Tonks's age: A possible solution RE: [the_old_crowd] Re: Snape the Half-Blood Prince WAS RE: Page-filler Lupin

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Alec" <alec.dossetor at f...> wrote:
>
> But is Sirius telling the truth about how Snape knew so many curses 
> when he arrived? Possibly, but even if he is, he's being misleading: 
> the Pensieve scene, and Lily's words to James, suggest that even if 
> Snape knew these curses, he still wasn't using them. And yet the 
> diary suggests that Snape was not merely gifted: he was brilliant – 
> and could think up unusual and very deadly hexes. And yet he didn't 
> use them? Mind you, Sectumsempera is "too" deadly to use at school. 
> 

Probably not.
I suspect that it's just hyperbole, Sirius thinking (and claiming) the
worst about someone he doesn't like.

After all, how many curses can you throw when you don't have a wand
to practice with (they don't get them until it's time for Hogwarts, is my
impression), when you're from a mixed marriage background (I'm sure
the Muggle parent would notice if their offspring was eviscerating the 
neighbourhood moggies) and when there's absolutely no evidence 
except Sirius's vague accusations. If he had been hanging around with
older DE fodder at Hoggers - as seems likely - it was probably they who
taught Snapey a few interesting bits of magic. 

Could be wrong though, such an age difference counts for a lot when
one's that sort of age, plus the fact that I'm not totally sold on the idea 
that Snape is actually a half-blood. Goes against the grain, somehow, 
having a halfer as Head of Slytherin. It all seems a bit iffy.

Coming from the Black household (which he didn't repudiate until he
was in his mid-late teens), it's quite possible that Sirius was himself
more familiar with Dark Magic than he cares to admit, which sort of
ties in with the reported enthusiasm with which J&S stalked the Hogwarts
corridors jinxing anyone that annoyed them. Can't remember the same 
being reported of Snape.
Interesting role reversal.

Kneasy