Snape's house

[jlv230]

No: HPFGUIDX 94301

Alla:
> > What if Sorting Hat had the same trouble placing Snape it had
with Harry?

JLV:
It may have done.  He did have many qualities similar to the death 
eaters, but also ended up turning spy against them (at great personal 
risk).  Perhaps the hat spotted his potential bravery (amongst other 
things).  You've got to be incredibly brave (or stupid) to attempt to 
fool Voldemort, after all.

Potioncat:
> I think Snape was in Slytherin. It's hard to imagine how a younger
> Gryffindor could have hooked up with older Slytherins. And if he
> had, it would seem that the wording would have been, " he was in
> Gryffindor, but he ran with a group of Slytherins..."

JLV:
"Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for 
it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," Sirius added, 
and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. "Snape knew more curses when 
he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was 
part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death 
Eaters." GoF

I know the comparison has been made before, but Luna Lovegood is 
bullied by the people in her house  – they steal her belongings 
(although thankfully she doesn't let it bother her too much) like it 
would have been for Snape if he were the fifth Gryffindor boy.  Luna 
now feels included as part of a gang of Gryffindors who *don't* 
constantly tease her, like Snape may feel with his gang of 
Slytherins.  If Snape was indeed famous for his dabblings in the dark 
arts, the Slytherins may even have sought him out.

Potioncat:
> I will say this much, I've never understood Snape's jealousy of J.
> Potter's quidditch skills. If they had been in the same house and
> competed for a place on the team, it might make more sense.

JLV:
I know I am arguing against myself here, but it seems that Snape 
wasn't very good at Quidditch anyway so his hopes of getting on the 
team cannot have been great, if we take Snape's memories to be any 
guide:
"suddenly Harry's mind was teeming with memories that were not his: a 
hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-
haired boy cried in a corner
 a greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a 
dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies
 
a girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking 
broomstick" OotP
This passage always makes me feel very sorry for Snape though.  I 
wonder why JKR chose these particular scenes?  It does show us that 
Snape was very lonely, however, and would perhaps jump at the chance 
to join an exclusive gang of Slytherins who hated the rest of the 
world as much as he did.

Alla:
>I mean, yes, Sirius, Slytherins associate together, what is so
>strange about it? It will make much more sense, if Sirius thought
>that fellow Gryffindor started being disloyal to his own house. :o)

JLV:
Good point!

Alla:
>I am also suspicious because of Prank. I think if Severus was a
>gryffindor, Sirius had more chances to lure him into Shack.

JLV:
Totally. Also, if Snape was in a situation where the four people with 
whom he had to share a dorm and lessons all disliked him, I can see 
that he would be very paranoid/curious as to what they were up to all 
the time. He would notice more than anyone else that Lupin 
periodically disappeared and sometimes the desire to find out a 
secret can turn into an obsession. (I may be guilty of that myself, 
oh JKR, what are you hiding from me?!)

Just some more ramblings,
JLV