The handwriting in the book (Was: Lily and Snape)

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 140385


> > Carol responds:
> > First, it's highly unlikely that Lily (or Snape's mother, 
> > suggested by other posters) would invent the curses that Snape 
> > claims as his own, particularly Sectumsempra and its accompanying 
> > note, "for enemies,"and the curses are in the same handwriting as 
> > the potions hints. Bothappear to be the product of the same 
> > ingenious mind, young Snape's:

> Auria says:
> Just because Snape is now a very accomplished Potions and DADA 
> teacher doesn't preclude Lily from also being good at potions.  Why 
> should one exclude the other?  Snape may well have become such a 
> good potions master from some of the information copied from Lily 
> that he then added to from his own intellect.  Rarely does someone 
> learn from only one source.
> Auria

Valky:
I have to agree with Auria here, though it is rare thing for me to
feel less than convinced after Carol gives one of her excellent
arguments :D

I have been following this thread with quite some interest, I think
that this notion of Lily's invovement in Snapes past has merit. 

My thoughts on it are this. Snape's chiefest interest, his pet
subject, is not potions, it's DADA. Snape however has a considerable
reputation for potions genius. In HBP we discover his secret in
Potions is deviating from convention, subtle, simple and even
aesthetic changes are made to the potions to improve their quality.

Now I don't know about you, but the words subtle and aesthetic?
fitting words to describe the notations in Snapes book, but Snape?
Goodness! Snape know aesthetics? even if it was staring hard into his
greasy face, the answer is NO no no! It's not his area to add a sprig
of peppermint to improve a euphoria potion, is it? Surely not. Why
would Snape even *care* about "Euphoria" potion of all things? Let
alone whether it smelled nice or if the dunderhead who bothered to
take it tweaked his nose and burst into foolish song all over the place.

Harry gets himself a reputation for potions genius too. But are we
being too hard on him to say he deserved it less than Snape. In canon
we can only absolutely ascertain that the origin of the Dark Arts and
DADA type spells is Snape, and hey that makes outright utter sense
doesn't it? Sadistic horrible Snape figures out new and interesting
ways to torment and humiliate or otherwise destroy a mutating
everchanging enemy. We can credit him with Levicorpus, and
Sectumsempra absolutely, we could also crown him with muffliato etc..
it's all *good* spy/DADA/warrior type stuff. In character even. But
the berry squashing aesthetically subtle beauty of his less favoured
subject, especially when its obvious any above average wizard can brew
spectacular potions by following the intructions (if he can read them
:D) it doesn't bear out Snape really. 

These things are indeed, above all, the marks of someone with
aesthetic class, someone subtley bewitchingly beautiful, someone who
is most interested in giving to others, a very popular and special
young lady, it fits. Just IMO.

Valky