Daddy dearest

[Lyn J. Mangiameli]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith" <arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> 
<more judicious snipping>
> Jo's
> avoidance of specifying who amongst the Hogwarts staff are or have
> been married, but allowing that it will have plot implications. Naturally
> many fans hankered for some connection to Harry, but Sevvy would
> definitely have more BANG. 

Lyn now:
Yes, DD being a Grandparent of Snape's would have BANG, both for many readers and 
particularly for Harry. Which is part of the reason I consider it an amusing possibility. 
Imagine the cognitive dissonance for Harry--his esteemed father figure and his most 
immediate focus of hatred found to have an allegience by blood as well as, just perhaps, 
purpose. My guess is that the dissonance would be resolved along lines of hate rather than 
"love," that is, DD would be devalued before Snape would be elevated. Kneasy, you like to 
consider Harry turning, at least for a time, against the Order, well this could be a 
proximate cause.  
 
> And if (as many suspect) DD wheezes his last in HBP, this revelation
> and the assumption of leadership of the Order by Snape would be a 
> bit of a shocker for, let's say, some of the more conventionally fluffy
> amongst the fan base. It'd upset Harry too - (Snape's elevation to this
> post), since he already seems to be de facto second-in-command - 
> something I've speculated on before. His direct descent from DD would
> upset him even more. Expect more tantrums.

Exactly!  Of course might not these tantrums be an interest echo of the tantrums that 
Snape may have had after the Prank, and his turn to Voldemorte. Indeed, wouldn't it make 
Snape's DE recruitment all the more striking if it was in part to directly get back at DD his 
forebearer. 
> 
> Of course I'm not going to abandon investigating the possibility of a
> connection between Snape and Voldy just yet - comparing and
> contrasting the two very different possibilities should provide  hours
> of fun over the coming weeks

Indeed. Though with respect to Snape/Voldy, I would suggest it would be too consistent 
with Harry's current view of Snape. It woud be too confirmatory. I suspect Rowling would 
prefer to challenge one's immediate assumptions about character and its associated 
trappings (as she has done from SS/PS), rather than confirm them.


> For example, "his secret" that is hidden
> through self-interest could equally apply to having Tom/Voldy in his
> background.  

Yes, we all know what I think that secret may be, just because it plays so well against 
Lupin the "loved" outcast.

>Fascinating. Even if the board is not attracted by either
> idea it'll probably become a pastime for adventurous, consenting 
> adults in private. Closet genealogists fixated on arcane familial links,
> Snape-ologists constructing photo-fits to trace the descent of that
> hooked nose and greasy hair. No new theories for ages, then fresh
> and opposing speculations appear to divert the members, at least
> for a while, from the increasing impatience that'll keep building until 
> the new book is released.  
> 
> But who's his mum?

Ah great question, if it is not a DD progeny (I like the idea of McGonnagal, but doubt it will 
be this way). And then who is his father, if the mother is accounted for? Clearly an 
unsavory type. And wouldn't it set up such an interesting dynamic, either we would have 
the view that it would be  just like DD to stay hands off while his offspring have to live with 
their own choices, or that puppet master DD was willing to sacrifice his own for some 
larger purpose, and now has to face such choices again in Harry.

> Knowing how Jo constructs her plots, it's probable that the name has
> already appeared somewhere in the books, hence my contention (in
> the Black Widower hypothesis) that Snape was paired with Florence.
> So who could it be? McGonagall? Mrs Figg? Poppy Pomfrey? Doris
> Crockford? The mind boggles.

Yes, for not only was Riddle not on the tapestry (as we know it), but neither was DD nor 
the Potters (for surely Sirius would have pointed these few out to Harry, had they been 
there). Either she is going to reveal more on that tapestry (and I personally think that 
would be rather contrived at this point), or some of the very most interesting relationships 
are those not to be found on that tapestry.

You know, and perhaps tangential, I'm still taken by Voldy's choice of words "Silly girl," 
just a strange phrase from someone who was supposed to have successfully defied him 
thrice. 

One thing I don't think is just speculation. There are a lot of blood relationships that have 
been heretofore hidden (quite deliberately), and will be revealed in the next two books. 

Always great fun to take these flights with you, Kneasy.