Snape Loved or In-Love with Lily?

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 148367

Steve wrote:
<SNIP>
> 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. 
<SNIP>
>> 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.


Alla:

How do I feel about Snape "loved Lily" or was "in love" with her? I 
would love for that NOT to come true, because of the EWWWW part of 
the theory, but with every book, I feel more and more that it just 
FITS and it just may explain SO many plot points.

I certainly won't reject the possibility that you just described, 
Steve, because even if Snape had as you said "non-sexual" fondness 
for Lily, it will still provide explanation for those plot points, 
but I also do not reject Snape being fully "in love" with Lily part, 
nope I think it is very, very possible.

If your objections are just based on predictability part, well then 
how more predictable "Ron/Hermione" and "Harry/Ginny" can be?

I know, I know, many people read  the text as different 
possibilities (Harry/Hermione), etc, but honestly, if I may had some 
tiny doubts about Harry/Ginny sometimes, Ron/Hermione screamed at me 
from every book.

So, going back to Snape/Lily - to me predictability is definitely 
NOT a basis for rejection of this theory, quite the contrary.

And as I said IMO it may help explaining and resolving SO many plot 
points.

JKR said that the identity of "that awful boy" is important. Does 
Snape fit? Certainly, in my book he does.

Snape being in Godric Hollow because he wanted Lily as prise ( if he 
was still evil) or just tried to save her, if he is good - yep, fits 
to me.

Snape loving Lily is IMO the ONLY thing which can make Harry to feel 
some kind of pity for Snape. Otherwise, I cannot even IMAGINE how 
Harry will be able to forgive him, IMO. But I can certainly 
see "because my mother would wanted me to" or something along those 
lines.

Granted, this all can work even if Snape simply liked Lily as a 
friend, and I would prefer that possibility, but IMO JKR may go 
with "in love" part.

JMO,

Alla