Why Won't Snape Eat At OotP HQ? (WAS: Snape at Grimmauld Place)

[Marion Ros]

No: HPFGUIDX 157042

Marion:

I've read in a fanfic that the reason that Snape didn't eat at Grimmauld Place was because in order to be able to eat in a wizard's house, you'd have to have 'guest rights' (ie: the owner of the house must have invited you in and/or given you something to eat or drink)
It was just a fanfic, but it sounded reasonable to me. I know that in some old cultures (including British?) you were given bread and salt when entering a house. This would give you 'guest rights', which means that no one could harm you under your host's roof without his concent. It offered protection to the guest and the assurance of a place to sleep and food to eat.

see: http://www.houseofukraine.com/BREAD.HTML   and http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/Hector/soc/HSalt.htm

Sirius is the Head of the House of Black and the Master of Grimmauld Place. If he did not offer any food, maybe it's physically impossible for Snape to eat any under his roof.

It's pure speculation, of course, but one that appealed to me. It would be a classic Ronnism to mouth off to Snape about his 'refusal to eat with us' while Snape was simply unable to because Sirius refused to give him any food or drink in his own house. It would be very in character too for Sirius to delight in having old Snivellus hungry and thirsty under his roof, knowing that if he wants to eat, drink or sleep he'd have to *leave*. For a man whose control over his own life has been largely removed, such pettiness must give great satisfaction.

But, as I say, it's pure speculation. Perhaps Snape simply didn't want to take any food and/or drink under Black's roof, perhaps for the same reason. Still, a society where 'lifedebts' exists, 'guestright' might not be altogether farfetched.