Reputations (was Re: bullies? twins, padfoot and prongs)

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 119238


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "demetra1225" <tzakis1225 at n...> 
wrote:
> It is no secret that I am a bit of a Snape-ophile, and I try to 
> figure out what makes him tick.  I also try to figure out where the 
> obvious  mutual hatred between Severus and Sirius/James came from.  
I 
> hope JKR does divulge more about their history in future books, but 
> in the meantime I have cooked up my own version of a backstory.  I 
do 
> acknowledge that James' enmity towards Severus has some basis in 
his 
> hatred of the Dark Arts.  
> 
> I think that Severus and Sirius both come from families associated 
> with Dark Arts.  
<snip>
> So why did 2 boys from such similar backgrounds end up hating each 
> other?  
<snip> 
> I think the impetus for the rejection of his upbringing was James.  
> I think that Sirius met James on the Hogwarts Express, like Harry 
met 
> Ron.  They hit it off.  James shared with Sirius that he came from 
a 
> long line of Gryffindors who despised the Dark Arts.  Sirius, not 
> wanting to ruin this potential friendship, doesn't share that he 
> comes from a family of Slytherins who practice the Dark Arts (and 
> later asks the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor).  
> Sirius does offer up to James that Severus Snape's family members 
are 
> all Slytherins who are into the Dark Arts.  After all, what better 
> for young boys to bond over, than a mutual enemy?  Thus, the 
> beginning of Severus as the target of James and Snape's taunting.  
> Severus, having much the same personality we see in the adult 
Snape, 
> does give back as good as he gets.  And Severus, knowing full well 
> what Sirius Black's background is, sees Sirius as either a betrayer 
> of his heritage (by denying it) or as a coward for condemning 
Severus 
> to James' ridicule while hiding his own background.
> 

Marianne:

I do hope JKR gives us this background info some day.  Your 
explanation certainly could work, as could one that is less 
sympathetic to Snape. Say something along the lines of Snape having 
the backing of the older students, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black, 
in confronting first-year Sirius over his unforgivable sorting into 
Gryffindor. We'll have to wait and see how (and if) this plays out.

I think you're on to something by bringing the concept of cowardice 
up. "Coward" seems to be a hot-button word between Snape and Sirius, 
as evidenced by their confrontation in the kitchen in OoP. That scene 
struck me as laden with echoes of past battles between the two, where 
either or both accused the other of being a chicken. And, that 
tendency is still with them as the adults they supposedly are.

Marianne