Lily (was Complimenting a character WAS: Re: HBP CHAPTERS 7-9 POST DH LOOK

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 184429


> Alla:
> 
> Since to me Lily's comment is an evidence a plenty, I believe that 
> his using M words to other Muggleborns is definitely his ugly 
> viewpoint, but I would say as much, I do believe that he changed in 
> that regard.
> 
> I think him telling Phineas not to use M word is a strong evidence 
of 
> that indeed, but when he was young? I think since that first 
comment 
> to Lily, I think he could not stand Muggleborns, even if it is 
> implied and the only evidence is his conversations with Lily and I 
> think Lily simply had it.
> 
> I know I would have had enough at some point, no matter how much I 
> loved the person as a friend, if he was calling people of my 
etnicity 
> ugly names for years, I know at some point I would have told that 
> person to take a hike and never ever approach me again.
> 
> In fact, I blame Lily for NOT breaking up with Snape earlier. She 
> must have really liked him indeed.

Magpie:
That's the way I see it too. I think Snape was already indoctrinated 
into the Slytherin mindset, but wants to make an exception of Lily 
from the very beginning--not unusual, really. I think SWM was the one 
and only time he let Lily see that side of him, but that Lily heard 
about and so knew about it before then. She was maybe able to stay a 
little bit in denial until that moment. I don't think he ever 
referred to a Muggleborn as a Mudblood in front of Lily and she was 
able to hold on because of that, but once he did it in front of her 
(and to her) she hit him with the fact that she knew this wasn't 
unusual for him.

Unfortunately for me, since there's so little focus on changing this 
mindset I wind up taking Snape's comment to Nigellus as being more 
about his own bad associations with the word than any major repulsion 
to the ideas. It's not that I think he's actively prejudiced against 
Muggleborns in canon or anything. It's just that the themes of the 
books were personal. The bigotry themes are more about Voldemort 
rather than Voldemort's beliefs being used to focus on education 
about bigotry.

-m