Of Sorting and Snape

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 175193

Prep0strus:

> I do have to be careful with my word choices on here. 
> Yes, it is not Snape's 'perspective'. However, it IS his 
> memory. And his choice to show it to Harry. We don't see 
> many memories of Snape and his Slytherin cohorts, 
> practicing dark magic and most likely torturing younger 
> Griffendors and talking of joining up with Voldemorte, 
> do we? Much as we judge JKR by the scenes she chooses 
> to show us, so while we WANT a nice Slytherin, the 
> conspicuous absence of one in the stories means we 
> have to invent one or accept that there isn't one, 
> we can also note the editing that Snape is able to 
> do. He is telling his story. 

houyhnhnm:

Severus and Lily were friends for no less than a year 
and as much as three year years before they went to 
Hogwarts.  Snape had his mother, but Lily had no 
contact with the magical world other than Snape.  
He was her mentor and guide for all that time, yet 
she shows no interest in or knowledge of the Dark Arts.  
How could that be if Snape was so obsessed with dark 
magic before he came to Hogwarts?  I find that very telling.

I also note that none of her reproachs to him after 
they come to Hogwarts are about things that Snape has 
done.  Rather they are about the people he chooses to 
associate with and the language he has picked up from them.

If Snape chose memories to make himself look good (as 
if he had time to give thought to such a thing in his 
death throes*), he did a poor job of it.  All of the
memories in the Pensieve show Snape offending Lily, 
making her angry.  Yet there must have been good times, 
too, that we didn't see.  Why else would they have 
remained friends into their fifth year?

*I hadn't thought of this before, but the memories Snape 
gives Harry actually amount to a deathbed confession.  
We have no choice but to accept their truth and neither did Harry.