nodded and JKR had missed the scene with Snape and 
> > Lucius together at the quidditch match, would she have allowed two 
> > different actors to play these characters?. Jason Isaacs and Alan 
> > Rickman are fairly alike to look at, but not to that extent.
> > Sylvia (reluctantly partingwith the idea of Snape as Draco's dad.)
> 
> Del :
> I'm not sure I understand what you mean. My original proposal was that
> someone, either Lucius or Snape, is some kind of Metamorphagus and is
> now playing both roles. But of course, he would play each role in the
> appropriate "costume" ie body. I commented on the fact that though
> Lucius and Snape *look* very different, they *act* very alike, and I
> asked if we have any canon stating that they clearly cannot be one and
> the same. I don't even call that a theory, because it's so improbable.
> I'm just wondering.
> 
> Del, who missed the Homer reference, sorry

Carol:
IIRC, "Homer nodded" (i.e. fell asleep) refers to an inconsistency in
the Iliad, rather like a JKR Flint.

I'll try to find some concrete evidence beyond Malfoy's presumed
residency in Azkaban to refute the idea, but right now I'm just
looking at the implications. Lucius performed the counter-jinx against
Quirrell in the Quidditch match and questioned Quirrell's loyalty to
Dumbledore? Lucius wrote that lovely logical riddle to keep Quirrell
away from the sorceror's/philosopher's stone? Snape got into a
fistfight with Arthur Weeasley and dropped the diary into Ginny's
cauldron, but pretended not to know about the basilisk petrifying the
students? Snape was with Draco on Platform 9 3/4 and saw Sirius in dog
form and then pretends to Sirius that Lucius saw him? Snape (who can't
apparate from Hogwarts) was absent from the graveyard but Lucius was
present? (Unless LV knows that Snape and Lucius are one and the same,
the one LV believes will not return would have to be someone else
entirely.) Lucius made the potion that tamed werewolf Lupin during the
full moon? Lucius showed Fudge his Dark Mark and then was sent by DD
out into darkness and danger to do what? (I thought it was to explain
to Lucius why he hadn't been in the graveyard.) Snape jingled coins in
his pocket and bribed Fudge in the MoM? Lucius had memories of Snape's
childhood that Harry glimpsed during the Occlumency lession?

I know that these examples don't disprove your idea, but they would
certainly spoil the lovely distinction between the complex, mysterious
yet ill-tempered Snape, who rejected the Death Eaters and opposes LV,
and the "bad Dark Wizard" Lucius (Dobby's term), who opposes DD and
expresses his loyalty to LV, leading the raid on the MoM.

Yes, Lucius is probably more complex than he appears to be, but I
don't think there's an ounce of good in him. If he's on any side other
than LV's, it's his own. Snape is definitely complex without the
additional complication of being a metamorphagus, a former DE on the
side of good despite a natural inclination in the other direction.

I think the similarities between Snape and Lucius serve the same
purpose as the similarities between Snape and Sirius. The characters
are foils to each other: two men in similar circumstances, brought up
with similar (Slytherin) values (and similar speech patterns), who
made different choices. Does that work, or do you still think they
might be the same person?

Carol