Comparisons & contrasts re: DD, Snape and LV

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 179134

> Jen:
> There's not much in DH for why Snape was accepted in Slytherin and 
> became part of the DE crowd as a half-blood.  Maybe it was only the 
> dark arts connection as mentioned in Prince's Tale, but the Half-
> blood Prince moniker says there was something going on for Snape 
re: 
> his heritage.  Was the Half-Blood Prince name meant to be Snape 
> playing up his pure-blood side?  Was he indeed 'ashamed' of his 
> parentage?  

a_svirn:
I don't think a half-blood can play his or her pure-blood side, any 
more than a royal bastard can play his royal side. Some tried, but 
ended up a head shorter. One is either legitimate or not, either pure 
or not, there are no sides to it. The best Snape could do was to 
avoid the subject altogether, and the adjective "half-blood" seems to 
defeat that purpose. I think it was his private joke and a rather 
bitter one at that. A prince who is not quite a prince, a Slytherin 
to the core, whose very right to be in Slytherin is somewhat 
questionable. A boy who doesn't quite fit anywhere, yet desperately 
wants to claim his place among the elite. 

Jen:
Now I'm wondering just how much of Harry's analysis above 
> is accurate for Snape's story since there wasn't much in DH to 
> explain the time between Lucius patting him on the back when he's 
> sorted, and Snape later becoming part of the young DEs with 
> Mulciber/Avery.

a_svirn:
I believe it was a classic "services in exchange for patronage" kind 
of deal. Judging by Sectumsempra and Maffiato he had much to offer 
and he badly wanted to be part of the crowd.