[the_old_crowd] Re: A BIAS in the Pensieve: A Batty Idea About Snape

[Charme]

From: "Magda Grantwich"


>I don't believe that Snape is a vampire.  We're two books away from
> the end and it's a little late in the game to suddenly spring a major
> revelation like this about a character who's been on the main stage
> since Book 1.  Especially since this particular character has a lot
> of backstory/Harry history to come out at the same time.

Charme:

Ok, I'll bite (pardon the pun). :)  I don't know that it's a little late in 
the game to spring anything, seeing as the next book is reportedly supposed 
contain a huge revelation about Lily, who may not have been on the "main 
stage" but certainly appears to have been referenced quite a bit in the 
books to date. In keeping with that theme and where Snape is regarded, a 
whole host of new revelations can come out about him and no matter what they 
are, all of them will be major simply because we love to analyze his 
character so much. :)

I don't know that I believe this theory is about Snape being a vampire - its 
more subtle than that. For discussion's sake - curious though, what you 
think Snape might be then or what his big secret is?  Or how references to 
vampires in the series might mean something else?  If they don't, what makes 
you believe that?

I ask this because why does JKR even mention blood flavored lollipops, 
vampire hunters, and a vampire essay if they don't mean anything to the 
story.  In retrospect, Harry's grandparents (who mean very little to the 
plot per JKR) don't have even 1/10 of the detail the mentions of vampires 
do.  I think vampires, I think bats. I'm weird that way :) I wonder if in 
JKR's world vampires *have* children. (I don't know - I'm mentioning it 
rhetorically) But that's a different thread altogether.

> The other issue is: what's the point - plotwise - of Snape being a
> vampire?  Lupin's werewolfishness is integral to the plot in POA and
> to his character throughout the book.  What would Snape's
> vampirishness contribute to our knowledge of him?

Charme:

A wild thought about this comment is during one of JKR's interviews early 
on, the interviewer mentioned that Snape had a curious redemptive pattern to 
him and asked JKR about it.  Her reaction was to ask why the interviewer 
would think that - apparently, as I perceived when I read the interaction, 
she was little shaken by that and began asking questions back to the 
interviewer.

Bats, not vampires, are symbolic of redemption, rebirth, change and the like 
in mythology and legend, hence how the correlation came to mind. And if 
Snapey Poo is in a redemptive pattern as the interviewer suggested to JKR, 
this might fit. Doesn't hurt to speculate and that's half the fun of being a 
Potterhead. I also think Lyn addressed what some vampish qualities (I like 
what I wrote there, makes Snape sound like a Porn Queen <snort>)  might 
contribute: Snape has had an even harder time than we suspected, and if he's 
really a DE "reformed" it's a testament to his moral values and ethics.

> Also: Lupin had his head buried in the book because he was torn
> between doing his duty as a prefect (and what was morally right) and
> not going against his friends.  He was wavering, just like he wavered
> in POA about telling Dumbledore about Sirius being an animagus and
> about the Marauder's map.  Lupin thinks himself into a state where
> he's paralyzed.  That's what he's doing here.

> Nor do I see any evidence that Snape and Lupin had any kind of
> friendship at any time.  Certainly not during POA.

Charme:

Noted. Don't agree with you completely, but understand your POV. So, shall 
we wager us some FireWhisky?  Coupla Honeydukes bars? :)