Snape, Lily & the Potions textbook

[Unspeakable]

No: HPFGUIDX 164835


Very interesting points, wynleaf (and Magpie and Carol)!

I duly note that Hermione never failed with Snape's instructions (he
had the book!) - also that Snape takes his teaching seriously & that
Lupin praises Snape's skill with the Wolfsbane Potion. (Incidentally,
I never doubted that it was Snape's *handwriting* inside that
textbook.) You are right, also, to point out the revisions and
crossings out ... I guess Potions geniuses are made as well as born!

Indeed, I am becoming increasingly convinced that Severus Snape & Lily
Evans were (more or less) equal partners in Potions; though, if
pushed, I think I would still give Miss Evans the advantage. (Sorry!)

My reasoning is, (apart from Slughorn's exaggerated praise) that 

Apart from Slughorn's extravagant praise ("One of the brightest I ever
taught", "intuitive grasp of potion-making"), I would suggest that
Snape *respected* Lily (hence his curious reluctance to abuse her to
Harry), which leads me to think (Snape being Snape!) that she must
have been at least as talented as him. He doesn't seem the type to
have conceded anything to a Muggle-born girl without such proof of her
abilities; nor does *she* seem the type (based on what we saw of her
integrity in 'Snape's Worst Enemy') to have cribbed from him,
effectively stolen his reputation (& place in the Slug Club?) only to
ditch him for Quidditch hero, James Potter.

For Slughorn, at least, Lily's physical attractiveness was part of her
charm, but she was not just a pretty face, IMHO; nor should Slughorn's
obvious flaws detract from the fact that he is a shrewd judge of
potential high-fliers (as even Dumbledore allowed). And the fact that
he has (despite vigorous protestations to the contrary!) a residual
blood prejudice, means that Muggle-born students have to work even
harder to impress, I would think. 

In any case, I like the idea that Lily & Snape collaborated in NEWT
level Potions, without the Marauders – (neither James nor Sirius
possessed the requisite subtly to qualify, IMHO, though I am not sure
about Lupin!) - even more than the idea that *he* was secretly
obsessed with her brilliance, noting down everything she did (which
seemed to fit with an 'unrequited love' hypothesis, as well as the
fact that we are pointedly reminded in HBP how difficult it is to keep
your Potions work secret!) I would not want to detract from Snape's
creativity as an inventor of jinxes ... but could it be significant
that from the very beginning of PS/SS, we learn that Snape's natural
inclination is for *DADA*? (And when Snape declares himself at the end
of Book 6, it is to claim ownership of a *spell*.)

 I would have to disagree with you on the (lack of) useful
implications of the Lily!Genius theory – I think there are several.

a) The lesson that Harry learns about Dark Magic in HBP still stands
(if we accept that Snape was the creator of the jinxes). However, it
seems to me that the main function of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook
in Book 6 is that of a brilliantly clever *red herring*. In Harry's
mind, the issue of the book's authorship becomes inextricably linked
with that of Snape's allegiance, until he is completely unable to
separate the two (or see that they are in fact entirely *unrelated*)
... so that Snape's revelation (after killing Dumbledore) that he is
'the Half-Blood Prince' sounds almost like an open declaration of
evil. In a spectacular piece of false logic, Harry simultaneously
convinces himself that the book's "evil" is proof of Snape's guilt &
that Snape's guilt is proof of the book's "evil". IMHO, Harry's
circular reasoning is proof of his own guilt ... he knows that he was
wrong to ignore Hermione's warnings ('in spite of the increasing
nastiness of those scribbled spells, he had refused to believe ill of
the boy who had been so clever, who had helped him so much') so
convinces himself that this is analogous with Dumbledore's apparently
'inexcusable trust in Snape'. (Something that might have brought Harry
& Snape together, leaves them even further apart: 'Helped him ... it
was an almost unendurable thought, now ...'.) Interestingly, Hermione
herself takes a more reasoned view: "I thought the Prince seemed to
have a nasty sense of humour, but I would never have guessed he was a
potential killer ...". (In that case, she needs to ask *why* Snape
didn't simply ask for his book back ... if Dumbledore knowingly
employed Snape as former DE, he would hardly have been worried about a
few bad spells in Snape's old textbook!) Now, none of this is
adversely affected by Lily!Genius helping with the Potions
improvements, IMHO ... in fact, if Harry needs to *unlearn* a lot of
what he learned in HBP, then the revelation that Snape and his mother
might have worked together would be a good place to start. 

b) But isn't the moral of the story that Harry shouldn't
*underestimate* Snape, (not that he shouldn't trust Snape)? After all,
Harry was too ready to believe that the Prince was his father and to
assert that (Snape?!) had taught him more than Snape. If so, then I
suppose, Lily!Genius would detract from the moral ... although frankly
I don't want Snape to be vindicated as a good *Potions* teacher (even
despite his Bezoar tip). :-) His bullying approach has hardly helped
Harry to perform in the subject, based on the evidence we've seen. And
Harry has never underestimated Snape's *power*, IMHO, especially since
finding out that Snape is a double/triple agent. Plus, he now knows
that Snape armed the DEs with a lot of important jinxes. (Importantly,
thanks to the textbook, Harry also knows the counter-jinxes. And I
think it is worth noting (in Snape's favour) that he effectively 
provided Harry with the advanced DADA tuition, he was hoping for from
Dumbledore!) 

But if Harry has ever really underestimated someone, it is his mother,
IMHO. (Hermione has a point about casual sexism!) Naturally enough,
Harry has always identified with his father. Despite honouring his
mother's sacrifice, he showed little interest in Lily's personality &
accomplishments (even after meeting Slughorn), though it strikes me
that she is potentially more significant for his future. (It might not
help psychologically that Petunia is his mother's relative?)
Personally, I would like Lily!Genius to have been Harry's hidden
helper if only to prove to him that his mother's talent (for Charms &
Potions) was as great as his father's (for Quidditch &
Transfiguration). And yes, I think – though acknowledging the lack of
evidence in this case – that Lily was an Unspeakable who worked in the
DOM. (Evidence? It was highly secret, you know!) :-) 

c) Furthermore, I think the textbook could yet be significant as a
prop in the Lily/Snape story. (I wonder if Petunia ever saw him with
it? I cherish the belief that Snape might have known Lily & Petunia as
neighbours in the Muggle world.) We have so little to connect the pair
of them, yet JKR has never debunked this enduringly popular theory,
which (until OOtP) rested only on Snape's anguish in POA and his
silence (interpreted, rightly I suspect, as respect for her memory).
Then, in OOtP came the moment when Lily defended Snape and he spurned
her – His Worst Memory? But it wasn't until HBP that we learned
(intriguingly) that Snape & Lily had a talent in common. I would love
to believe that the Prince's textbook, which Harry supposedly acquired
by accident, turns out to have significance for *him* - as a legacy of
his mother, acquired through Snape.

Cassy, who romantically sees Snape's career in Potions as a tribute to
Lily. 
http://book7.co.uk/