HBP's Potion book

[amanitamuscaria1]

No: HPFGUIDX 155559

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "carodave92" <carodave92 at ...> 
wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
> <justcarol67@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cass_da_sweet"
> > <cass_da_sweet@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I have yet to see this posted and it's been bugging me for a 
> while. In
> > > HBP Hermione continues to insist that the HBP's Potions book was
> > > written by a girl. I know that it was Snape's mother's book but 
> we are
> > > giving Snape all the credit for the spells and such written in 
> it when
> > > it might not have been he who wrote it. Maybe it matters and 
> maybe it
> > > doesn't but 
 well it's bugging me.
> > > 
> > > Cass_da_sweet
> > >
> > Carol responds:
> > Since we know that he's a Potions genius and that he came to 
> Hogwarts
> > knowing more hexes than most sixth-years, and since we learn in 
HBP
> > that he's also a Healer and he refers to himself as the Half-Blood
> > Prince, I really don't think there's much doubt. I think 
Hermione's
> > insistence that the author of the spells might be a girl and her
> > discovery o Eileen Prince's existence is chiefly a red herring, 
but
> > also foreshadowing of Snape's Half-blood parentage. 
> <snip> 
>  
> > Carol, noting that Slughorn's use of the same Potions text for 
> fifty
> > years doesn't say much for his own inventiveness or incentive, in
> > marked contrast to Snape's
> >
> Now Carodave:
> 
> The Snape family must have been poor - Severus comes to school with 
> his mother's textbook.  Even Ron Weasley buys a new textbook for 
the 
> class, although in the past he has purchased used textbooks.  
> (Arthur's promotion must mean more money - good for him!)  There 
was 
> some discussion in another thread about how wealth or lack thereof 
> may have affected Peter Pettigrew in life; maybe coming to Hogwarts 
> as a poor student (and a half-blood one at that) primed Snape to 
> look for acceptance where he could find it, ie, the Death Eaters.
> 
> Carodave
>

AmanitaMuscaria now - Two points on the above observations:
First, the idea that everyone has new things is a fairly recent one 
in RW, and I'd guess in HPWorld too. In the UK at least, how much 
money your family had wasn't as important as what class your family 
was. Upper-class didn't mean you were rich - you might have been, but 
it wasn't a given. I believe the same applies to HPWorld - Arthur is 
respected, as a member of an 'old wizarding family', even if he's 
poor. Although the Malfoys, I believe, are also referred to as owf, 
the way both Lucius and Draco behave is more like 'nouveau riche' - 
flash and mouthy.
The other point is that there are familial resemblances in 
handwriting. This may be even more emphasized if the student were 
initially home-taught, as I assume most Hogwarts pupils from 
wizarding families are. Snape _may_ have been, by his mother, and may 
further have modelled himself and his handwriting on the family 
member he feels proud of, thus the Half-blood Prince
Just some thoughts. AmanitaMuscaria