Snape's DE past

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 111281

Caesian:
> > Severus seen snogging Lily? No, won't happen. But unrequited 
> > love - well, what other kind is there when he has teeth like 
> > that? (unless you are Ewan McGregor - as SSSomeone would say, 
> > hubba hubba) 

 
Neri:
> Yes, I wonder why SSShe didn't jump into this discussion herself 
> yet. But I'll remind you that, unlike RL, in the books the way 
> someone looks usually reflects his personality. Severus wasn't a 
> hunk, but if he really dreamed about kissing Lily, he would have 
> had the proper teeth for it.


SSSusan:
SSShe SSSomeone checking in!  "Hubba hubba" is reserved for Alan 
Rickman, btw, not for Severus Snape--just want to make that clear. :-)
Anyway, I've not been posting, as I was away from my computer this 
past weekend, had freshmen orientation at the college library where I 
work, and I've been working on a little something on [gasp!] Minerva 
McGonagall.  [Darn kids & job--how am I ever to finish the thing??]

I did read Neri's original post (111054 & followed the thread), with 
the various theories for why Snape is on the Side of Good, which in 
turn was a response to Marianne's well-stated position (111030) on 
why she doesn't want to discover that Snape participated only on the 
DE sidelines, but rather was a wholehearted participant who 
eventually had some kind of epiphany which caused his return to DD.  
I understand Marianne's desire for this--for Snape to have done 
something which really *requires* redemption.  And I *don't* think 
Severus Snape was just "misunderstood."  I think he was up to his 
eyeballs in the Dark Arts, as Sirius suggested, and that he joined up 
w/ Voldy because he believed in at least some part of Voldy's 
philosophy and/or methods.  

The idea of an epiphany is intriguing to me.  Of course, it is what 
begged the question Neri attempted to answer:  what could cause such 
an epiphany?  And if not an epiphany, at least a change of heart/mind?

When I first discovered HPfGU, late in the spring of 2003, one of the 
first posts I read in FP was LOLLIPOPS.  I was *very* taken with it 
at first, and my confidence in it has waxed & waned over time.  It 
does fit nicely with the possibility of *an* event which caused him 
to turn to DD and leave Voldy--if Snape found out about the GH attack 
before it happened, for instance.  But I'm just not sure unrequited 
love would be ENOUGH for all of this, esp. his behavior all these 
many years later.  

An interesting, somewhat similar theory is Kneasy's "Black Widower" 
one--that perhaps Snape was actually married [to Florence?] and lost 
his wife/family when Voldy had them murdered.  I think REVENGE *is* 
one of those motivations which would fit canon!Severus well.

In sum, I guess I'm still open to several possibilities, though none 
is yet really GRABBING me.  I like Neri's Big Bang--

"Following some dramatic event (possibly seeing or
participating in killing someone) he had his epiphany and made the
moral choice to change sides (could be either mushy or gruesome, but
follows the Choice theme: 7)." (111054)

--but mostly, I agree with Potioncat (111175), when she said 
that "Whatever it is, it has to be an intense reason."  And that's 
intense to SEVERUS SNAPE, too, not necessarily to you or me.  Our job 
is to try to figure out what would move him in such a way as to 
either bring on an epiphany or motivate his "revenge gene" to such an 
extent that he'd:  1) traipse off to DD; and 2) be able to convince 
DD that he *really* would never be going back.

Kneasy has stated many times his belief that Snape's motivation is 
NOT a belief in good over evil, nor anything, really, besides his own 
personal agenda, likely a desire for personal revenge.  I don't go 
quite that far.  I think DD *wouldn't* trust Snape if that's all 
there were to it...and I don't think DD is unable to judge Snape's 
true motivations.  I think DD knows pretty much the full story, 
whatever it is.

SO WHAT IS IT?!?  

Siriusly Snapey Susan