Will the Real Severus Snape please step forward?

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 167768

> zgirnius;

<SNIP>

> This is the sort of knowledge that would permit him to make 
improvements - that he has it makes me believe he can, and 
therrfore did. Though I would not rule out collaboration - two 
such students in one class would, in my opinion, be very 
interested in the shortcuts and ideas of the other.

Goddlefrood:

Fair enough, I offer an alternative viewpoint, it is not really
provable either way. DH may or may not enlighten. For now I only
offer Uncle Horace to support what I say, he was highly 
complimentary of Lily's potions ability. Nary a word relative
to Severus, not proof at all obviously but perhaps a little 
support for my explanation.

> zgirnius:

> Percy dates a Ravenclaw, as does Ginny. Neither relationship 
is Quidditch based. It also seems highly likely that Muggleborn 
Ted Tonks, the husband of the Slytherin Andromeda (Black) Tonks, 
was not himself a Slytherin. Based on Nymphadora's age, these 
folks had to be school sweethearts.

Goddlefrood:

Hardly a fair analogy, I only stated that in general interaction
between houses is in the classroom or at Quidditch, if I was not
explicit on that, I now am ;)

Do we have any evidence for the assertion that Ted Tonks was not a 
Slytherin. It does seem likely that he was not, I would agree, but 
is there evidence for it?

And, yes, there is interaction between the houses other than in 
the places I mention. This does not prove whether Lily and Severus 
spent much time together other than in class, though. It is 
strongly implied that they would not have. It would be highly
unlikely, IMO, if only because Lily was a Gryffindor and at a
point we are so far unsure of began dating James. I simply do not
believe that Snape loved Lily, sorry, but there it is.

> zgirnius:

> And these two ingredients, we learn, are used in the Draught of 
> Living Death. This, from the guy who always wears black.

Goddlefrood:

The matter in respect of Asphodel or Wormwood, is of interest, 
particularly to botanists ;). I must, however be missing 
something, is it that you believe Snape used the draught of
living death to sustain someone? Or is it something else? I 
would greatly appreciate enlightenment :)

On this black colour wearing business, yes it is the colour 
traditionally associated with mourning, but whay does that lend 
support to any idea that Lily is the one being mourned? Black is
also a colour in which certain people believe they look good.

Additionally the traditional period of mourning does not typically
extend to 15 or more years, fwiw.

I do agree, and state it in my part 3 (c) that the reason Snape 
gave to Dumbledore may well be the reason Dumbledore believes and
is enough for DD to trust Severus. It may be unlikely, but DD was
a trusting man and believed in second chances. I can not accept
that Snape loved Lily, repetitive perhaps, but I feel a need to
stress it. I could be wrong, who knows, but on this matter I am
confident of not being :)

> zgirnius:

> A discussion of why he would not have known prior to Spring of 
PoA has already been presented in response, with which I concur. 
Is this what you meant, or are you interested in the specifics of 
what happened in the Shack?

Goddlefrood:

Not really the latter, no. Snape was hardly in an observant frame
of mind in the Shack. He had focused on Sirius and no distractions
were about to turn him from that focus. During the period when 
Severus was conscious in the Shack Scabbers was in Ron's coat, or 
so I recall.

What it really goes to is my thought that Severus, despite his 
hatred of Sirius, would probably have a good idea that Sirius
was not the traitor. He would not have been much of a spy if he
were unaware of his fellow Death Eaters' identities, now would he?

I am firmly of the view he knew Peter as Wormtail prior to Peter's
disappearance. It may simply be a case, though, as suggested 
earlier by Ceridwen, that Snape did not pay any attention to the 
pets of the Gryffindors. There probably is little more to it than 
that.

> zgirnius:

> Any reason why you suppose Snape might have recalled it just at 
that particular moment? It seems to me he would have had other 
things on his mind at the time, like, for example, his Unbreakable 
Vow. Or is it your position that the Vow was as much the reason - 
the look just explains how he was able to do it?

Goddlefrood:

There is a small one, yes. It is also pertinent to the overheard
conversation between DD and Snape. Our witness Hagrid. It would
fit with that conversation being about Snape wanting out of
whatever he was being asked to do because he had lost some respect
for DD and his methods. Not really provable, and too little to
go on from the snippets reported by Hagrid. DD persuaded him at
that point otherwise but the resentment Snape felt was established
and would have been reinforced if my opinion that Severus's hatred
went back to the prank is anywhere near being correct.

The look does explain how he was able to do it and my explanation
is for where Severus summoned the hatred to carry it through from.

The UV is not something I'm paying too much regard to as I do not
see that it would alter my basic premise. That it was most 
probably a factor, and perhaps quite a large factor, in Severus's 
decision atop the tower is a point I would not argue against :)

> zgirnius:

> A playmate of Severus would have to be, at the present time in 
the series, a woman roughly 35-40 years of age. Madam Pince is 
described in OotP (Chap. 29) as having a "shriveled" face. That 
seems wrong for a woman of the age you suppose her to be.

Goddlefrood:

It does, the "other" behind Severus may be someone else. Or maybe
Madam Pince likes Abyssinian Shrivelfigs or has some fondness for 
aging potions. Why that might be I could not say ;)