Deatheater Snape

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 99590

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "casmir2012" <casmir2012 at y...> wrote:
> JKR was once asked about whether Hogwarts teachers had families or 
> spouses.  She replied that she would get to that in later books.  
> 
> I am wondering if Snape was, perhaps, married, and both he and she 
> were deatheaters.  Lord Voldemort killed her for failing him in some 
> way (or whatever) as he seems to kill his own people (Sirius's 
> brother-was it?- for instance).  This is why Snape works with 
> Dumbledore.  His loyalty to L.V. is limited due to the severe 
> emotional loss he caused him.
> 

Snape's motivation has been the subject of many a post on this
board with the theories ranging from LOLLIPOPS to permanently ESE.
It's all very frustrating - there just doesn't seem to be any solid
canon anywhere.

True, JKR did say, hint, intimate, that there were significant facts
associated with married members of the Hogwarts teaching staff. I'd
pegged it for DD and Snape, like a lot of other posters - DD for blood-
lines (probably related to Harry, though JKR has since scotched that one)
and Snape for motivation. And yes, the death of his family at the hands
of Voldy or his hench-wizards is high on my list. (See 68045, 69509.)
Proving it is something else again. 

We have no tales of evil nastiness from his days in the DE Glee Club,
no intimation of exactly what it is he does for the Order, despite that
exchange between Harry and him in OoP. Why  would he drop hints
about his 'spying' to someone he *knows* is being tapped by Voldy?
In fact  he might be deliberately using Harry to mislead Voldy.  
Unfortunately all we can do is interpret what we have in different ways 
until it makes some sort of sense and then mark time until all is 
revealed. Fortunately the site is stuffed with theorisers, most of them
vehemently disagreeing with all the others. It do make it fun.

The best pointers (IMO) are the four memories recalled in OoP.
Having a highly suspicious nature I down-right refuse to take these at
face value. I think they're clues, not exposition. But that's just me.
Consider, we are carefully informed that memories are not neatly
files away and caution is needed when interpreting them. A few pages
later three memories are exposed. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind
horse, right? So alternative readings are an appropriate response.

One is so bland it's probably just what it seems - a boy zapping flies.
It's difficult to come up with anything really devious on that one.

The scrawny boy on a bucking broomstick?  It's Sevvy's memory, but 
the boy isn't Snape; it's James, the Quidditch star, hexed by Snape.
Good joke, no?
If so, this would give us a taste of the history of animosity between
James and Sevvy *before* the Grey Underpants episode. Without
this we only have Sirius's word that there was a history, and Sirius 
is not exactly unbiased where Snape is concerned.

The crying child? Son-of-Snape. The adults are Sevvy and possibly
Florence, the proud parents of this lachrymose tot.
It's the only sliver of Snape's past I can see that might give a clue
to motivation. A family. And since they don't seem to be around 
anymore.....

The fourth memory presents a problem. "Worst Memory" - really?
This bloke was a DE; a DE who broke away from Voldy - and
teenage embarassment is his worst memory? I don't buy it.
Sure, embarassment can be awful, but worse than death? Worse
than some of the things he did as a DE? Worse than whatever it
was that forced the split with Voldy? Never. DEs just don't leave
the club. Not if they want to collect their pension. It must have 
been something truly horrendous that forced him away.

Besides, that memory is a bit strange. The way it recounts words 
and actions make it seem as if it isn't Snape's memory at all. The
Pensieve scene in GoF is staged very differently; it's DD's memory
and DD's is the viewpoint we get. Harry sits beside him and sees
what he sees. In "Worst Memory" that's not the case. Very odd.

But what can a  poor poster do? Apart from the occasional carefully
limited snippet from DD and Sirius muttering a sentence or two, 
these memories are all we have from Snape's past.

Make the most of 'em.

Kneasy