Slytherin Gang (was Re: The Prince and Filch Family Trees

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 156672

 
> colebiancardi back again:
> 
> I think Sirius stated it was that Snape was up to his ears in the 
Dark 
> Arts and that he knew more hexes & curses than a 7th year.  So, was 
> that comment incorrect?  


Potioncat:
That's the way I remembered it too. So I went to canon for a better 
look. It gets more (or less) confusing. It is actually two different 
conversations, although Sirius is talking in both cases.

>>>In Goblet of Fire, chapter 27, Sirius says, "Ever since I found 
out Snape was teaching here, I wondered why DD hired him. Snape's 
always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at 
school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was."..."Snape knew more 
curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in 7th year, and 
he was part of a gang of Slytherins, who nearly all turned out to be 
Death Eaters."

OoP chapter29 Sirius says that James was good at pretty much 
everything. "And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his 
ears in the Dark Arts and James-- whatever else he may have appeared 
to you, Harry--always hated the Dark Arts.<<<

Since Snape knew more curses than half the 7th years, and we can 
assume that those 7th years weren't firing off Dark Curses, I think 
the curses were standard spells, only unexpected in one so young. I 
think the curses are separate from the Dark Arts.

However, both times Sirius also mentions Dark Arts and both times he 
uses slurs. It sounds as if Snape was well known for his interest in 
Dark Arts. Was he as interested in DADA? Had Sirius not also casting 
the slurs, I would take his statements with less scepticism. But I 
can't deny, from what we've seen, Snape had some interest in Dark 
Arts.



Colebiancardi:
> 
> How much of James, Sirius & Snape's "hatred" towards each other 
comes 
> from preconceived biases from parents, relatives, friends, etc?

Potioncat:
Yeah, me too. It's hard to know what was really going on here. I 
think it's true that Snape had an interest in Dark Arts, but how was 
that revealed? What was he doing? Wouldn't he have gotten in trouble 
for performing Dark Arts at school?  For that matter, why didn't 
Harry get into more trouble for his little Dark Arts spell?

> colebiancardi
> (who doesn't believe that the sins of the parents are passed down 
to 
> the child)

Potioncat:
No, but sometimes the consequences are.
>