Missing pieces.

[Katerina]

No: HPFGUIDX 140457

 While readibg the HBP I noticed some aspects that seem to  not link 
with Snape's, as Harry's says, treacherous nature.  It seems like we 
have a rather disoriented puzzle.

The Nickname:

The nickname:  Harry points out in 'White Tomb' 

"Pure-blood mother, Muggle father... ashamed of his parentage, 
trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an 
impressive new name"

Of course Harry refers to the word 'prince' at that moment but I am 
still not assured on the term 'impressive'.  If I am going to 
examine the wizarding perception of Slytherin it goes like this.  
Muggle-borns are considered to be mudbloods for they come from a non-
magical family.  Pure-bloods are from an all-magical lineage.  But 
what are half-bloods?  Surely for the Gryffindors like Ron they are 
something normal but are they for the Slytherins? I do not think 
so.  If I was going to think as a pure-blood, I would be entirely 
disgusted with the idea of the pure blood of a wizard being mingled 
with one of a muggle.  In fact I would regard a half-blood in lower 
terms than a mudblood (consider how Hagrid is seen in GoF.  Malfoy 
refers to his half-breed for a long time)

Why would Snape name himself Half-Blood, something that the people 
he associated with would regard it with even more disgust?  It 
simply does not fit with the puzzle. Hermione said that he is proud 
to be half-a-prince but it does not sound logical to me. I am not 
sure if Snape would chose a nickname that would make him even more 
unpopular that he was, just because he is proud of his mother's 
blood.  

In addition to that I was struck by some things people disregarded.  
Harry believes that there is a high probability that Dumbledore 
never knew of Snape's parentage.  I say this probability is very 
low, at least for me.  Imagine of Dumbledore, who had become a 
Headmaster, seeing the name Snape appearing in Slytherin.  The 
name 'Snape' was never known in the wizarding community, simply 
because it never existed. I am very reluctant to believe that 
Dumbledore never checked on Snape's past.  Surely he could do 
nothing than considering this detail very carefully before taking 
Snape in as a spy. After all Snape had many similarities with 
Voldemort.  Dumbledore has lived to see a lot, he had also defeated 
a Dark Wizard at the age of 100.  I am very reluctant to believe 
that he took Snape into the Order without eliminate every possiblity 
that he was helping a Dark WIzard succeed his plans.  Yes Dumbledore 
trusts people but I cannot accept that he was naive.

Is Snape Lucius Oldest friend?  

I am not sure about this for the following reason. In 'Snape's Worst 
Memory' we see Snape bullied by James Potter and the Marauders.  If 
someone reads the chapter carefully, he will see that Snape is all 
alone. Someone would expect him to hang out with the rest of the 
Slytherins when he would finish his exam. Even when he is attacked 
eveybody laughs with the entire situation.  Then Lilly comes to 'his 
rescue' and he calls her 'mud-blood'  At that moment attention 
shifts towards him. I am of the idea that Snape had never taken a 
side on the pure-blood/mud-blood issue up to that given moment when 
he calls Lily 'mublood'  I suspect that at that moment Slytherins 
started noticing Snape as someone that closely equal and begun to 
accept him for his power in the Dark Arts.   

Finally the whole repent issue.  

I have to agree that James Potter was never equivalent for rescue.  
I was a victim of bullyism from the age of seven until the age of 12 
and being cold-blooded honest, I cannot help but feeling that in the 
situation I will see one of my bulliers walking down the street (now 
I am 20 years old mind you) I will have to gather all my  emotional 
strenght not to walk towards him and slap him across the face. But 
what about Lily?  If Snape feels so obliged to James, who tormentd 
him and saved his life once, and looks after Harry in PhS/SS, how 
obliged does he feel to Lily, who was the only person to defend him 
when he was all alone?  This is another situation that does not fit 
in my puzzle.

I think book seven will show.

Kathlin

Ps: In a way I hope Snape is not a vilain, since if he proves to be 
so it will become so one-dimentional.  It will be as if Harry was a 
perfect judge of character from the age of 12.  No one is like that.