JKR's answer to "Was Snape ever loved?"

[colebiancardi]

No: HPFGUIDX 134734

 
> Cassie: 
>  
> I really don't want to sound dumb.  I've been more of a lurker until  
> recently.  But where did you get the idea that Snape was in love
with  Lily?  I've 
> seen other people say this, but I don't know what canon  supports it. 
>  
> ~Cassie~ 
> 
Cassie, you are not sounding dumb at all.  There is no canon to
support this, this is just shipper stuff.  There is a theory that
because Snape never speaks of Harry's mother in a bad way to Harry,
like he does with James, that some of fandom has thought that Snape
was madly in love with Lily.  Sure, she stuck up for him when James
was bullying Snape, but that doesn't mean a thing.  If anything, I
think Snape has nothing bad to say about Lily, because there isn't
anything bad to say about Lily.  They might...MIGHT..have been
"friends" at Hogwarts - as both were so good at potions - but then
again, they could have been rivals, as well.  At any rate, he seems to
respect Lily, as he doesn't insult her in Harry's presence - or it
could be she is nothing to him, other than Harry's mother.

also, on the subject of the memories that Harry saw in Snape's mind -
the couple arguing, etc - whose to say that memories go in
cronological order?  The mind is a wonderful thing - it can go back &
forth between memories and not get confused.  I read that scene as it
was Snape's parents and the young boy was Snape himself.

colebiancardi