Was Severus in the Slug Club? (Was: Snape liked Hogwarts? )

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 154528

> SSSusan:
 
> I could see Sluggy inviting her because of the family connection to 
> the famous Seer.  I could see him inviting Snape because of the 
> House/teaching subject connection.  And I could see the invitations 
> stopping there.  Again, it's possible that McGonagall, Flitwick, 
> Sprout, etc., were all invited and declined, but I sure don't see 
any 
> evidence for that.

zgirnius:
Oh, I wasn't claiming any evidence, I was just stating an impression. 
Actually, I like your explanation, abive, even better.

> SSSusan:
> Now, Student!Snape & the Slug Club is an interesting question, 
> though.  I agree with those who've said we don't have real 
*evidence* 
> for his membership, but it interesting to think about how Snape 
would 
> have reacted if Sluggy had issued an invitation back then.  For him 
> to have received some *acknowledgment* of talent at that age might 
> have been heady.  Yet somehow I have a feeling that the MAKEUP of 
the 
> Club at the time of invitation might have factored in pretty 
heavily 
> in Severus' decision to accept or decline (if he was ever invited).

zgirnius:
Hi SSSusan, you are luring me out into the swamps of speculation!

I think that, had Snape been invited to join the Slug Club, he would 
have been pleased, at least secretly. I agree with you that who else 
was in it might affect his decision to join, as well.

However, my gut feeling is that he was NOT asked, and it bothered him 
(at least secretly, he strikes me as a person that would never let on 
about something like that, choosing instead to denounce the whole 
thing as a pointless waste of time for silly social butterflies.) His 
lack of family connections and charm could have outweighed his 
demonstrated Potions ability in Slughorn's estimation.

My main reason for thinking so is that a lot of the other 
speculations I have seen floating about for why he joined the Death 
Eaters just don't fit the data for me, so I have settled on, 
throughout his school experiences nobody seemed to notice or care 
about his abilities except his future Death Eater pals in Slytherin, 
so he decided to go along with them at some point after he graduated.

I could, of course, be as wrong as the wizard who thought the world 
was ready for a cheese cauldron...