Severus Snape: The grudge and the very long LOLLIPOPS biography...

[macfotuk at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 111345

Dear Brandy

I am assuming you are a girl (woman). Sorry if this isn't coorect.

JKR has a good feel for boy/girl interactions. That Hermione 'gets 
it' about Cho and Harry has no idea whatsoever is a prime example, 
but there are many other examples in Ron's behaviour in dealing with 
H herself and also in totally steamrolering Padma's sister's 
feelings at the Yule Ball.

There's nothing worse in the average teenage boy's (and yes let's 
admit it sexist) universe than to have to be rescued from 
embarassment at the hands of the 'cool guys' by a girl(ey). I 
genuinely feel that JKR wrote it right that whether Snape liked, 
loved or loathed Lily he could still not, as a teenage boy (and a 
sheltered rather unworldly and immature one at that!) resent (it 
having to be) her defending him and, despite himself, allow his 
prejudices (pure bloods better than half or otherwise bloods) to 
override his 'feelings', especially when SO embarassed (knickers 
waving literally in the air). I beleive his calling her a mudbllod 
was the obnly way he could think of to say ' butt out I don't need 
your help here'. Sad to say his pride may have over-ruled his love.

Of course this was one of those 'life-changing' moments (we all wish 
we could reverse) - the 'I wish I'd done something different then' 
times - the reason IMO why JKR named the chapter 'Snape's worst 
memory', not because he had been so embarrassed so much as that by 
his actions he had unwittingly thrown Lily into the arms of his 
nemesis James Potter. Clearly he didn't want Harry to see this 
(though conspiracy theories might suggest NOt clearly, namely that 
he set it up because he knew Harry couldn't help himself but look 
and he wanted Harry to see this memory and be wrong-footed by his 
interpretation or JKR wanted her readers wrong-footed in a similar 
way).
.

 --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "brandy" <porcupine88 at y...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tabouli" <tabouli at u...> 
wrote:
> > As captain of LOLLIPOPS I have to step in here.  
> *snipping big long thing obviously written before OoP*
> 
> Personally, I am a fan of thinking that Snape had a big thing for 
Lily, though I'm not 
> sure how much it had to do with his going over to/coming back from 
the dark side. I 
> do think that it is a big factor in his hatred of Harry, though.
> 
> As someone else pointed out, Lily didn't like James much til 
seventh year. The other 
> thing that bothers me is Snape's reaction to Lily chewing out 
James. He doesn't just 
> say he doesn't need her help, he doesn't just snap at her, he flat-
out calls her a 
> mudblood.  I know that Snape is no master of social graces, but I 
just can't fathom 
> why he goes so far to offend her after she helps him.  I know his 
pride has been 
> wounded, but it seems like he should have just snapped at her and 
stalked off, then 
> maybe after he thought better of it apologized in private. But 
instead he flips out and 
> calls her the dirtiest name in the WW.  How can we reconcile that 
with the idea of him 
> having a crush on her? Or maybe the crush didn't start until after 
this event, when he 
> realized that she was the only person being nice to him?
> 
> -Brandy