Snape's DE past

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 111364



> Neri now:
> 
> I don't presume to know if it was a betrayal of the heart, but Like 
> Pippin, I feel the need to quote:
> 
> OotP, Ch. 24:
> "Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape 
> savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who 
> cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow 
> themselves to be provoked so easily — weak people, in other words — 
> they stand no chance against his powers!"
> 
> Sounds quite emotional, isn't it? So who was the fool who wore his 
> heart proudly on his sleeve and paid dearly for it? Was it somebody 
> Snape knew? That he cared about? Or was it young Severus himself? I 
> somehow suspect Severus at 19 wasn't that calculated and cold blooded 
> as Snape at 36, and even the last one is not completely in control of 
> his emotions. 
> 
> Neri 
> 

Given Snape's "savage" delivery, I'd say he's talking from personal 
experience. Snape may have learned it early in life (considering the
other memory of the hook-nosed man yelling at the cowering woman),
or he may have been foolish enough (in his mind) to wear his heart
on his sleeve once again only to have it shredded to pieces.

But I don't really believe the object of his affections was Lily. For
one thing, Snape leaves Voldemort's service *before* James and 
Lily are killed, so Lily's death couldn't be the impetus for leaving. 
Florence might be a possibility. I like the idea someone suggested
(sorry, I'm not sure who did!) that Snape's wife might have tried to
leave the DE's and was killed. If Snape was married, it makes sense
to me that he would have married someone with similar interests, 
like the Dark Arts.  

Also, if Voldemort did kill Snape's DE wife because she was going 
to betray the cause, it would make sense that Snape could switch 
sides without Voldy's knowledge. Voldemort would expect Snape
to hold his loyalty to the Dark Lord more dearly than any loyalty
to his wife. If Snape and his wife had a child, even Voldemort would
know that killing a defenseless, innocent child is something that
might drive Snape away, so I can't see a child being involved. But a
pregnancy might work, because then only Snape would know the
extent of what he'd lost. 

Unsubstantiated theories aside, I'm sure that whatever caused
Snape to switch sides, it was something BIG. Dumbledore tells 
Harry that he believes Snape's story, which tells me that Snape's
story was something unexpected, something not everyone would
believe. And since Dumbledore does believe it, it must also be 
something dramatic enough to make Snape switch sides, and
to put his life on the line to bring about Voldemort's downfall. 

Julie 




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