Snape's Worst Memory- New Twists

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 109292

Lissa wrote:
>> What if, at the very beginning of their time at Hogwarts, Snape 
was friends with Lupin?
[snip]
Snape and Lupin have some similar traits and interests. They're both 
very academic. They're both very socially inept. Can you see where 
they might be drawn to each other?
[snip]
Then something happens, gradually, and over the course of time: Remus 
DOES become friends with Sirius and James. And over the course of 
time Remus discovers the things he has in common with Severus aren't 
so deep. They begin to drift apart. Remus probably doesn't see it as 
a big deal- he's 11-12, and probably thinks Snape has made other 
friends as well.

Severus is furious. This was HIS friend- maybe even his first friend- 
and Sirius and James STOLE him. He can't get over it. <<

HunterGreen:
I really like this theory (I've heard it during another thread at 
some point). On the surface Lupin doesn't have that much in common 
with Sirius and James, and just because they were in the same dorm 
room does not guarentee instant friendship (look at Seamus and Dean 
in reference to Ron and Harry). Sirius and James probably got along 
right off the bat and may not have been all that interested in Lupin 
at first (they may, in fact, have been rather exclusive and ignored 
him). Since the only other person we know of who was in their dorm at 
the time was Peter, its reasonable that Lupin may have been friends 
with someone from another house.

I've always wondered when/why the rift started between James and 
Snape. It can't be something like Harry/Draco, because I can't see 
either of them offering the other friendship. The rift is extremely 
personal, and feeling like someone stole your only friend is quite 
personal. 
Not to go into more speculation (but here I go anyway...) but after 
James/Sirius made friends with Lupin I can see the two of them making 
fun of the dark arts (loudly) in potions together, and then making a 
gesture toward Snape (of course), and Lupin going along with it, 
because, well, he's Lupin. He's probably excited that two of the most 
popular kids in his year want to be friends with him. Snape may have 
retaliated with some sort of dark hex, and there you go. It begins. 
This also sheds light on Snape's treatment of Harry in the very same 
classroom. 

Lissa continued:
>> He knows Lupin pretty well. He notices Lupin disappears every 
month. He's curious as to where Lupin goes. And somehow, Dumbledore 
managed to shut Snape up about Lupin being a werewolf after the 
Prank. Maybe he just threatened Snape with expulsion and that worked, 
but maybe not. Is it possible that there was still a shred of loyalty 
in Snape? Nothing sure stopped him from hating Sirius and James, and 
Snape is clever enough to have gotten the truth out more subtly than 
just blurting it in the Dining Hall. <<


 ' "So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry 
slowly, "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"
   "That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin. '
[PoA chpt 18, pg 357, US ed.]

HunterGreen:
I can't see loyalty to Lupin being a reason to keep quiet because 
Snape thought Lupin was in on it (why he'd think Lupin would want to 
participate in something like this is another matter). My favorite 
theory on why he didn't tell is that he was embarassed that he both 
fell for Sirius' bait about the tree and that James Potter of all 
people was the one to save him. Dumbledore might have reminded him of 
this fact. If Lupin was outed (and therefore expelled) and Sirius was 
expelled, I'm sure James would be spreading that story all over 
school, trying to make Snape's life as miserable as possible for 
getting two of his friends expelled. And it would have worked rather 
easily too, considering how unpopular Snape was at the time, and how 
popular Sirius and James were.


Lissa:
>> Even come the present day, yes, Snape hates Lupin. With a passion. 
But even though we think it's awful, as soon as we see Snape meet 
Sirius we know he doesn't remotely hate Lupin as much as he despises 
Sirius. <<

HunterGreen:
And Lupin appears to have absolutely no ill-will toward Snape. Not a 
shred. Even his messege in the map (although its not *directly* from 
him) is the least mean out of the four. I'm sure he heard about Snape 
wanting to get him thrown out of the school back when he was a 
teenager, and I'm sure Snape might have hit him once or twice with a 
spell aimed for James, but adult Lupin is amazingly mature compared 
to Sirius and Snape. Of course it could just be that he's trying to 
be extra sweet to Snape because Snape is making the potion for him 
every month, but I don't get a sense of any real feelings hiding 
under that.
Their relationship in PoA is rather odd in fact. Lupin is not only 
consistently pleasant with Snape he calls him 'Severus' as opposed 
to 'Professor Snape'. Snape on the other hand calls him 'Lupin' most 
of the time, without even bothering for the professor. Since he did 
indeed think Lupin was plotting to kill him (along with James and 
Sirius), that would explain the extreme amount of ill-will. If Lupin 
were once friends with him (and understands that Snape thought he was 
trying to kill him, and that there's no reasoning with Snape), it 
would make sense why he'd call Snape by his first name, and why he 
doesn't seem to have any bad feelings toward him.

Lissa:
>> But now take "Snape's Worst Memory" and put that potential dynamic 
into it. Lupin's friends are tormenting Snape, and he doesn't do a 
single thing to try and stop it. Perhaps Snape views this as the 
final betrayal of what was once a friendship? That would make this 
sting pretty darn badly as well. <<

HunterGreen:
I don't know if Snape's eyes were on Lupin at all during the incident 
though. Lupin should have come to his aid, if not as a friend, but as 
a prefect, but Snape seemed angry at the idea of anyone coming to his 
aid (Lily, for all we know, might have been a prefect too, she did 
become head-girl a few years later). Lupin is extremely ashamed both 
then and in the present when Harry asks him about it. Could some of 
that shame be because Snape used to be a friend of his?

Lissa:
I also have a theory that now that Sirius is gone, it will be 
possible for Snape and Lupin to actually become friends. They have 
got to be the two most intensely lonely characters in the book, from 
what I can tell. In a way, that might actually be really nice.

HunterGreen:
That could be attatched as a part of this theory, but I don't know if 
its possible or not. Snape would have to realize that Lupin was never 
trying to kill him, and that Lupin didn't support the things his 
friends were doing. And Snape changing his mind about things doesn't 
happen easily. However, now that both Sirius and James are gone, it 
has a much better chance of happening. (it was never going to happen 
with Sirius around).