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

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 107138

> 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.

Neri:
Sorry, I thought I did respond to that, but I should have been 
clearer. I think Snape's image in his own eyes is more important to 
him than his image in the eyes of other wizards. In this sense he is 
a moral, honorable man. He has a super-ego that (usually) controls 
his ego, even if we don't always share the values of this super-ego. 
Even if nobody in the world would have ever known about James saving 
young Severus' life, Severus himself wouldn't be able to live with 
it, and he wouldn't be able to affect James' expulsion for the very 
act of saving Severus life. So Snape is certainly humiliated by the 
fact that he owes James, but this is first of all a humiliation in 
his own eyes. It is a matter between Snape and his super-ego. He of 
course wouldn't like other wizards, especially Harry, to know about 
it. But this part he can handle. He has no problem trashing James in 
front of Harry (or actually I think he did have a problem, but he got 
over it), but I don't think he believe himself in what he said to 
Harry, that James was the one behind the prank from the first place. 
Had he believed that he wouldn't have felt so much in debt to James.

Of course, if you do buy Snape's story, or if you at least believe 
that he believes it, then you have a problem how to explain his 
silence after the prank, and then humiliation might be a good motive.

Neri