Hello All, Upon listening to PS/SS the other day (Jim Dale version), an odd and troubling thought popped into my head. It is mentioned, rather off handedly as the narrator is listing reasons Harry hates it at her home, that Mrs. Figg's house smells of cabbage. Cabbage? Well, of course, this could just be to stress how old she is (I know quite a few "people of age" who have adopted a rather curious odor closely akin to cabbage), OR, adding to the pot the fact that we "know" she is a witch (the very same Arabella Figg mentioned in GoF), maybe the smell isn't cabbages at all, but brewing potions! Stay with me here...... Ok, so the idea that Mrs. Figg may be very talented at potions, who better to attract the oh-so-terribly-lonesome-heart of one....... Severus Snape! (Enter "Aha!"s and gasps of excitement here.) They certainly would have interacted, both being a part of "the old crowd" mentioned by Dumbledore. So, the bitter and miserly Potions Master is really so because of a love separated from him by the duty she swore. . . . to protect the very person he hates so much! (More "Aha!"s and gasps, if you please.) I know, I know. Everyone knows that Snape "hates" Harry because of the whole Marauders thing, and his father "trying to kill him", blah blah blah. Or, maybe it was because of his unrequited love for Lily. This theory (with Mrs. Figg) suits me because it means Snape might have a chance for happiness in the future (A la the infamous "Have any teachers at Hogwarts ever been married?" and JKR's tantalizingly obscure "You'll find out more about that in the future." reply), and, I would like to see him happy. He, I think, at heart, is one of the good guys, just a bit odd about it. He is human, and that is something I think should be brought out more, which is why I also fancy the Snape/Lily ship. It makes Snape very human, and Lily just that much more saintly for befriending the solitary and seedy Slytherin. Of course, it could be my real life affection for the sweet confection which gives its name to this ship's acronym......... mmmmm.......... Lollipops... Speaking of being odd. . . . has anyone noticed how most of the greatest wizards in the Potterverse exhibit certain eccentricities (I love that word . . . . its fun!). Take, for example, Dumbledore, who is revered as being most definitely brilliant, and a little mad. He, certainly is the greatest wizard of his time. Then there is Crouch Sr. He is described as a particularly powerful wizard, and he also has his hangups (Yes, keeping a clinical demeanor while sending your own son to Azkaban counts). Moody, from what we can gather from the fake Moody who is supposed to be a diluted version of the real Moody, is certainly a smidgen weird, and he was the greatest auror of his time. Snape could also factor into this equation, as he seems to be adept at potions (not to mention fooling the great and powerful Oz... I mean Lord Voldemort). He, I don't think anyone will argue, is without a doubt standing at the edge of a rather dark and foaming abyss of hatred, loathing, and melodramatic cape swishing. I would even go so far as to make mention of the gregarious and misunderstood Arthur Weasely's obsession with plugs and flying cars. What does all this mean? Lunacy: The first step to becoming a great wizard. Actually, I think that in Dumbledore's case, his eccentricities are a sign of his stage of psychic development. No, not "Ms. Cleo Psychic", but "psyche" psychic, as in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. I think very much that D-dore is self actualized. He is problem, not blame, oriented. He takes pleasure in the simple things. His sense of humour is not targeted at others in hurtful ways. He is able to work through adversity with what he is given, be it people, place or situation. Yes, Dumbledore has my vote for Self Actualized Fictional Character of the Year. Wait just a second. Dumbledore, it has always struck me, has his hands in most everything that has happened in the story so far (or he had a prior, if not preminiscient, knowledge of it), much like Gandalf in the LoR and the Hobbit. Funny, he flits back and forth, person to person, situation to situation, spreading his will and encouraging the outcome he knows must occur. . . . . sort of like a bumblebee flitting back and forth spreading pollen to flowers and encouraging them to grow . . . . all that, and his name means "bumblebee" ("Dumbledore", not "Albus".... that means "white"!)! Wow! A connection? Hmmmmmmmm....... maybe just in my mind. Ok, this was worth putting off homework, but its off, once again, alas, to endless Primate Behaviour papers. Bonobos Rock! Hip, Hip, Hooray for Pan paniscus! vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit. ------------------------------------------------------------- Sign up for ICQmail at http://www.icq.com/icqmail/signup.html