Why didn't Severus reveal the Prank? (Was: How did Sirius lure Severus...)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 107123

> Carol wrote:
> I think Neri is on the right track here, but I would add that
> Severus' fear of humiliation is probably the crucial factor. I think
> Dumbledore probably pointed out to Severus that if he revealed what
> he knew, not only would the whole school (and probably the WW) know
> that he had been tricked by Sirius Black, they would know that his
> life had been saved by the even-more-hated James Potter, to whom he
> now owed a life debt. <snip>
> 
> Carol, waiting to hear from Kneasy and Neri on the humiliation
portion of this theory.
> 
> 
> Neri:
> I find these back-and-forth Snape debates rather tedious and 
> pointless, but if asked for my opinion I have no problem supplying 
> it ;-) I think the humiliation part probably played a part here, but 
> I don't think it was a central part. IMO it's a question of whom do 
> you believe. We are given here two very different stories regarding 
> Snape's feelings about the "prank", James and Harry:
><snip>
> These two stories certainly don't agree. They can be reconciled in 
> the level of the details, perhaps, but not in the level of Snape's 
> feelings and motives. DD says Snape feels he is in debt to James even 
> 10 years after James' death. According to Snape's story, he believes 
> it was James "and his friends" who played the joke on him in the 
> first place. He doesn't even mention Sirius' name. According to Snape 
> it was James' fault from the beginning, and James just got cold feet 
> and was saving his own skin. If you believe this story, or even if 
> you just believe that Snape believes it, there is no reason for Snape 
> to feel in debt to James. <snip>

Carol responds:
Okay, you responded to the life debt portion of my post. But what I
was trying to focus on was the humiliation of owing James a life debt
as the reason why the young Severus didn't reveal the Prank (or Remus'
being a werewolf). You know, the question Kneasy was asking.

Carol, waiting for Kneasy's response now but asking him to go up
thread first :-)
>