Despised Lackey or Social Equal?: Snape's 'Respectability'

[Julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 90108

I'm fairly new at posting, so I hope you'll all forgive me if this 
question has been raised before.   And pardon the long windedness.

I was following the recent discussion about Professor Snape's 
supposed "desire" for the DADA position (Good points
all),when a point was raised as to whether or not Lucius Malfoy 
considered Severus Snape of sufficient social standing to treat as an 
ally vs. a lackey, and that the way Draco "sucks up" to Snape might
indicate his family doesn't "look down on Snape socially".

What I've been wondering about—and perhaps those of you
familiar with class structure and the British boarding school system 
could sound in — where would Snape's position as Head of Slytherin 
House place him in the social context of Wizarding Britain in 
general?  Ignoring Snape's unpleasant appearance and demeanor, what 
type of status does a "job" like Head of House confer as opposed to 
just being a Potions professor/Master?  

Social prominance or "status" usually derives from a couple
different things, which I imagine holds true in Wizarding Britain, 
too. 
A) there's the old standby of wealth—either commercial prosperity or 
land, with land being by far the preferred and respectable source of 
wealth.
B) family lineage: pureblood vs. less pure or muggle born.  I assume 
that within the pureblooded families there is a whole separate 
hierarchy based on ancient lineage, direct descent, famous magical 
ancestors, service to the crown/ministry of magic (ie the Ancient 
House of Black, and the Tom Riddle's reinvention of himself as 
a "lord")

Or should I say three sources of status?  There is also:  C) amount 
of magical power.

Wealth:  We don't know from the books whether Snape has any
income beyond what he earns as a potions instructor at Hogwarts (I 
wonder what the remuneration at such an exclusive school would be 
like?).  He may have additional income derived from being a Potions 
Master (publication royalties, patents, consultation fees) or an 
inheritance.

Family Background:  I tend to agree with whomever said Snape's 
memories indicated a non-elite background, although I didn't take his 
spitting at the Quiddith match as proof (spitting + sports just seems 
to be a guy thing and I took it solely as a sign of spur-of-the-
moment intense contempt).  Since he was a Death Eater, he surely 
claims some degree of pure wizardly heritage. 

I tend to read Snape (his dress, speech patterns, method of teaching, 
emphysis on respect and obedience) as someone with a chip on his 
shoulder, who's self-made (or re-invented), who has struggled for 
what he has and is very much on guard against loosing it, rather than 
born to wealth and power and easy social connections like the 
Malfoys.  

Magical Ability:  We've been told Severus Snape is a very powerful 
wizard, and at a fairly young age—he's not yet forty in a potentially 
150+ life span—so we can probably safely assume that he's not yet 
reached his peak ability. He is also one of an exclusive and limited 
number of specialists in his field in Britain.  Snape lacks the 
trappings of pretigious power that Lucius Malfoy displays, yet we 
really don't know how the two compare magically.  

So taking any combination of the sources of status where does that 
leave Snape?

Since Hogwarts is the only school of its type in wizarding-Britain, 
am I safe in assuming that means any other magical training would be 
viewed with suspicion and prejudice?  Not quite "the thing"?  

Wouldn't this increase the prestige of being one of the four
Heads of House?  Would the Board of Governors have to approve an 
appointee as Head of House, or would it be solely at Dumbledore's 
discretion? Or would there be a board within a board composed only of 
former Slytherins who would have to approve, just as Ravenclaws or 
Hufflepuffs would approve a new Head of thier houses?  Or would the 
other heads or even the Sorting Hat decide in a vacancy?

So I wonder.  Would a combination of magical abilities, and what must 
be at least a respectable bloodline (perhaps a bastard branch or 
tradition of vassalage to a `good' pure blooded family?) plus Head of 
House be enough to place Severus Snape on equal footing with someone 
like Lucius Malfoy?  

Snape is able to project a strong aura of power and intimidation in 
the books, besides the added impression of residual DE nastiness that 
Harry and gang know about from his past, but set that aside (and it 
can be as he was very careful, almost meek, in his dealings with 
Doris Umbridge).  Unaware of any Death Eater connections or Snape's 
reputation as a cold and nasty character, would someone like Lucius 
Malfoy or Neville's Grandmother, or Amelia Bones consider Snape 
of 'respectable' or 'proper' social standing?  Or would he only be 
held in respect by other Slytherins (whose children he is 
overseeing/training, and even post-Hogwarts he would retain some 
power as Head of House for things like references and word-of-mouth 
recommendations)?

Regardless of how Lucius and Severus interacted in school or as 
fellow Death Eaters (or spies), Lucius has a child who is sorted into 
Snape's House.  I would assume that regardless of how the two men 
personally get along, Lucius would at least feign cordiality while 
Draco was in school, and somewhat vulnerable to his Head of
House's wrath or interference.  

Consequently the younger Draco would "suck up" knowing that if he 
could gain his Head of House's favor it would make his Hogwarts 
career much easier. (I imagine there's a separate course of study
for young Slytherins called Manipulation and Self Preservation 101).  
I don't think we've enough canon evidence to state that Draco
believes his father and Snape are `friends' or that he knows that
Snape was/is a Death Eater.  I agree that there seems to be some form 
of interactions between Snape and Malfoy, Sr. due to Umbridge's and 
Sirius' remarks, but I think Lucius has kept the younger Draco 
isolated from the realities of the Death Eaters(per Draco's speech in 
the Slytherin common room during the polyjuice adventure in CS). It's 
more that Snape and Malfoy are fellow Slytherins and part of an "old 
boys network" that share certain values, which Draco assumes he'll 
one day take his own place in.  

Would anyone care to comment?   Offer corrections on assumptions?

Julie