Lily the popular girl

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167921


> 
> Toonmili: People don't like the idea of Snape being in Love, well, 
it is much better than Peter being in love. At least Snape is a man, 
not a coward.

Julie:
Well, all sorts of people fall in "love." The cowardly as well
as the brave, the mean as well as the nice, the psychotic as
well as the mentally stable. Peter may have considered himself
in love with Lily, even if he doesn't express it in a way 
most of us would. (Look at all the nutso ex-boyfriends who 
kill their ex-girlfriends because they loved them "so much"
and vice versa). 

Just to cloud the issue, let me also state that I believe
Snape *did* love someone once. IMO, JKR implied as much in
an interview, though there is debate over just which element
of Snape she was discussing (redemptive pattern versus having
loved someone). And I suspect Snape, as mean as he is, did
love that person the "right" way (i.e., that person's safety
AND happiness was more important than his own--whereas Peter
couldn't give a rat's ass about Lily's happiness if he was
a willing accomplice in her husband and son's murders--pun
intended!)

If the person Snape loved wasn't Lily, then perhaps it was
Remus--okay, kidding (probably!). My best guess is it was 
someone he knew at Hogwarts-- maybe Florence, the girl being 
kissed by an unidentified boy (Severus Snape, anyone?). If
she died--and/or their child--because of Snape's loyalty
to Voldemort, that certainly would explain Snape's fervent
"Fool's who wear their hearts on their sleeves" speech.
(And, yes, that could still be about Lily, but I still
say a rejected!Snape giving Lily the continued respect of 
*not* vilifying her existence to her despised son would be
very out of character.)

Toonmili:
> Besides when Voldemort returned he said: "one has left me forever
> and he will be killed..." Everyone agrees he was talking about
> Snape. You'll notice he said that Snape has LEFT... meaning on his
> own accord...not because he was a coward...not because he had
> betrayed him. You'll also notice that Voldemort is quite certain
> that he has left forever (meaning never to return).  But why is he 
so certain that Snape has left him forever? Maybe because he knows 
that he has done something that would make Snape leave him forever, 
i.e. killed Lily when Snape asked or begged him not too.  He would 
want to to be in Snape's good graces because Snape is a very skilled 
wizard and the most gifted death eater, he would be a horrible loss.  
He wouldn't care about what Wormtail wanted. He probably would have 
killed wormtail if he even made such a request. Once Voldemort got 
the secret from Wormtail he was no longer useful, the order would 
have known he was a spy. He only entertains him now because he came 
and found him. But you will notice how quick he was to get rid of him 
as soon as his death eaters came back. He has him be Snape's 
assistant. No other Death Eaters have assistants. This shows that 
Snape is indeed the favorite.

Julie:
If Voldemort believed Snape had left him forever because of
killing Lily, why would he then take Snape back? (I'll answer
my own question--because Snape is still useful.) By the same
token, even if Voldemort doesn't respect Peter, the ratman
also has his uses. Voldemort would be willing to keep Peter
around as long as that usefulness remains. And again, back
at GH it was really no skin off Voldemort's nose to let a 
defenseless girl (as he viewed Lily) survive, even to keep
someone as pathetic as Peter loyal. Voldemort simply had 
nothing to lose in that bargain, at least in his mind.

I do agree Snape is a favorite of Voldemort's because of 
his skills and power. Again, Voldemort keeps what he can
use until it is of no further use. I sadly suspect Snape
will face this moment in DH when Voldemort (who may or may
not have suspected Snape's double-spying all along) decides
Snape has outlived his usefulness. I can only hope Snape
survives, perhaps because of Harry's help ;-)

Julie