ACID POPS vs LOLLIPOPS (was:Re: Whom does Snape REALLY love?)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 138835

Betsy Hp:
Congratulations on a wicked cool name.  And in celebration, do you 
mind if I take a couple of practice shots at the good ship ACID 
POPS? <g>

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> It is now obvious to me that it is Narcissa that Snape has always 
> loved, not Lily. Lets consider the evidence:
> 1. In her greatest need, Narcissa comes to Snape for help. What
> arguments does she use to convince him?
> <snip of Narcissa's pleading method>

Betsy Hp:
I absolutely agree with you here, Neri.  Narcissa proves to us that 
Draco's sense of the drama comes to him honestly.  

[Though I will say that I don't think her tears were *totally* 
calculated.  For one, she slops her drink down her front. (HBP 
scholastic p.35)  Now, I'm no Southern Belle (absolute experts on 
the use of histrionics against the male of the species, IMO) but 
I've known a few and a major rule of thumb is when you cry and fall 
to pieces, you do so *gracefully*.  Mascara can be wiped away, the 
wine stain is there to stay.  But that's really neither here nor 
there for this argument, I think. <g>]

> >>Neri:
> 2. And how does Snape acts in response?
> 
> *******************************************************************
> HBP, Ch. 2:
> 
> Snape said nothing. He looked away from the sight of her tears as
> though they were indecent, but he could not pretend not to hear   
> her.
> <snip>
> 
> Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands.
> Looking down into her tearstained face,
> <snip>
> 
> Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up, and steered 
> her
> back onto the sofa.
> <snip>
> 
> Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa.
> Beneath Bellatrix's astonished gaze, they grasped right hands.
> 
>********************************************************************

Betsy Hp:
I kept this whole bit in because this is where I think your ship 
starts to pop some seams.  Because in each example (except the last 
which is a different bird all together, I think) Snape moves *away* 
from Narcissa.  He turns *away* from her tears.  He *removes* her 
from his chest.  He pulls her *up off the floor* from her position 
at his feet.  

Nowhere do I see any evidence that Snape enjoyed Narcissa falling 
all over him.  If he did have a hidden, secret passion for her, 
shouldn't he have clutched her to his manly chest?  Stared 
wretchedly at her falling tears?  Gotten at least a tiny charge out 
of having her kneeling before him?  Instead Snape seems, at most, 
embarrassed by the level of Narcissa's reactions.

> >>Neri: 
> Huh? Do you believe this? Do you remember Snape *ever* treating
> *anybody* else gently and kindly, in the whole series?

Betsy Hp:
We've never seen him outside of Harry's presence before.  Though he 
*does* show a great deal of care, IMO, when he heals Draco from the 
Sectumsempra.  He struck me as downright maternal in that scene.

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> He could have easily ushered Narcissa out with some vague promises 
> that he'll do what he can. But no, he makes her an Unbreakable    
> Vow. The BIG sacrifice. Why?

Betsy Hp:
That's the big question, isn't it?  But I have a hard time buying 
the idea that Snape made the decision in a fit of passion.  His face 
went "blank" when Narcissa made the request.  To my mind that speaks 
to cool calculation (he was clear enough to hide his thoughts) 
rather than heated emotion.

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> Snape knew the full implications of the terrible choice he was    
> making. Even Bella was speechless. So was I.

Betsy Hp:
Which is another reason that I think there was a calculated reason 
Snape decided to make the Vow.  As a double agent Snape was 
interested in keeping himself as free to move about as possible.  
This Vow *restrained* him.  It was too huge a decision for Snape to 
make solely on the attractiveness of the person asking him.  And JKR 
makes sure to show him *thinking* before he says yes.

> >>Neri:
> You won't find in his words even a hint for some good word, some  
> whiff of tender emotion for Lucius. He won't say it explicitly in 
> front of Narcissa, but it's obvious from his comments to Bella     
> that he despises the man.

Betsy Hp:
Really?  I didn't get that read at all.  Snape certainly seemed to 
hold *Bellatrix* in contempt.  But I didn't see anything that 
pointed to Snape disliking Lucius.  Sure, he agreed with Narcissa 
that Voldemort was sending her son off to die to punish Lucius, but 
he didn't take any kind of pot-shots at Lucius that I noticed 
anyway.  Actually, when he says that Lucius was "supposed to be in 
charge" (ibid p.34) it read to me like Snape was taking a backhanded 
shot at Bellatrix there.

> >>Neri:
> 7. What do we know about Snape's character? The man seems to be
> obsessed with power, status and respect. It's always "I'm the     
> Potions master in this school", "I will not be talked to like     
> that!" "You will address me as sir", "Yes Potter, this is *my*    
> job".
> <snip> 

Betsy Hp:
Considering how disrespectful Harry is of Snape (more so than to any 
other adult around him - rightly or wrongly) it's not surprising 
Snape is forced to say such things.  I do not think it follows that 
Snape is somehow "obsessed with power, status and respect".  
Actually, I've never gotten that particular argument.  And 
especially after learning that he still lives in his muggle father's 
home I don't see how that argument can be sustained.

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> Instead of using his muggle father's name, young Severus chose the 
> maiden name of his pureblood mother for his self-invented nickname.

Betsy Hp:
First of all, who knew that Snape's nickname was the half-blood 
Prince?  Lupin seemed totally unaware.  Second of all, if Mrs. Black 
called someone a half-blood *anything* do you really think she'd 
have meant it as a complement?  I certainly don't.  So it doesn't 
follow that those who think like her (the Black sisters, Lucius, 
etc.) would have a different meaning when they spoke that particular 
racial slur. (And racial slur it was, to folks like Mrs. Black.)  
And third of all, why do you think the nickname was self-invented?

> >>Neri:
> And this name just happened to be "Prince".

Betsy Hp:
Exactly. Pure chance. He could have been the "half-blood Ferguson".

> >>Neri:
> Yep, I believe our poor Severus is obsessed with pureblood
> aristocracy. He despises them, oh yes, for being so incapable and 
> for thinking that their ancestry makes them better, but what he   
> wants more than anything is to be an aristocrat himself, more     
> noble and rich and powerful than his fellows DEs.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
First of all, there is no wizard nobility.  That gets established 
early on in the HBP.  Second of all, if Snape is so interested in 
becoming an aristocrat why is he still living in the working class 
neighborhood of his childhood?  He's a single guy (as far as we 
know) with no notable drains on his funds.  Couldn't he have found 
an apartment in more swanky surroundings?  A slightly better 
wardrobe?  Shampoo?  Seriously, if anyone seems *less* concerned 
with rank it's Severus Snape.

> >>Neri:
> <snip>
> Is JKR going to play on the S/N ship in Book 7? I'm not sure. Maybe
> it's not that important for the plot as a whole. It could be that 
> JKR will keep it in the level of some dropped hints for grownups to
> notice, while her younger readers won't care much about characters'
> motives. But I think the hints are most definitely there.

Betsy Hp:
This is the weakest part of ACID POPS, IMO.  Because I see little 
plot reason for Snape to be madly in love with Narcissa.  It seems 
to add more confusion to the plot than any sort of clarity, to my 
mind.  And with only one book remaining I think JKR is going for 
clarity.

LOLLIPOPS, on the other hand, provides a possible motive for Snape 
leaving Voldemort and joining with Dumbledore. (Something all 
readers, I think, are desperate to hear about.)  And it's bangy, 
especially from Harry's POV. So, if there's to be any sort of ship 
for our Severus, I think the good ship LOLLIPOPS is the one to beat.

Betsy Hp