A BIAS in the Pensieve: A Batty Idea About Snape

[snow15145]

Hi Lyn, great post!

Lyn:

A BIAS in the Pensieve: A Batty Idea About Snape
>snip<

when James' responds to Lily's question of what
Snape had
ever done to James:
"Well, said James, appearing to deliberate the points, "it's more the 
fact that
he exists, if
you know what I mean
." ["exists" being italicized in the original].
>snip<

Now James completes his statement to Lilly with the phrase, "if you 
know what I
mean
."
Which I think might be read as a reference to obvious characteristics 
that
everyone could
see in Snape, but also might be read as a coy statement to imply that 
James knew something about Snape that should be apparent but 
obviously Lilly didn't know.
>snip< 

The Pensieve scene gives us several descriptions of the teenage Snape:
"stringy, " "pallid,"
"like a plant kept in the dark," "hair was lank and greasy," and
"round-shouldered yet
angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider," "oily 
hair
swinging, "
"skinny, pallid legs."
>snip<

But I think the chief clue can be found in what James does to Snape. 
James had almost unlimited options, but in an almost reflexive 
response to Snape drawing blood, James chose to hang Snape upside 
down.
>snip<

So I think the allusion to the bat-like Snape as associated with 
vampires is quite strong, irrespective of JKR's half hearted denial " 
[Is there a link between Snape and vampires? JKR replies: Erm... I 
don't think so." There is the possibility that JKR was indicating 
that though she didn't consider Snape to fulfill the requirements to 
be a vampire in her world
>snip<
Throwing all caution to the winds, and without one whit of canon for 
support, I
shall
suggest that the Prank occurred not because Sirius was intent on 
Snape's death,
but that
Sirius believed it would force Snape to reveal some vampire aspect of 
himself
(be that a
bat animagus, the ability to turn into a bat as part of his vampire 
like powers,
or some
other aspect of his being that is along these lines) to save himself 
from the
werewolf.

Snow:

I was just considering this aspect of Snape myself. I personally like 
the twist you put on Snape as being related to a vampire rather than 
an animagus form of a bat.  All of the posts that I have read only 
consider Snape as turning into a bat or vampire, animagically (is 
that a word). Snape appears to have the qualities of a vampire but he 
may not actually be one. In this respect Rowling can answer the 
question as to whether or not Snape is a vampire in a diverse manner. 
If Snape is a half-breed, we know that he is not pureblood; he may 
only be affected to vampire tendency to the degree of characteristics 
of a vampire i.e. pallid skin, preferring the dark, or even lack of 
reflection but not the blood sucking transformation of a vampire. It 
is the latter reference to the vampire that virtually has me sold as 
to whether or not Snape has any relation to vampirism. 

Consider the Foe-glass in GOF and Snape's response to it; Snape is 
staring at it as though he had never seen his own reflection. That 
scene has always puzzled me until I related it with Snape having some 
characteristic of a vampire that cannot see his reflection. I don't 
believe that Snape has all the abilities of a vampire but that he 
does carry a distinct characteristic to a vampire because of his 
blood relationship. 

Snape's animagus form, which JKR has said she would not comment on 
because it would give too much away, would need to be reevaluated in 
this consideration. I may suggest that because of the bat or bird 
like form that a vampire would take, Snape's animagus form could be, 
say, an eagle. Another puzzlement, to me, is the fact that in the 
beginning chapter of GOF, babymort is carried into the room of the 
Riddle manor by an eagle. There is also an eagle that flies over 
Hagrid's cabin that most writers have attributed to correspondence 
between Voldemort and Crouch Jr. as Moody. I'm not at all certain 
that Snape is helping Voldemort in such a manner as this, unless it 
was advised by Dumbledore to do so, because I truly believe that 
whatever Snape is, he has actually changed sides. 

Lyn:

I also believe that the Prank cemented a bond between Lupin and 
Snape, and led to a friendship of sorts.

Snow:

It may, however, be one-sided. Lupin felt sympathy to Snape but not 
vice versa because Lupin could relate to such prejudice and feel 
empathy and Snape never considered it because he lacks such insight 
to others emotions. 

Again, great post Lyn!

Snow