James Hatred of Snape (Was: Snapes Worst Memory)

[npod4291]

No: HPFGUIDX 174238

> Julie:
> I think many, maybe most, fans did read that one right. It
> was clear Snape and the Marauders already had a long history
> of tormenting each other. One incident out of dozens wouldn't
> be significant, so the one difference in this memory--Lily
> witnessing his humiliation and of him responding by calling
> her a Mudblood had to be what was significant.
>
> BTW, James may have said he was tormenting Snape just because
> he existed, but James is just a big ol' liar! Hey, it may be
> an unconscious lie, in which case James lying to himself also,
> but he is after Snape because Snape is Lily's oldest friend
> at Hogwarts. Not only her oldest friend, but a Slytherin,
> and most importantly, someone who had the potential to be
> *more* than friends with Lily. James may not know it yet,
> but he isn't about to let that happen, because he wants
> Lily for himself!


I believe that James had two reasons to hate Snape.

1.) Snape practiced and was very interested in the Dark Arts.  It
has been said (I believe) many times in canon that James, like Harry
and Sirius, hated the Dark Arts and anyone who used them.  This
would have been enough reason to get Sirius, the Co-Leader of the
gang, to abuse Snape, as he agreed with this reasoning.

2.) Exactly as you said, James was worried that Lily was going to
become more than friends with someone else.

What I would like to know, and it is not something that we can
possibly know as JKR might not even know, is which reason for hating
Snape came first.  I think that it is a very good possiblity that
James at first didn't like Snape because he was such good friends
with Lily, and therefore started to hate everything about him.
Because Snape loved the Dark Arts, James then hated the Dark Arts.

Nate