Lily WAS: First lesson

[Annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 185723


> Carol responds:
> 
> In the snippet of memory in which Severus (and I agree that it's
> him--who else could it be?) kills flies, the narrator specifically
> identifies him as "a greasy-haired teenager." In the other two, he's
> identified as "a small dark-haired boy" crying as a man yells at a
> cowering woman and as "a scrawny boy" who rides an apparently hexed
> broom as a laughing girl (presumably Lily) watches. I read the
> fly-zapping scene as occurring after he's lost his friendship with
> Lily, in contrast to the other two, in which he's, respectively, 
about
> three or four and nine or ten.
> 

Annemehr:

Out of curiosity, what is your reason for concluding that the hexed 
broom scene is occuring when Severus is nine or ten?  My inclination 
is to assume it's during their first-year flying lessons, and that it 
was James who hexed the broom.



Carol:

> Since the color of the spell is not mentioned, we don't know whether
> he's AKing the flies or just Stunning them. (Harry, IIRC, practiced
> Stunning on wasps and Impedimenta on a fly.) Or maybe he's killing
> them with a special fly-killing spell that Wizards use as a magical
> alternative to Muggle fly swatters. I can't imagine them tolerating
> the nasty disease-spreading pests. They'd kill the flies somehow, 
just
> as Muggles do, except that they'd use magic.

Alla answered:

In the real life of course not, but if in the book I am reading about
the character and seeing his memories and one of those very few
memories is him killing flies in his spare time, I will think that
author wants to say something about the character.

He is not reading books, he is not experimenting with potions, he is
not taking a walk, he is *killing flies*. That is a bizarre activity
for author to point out to me.

Because sure we all killed flies at some point of our lives (although
boy I cannot stand it, same as with cockroaches), but just as authors
usually do not show us characters going to the bathroom, unless it is
necessary to make a point, like few times in HP books it is necessary,
I would think that such thing does not need to be shown.

Since it is, I choose to make some conclusions based on that scene.


Annemehr:

I agree with Alla, regarding the significance of the scene.

I don't read it as showing that Snape is evil or psychopathic, or 
enthused over Dark Magic, so to that extent, I agree with Carol.  But 
he is not just ridding his room of "pests," either.  What I see is 
*depression,* leading to bitterness.

He's not talking to Lily anymore.  He's not, as Alla says, doing 
potions or taking a walk.  He's not owling his "DE" friends.  He's 
not doing anything positive at all; he's just closed up in his room 
shooting down flies as though it were a distraction from what's 
really eating him.

This is one of a series of *bad* memories (because that's what Snape 
was evoking in Harry during the Occlumency lessons).  I believe it 
represents the final slide into despair that was a major part of his 
ultimately committing to the DEs.

Annemehr