Snape Loved or In-Love with Lily?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 148364

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sir_lafayette2000" <gsopko at ...> 
> 
> Gregory wrote:
> ...
> 
> DD trusted Snape and the big question is why. Love is the magic that 
> Voldemort does not understand.  I believe that Snape loved Lilly 
> Potter and thats why DD trusts Snape, because Snape hates LV for 
> killing her.  ...edited... 
> 
> Gregory
>

bboyminn:

The idea that Snape loved Lily Evans-Potter comes up often, and within
a certain context, I'm not buying it. At least, I'm not buying the 'in
love' part. 

Many people feel that Snape has harbored a deep seated 'crush' on Lily
that he never dared act on, or that he did act on and was rebuffed.
They use this idea to explain Snape's deep hatred of James, who he
despised because he feared that Lily was covertly attracted to what
Snape considered a egotistical, self-absorbed bully. Now there may be
a small part of that involved, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that
Snape loved Lily, and would never ever go so far as to say that Snape
was in-love with Lily.

I think Snape had a deep abiding non-sexual fondness for Lily. Despite
the fact that he never expressed it outwardly, he felt deeply grateful
for the kindness and respect that Lily had shown him over their school
careers together. I suspect that in the Potions Lab, away from the
prying eyes of other students, there relationship was very friendly,
even to the point of warm and (superficially) affectionate. 

Snape, being the tough-guy pureblood-loving Slytherin that he is,
showed restraint around Lily, but treated her with respect and
something approximating kindness. I suspect his comment of 'mudblood'
during 'Snape's Worst Memory' was a public reflection of the sting of
public humiliation, and not a reflection of his true private feelings. 

When Snape found out how Voldemort interpreted the Prophecy, this cut
Snape to his emotional core. He realized that he had put in jeopardy
the life of the one person who had treated him kindly. Further, the
one person who had truly treated him with unbiased, non-pitying,
non-self-serving respect and kindness. In that moment the true worth
of Lily Evans-Potter became apparent to him; and that was a pain and a
fear too great to face.

Now, I'm sure that there were other people who affected respect and
politeness to Snape, but I suspect that most of them were either
'greasing' him to their own ends, or were afraid of offending what
they knew to be a powerful and extremely knowledgable and talented
wizard. Their respect or kindness or politeness was affected, whereas
Lily's was genuine and heartfelt, and that makes a huge difference. It
was the genuineness of her kindness that Snape secretly admired.

Again, I don't think Snape ever reflected these feeling outwardly.
When they were in public, Snape showed a very unkind Slytherin, or at
bare minimum indifferent, attitude; in private, together, I think he
was very polite and soft spoken in Lily's presents. Away from the
prying and judging eyes of the school, neither had to take on any airs
or pretense. I'm sure they found each others company very pleasant.

Now, I can't really back much of this up with hard canon, but it is my
intuitive read of the available events and the limited knowledge of
the characters. If you want to call this genuine fondness for Lily a
form of Love, then that is fine, but I reject any kind of romantic
love as being too corny and too predicatable.

It's a very subtle point, but an important one.

Steve/bboyminn