Snape's mom-domestic abuse

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 159961

zgirnius:
> The bit that gets most people to the abuse conclusion is not that 
he is yelling. I agree, that can absolutely be part of a relationship 
which is basically sound. The problem is that the woman 
is 'cowering'. Not just listening, or arguing, not yelling or 
throwing crockery herself, but acting scared of the man.

Ceridwen:
It could also be that she is regretful of something that happened.  
My theory - I use the term very loosely, others have mentioned it 
before so I didn't come up with it - is that Tobias had just suffered 
from some bout of accidental or breakthrough magic from Young 
Severus.  He's angry about it, and yelling.  Eileen would be cringing 
because she's very aware that whatever it is that happened was, at 
the least, disappointing for her husband, or worse, was painful.  The 
child, Severus I take it, is crying because Dad just went off the 
deep end, and it was because of something that he did.

My favorite scenario is Dad just home from work, reading the paper, 
when his trousers catch on fire.  I'd yell too, and people would 
cringe.

A woman afraid that her husband has had enough of the marriage might 
cringe:  "He's angry, he's going to leave... Merlin, please don't 
leave me!"  If she had been hiding the fact that the child could do 
magic, or even hiding the fact that she was a witch herself, she 
might think this was the end of everything, he would now walk out 
that door.  Or if there had been other bouts of accidental magic and 
Tobias had stated that he didn't want to be subjected to it again, 
she might think, here it is, he's leaving.

Everyone is emotional in this scene, so it could be just about 
anything.

This could have been a random memory among others, of course.  But it 
could also have been noteworthy because it was unusual.  The question 
might be, what is Rowling trying to show with this scene?  An echo of 
Merope and Tom, Sr.?  Or a temporary rift to show Young Severus's 
love for both his parents, the way Draco loves his parents?

Ceridwen.