Snape, You Think I am Your Father

[Cindy]

No: HPFGUIDX 136884

pg 214 AE HBP

Dumbledore explaining to Harry what people may have been told by Tom 
Riddle, Sr., about Merope:

"We must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not 
think it is difficult to deduce what happened.  You see, within a 
few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the 
manor house in Little Hanglton without his wife.  The rumor flew 
around the neighborhood that he was talking of being "hoodwinked" 
and 'taken in'.  What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under 
an enchantment that had now lifted...When they heard what he was 
saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom 
Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he 
had married her for this reason."

Alrighty.  JKR introduces premartial sex, unplanned pregnancy and 
the idea of 'hoodwinking' a guy to think he's having your baby into 
the series.  Interesting, since that is NOT what Merope did.  Hmmm. 
Wonder why all of that is necessary, perhaps a bit of foreshadowing. 

Eileen Prince was a contemporary of Tom Riddle, the timeframe fits.  
Since Hermione is convinced that the writing in the Advanced Potions 
book was female, I think that's a clue that it was Miss Prince who 
was figuring out potions--now whether she was helping Tom Riddle 
discover the spells and protections for Horcruxes, or he was helping 
her (for services rendered) probably doesn't matter. 

pg 592 AE OoTP

"...Harry's mind was teeming with memories that were not his--a hook 
nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a dark-haired boy 
cried in a corner..."

Any question that Snape would hate his hook-nosed father and wished 
that somebody else was?

pg 637 HBP

Hermione discussing with Harry the discovery of Eileen Prince: 

"I was going through the rest of the old Prophets and there was a 
tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a man called Tobias 
Snape, and then later an announcement saying that she'd given birth 
to a ---" (and just how much later Hermione doesn't say)

"Murderer" spat Harry.

"Well...yes," said Hermione.  "So...I was sort of right.  Snape must 
have been proud of being half a Prince' you see? Tobias Snape was a 
Muggle from what it said in the Prophet."  

"Yeah, that fits," said Harry.  "He'd play up the pure blood 
side...HE'S JUST LIKE VOLDEMORT.  Pure-blood mother, Muggle 
father...ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared 
using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name--Lord 
Voldemort---the Half Blood Prince--how could Dumbledore have missed--
(emphasis mine.)

Missed what?  That Snape believes there's a possibility Tom Riddle 
could be his father?  That Tom Riddle got his mother pregnant, left 
her in the lurch and the talented leader Eileen Prince got a quickie 
marriage with the first muggle that came along? However, I am more 
inclined to think (because let's face it, even if its Snape and not 
Harry...the "I am your father" has already been done quite famously 
to the nth degree) that she DID have to marry Tobias and that he is 
Snape's real father.  That doesn't mean Snape doesn't think it 
though, especially if Eileen talked about how handsome and 
smart "Tom" was and Tobias was a cruel old so and so.  

SO let's say for the sake of discussion that Snape believes he might 
be Voldemort's son. Perhaps even as a lonely teenager killing flies 
off the ceiling, he was consumed with his destiny and wondered if 
that included Tom Riddle. Then old Tom rises out of the pumpkin 
patch and becomes Lord Voldemort. Whoo hooo! I'd say the party was 
short lived, Snape's expectations of having a father figure got 
waylayed real quick in the presence of the most maniacal self 
centered wizard that ever lived.  No unconditional love--not even 
for the son of an old girlfriend--"I, the Half-Blood Prince!". 

I think it would make a guy rethink his loyalties. 

>From way out in left field,

Cindy