[HPforGrownups] Snape&Lucius (was Re: Room for Debate)

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 164734


> --Ronin's comments--
> I think Snape's relationship with other Slytherins at Hogwarts was
> almost non-existent. When we see flashes of his past through the
> pensieve or in occlumencey lessons, he was always alone with nobody
> but Lily trying to stand up for him. But I assume that at some point,
> he struck up a "friendship" with Lucious Malfoy. I wonder at his role
> in the "friendship" though. Was he a friend like Sirius was to James
> or like Goyle is to Draco?

Magpie:
Interesting that you would say so, because I was just having an intense 
conversation about just this with someone--I find the Snape/Lucius backstory 
to be fascinating and wonder if it will be explained in the next book.

In PS all we know is that Snape "seems to like" Draco in the first 
class-though that might not have to do with Lucius. In CoS Draco says he'll 
put in a good word for Snape with Lucius to be headmaster, which makes Snape 
smile, and at the time made it seem like Draco might not know they knew each 
other. I believe it's in GoF that we get our first hint of a connection 
between the two men, when Snape makes a "sudden movement" at the mention of 
Lucius being in the graveyard. That's also perhaps the book where Sirius 
says Snape went around with a "gang" of Slytherins who all became DEs. He 
doesn't mention Lucius there, but in OotP refers to Snape as Lucius' lapdog. 
In that book we also learn that Lucius has had good things to say about 
Snape at the Ministry. Finally, in HBP, Narcissa says he and Snape are old 
friends.

I'd love to find out what their relationship was like after all that! I 
definitely take Sirius at his word when he says Snape went around with a 
gang--though of course Sirius isn't objective about Snape and wasn't a close 
to him so wouldn't necessarily know what kind of a relationship they had. 
We've barely seen anything of Snape's past so wouldn't know about his 
friendships necessarily. If there were times where Snape was backed up by 
his friends they probably wouldn't be his worst memory.

In talking about it I realized that I've half-spun a whole situation with 
Snape and Lucius that relates to how Snape views Draco and what Draco means 
to him etc. It turns out it was very different from what the other person 
imagined--and both of us realized we were just speculating madly.

We might not ever get details about the two of them, but JKR has built a 
pretty consistent case for there being something specific there, and so far 
there's no need for it to be there. I'm hoping we get an interesting dynamic 
there, since Snape's had a really intense story with the Malfoys with hints 
that his relationships with the family started with Lucius, yet he's the one 
we haven't seen him with.

-m