What turned Snape (Was: JKR site update SPOILERS)

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 158904

 
> Eddie:
 
> My literary sense is that the dramatic tension would be hightened by
> Snape being turned by some event(s) he witnessed at Godrick's Hollow
> on the night of Harry's parents' deaths.  Some have suggested that
> Snape was in love with Lily, and was horrified that Voldy killed 
her.
>  Yet another reason to have lots of anxiety about Harry.
> 
> But if my memory serves me right, Snape returned to Hogwarts BEFORE
> the Godrick's Hollow incident.  What excuse would Snape have given
> then?  (I think Snape tells Narcissa and Bellatrix that he was 
already
> spying on Dumbledore by that time.)

Hickengruendler:

Snape definitiley turn or pretended to turn prior to Godric's Hollow. 
Voldemore vanished this night, and Snape went to Dumbledore before 
Voldemort vanished, as we know both because Snape told Bellatrix, 
that he went to Dumbledore on Voldemort's orders and because 
Dumbledore said in the Pensieve in GoF, that Snape started spying 
some time before Voldie's downfall. I think the misunderstanding 
about it comes from Harry's interpretation of Dumbledore's words. 
Harry told Lupin and McGonagall, that according to Dumbledore Snape 
changed sides, because he was sorry, that the Potters were killed, 
but it is not what Dumbledore really said (and cannot be true, 
because of the point mentioned above). What Dumbledore told Harry 
was, that Snape changed sides, because Voldemort was *targeting* the 
Potters, which is obviously not the same. It gave Snape some time to 
make his change of hearts (regarding his Death Eater activities I 
mean, not his general personality) believable through his actions, 
for example. Harry's misinterpretation is one of the reasons, why I 
believe in good Snape, (other than I stubbornly refuse to accept any 
theory that has Dumbledore beg for his life). If Harry made such an 
obvious mistake, than we are IMO meant to second guess his 
interpretation instead of taking it at face value.
 
About the reason why Snape changed or pretended to, yes, it is quite 
a well known theory, that it has something to do with Lily. And even 
though I never thought this prior to HBP, after reading book 6 I 
believe it as well. First of all, we have to assume that Dumbledore 
didn't lie. He might withhold some information or make some unwise 
decisions, but I believe we have to take his word for the truth, as 
far as he know it. Meaning he might be mistaken about something (as 
in possibly about Snape's loyalties, but he does not deliberatly lie. 
And he told Harry, that Voldemort going after the Potter was the 
reason for Snape's turning, therefore I am sure this is what 
Dumbledore really believes, and Snape had to make it somehow 
believable in front of him. Could Snape's reason be James and the 
life debt? Yes, but then I don't know, why Dumbledore didn't tell 
Harry and by extension why JKR didn't tell us. The life debt as a 
possible motive for Snape is known to Harry and to us since book 1. 
What would be a point of making a secret out of it know, or, to look 
at it from the other side, if this were Snape's big motivation, than 
why would JKR drop this back in book 1. Is it an otherwise fondness 
of James? This seems highly unlikely to me. So it is connected to the 
Potters, but not to James. And probably not to Harry either, since 
the way I understood Dumbledore, Snape changed sides, not because he 
was horrified that Voldie wanted to kill a helpless baby, but becaus 
eit were specifically the Potters he was after. And at this time, he 
couldn't have made any possible connection with Harry. So this leaves 
Lily. The girl, who defended him. The girl he shared Potions' classes 
with, and who was pretty strong in this subject. And yes, I haven't 
forgotten, that he called her a mudblood. I believe this to be the 
moment when Lily stopped being on friendly terms with him, and the 
real reasons, why this was "Snape worst memory". After all, the 
bullying alone was nothing special for Snape. There were probably 
several such incidents, so what made this one so special for it to be 
his worst memory?

Hickengruendler, also thinking that Snape was "that horrible boy", 
Petunia mentioned