Snapedom

"True Soul Mates" is usually what I like best, but I like other things too. You can't eat cheesecake all the time; you'll get sick. ;)

back in her teens, she probably believed that she had fallen in love with him.

I did that twice. The third one is now my husband, but didn't become so for quite a few years.

And I don't think even the most James-sympathetic interpretation would make him particularly intellectual.

I don't think so. I think he is intelligent; he must be, to have done well in school without particularly trying and be part of the brains behind the Marauder's Map and all. But I think he and Sirius both don't like to work for anything if they can make it come to them, so it's rare that they really get fired up using their brains and getting their hands dirty. Still it's for an end; they don't sit around discussing the finer points of magical theory for fun, which is something I could see Severus doing. (Actually I'm not sure Lily leans quite that way either. She's bright too, but too.. "spunky"? More the outgoing type, is all I mean.)

I imagine that young Albus Severus Snape got just as much amusement from proclaiming himself an "ass"

And glowers from his father, and smiles hidden behind her hand from his mother... :)