Snape

[Mistress Siana]

hm, my impression was that JKR carefully avoided telling us the true nature of Snape's secret task...I don't think it's THAT clear he went back to spy on Voldemort, merely for I can't see how this could be possible. Voldie simply must know about him being a traitor because of Quirrel.

[Blaise Zabini]

Yeah, that's what I'd been thinking. For Snape to attempt to physically spy on LV would be absolute suicide on his part. LV knows, and knows for a fact, where Snape's loyalties lie. It's highly unlikely that Snape would be able to waltx up to Voldemort and take his place among the DE's!

That said, I think that it's a possibility that Snape's mission involved the use of Occlumency. We know that Snape is an accomplished Occlumens, so wouldn't it make sense for him to be able to do the reverse. He can shut his mind to people, so perhaps he can also open the minds of others. Unless my memory fails me, I believe they called it being a Legilimens, or something of the sort, in OotP, ne? Furthermore, we do know that what Snape had to do something dangerous, and spying on the thoughts of LV would be just that. Eh, it's just an idea, and I'll have to work on it somemore, but it seems possible.

[Gwared]

He could transform himself using a potion to look like a deatheater that may have been captured, this would allow physical spying but it would still be very dangerous.

[Blaise Zabini]

True, I hadn't thought of that. But LV is such a powerful and somewhat all-knowing guy, that wouldn't he be able to see through a disguise like that? It still is a possibility, though.

[Gwared]

Hence the extreme danger of his mission and the importance and relevance of his being an occullemency (sp? I know it's wrong) expert.

[inwood]

I did feel very sorry for Snape in that chapter, but then, you avhe to remember, that Snape never passed up a chance to curse James either. Would we have been so sympathetic to him if we had also read about something horrible that he did to James the day before??? Probably not? And remember, Snape did throw a spell a James that cut his face during the memory

That said, I sitll think that James and Sirius were acting morelike Slytherins than Griffindors... No offence meant to any Slytherin people!
But think about it, they all start nasty stuff, without needing a reason.
Anyways, that's what I was thinking...
Holly ~

Maybe the memories you see are as perceived by the person who's memories you are seeing. In this case, Snape's perspective of what happened. Maybe James memories of the same event would shed more light on what was happening and why.

[littlemissy]

I thought James was kinda cool although he's kinda arrogant.. Suprisingly he had loved Lily since probably 4th yr too... and still liked her even though she hates him at first...

Yeah I liked James too, although I agree he was being incredibly nasty to Snape. I thought it was cute the way he was so obviously crazy about Lily!
I do feel sorry for Snape, but not thaaat much! After all, I think his calling Lily a mudblood, cursing James at every opportunity, obsession with dark magic and subsequent Death-Eaterness suggests that he has never been the nicest person around! I do trust him though, and I don't believe that he's evil. I'm just saying that while James was being an arrogant idiot in Snape's memory, he was ultimately a good person who saved Snape's life and fought on the side of good, against Lord Voldemort.
I'm sure we'll find out a lot more about Snape in the forthcoming books! Hope so anyway, I think he's fascinating, probably the most intriguing character in the books because he's been on both sides.

[Colin]

I am fascinated with the names Ms Rowling uses. Just for grins, I looked up SNAPE in the dicitonary. It referred me to SNEAP, Here is the meaning:

Main Entry: 1sneap Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: snp
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -ed/-ing/-s
Etymology: Middle English snaipen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse sneypa to dishonor, disgrace, Icelandic, to scold, rebuke, Old Swedish snöpa to castrate, Old Norse snubba to scold -- more at SNUB
1 dialect England : CHIDE, REPROVE, CHASTEN <she had a tongue for the sneaping of too casual boys -- Arnold Bennett>
2 archaic : to blast or blight with cold : NIP <like an envious sneaping frost that bites the first born infants of the spring -- Shakespeare>

I think she picked the right name for him:)

[Mint]

I just read the interview of one of the Schoolastic winers that got a chance to spend some time with JKR.

This is what I found - she didnt' tell them any clues really BUT ->

"But she did give us a few hints about Snape, and how he may not be all good, and that we had better keep one eye on him."



Also, there was a question asked of him (this super smart winner, no seriously - this kid sounds like a geneous for his age) of WHY doesnt Voldie go after Snape, and he said that it was obvious, Snape is always around DD, and its just not worth a risk for Voldie.

[LaceyCrane]

Seeing Snapes worst memory more then made me feel sorry for him. It made me dislike James and Sirus (and for a second Lupin). I'm probably the only one but I didn't really care when Sirus died. The only regret about it is that Snape wasn't the one to do him in.

I understand why Snape is mean to Harry since he looks exactly like his father and that probably brings back a lot of bad memories. Thats probably why he treats Draco so well since he sees that Draco and Harry are enemies like him and James were and he probably thinks Harry is the one cause the trouble just like his father did.

I really hope Harry goes to Snape and talkes to him about James bulling him and they can bond over it since they both have similar experiences with it.

[Vivian Borgin]

I already said pretty much the same thing once in the common room; so if you're Slytherin, feel free to tune me out, but:

I really suspect that Snape is still a DE. Not only does she say in two or more separate interviews to "keep an eye on him" and "don't trust him too much just yet", but she also mentioned way back around the release of Book 1 that he was based on an old teacher she hated. In addition to all that, I notice that Snape keeps referring to Ol' Voldy as "the Dark Lord", the honorific used by all the other DEs in good standing. I still consider him my second-favorite character; but I sure don't trust him. I think he's still a Dark wizard even now.

[littlemissy]

I think he's still a Dark wizard even now

That would be great actually, I think it'd be really interesting to read. I did notice that Snape kept calling Voldemort the Dark Lord, and then the next second Harry called him on it, and said he'd only ever heard Death Eaters call him that. I was just thinking the same thing.
I didn't know JK had said he might not be a good guy, that's interesting! Plus of course Harry has been suspicious of him since the Philosopher's Stone. If Harry thinks Snape's a dark wizard, perhaps he really is...
But then, how/why does Dumbledore trust him?

[highsorcerer]

Harry missed his chance to throw his use of Voldemort's name back in Snape's face. After all, Dumbledore told Harry to refer to him by name way back in PS / SS.

Actually, Harry wasn't thinking very clearly throughout the book. He had a few chances to one-up Umbridge in a way she couldn't fight. For example, after she dismissed Harry's suggetion that Voldemort was out there waiting, he could have used the ministries official position on Sirius Black as his next target. After all, Sirius was an escaped prisioner with 13 murders and a price of 10,000 Galleons on his head, and he had broken into Hogwarts a few times during PoA. Let Umbridge answer THAT question!

Also during his interrogation (with the fake Veritiserum), Harry should have taken the opportunity to tell Umbridge that Sirius was in Tibet. When asked how he knew, he could have referred to his visit to Kingsley's office before his hearing, and said an Auror's word was good enough for him.

[littlemissy]

Lizzy:

a cruel joke Sirius and James set up that James got 'cold feet' about

that's not quite right. It was Sirius who played that trick on Snape, and when James found out, he saved Snape. You're going by what Snape told Harry about it, not what Lupin said:

'Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree-trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he'd have got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape, and pulled him back, at great risk to his life...'

Personally I'd believe Remus over Snape any day

[Lizzy Bennet]

I sit corrected. Thanks for letting me know of my error.


~ Lizzy