Snapedom

Love Thine Enemy Part IV

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:12:55 GMT

Part IV: Love

Love: who did he care about saving?

Having dealt with Severus' actual ability to save each of the Potters, let us turn to the issue raised by Dumbledore's other specific accusation, that of who Severus cared about saving. As I said at the beginning of this essay, the outright demonization of Severus in some quarters based on the fact that Lily was the emotional focus of his efforts bothers me. I don't argue 21-year-old Severus actually did care hugely about James and the infant Harry (we are dealing only with the end of the first war here, not his attitudes later) and simply hid it well. When it comes to his actual feelings (versus actions) in the matter he was, as I mentioned above, mostly concerned for Lily. What I do disagree with is the conclusion that this makes him a monster, a moral incompetent hardly better than Voldemort himself or at least seriously behind most others on the "light" side in moral development.

I'm not arguing that at 21 he was a saint, either, of course. I think he was in many respects a rather ordinary, if isolated, abused, insecure and desperate young man who was angry, who'd made some seriously bad choices, but who had an innate capacity for gentleness (when treated well) and extreme loyalty and a marvelously strong will to survive, and to whom doing the right thing eventually came to matter very much. That as a very young man, faced with the fact he had put a family in danger, he focused the greatest share of his emotional energy on the woman who apparently had been one of the few people to ever treat him with anything approaching compassion or respect for him as a human being is, to me, perfectly understandable and natural.

So yes, he does focus on Lily. It may not be the ultimate height of moral and spiritual development to be concerned mainly with those whom you have had positive relationships with in the past, above others, but it is not the depths of perversion, either. It's...rather depressingly normal human nature to focus first, and mainly, on those closest to us and to be concerned for those who have no relation to us, or even who have hurt us, later if at all.

With regard to the accusation that he does not care at all about James or Harry: it is true that he goes silent when Dumbledore accuses him of not caring, indicating most likely that this accusation struck home in some way, that he cares less about what happens to James and Harry than about what happens to Lily. Dumbledore certainly has more to go on here than he does with his specious argument about exchange. I'm not entirely certain that the text makes absolutely clear that he does not care at all, in the least, what happens to either of them, or if he feels a niggling twinge of something, perhaps particularly about Harry (he obviously feels guilty enough about it to go silent in the face of Dumbledore's accusation). But no, at this point he does not seem to be deeply concerned with them the way he is about Lily, I grant that.

I find his lack of concern least defensible with regards to the infant Harry, an innocent one-year-old child and the son of the woman he loved. He ought to have felt something, even if he could have done nothing directly to save him (beyond warning Dumbledore) the way he attempted to save Lily by asking Voldemort for her life. Perhaps he did feel some twinge, but it does not seem to have been very strong.

However, while I wish he had felt something, and must condemn him somewhat for not being more concerned, I also don't think that this is proof of depravity or utter callousness on his part. I find it understandable, if lamentable, that he failed to be deeply moved by the possible fate of an infant he had likely never even seen and so who existed for him only in an abstract way. Severus is not only a rather young man at the time (and unconditional love, real love for strangers and for one's enemies, is something I believe does need to be learned over time), he is also someone with pitifully little experience of love, not only in the giving but also the receiving. That he is able to go as far as he does, now and later, in loving others who have not loved him based on what little love he does receive is rather astonishing to me; the fact that he tries at all, ever, indicates that he's not lost completely; he recognizes its importance and does his best, eventually. But to expect someone with his history, in his position, to suddenly develop an enormous concern for the fate of what is to him an abstract entity is, I think, unrealistic. I doubt he knows how to love like that at this point, and to seriously demand it of him as if he were someone with much greater experience of love to draw on is, I think, just a touch unjust. He ought to feel more, yes, but a certain (small) allowance can be made for him I think.

I'm surprised he's as unswerving in his love for Lily as he is, really, considering that what we see of their relationship does not give one the impression of deep, unbounded affection for him on her part, ever. (I rather think lingering guilt over the over the mudblood incident may play a slight role here, actually, but I think he does truly, deeply care about her as well.) After all, he's otherwise seemingly the type to become bitterly angry over any snub or injury, and he did try to apolgize to her before being turned away (whatever we think of that incident, I'm saying, I'm surprised it didn't become a point of bitterness towards Lily for him. In fact, perhaps it did and he's simply in deep denial. That would rather help explain his behaviour towards Harry at school).

His lack of concern for James, while hardly noble, is to me less troubling. Let's be frank: whatever the man was like after he left school, he made Severus' life a living hell for seven straight years, abusing him physically/magically, verbally and sexually (though forcibly exposing his genitals to half the school is not quite on the same level as rape, it is a form of sexual assault). All for the crimes of 1) fighting back when attacked, 2) trying for his expulsion in retaliation for being attacked, 3) being interested in things James did not approve of (given no coherent definition of the Dark Arts I cannot take James' dislike of them seriously as a specifically moral issue), 4) belonging to a House James did not approve of, and 5) "existing." We are clearly shown that James was the one to initiate the conflict, and that his normal method was to fight dirty, four-on-one. At one point the abuse became life-threatening. Even if James himself was not directly involved in the planning/execution of it, certain of his friends were, and apparently James approved their conduct enough to continue to associate closely with them afterwards. Any argument that his dive into the tunnel to save Severus indicates that he ever had any regard for Severus' worth as a human being is, I think, fatally undermined by the fact that he continued to flagrantly and unrepentantly abuse him afterwards, no longer even bothering with excuses but simply attacking him for "existing."

Failing to ask Voldemort specifically for the life of his torturer, even if he could have gotten it, is not perhaps an illustration of the highest virtue, but I find it quite understandable and more excusable than his lack of concern for the infant. Failing to be deeply concerned about his possible death, again though not noble, extremely understandable. I just can't quite condemn a man with little experience of love for failing to be deeply torn about the fate of the man who unreasonably tormented him for years and never expressed remorse for it. I wish that he could have reached that level of spiritual development, the way I wish most other people and myself would get there. But I can't condemn him as a monster for not doing so. Otherwise I'd have to condemn every other person who ever failed to express regret at the suffering or death of someone who viciously hurt them - and most such people seem to go right along being considered normal, generally morally healthy people. After all, while we never see Severus express concern for James, he's not shown salivating at the thought of having put his life at risk either, wondering how he can make sure James is killed and Lily not (notice how even in his little "exchange" speech Dumbledore never mentions James?) If he ever actually wished for James' death, it was in the abstract, and not deeply enough to refuse to act to protect him.

Severus hated James, clearly. He never considered him anything other than a mortal enemy, and there is no indication that James ever felt anything but the same towards him. Nor do I think Severus ought to have considered him differently; James never treated him like anything but an enemy. And while unilaterally forgiving your enemies and risking your life to save theirs are generally considered morally good things to do, they are not considered the basics which you are simply expected to follow as part of being a normal, fallible person - they are usually things considered quite rare and correspondingly extremely noteworthy signs of high moral achievement (though we are all urged to attempt to reach this level eventually, failing to do so is not a mortal sin). Considering the fact that it was partly Severus' own actions that put James' life in jeopardy in this particular instance (James was no innocent civilian in the war after all), perhaps he did have slightly more responsibility to save it than he otherwise would have. But he did not at the time know it was James (among others) he was putting into danger, and when he did learn this he acted to save him in that he warned Dumbledore of the danger, and in fact asked him to preserve the whole family. That warning alone, regardless of how it was phrased, would have alerted Dumbledore to the danger James (among others) was in and would have cost Severus his life if it had been discovered. There simply was no way he could have risked his life there only for Lily, regardless of what he felt about James (or the child). Yet knowing that he would be putting himself at risk in part on behalf of his hated torturer, Severus chose to risk his life anyway. That's more consideration than James ever showed him (for James, as an animagus, was never in true danger in the tunnel, remember. And having never actually been at risk, I can't say that James is owed a "life-debt" by Severus whatever Dumbledore says, even setting aside James' atrocious behavior after the incident.)

I'm sorry, but that all doesn't add up to "monster" to me.

Love Thine Enemy: risking oneself for an enemy in the Potterverse

Considering that we are being asked to judge Severus for failing to care about the fate of his mortal enemy, who he nevertheless risks his life in part to protect, it may be enlightening to examine who else in the Potter books risks themselves for an enemy, and their reactions afterwards. janus and I went through the named characters, doing our best to find everyone who could conceivably be seen as having knowingly risked their lives specifically for their enemies (rather than for friends or for the nameless, faceless mass of ‘the greater good’). Here is what we found, stretching our definition to the breaking point to include extreme generosity in consideration of 1) risk (not only death but merely serious risk to reputation and freedom), 2) who could be classed as an enemy (to the point where Triwizard Tournament opponents count), and 3) circumstances of rescue.

Character – Enemy/Enemies in Question – Circumstances

Harry – Draco, Dudley, Fleur, Stan Shunpike – rescued from RoR Fiendfyre; rescued from Dementors (though he had limited option of only saving himself); rescued her sister from drowning despite merpeople; disarmed rather than killing DE-Stan

Severus – Harry (if you insist he considers him an enemy), James, Lupin, Sirius? – multiple times, including years of spying and the original warning; the warning again; failed attempt during flight of 7 Potters; whatever risk he incurred from Umbridge and/or Voldemort in his managing of the DoM fiasco

Pettigrew – Harry – cellar of Malfoy Manor (problematic, since Voldemort supposedly wanted Harry alive, but he pays with his life anyway)

Narcissa – Harry – lies to Voldemort

Petunia and Vernon – Harry – take him in and shelter him for years (abuse aside) despite terror of magical world and threat of Voldemort, at risk to themselves and their own son (it is implied that Petunia must consent for the magic to work, and Vernon never goes against her)

Draco – DA, Trio – knew about the Protean-charmed coins but never betrayed the DA (which would have cost his life likely if discovered); possibly lied at Malfoy Manor (tho he may also have simply been uncertain of their identities)

Remus – Sirius (at time believed him Potters’ betrayer) – kept animagus abilities secret at risk to his reputation, freedom and possibly (as werewolf) life if discovered

Scrimgeour – Order/Harry (who he was not allied with, tho not an enemy like Voldemort) – tortured to death for information

Barty Crouch's parents – Barty Crouch Jr. – believed him a faithful DE, father risked reputation and freedom to hide him at home, mother died in Azkaban for him

Firenze – human children (Trio) – risked herd’s vengeance for protecting them, was driven out of Forest

Regulus Black – anyone fighting against Voldemort (tho perhaps this is ‘greater good) – drank potion and died in cave to get at locket Horcrux

Ollivander – Voldemort/Riddle (assuming he was not simply a true neutral/slightly on his side – knew who Riddle/Voldemort was (wand) but never told

Voldemort (to be extremely generous) – Lily – offered to spare life of his declared enemy, a choice that had magical consequences disastrous for him (tho he could not have predicted the specificity of them, he may have been aware of the theoretical possibility of ancient magic coming into play. A stretch.)

James: no, because he was never in danger in the tunnel.

Dumbledore hiring Severus, and active DE: no, because 1) Severus was working for him at that point, not Voldemort, and 2) he’s weathered that criticism and others before and had little problem regaining his status. He (like Remus with Stan Shunpike) in fact warns Harry away from showing compassion towards an enemy (Voldemort’s helpless, screaming remnant of soul).

So, apart from Severus himself and Harry, who is widely lauded as (supposedly) being extremely pure of heart and loving, who do we see risk their lives for an enemy? At our most generous we have: Remus (in a situation where his risk is actually part of an immoral abdication of responsibility); Ollivander (protecting Riddle); Crouch’s parents on behalf of their own son; Scrimgeour; a centaur; the adult Dursleys; four Death Eaters; and Voldemort himself.

Wow. I mean, the unconditional love is just flowing off the page. One of the few moments where a character other than Severus actually seriously risks his life for the sake of a declared mortal enemy is the moment (one of the few worthwhile lines in DH) when Harry dives into the burning Room of Requirement to rescue his long-time enemy and new DE recruit, Draco. This rather makes up for his attack on him in HBP, and is one of the few moments of real selflessness we see from him. That Harry, the pure and oh-so-loving Chosen One, is perhaps the only character I can compare to (adult) Severus in terms of selflessness speaks volumes about 1) Severus’ eventual growth and 2) (more pertinently here) the books’ moral…incoherency is the nicest word for it.

Are we seriously supposed to condemn young Severus, fresh from the DEs, as an inhuman monster for failing to be as perfectly selfless as the authorially-anointed Christ figure of the entire series very occasionally is? How then are we supposed to judge the rest of the Order, and those like Dumbledore and Remus who urge our Hero™ not to be compassionate?

I mean really?

Love Thine Enemy Part III

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:11:51 GMT

Part III - Dumbledore

With regard to the request he made of Dumbledore:

This request we do get to see Severus make. However, it is slightly more complicated than the request he makes of Voldemort, since he ends up requesting protection (something he assumes Dumbledore is both able and willing to give them) for the entire family. Let's go back to the scene itself.

Severus, apparently in great distress judging by the broken quality of his speech, relates that Voldemort "thinks [the prophecy] means Lily Evans!" Dumbledore points out that the prophecy did not refer to a woman, but "to a boy born at the end of July" - a very neat replacement of the vague statement Severus heard ("The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...") with Dumbledore's own interpretation of it (motivated by...? Speculation on this issue is rampant). Severus replies with " You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all – " Despite the acknowledgement he has just made that the child is the subject of the prophecy and thus the main target, in his worry and fear he immediately reverts again to the danger posed specifically to Lily, even going so far as to refer to her as if she were Voldemort's main target ("he is going to hunt her down"). Dumbledore responds to the distressed young man with manipulation, pointing out that "surely" Voldemort will spare the woman if his follower really does care about her all that much and suggesting (disingenuously and speciously) that Severus offer the child "in exchange" for "mercy" towards her. Severus stumblingly answers this suggestion with "I have - I have asked him -". Again, his speech is broken and he seems nearly too distressed to speak coherently. It is also unclear if he simply stopped speaking, implying he had said something along the lines of 'kill the child but spare the woman,' or if Dumbledore interrupted him before he could say exactly what he actually requested of Voldemort (beyond the implication he had asked for Lily's life in some manner). Dumbledore immediately rounds on him contemptuously, interpreting his answer back at him to mean that he "did not care about the deaths of her husband and child," to which accusation Severus makes no reply. After a moment of silence Severus finally makes his actual (versus an implied) request of Dumbledore: “Hide them all, then [....] Keep her – them – safe. Please.” He asks Dumbledore to protect all of them, stumblingly correcting his instinctive immediate focus on Lily to include the others. He then answers Dumbledore's demand for something "in return" with the word "anything."

Keep that in mind - Severus agrees without qualification to do "anything" merely a few heartbeats after Dumbledore has driven him to explicitly request the protection of all three of them, James included.

Now, I think we can reasonably suppose that at this point in time Severus believed that Dumbledore was not only able but willing to protect and hide the people fighting against Voldemort under his command, as well as their child. He seems surprised at Dumbledore's request for payment (as indeed I was) - it seems natural to him, as it does to me, to suppose that a man supposedly vocally championing love, tolerance and justice would automatically care about the wellbeing of his subordinates, and so would do all in his power to protect them regardless of any payment or return favor from the person delivering the warning that they have been targeted. But Severus requests the protection of all of them in the end, and agrees to whatever Dumbledore wants in return. Given what we can suppose of his view of Dumbledore's willingness here, Severus' ability to save or damn any one of the three is equal in a way it was not with Voldemort. It is limited, of course, by Dumbledore's willingness to protect them, but it is limited equally in all three cases, as far as Severus knows or can suppose. Therefore, it seems at first glance that, despite the eventual request to save all of them, Severus' conduct here is at first possibly even more damning than his request to Voldemort for Lily's life alone. Especially considering Dumbledore's neat little manipulative trick with the "exchange" argument - it's specious, but only if you stand back and think for a moment. In the rush of the narrative, it is unfortunately easy to take what he says as given and simply read the scene as: 'Severus admits to having callously offered to exchange the life of an infant for that of its mother (who was, not entirely unpredictably, willing to die to protect her son), and only requests protection for the others when pressed.'

But, given the fact that his ability to save the lives of all three is here equal...does he actually specifically request only the life of one, and knowingly, deliberately ignore the other two? He certainly does not argue against saving James and Harry in any way, or propose any absurd (and specious) "exchange" to Dumbledore along the lines of convenience or any such thing, of course. But does he at first abandon the husband and son to their fates, as many seem to read him doing based on that little 'exchange' with Dumbledore, only reluctantly including them when Dumbledore presses upon him?

I think it quite possible to read the scene differently, especially once you realize that Dumbledore's dig about exchanging the son for the mother is both disingenuous and specious. It is, in fact, designed to manipulate Severus - already an emotional wreck and neither fully rational nor fully coherent - into an even less powerful and more pliant position, where he is less likely to resist Dumbledore's taking advantage of his distress to gain himself a spy. And it succeeds. Dumbledore's got his number down, you have to admit that.

Subtracting Dumbledore's little game, look again at what Severus says and consider his state of mind. It's obvious, of course, that by far the greatest part of his emotional and psychic energy is taken up with the threat of danger to Lily. This is not surprising, given his history with her, and I think it fairly understandable (I will return to this issue later). He's so eaten up with worry about her, in fact, that even factual information about the specificity of targets is too much for him to keep straight: although he knows that the child is the main target and is pointedly reminded of this by Dumbledore, he repeatedly refers to Lily as if she were the particular object of Voldemort's wrath. He also switches incoherently between "her son," "she"/"her" and "them"/"them all," even before Dumbledore presses him about the lives of husband and son: "He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all – ”.

I think his line to Dumbledore just before this is the key here: "You know what I mean." I think he means just what he says: that although he is concentrating on Lily because the bulk of his present emotions have to do with her, he is in fact (stumblingly, incoherently) asking not just for her life alone, specifically, but for Lily and her entire family to be protected. In his great distress and stuttered warning to Dumbledore, "Lily" is his shorthand for the conceptual unit, "Lily and her family," "Lily and those in danger with her because of that stupid prophecy." He assumes (perhaps semiconsciously) that Dumbledore understands that, having given warning that Lily is in danger because her son has been targeted by Voldemort, Severus means for Dumbledore to hide the entire family.

In actual fact, to speak any one of their names in connection with his warning is to place all of their lives in Dumbledore's hands, considering their relation to one another - a relation of which Severus of course is fully aware. But that again is something rather passed over by the narrative voice.

By making the request at all he obviously assumes that Dumbledore is not only able but willing to protect his underlings, which includes not only Lily but James and presumably would include their infant child, the actual target, as well. And where is it indicated that that is supposed to have been an unreasonable or unexpected assumption for him to make? That's the sort of assumption one generally makes about people who parade themselves as the upholders of justice and tolerance and all that is good, isn't it?

I think his surprise at the very idea of being asked for payment indicates that Severus did, in fact, assume that Dumbledore's immediate, natural reaction to receiving a warning that two of his subordinates and their son had been targeted for death would be to rush to protect them all - even if, in the messenger's haste and distress, the warning itself was worded in a vague manner focusing on only one of the three people at risk. (And if he is not supposed to assume that, what does that say about Dumbledore and his conduct towards those fighting for him?) So no, I don't believe that the only solid reading of Severus' request to Dumbledore is that he callously ignored husband and child and only reluctantly tried to save them as well. It only seems that way because of the specious "exchange" Dumbledore proposes he offer to Voldemort, and the stumbling hesistancy of his reply that he had asked something of madman, followed by his silence when Dumbledore accuses him of "not caring" about the others (a specific accusation I will turn to in a moment). Regardless of who he cared about, Severus acted to protect all three people here, as far as his ability to do so allowed. (Acting to protect regardless of personal feeling: something that apparently becomes a habit with Severus, to judge by his actions in the second war!) And his asking only for Lily when speaking with Dumbledore would of course not condemn James and Harry anyway. Once the initial warning is given (accomplished as soon as Severus had spoken any specific name Dumbledore could use as a reference to judge Voldemort's target), Dumbledore can choose to protect who he pleases, regardless of what Severus requests. Again, something Severus must be well aware of.

Love Thine Enemy Part II

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:08:07 GMT

Part II: Ability - Voldemort and Dumbledore

With regard to the request Severus made of Voldemort:

The assumption that Severus had the ability here to save all three people in question is, upon a careful examination of the facts, simply insupportable. Let us recall the positions of everyone involved.

- Voldemort: ruthless megalomaniac willing to torture and kill anyone standing in his way, including his own followers. Determined to kill the child of prophecy.

- Dumbledore: powerful wizard standing in direct, outspoken opposition to Voldemort, though he is apparently willing to lie to and manipulate anyone, including his own followers, if he thinks it is for the greater good.

- Severus: Voldemort's (at least nominal) follower though he does not trust Voldemort to actually grant him what he asks.

- Lily and James: Dumbledore's followers who were thus Voldemort's declared enemies and who had personally at this point in time openly defied him at least three times (either singly or together, this is unclear).

- Harry: their infant son, the subject of the prophecy as interpreted by Voldemort and thus his direct target.

Now, I think it ought to be obvious (but apparently it isn't) that there was nothing Severus could do in this instance to save Harry (and thus nothing he could do to condemn him). He knew that Voldemort believed the boy to be the one prophesied to vanquish him, a future but direct threat that Voldemort intended to do away with before he could become an immediate threat. Asking for the child's life would have been pointless. Voldemort, we are told IIRC, normally did not randomly kill children, so it is a measure of how serious he deemed the threat Harry supposedly posed to him that he was determined to kill him outright. What on earth could a young, talented but poor and otherwise ordinary follower have offered him to convince him to spare the boy? Nothing. Simply asking would in all likelihood have earned Severus an Avada Kedavra, or at the very least a few rounds of Cruciatus and a heap of suspicion for his pains, and would not have resulted in Harry's life being spared in any case. (Perhaps Severus could have gone to the Potters, stood in their doorway, and tried to fight against Voldemort, but he had no hope of defeating him and would simply have been AK'd in any case, thus contributing nothing materially towards the Potters' defense at all.)

This is where I think Dumbledore's argument is disingenuous, and in fact specious. "Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?” he asks - ignoring the fact that Severus was never in any position to make such an exchange. He never had Harry's life (or James' for that matter) in a way that he could offer it to Voldemort "in exchange" for Lily's. We are not talking about hostages here, or Severus possessing information that would lead Voldemort to a child otherwise hidden/protected from him, or anything like that. They are all at risk, and the choice Severus has is merely to ask or not ask for their lives, singly or together. The possibilities (that Severus could calculate) were:

- Severus does nothing, all three die

- Severus asks Voldemort to spare Lily; assuming Voldemort complies, she lives and Harry and James die

- Severus asks for James' life, Lily and Harry die

- Severus asks for James and Lily's lives, Harry dies

- Severus asks for Harry's life, with or without the lives of one/both of the parents, Severus (likely) dies or is tortured and probably comes under suspicion of wavering faith, Harry and probably both his parents die

- Severus asks for Lily and/or James' lives, Voldemort does not comply, all three die, Severus possibly dies or is possibly tortured, probably comes under suspicion

- Severus asks for both Lily and James' lives, Voldemort partially complies, Harry and one of his parents (Voldemort's choice) die

Really, Dumbledore's argument here that Severus traded Harry for Lily is so fundamentally unsound that it comes across as slightly out of characer to me (even for manipulative!Dumbledore). It honestly reads to me like authorial insertion, JKR attempting to paint Severus in the blackest of colors without regard to logic or the actual established facts of her world, more than anything else. The fact that Severus stammeringly replies to Dumbledore's argument with the vague "I have - I have asked him -" rather than an attempt to point out that he in fact could not offer such an exchange merely speaks to me of the depths of his distress here, compounded by the guilt he is likely feeling for reporting the half-prophecy at all. So the argument that Severus chose to sacrifice the life of an infant in return for Lily's when he made his request of Voldemort simply doesn't hold up. Harry was going to die no matter what he did, and he could not have chosen to sacrifice someone he never had a possibility of protecting in the first place. Nothing he could have said would have impacted Harry's fate (so far as he knew) one way or the other.

Did Severus have the option, when he spoke with Voldemort, to spare James' life? This is a slightly murkier issue. We know that he assumed (knew?) that Voldemort meant to kill "them all," meaning not just Harry but James and Lily as well. We know that James and Lily had set themselves in direct opposition to Voldemort and had previously defied him thrice, thus in all likelihood earning them spots on his general hit list, and we know that Severus knew this (since he understood why Voldemort thought the prophecy referred to their child in particular). He obviously thought that he had some chance of sparing at least one of the two adults, since he dared ask for Lily's life; but he also did not ultimately trust Voldemort enough to actually spare either of them (else he would not have approached Dumbledore). We don't know if James and Lily had each defied Voldemort thrice, or only as a couple (that is, we do not know if one of them was considered a greater threat than the other by Voldemort, or if they were seen as equally troublesome). Lacking clearer indicators, it's probably best to assume that James and Lily were roughly of equal importance to Voldemort as enemies of his. If we take interviews as canon, however, one of the three defiances was Lily's refusal to join the Death Eaters - given no corresponding defiance by James alone, this probably slightly tilts the balance against any possibility that she was of less importance to Voldemort and thus safer to ask for/more likely to be spared.

Taking factors other than personal defiance into account: James is the only scion of a noble, wealthy old pureblood family, and a blood traitor, in the eyes of Voldemort's henchmen - though until recently a Potter was apparently considered a perfectly acceptable match for Dorea Black. We know James' father was in Gryffindor, and so unlikely to be of similar opinions as the DEs (though it's not utterly impossible); we know nothing about his mother. Lily was a (seemingly lower middle-class) Muggleborn, and a very powerful and talented witch apparently considered worthy of joining Voldemort's ranks despite her blood status. I think it slightly more probable that Voldemort would be willing to consider sparing a powerful and talented Muggleborn witch (whose wellbeing, by the way, would provide a very handy leash for an equally powerful and talented follower of his own) he had already tried to recruit than a wealthy (read: resource-providing) blood traitor who had, to all indications, thoroughly and ostentatiously distanced himself from any pureblood-supremacist factions and who even as a student was an outspoken opponent of the Dark Arts (whatever they may be), Voldemort's, ah, special hobby. This tilts the balance back towards equilibrium, I think.

So, all things considered, if he were to ask for only one of the adults, Severus might have had roughly equal chances of saving James as he would have of saving Lily. Possibly he had greater chances asking for Lily anyway, depending on how much weight Voldemort gave the 'leash' possibility and how much Severus spun his request as an attempt to revenge himself on Lily herself (as terri_testing has him do in one of her fics), and/or on James through Lily. However, I think it is quite clear that he was not going to not ask for Lily in any case, considering the fact that it was danger to her specifically that motivated him to risk his life and approach Voldemort at all. So what were his chances of having both of them spared?

I rather doubt that they were as high as all that, given what we know about Voldemort and his targets. One life (perhaps especially Lily's?): possible. Voldemort can always kill her later (Voldemort would tell himself), and there are possibilites for manipulation of Severus, for Imperiusing or converting the woman, etc. Both: doubtful. They are already his declared enemies, and are bound to be further radicalized by the murder of their only child. Even if they do not pose the sort of direct threat to him that the child does, they are a threat to his followers, an annoyance, part of the little army his major opponent has put together against him, etc. Plus there's no telling if the child is a one-off, or if there is some special power this particular couple holds that allows them to produce supremely powerful children capable of defeating him; best not to take the risk, strategically speaking. I just really, really don't see Voldemort agreeing to spare both of them, no matter how hard Severus begs. And Severus is neither unobservant nor an imbecile; he probably suspects that his chances of success decrease in inverse proportion to how many lives he requests, generally speaking. Voldemort is not known for his generosity and compassion towards enemies, after all (nor towards followers who step out of line). So, given that Severus was going to ask for Lily's life in any case if he was going to ask at all, it is rather doubtful that he could have successfully asked for James' life as well. It's (just about) possible that he could have saved him, but unlikely, and he probably knew it (leaving aside his feelings about James for the moment).

Thus, his chances of saving anyone in this particular situation:

- Harry: nil

- James alone: possible, but not an option Severus would have considered (and one that raises the same moral issues that saving Lily alone does, given that all three are at risk)

- Lily alone: possible (quite possibly his best shot from a purely strategic perspective, though of course Severus was not working from such a POV)

- James and Lily: perhaps possible, but unlikely; an option we might expect/hope Severus to consider, morally speaking, but one he is not likely to have actually thought about when he spoke to Voldemort

So in asking Voldemort only for Lily's life, Severus at most accepted the fact that the child was going to die no matter what he did and failed to ask for the life of a man he might have been able to save, but did not have much reason to expect would be spared as well. Not noble, but hardly the callous choice to sacrifice two people he could have just as easily saved in favor of the third. Nor the callous "exchange" of an infant for his mother that Dumbledore implies Severus to have made, James aside. Given the risk to himself of asking for even one of their lives from Voldemort, Severus did better than I suspect many people would have, instead of taking the easy way out by just keeping his mouth shut and giving it up as a lost cause. I am not sure what I myself would do in his situation, though of course I want to think I would have the courage to request for one or both to be spared (of course, I would also hope I'd never have chosen to divulge the prophecy in the first place, but again, I don't know. We don't know precisely why Severus himself reported it, after all!)

Love Thine Enemy: Severus' Request, Part I

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:06:36 GMT

Not a response to the challenge, eh, but this jsut wanted to be written.

There is an argument that is often made by Snape detractors stating that Severus is selfish and morally degraded because he only asked for Lily's life, and not those of James and Harry as well. I was going to post a short comment regarding this argument in a discussion on terri_testing's LJ, but it turned into something a bit...longer. 7500 words longer, to be exact. I'll have to post it in parts. Usual apologies for insane length and all.

Love Thine Enemy: Severus’ Request in Context

Introduction

Now, when I come across this argument it usually (not necessarily always, but usually) seems to me to be given with the clear but unspoken implication that, after the prophecy was reported and he knew who Voldemort had targeted, Severus held the lives of three people in his hands and could have saved them all, but callously ignored, tried to discard (or even trade) two of them in favor of the third, who he liked.

This is an assumption that I believe is unsupported by the facts, though it is encouraged by Dumbledore's disingenuous comment to Severus on the hilltop about "exchanging" Lily's life for that of her son.

(Let me emphasize that my argument does not concern the morality of Severus' decision to report the prophecy in the first place - clearly something he was wrong to do, regardless of the fact that he did not know to whom it referred.)

To recap: Severus reports what he heard of the prophecy - supposedly only the first half, though it could conceivably have been that same part when it was repeated at the very end of the prophecy. He apparently did not know the central portion, concerning Voldemort's "equal." (At least, he did not report it, and we have nothing to indicate that he had anything to gain by knowingly keeping half of the prophecy back, leading to the reasonable supposition that he in fact simply did not know it.) At some later point he discovers that Voldemort has targeted the Potters, specifically the child. He begs Voldemort to spare Lily, then (not trusting Voldemort to do as he asked) goes to Dumbledore and begs him to protect her, broadening his request to specifically include James and Harry when Dumbledore brings them up. When Dumbledore asks what he will do in return, he is taken aback, and then replies that he will do "anything."

There are I think two things that generally bother me about this "he only asked for Lily = he's selfish and bad" argument as usually given. One is the apparent assumption that Severus could have 'chosen to save' all three people, that is that he had the ability to save them all. The other is his demonization for only apparently caring for Lily. This latter point also leads to issues concerning the Potter books more generally, but I will get to those at the end.

Ability: who could he have saved?

Introduction

To begin with, let's be clear about which request we are talking about in each case, since Severus in fact makes two requests: one of Voldemort, and one of Dumbledore. This is something not usually specified in the 'he only asked for Lily, etc.' argument. We do not actually see Severus making the request of Voldemort, so we do not know how he phrased it exactly, but the evidence we do have seems to indicate rather unambiguously that he asked specifically for Lily's life. (I will deal with Dumbledore's accusation that he offered an exchange in a moment. I find it a problematic part of the scene even in logical terms, regardless of the morality of Dumbledore's actions here). We do see him with Dumbledore, at which point his anxious request is seemingly to protect Lily from Voldemort, apparently extended to include James and Harry when they are brought up. Here is the scene as written:

“I – I come with a warning – no, a request – please – ”

Dumbledore flicked his wand. Though leaves and branches still flew through the night air around them, silence fell on the spot where he and Snape faced each other.

“What request could a Death Eater make of me?”

“The – the prophecy…the prediction…Trelawney…”

“Ah, yes,” said Dumbledore. “How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?”

“Everything – everything I heard!” said Snape. “That is why – it is for that reason – he thinks it means Lily Evans!”

“The prophecy did not refer to a woman,” said Dumbledore. “It spoke of a boy born at the end of July – ”

“You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all – ”

“If she means so much to you,” said Dumbledore, “surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?”

“I have – I have asked him – ”

“You disgust me,” said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little, “You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?”

Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore.

“Hide them all, then,” he croaked. “Keep her – them – safe. Please.”

“And what will you give me in return, Severus?”

“In – in return?” Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, “Anything.”

The November Challenge

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:38:31 GMT

was suggested by territesting

Severus and the Dark Arts!

Was he fascinated by the Dark Arts? Did he love them, as Harry suspected? Was he seduced by them?

Or did he fear them? Was that why he became such an outstanding DADA teacher? Was he driven to defend himself because he was almost killed by a Dark Creature, Remus Lupin in his werewolf form?

Was he so good at DADA because he loved or feared the Dark Arts? Or did he have to be interested to endear himself to his Dark Lord?

Where did he learn about them? Did he read about them in his mother's books? Did she teach him? Or did he learn them in Slytherin?

Snape's career choices sans Voldemort

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:38:01 GMT

I've been wondering lately what Snape would have done with his life had he not come under the influence of Voldemort. I doubt he'd have gone into teaching at all. But it occurred to me that we really are not shown such a lot of choice of career in the wizarding world, and this is probably because of the fact that Harry is concentrating on other more pressing matters during his years at Hogwarts. But the Ministry seems to be the big employer, with a few other bits and pieces such as dress shops (Madame Malkin's), inn-keepers (Tom and Rosmerta), Borgin and Burkes, Ollivanders, etc. None of which I can really see Snape working in (although there's a few Snapefen I imagine who wouldn't mind him measuring us up for a new dress at Madame Malkin's LOL!)

I'd love to know of other options the members here might come up with for a satisfying career for Severus. I've written one fic "Back to Basics" where he abandons the wizarding world and lives out his life amongst the Muggles, running a string of naturopathy shops. Of course he'd be successful since his potions would work!

But that then gave rise to another question: would magic potions work on Muggles? We see Mr Weasely in hospital not responding at all well to stitches after Nagini attacked him, so I wondered if the same held true for Muggles' response to potions.

I look forward to the birth of plot bunnies!

Alison

Snape and His Fears

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:43:59 GMT

I didn't have time this month to do a full essay, but here are a few thoughts about Snape and his fears...

For someone who is working as a double or triple agent, death and torture would be obvious fears, especially considering how Voldemort treats traitors. However, rather than death per se, I believe that his greatest fear is probably dying before he is able to fulfill the promise he made to Dumbledore on Lily's behalf, of protecting Harry and defeating Voldemort--or of failing in that task, whether he survives or not. In canon, we know that fear was realized when he was slain by Nagini before he could see the outcome of the final battle. Maybe he at least had some hope at the end, knowing that he was passing along those vital memories to Harry.

On the other hand, by that time Snape knew that Dumbledore expected Harry to die along with Voldemort, so maybe his greatest fear and despair was that Lily's son would have to be sacrificed no matter which side won, and knowing that all the work he'd put into protecting Harry over the years would be for naught. Maybe in a grim way, he found some comfort in not having to witness what he believed would be Harry's inevitable death.

Which is not to say that Snape did not fear torture and death at all--I am sure he did, even if it was not what he feared most. But I believe that he accepted that fear and risk as a necessary part of his duties. Neither do I think that bravery is the absence of fear--rather, it takes more bravery to do what one feels is right in spite of one's fears. I remember reading an essay about Superman and bravery years ago--I believe that it was written by a science fiction author; I have a vague recollection that it might be Spider Robinson, but I can't find confirmation of that. Anyway, whoever it was argued that Superman could not be brave because nothing on Earth can physically harm him: he can be good and noble and kind, but not brave in the way that normal people like you and I can be when we act in spite of our fears. Actually, I disagree with the author--Superman may not fear any physical harm other than Kryptonite, but he can certainly fear having the people that he cares about being threatened or killed because of their connection to him. Still, I understand what the author of the essay was trying to say, and I would argue that Snape shows this sort of bravery, in carrying out a difficult task despite the threat of physical harm, as well as all the emotional conflicts and fears that he has to deal with as well.

Another fear Snape shows in the books is for the state of his soul. When Dumbledore asks Snape to kill him so that Draco's soul will not be damaged, Snape retorts, "And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?" I know we've talked about this before in other essays or discussion posts on Snapedom, that this probably indicates that Snape has never killed anyone before, at least not directly, even as a Death Eater.

And I think that he might fear dying with everyone still believing he is a traitor, with no one knowing his true loyalties. I don't think that he necessarily wants the motivation for his loyalty to Dumbledore to be known, since he insists on keeping it a secret from Harry, but he does react very strongly when Harry calls him a coward at the end of HBP. It's natural for him to feel angry, of course, since he's sacrificed so much to protect Harry, and Harry hasn't a clue, but Snape has such a strong emotional response that I think it's more than that. If he truly didn't care what anyone thought of him, it wouldn't bother him nearly as much. Snape's last dying plea of, "Look...at...me..." could merely be a last wish to look into Lily's eyes, or it could be a plea for Harry, for someone, to look and see the true man within for once.

Friday Recs

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:14:01 GMT

Haven't done recs for a while so this time I thought I'd do something a little different. I want to rec two comms.

The first, severus_sighs is all Snape, all the time. They are currently posting how each of the authors sees their Snape. It's really marvelous to see so many different versions of the character we all love.

The second is daily_deviant. Here is the character tag for Severus.

In the last few months there have been several pieces of gorgeous art-I am particularly enamoured of NWS Snarry Writhe by fanlay and NWS Snupin Pull it Tight by acatnamedeaster.

Also found, a myriad of delicious fic pairings-r_grayjoy's Snupin Everything He Has to Give, purplefluffycat's Severus/Albus//Severus/Albus/Minerva Dinner and a Show, and snegurochka_lee's marvelous Snack Kinky, With a Bit of Discipline.

A Reminder: Contest at The Masque ends soon.

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:49:54 GMT

The Masque, our helpful friends, are having a contest going on, I've posted about that already. That contest ends on Halloween! Hurry if you didn't upload chapters and art there yet and want to participate.

You'll find all the details here.

A couple of recs, SSHG

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:28:26 GMT

A Beach in Ireland by Bambu. Post war. On her birthday Hermione runs across someone she hasn't seen in a long time. NC-17. I like how relaxed Severus is, how Hermione can view canon events more critically. And a Wizarding World in which Arthur and Lucius are collaborating towards a shared goal is a better place.

Guard... Check... Mate by Bambu. Canon compliant until the end of OOTP, non-compliant with HBP or DH. Starts a few days before the end of Hermione's seventh year, but takes place mostly after leaving Hogwarts. Dumbledore attempts to sacrifice both Hermione and Severus for the greater good, but they find out. Warnings for torture. Rating R.

This was the first serious Evil!Dumbledore story I read. I found it before DH and couldn't believe Dumbledore would be *that* thoughtless towards his soldiers. Now I know Bambu had him just right. And extra points for having the characters read Machiavelli's 'The Prince' in a fic written before HBP came out.

Break out the smelling salts for this Severus/Lily rec! ;)

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:26:26 GMT

So, I took a break from writing fic and the Oct. essay, to read some fic, and stumbled upon this:

Title: Lilies Are Red, Roses Are Blue (on less_for_you, the Lily Evans/Severus Snape anonymous exchange)
Author: elethian
Rating: NC-17
Words: ~5,500
Warnings: Sexual activity between teenagers (who are of age in their jurisdiction); gratuitous ignoring of canon; fluff; extreme sappiness; Severus being too pretty; no nutritional value.
Summary: Best friends? Maybe so, but clearly there have been some other thoughts occurring on both sides as well.

Must. Rec. Fic. I think this might be my favorite NC-17 Snily so far. I'm a sucker for smutty fluff. :)

REPOST: miscellaneous snapely reccs - fixed links!

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:47:36 GMT

here's an assortment including plenty of self-pimping:

Snarry Games art "How I Made It" post where in I demo the baroque oil painting technique. WS art, 'warning' for bare chested Sev

Snarry Games reccs for those who DON'T ship Severus and Harry. Lots of wonderful gen and mentor work this year!

drabbles from the slashretreat_dc on the theme of "Old Fangirl's Retirement Home" that is run by Remus & Severus here:
(by the way, if you might like to join us next year, join the comm. it is no longer invitation only. and, we do tend to be Snape-centric!)

6th year Severus & Minerva art (NWS) drawn for hp_beholder this year. For a little change, Severus ought to be the innocent, perhaps learning the sensuous arts from an older professor.

"Spare the Rod" (NWS) Snape/Harry art from hp_summersmut , my gift from tripperfunster

it's friday, right? I Can do this?

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:27:22 GMT

Title: Snape's Inner Monologue
Artist: littleblackbow
Medium: Mixed
Rating: PG
Warnings: Canon? Is that a warning?
Artist Notes: I'm trying something new... bear with me, please?

Fake cut to journal.

Snape/Percy rec

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:00:19 GMT

I know it's shocking, but I'm reccing something other than a Snupin for a change! ;-) A friend steered me towards this fic, an older one written for the 1996 Percy Ficathon:

Title: The librarian of Strahov (on the author's journal; the story can also be found here on the Percy Ficathon LJ)
Author: sarka (written for jamiebluesq)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Percy/Snape, mention of Percy/Marcus Flint and Ron/Hermione
Word Count: 8,346 words

This is a wonderful story, told from Percy's POV, in which he is working as a librarian in Prague, where he has fled postwar to escape both British Wizarding society and his family. To his surprise, he runs into Snape one night at the opera, and then again at the library, where Snape has come to do some research to aid Cruciatus victims (of which Ginny is one). It's really nice to see a more mature Percy, who's made a life for himself outside the confines of his family. Snape is less bitter than the canon Snape we know, but he's still recognizably Snape, and is at first snarky and defensive with Percy. However, Percy holds his own against Snape's snark, and they strike up a friendship that gradually turns into something more.

This isn't a pairing that I normally read, but it actually works quite well--Percy and Snape have a lot in common, as they are both, in a sense, living in exile from the British wizarding world. (And I've always had a soft spot for Percy, whom I thought was treated unfairly by his family in canon.) This is actually more of a Percy-centric fic, given that it's told from his POV, but it was very interesting to see Snape through Percy's eyes as opposed to Harry's POV in canon, and I very much liked Snape's portrayal and the way that the relationship between the two developed.

Hermione (as Percy's friend and sole remaining link to the British wizarding world) and Ron put in brief appearances, and are an added bonus in the fic: they're a fine example of how the trio might realistically have matured postwar. Hermione is still Hermione, but she's a little more mature, and is finding out that reforming the Ministry is a difficult and frustrating process. Ron, too, is very much in character, but tempered with a bit of maturity: Percy is surprised that his estranged brother isn't angry with him when they finally meet, and Ron replies, "I lost one brother to this war already and my sister is barely a shell of her old self. I'm not losing any more family members if I can help it, you prat." Also, the scene where Ron finds out that Snape and Percy are lovers is absolutely hilarious! ^_^

I highly recommend this fic--in fact, my only complaint is that I enjoyed it so much that I would have liked to have seen it expanded into a longer story or series, to see whether Percy ever reconciled with his family (the story seems to hint that he will, eventually) and how Molly would have reacted to her son not only being gay, but having Snape as a lover. I definitely wouldn't mind reading more Percy/Snape in the future.

Rather late Friday recs

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:23:17 GMT

I no longer remember who pointed me towards the following fic. It's entirely possible someone rec'd it here. If so, apologies to that original poster and consider this a second endorsement for this fic:

The Birthday Present by excessivelyperky
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2470334/1/The_Birthday_Present
VERY long gen fic, Snape-centric and Slytherin POV of events post-OotP, and completely disregards HBP and DH. I spent 2 1/2 weeks on this fic so be prepared to give up your social life for the duration! Very compelling story with just a hint of future SSHG if you really pay attention.

I'm primarily a Snape/Granger fan, a pairing which is rarely represented in Friday recs. I've never seen discouragement for SSHG recs here, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Here are some of my favorites from last winter's SSHG Gift Exchange:

The Life Unlived by sshg316
http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/153466.html
Hermione experiences visions of a different life. Includes a very different backstory for Severus.

Harbinger by bambu345
http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/145045.html
Mysterious happenings at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione, now aurors, must investigate. A very unique Snape Lives premise.

The Marriage Benefit (or) How Granger And Snape Buggered The Ministry, The Board Of Governors, Minerva And The Entire Hogwarts Staff Whilst Finding True Love by miamadwyn
http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/148098.html
A new teacher's salary compensation causes Severus and Hermione to join forces.

Note: For some reason the links didn't work, so I've added the urls for each fic. What's up IJ?

A fabulous contest at The Masque!

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:46:33 GMT

By now you all hopefully know The Masque. I can't sing their praises loudly and often enough. They are the wonderful people who gave us our forum on the severusbigbang where many of the participants chat, find help, and have a good time.

And now, The Masque is having an extraordinary contest:

The Masque Forums

The Masque has something exquisite and unique and, well, quite awesome to offer its members this month. We have an autographed copy of an anthology of scary stories, featuring our own friend, member, and published author, April Grey. April is a long time author of Harry Potter fanfic.

Northern Haunts (http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Haunts-Terrifying-England-Tales/dp/0980187052/ref=sr_oe_2_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255126937&sr=1-2) is a compilation of what has been said to be the best of the best for scary stories. Set in New England, this anthology has 100 short stories filled with campfire tales that are sure to send a chill or two up and down your spine.

Now, here’s the easy part, all you have to do is upload your photos, drawings, stories, poems, recipes in any and all parts of the site, including The Masque, The WIKtT Archives and associated galleries. New chapters to existing stories, new stories and added chapters, a new poem and a drawing, everything and anything counts. You absolutely can’t beat that. Now there is one catch. All work has to be uploaded BY Midnight on All Hallows’ Eve- so that’s 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time so there’s no confusion.

Story validation will be turned on for the duration of this contest for counting purposes only; all works will be validated as soon as the counts are made (this means that your story will not show up until an admin lets it through). Counts/validation will be done several times per day at the discretion of the admins. Several of the newly uploaded stories will be Featured.

Odds of winning are completely and entirely dependent upon the number of works uploaded. The Masque, all volunteers, and authors are not responsible for any works not uploaded, but claimed to be. If you’re having trouble, contact the administrator.

Good Luck!

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:

http://www.themasque.net/forums/index.php?topic=271.0

Regards,
The The Masque Forums Team.

I always found April Grey's fanfic to be among the best. This is a great contest, and what better way to say thank you to The Masque forum team than to go there, upload art and fic, and have a chance to win a great book? Hurry!

Shameless Self Promotion puts pimp hat on

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:32:06 GMT

It's Friday and I'm still busy reading all the fanfic I've seen recced, so I'll just pimp my own stuff today...not that I've done all that much that is published yet (still working on my longer fanfics and an essay for the October Challenge).

Anyway *toss* http://sailorlum.livejournal.com/tag/snape

There's some icons, a fan art, and a drabble (Snape gen).

Friday recs

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:20:09 GMT

It's Friday here in Oz, and I've found a wonderful artist who does the best Snape I have ever seen! Check out this pic, and also some of the others on her site, they're well worth the look!

http://hvostoroga.deviantart.com/art/Severus-Snape-vs-fandom-102287536

I'd love to hear what y'all think!
Alison

SNARC Winner

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:41:17 GMT

I really loved the Tribbles but the August/September SNARC Contest Winner is bohemianspirit .
Very nice horse indeed :) Congratulation. Please send your address to majmunka1 (atyahoocom) for your prize.

Don't call me a coward!

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:49:26 GMT

The October challenge was suggested by <lj user="00sevvie">:

<i>One of the things that gets repeatedly connected to Severus is the notion of bravery, and how courageous he is. So perhaps it might be interesting to take a look at the flip side of that, fear - explore what Severus might be afraid of, or how he would react to fear, etc.</i>

Therefore we have:

The October Challenge

Severus and his fears.

Welcome new community Severus Sighs

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:48:49 GMT

After it's first successful year as a yahoo group, severus_sighs has come to IJ and Dreamwidth, and launched with a fountain of beautiful drabbles on the theme of Anniversary.

Dedicated to our favorite Potions Master, tending toward slashy, and populated by clever, articulate witches from all 4 houses, the banter on yahoo is good fun, and the writing is passionate and worthy of a Half Blood Prince.

Go have a read!

A snarry and a snupin...

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:48:04 GMT

Still way behind in my reading (and much else) so I have only a few recs today. A snarry, a snupin and I swear I'll get it together again. Hopefully.

SNARRY:
An Awkward Customer by anya elizabeth.
Rating: nc-17
Warning/s: EWE
Summary: Snape can't figure out why Potter is hanging around his shop.

After sharing my admiration for this fic with spidermoth, who recced it to a snarry-lover at LJ, I decided to rec this story today. It's a marvelous story - one of the highlights of this year's snarryathon. It's very funny and so sexy it will melt you to your bones, but it is the brilliant characterization of Severus that marks its quality. Snape's voice is at times bitter, sour, miserable, dark, confident, witty, sexy, malicious, competant, vindictive, self-depreciating, self-justifying, and above all so magnificently appealing. I've read it over and again since it was first posted earlier this year - if you haven't had the chance to read it, please do, it's too good to miss! Go read it and leave some love for the author if you enjoy it.

SNUPIN:
Waxing Moon by whitestar (whitestar_alpha at LJ.)
Rating: pg
Warning: AU
Summary: The waxing moon always seems to bring out the wolf in Remus, not that he could ever tell Severus that.

A lovely piece of writing, a reveling in the increased sensory perceptions of the werewolf as the moon waxes. It is rich with effective descriptions of synaesthesia, a confusion and overloading of the senses - and how Remus experiences the close proximity of Severus with his heightened sensitivity. Lovely! Don't forget to tell the author how much you liked it!

Snape and His Women

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:52:25 GMT

I'm mainly a slash fan, and of Snupin in particular, so contemplating the topic of Snape and His Women is something new for me, but it was interesting looking at Snape from a different point of view...

The most popular het Snape pairing seems to be Snape/Hermione, and I can certainly understand why. Unlike Ron and Harry, she doesn't hate Snape, but respects his abilities and his loyalty to the Order, despite the harsh treatment he's given all of them, and at times, her in particular. This is partly due to her trust in Dumbleore: since Dumbledore has faith in Snape, Hermione also believes in him unswervingly, at least until the apparent murder in HBP. Still, most teenagers would have trouble overlooking the more unpleasant aspects of Snape's behavior and personality, no matter how brave or loyal a man he was, especially when that unpleasantness is directed towards them personally. But even after Snape drives Hermione to tears in GoF with the "I see no difference" remark, she doesn't seem to hate him or hold a grudge. So after the war is over, I could see her accepting his true loyalties more easily than most of the other characters, and since she never hated him, there's no impediment to a possible friendship or romance--assuming that Snape survives, of course.

Hermione is also very intelligent and has a thirst for knowledge, which perhaps gives her something in common with Snape, and also gives her the ability to challenge him and win his respect. I can't really see Snape being attracted to to someone who's pretty but brainless; I think he'd want a partner who could keep up with him and be his equal. I don't think that Hermione is quite there yet, simply because of her youth, but she certainly has the potential to be--I could see them possibly becoming lovers several years after the war is over, when she is a young woman and no longer a child or his student. (That would also take care of my teacher/student imbalance of power squick, which also applies to Snarry in slash fandom.)

Although...I do recall reading a couple of fanfics where Snape regards Hermione with disdain, not just because she's a Gryffindor and Harry's friend, but because her good grades are due to rote memorization and following the instructions of her textbooks without showing any creativity. That does seem to be in character for Snape, considering that he modified and improved on the potion formulas in his textbook when he was Hermione's age. On the other hand, Hermione does show some creativity as the series progresses, such as when she uses the Dark Mark as inspiration for the D.A.'s enchanted coins. I think that type of creativity will probably continue to develop as she gets older, so I could see her working with Snape someday as an adult, and maybe a professional relationship could lead to a more personal one--perhaps romantic, but I could also see them developing a platonic friendship with a lot of good-natured Gryffindor vs. Slytherin bickering.

Their personalities are pretty opposite, and I could see her zealous optimistic idealism grating on Snape, but on the other hand, there's that old saying about how opposites attract. Perhaps her idealism would balance out his cynicism and vice versa. And realistically, the things that Hermione experienced during DH--being tortured, seeing friends and allies killed in battle--are likely to change her, although we don't really see the effects of this in canon. I think that a more troubled, less naive Hermione would be better able to understand and empathize with Snape.

***

One Snape het pairing that I really like a lot is Snape/Luna. (Again, I prefer it when Luna is an adult when they get involved). Luna, for all her dreaminess (or perhaps because of it?), lacks the prejudices of most of the other Hogwarts students, and I think that of all the characters, she'd be the most able to see past Snape's snarky, bitter exterior to the real man within, and the one most able to accept him as he is. As I once told a friend, she lives in her own little world, but she can also be keenly perceptive at the same time. Like Snape, she has suffered the loss of a loved one and she knows what it's like to be an outcast--not quite in the same way, of course, but I think there's enough common ground for understanding. Unlike Snape, Luna hasn't allowed her pain to embitter her, and I can see her being able to help Snape heal with her gentle, eccentric sweetness and kindness. The first time I encountered a Snuna story, I thought that it was a very odd pairing, but one that worked surprisingly well.

This Snuna drabble by bronze_ribbons, and this ficlet by bluestocking79 are great examples of how well I think the ship works.

***

In my previous essay on Snape and His Men, territesting made an interesting observation about how there are numerous Snape/OFC het pairings, but hardly any Snape/OMC slash pairings. I know there are some, but they're relatively few, at least where Snape/OMC is the main pairing. (I've seen Snape/OMC in conjunction with canon character ships, where the OMC is there to add a little spice or some complication to Snape's relationship with a canon character--for example, Snape and Lupin having a threesome with a hot guy that they pick up, or Snape being involved with another man before he gets together with Lupin or Harry or whomever.)

I thought that was a really interesting observation, and I've been wondering why the disparity? Could it be self-insertion on the writer's part? Perhaps in some cases, but certainly not all OFCs are of the Mary Sue variety. Terri suggests that perhaps a happy life and relationship are a reward for Snape on the author's part, but then why do slash writers not reward Snape with a loving OMC partner? I wonder if it has something to do with a lack of well-developed female characters in canon, particularly ones about the same age as Snape? Narcissa is the only female character I can think of offhand who is a contemporary of Snape, and she's already married to Lucius--which of course need not necessarily be an obstacle in fanfiction, or at least, only a temporary one. Still, if one wants to write Snape in a romance with a woman his own age, the writer's options are limited unless they invent their own characters. There are canon female teachers and Order members whose ages aren't stated, such as Sinistra or Charity or Emmeline Vance, but since we know little about them other than their names, for all practical purposes they might as well be OCs, as Terri says. There seem to be more male characters in the books who are close to Snape's age--Lupin, Sirius, Lucius, and possibly Kingsley (although his exact age isn't stated)--which gives slash writers more potential pairings to choose from.

I'm sure that's not the only answer, so if any of you readers out there have any thoughts about this, I would love to hear them.

***

I was digging through my old recs and essays, and in my Snape and the Muggle World essay, I came across a rec I made for the Wanderlust series by lithiumdelusion and bluestocking79, which is a crossover between the Harry Potter series and the Pet Shop of Horrors manga series. The stories feature Jill, a police detective from the PSOH series, as a potential romantic partner for Snape, and that reminded me of another reason why a writer might want to create an OC love interest: in order to give Snape a partner from outside the British wizarding world, or outside the wizarding world altogether, who doesn't know Snape's history and hasn't been biased by the WW's prejudices and Snape's reputation as a Death Eater. They might eventually learn about the things that Snape has done, both good and bad, but it won't have the same impact on them as someone who's known Snape previously and has lived through those events, such as Harry or Hermione, and they would be able to view Snape more objectively and develop a relationship without any past baggage getting in the way.

Of course Jill isn't actually an OC; she is a canon character, but it's a canon outside of the HP canon, so the same principle applies. This isn't to say that all OFCs are characters from outside the wizarding world, of course, but it provides fanfic writers with an option that isn't available in canon. (Although I'm still not sure why we don't see more of this type of OC in slash, but the topic is Snape and His Women, so I don't want to dwell overmuch on the slash aspect.)

I think Jill is a great match for Snape--as one might expect from a cop, she has a strong sense of justice, and also of compassion. She runs into him by chance in the Muggle world, where he has been hiding, and when he accidentally drops and loses his wand, she is determined to return it to him, no matter how difficult a task that might be. She can also see from his eyes that he's in a great deal of pain, even though she initially doesn't know why. When she finds out how he was branded a traitor and treated like a scapegoat in the wizarding world, that only makes her all the more determined to return the wand to Snape because he considered it "important enough to carry away with him from a world he knows he can’t return to. He deserves it back." With her determination, she's not the type to allow herself to be pushed away by Snape, and she has enough patience and compassion to eventually convince Snape that he can love and be loved in return.

It's a great series, and I only wish it was longer. Snape losing the wand, Jill's finding of it, and her efforts to track down its owner make up the prologue and first three chapters, and then the story skips ahead in time to a series of short but lovely drabbles that show us glimpses of Snape and Jill's romance and eventual married life.

***

Snape's relationships with women need not only be romantic, of course. red_day_dawning already discussed this in her post, but I've always pictured Snape as having a sort of friendship with McGonagall--not the best friends type of relationship that Harry has with Ron and Hermione, but a respect for each other as colleagues and a friendly rivalry with their running bet over which of their Houses will win the Quidditch Cup. Her contempt for Snape in DH made some fans think that she never really liked or trusted Snape, but it could also be explained by a deep anger at feeling betrayed by a friend that she trusted. I like to think that she felt very remorseful when she found out the truth about Snape's loyalties, and in a story where Snape survived Nagini's bite, it would be interesting to see how she would go about trying to mend their friendship. For Snape's part, I think that he would say that the whole point of his act was to have everyone believe that he was a traitor, but at the same time, I think that he would secretly feel hurt and resentful that McGonagall and everyone else believed it so easily.

Narcissa is also someone I can see being a friend to Snape. In canon, I don't believe that they're especially close; in HBP, she refers to Snape as a friend of Lucius rather than "our" friend, so while they're probably friendly towards each other, their connection is primarily through Lucius. However, post-war, I could see them developing a closer friendship, since I think she would be deeply grateful that he'd saved Draco, even if he had turned out to be working on Dumbledore's side. (It would help that she doesn't have any loyalty left to Voldemort by the end of DH.)

There's a great Snupin fic called Unique in All the World by McKay that has a good portrayal of friendship between Snape and Narcissa. Snape is in love with Lupin, and believing that Lupin doesn't return his feelings, enlists Narcissa's help in carrying out a complicated scheme in which he tricks Lupin into marrying him. They're both lonely (in this story, Lucius is dead), both outcast due to their past connections to the Death Eaters, and they don't have anyone else to turn to but each other, so Narcissa provides advice and a sympathetic ear. Narcissa is motivated partly by boredom--Snape's scheme provides a substitute for the juicy gossip she used to get from her former circle of friends--but she seems to sincerely care about him as well. Of course the main focus is on the Snupin romance, but the Snape/Narcissa friendship is a major part of the story, and provokes a conflict in the romance when Snape is seen with Narcissa and Lupin suspects that they're conspiring together against him (which they are, but not in the way that he thinks) and/or having an affair.

Narcissa and Snape get along so well in the story that it made me think that in a different type of story, a widowed Narcissa and Snape could form a friendship that develops into romantic love. Which could have some interesting complications in the form of Draco, who might or might not be willing to accept Snape as a stepfather. Even if he likes Snape as a teacher and family friend, he might still feel resentful or just uncomfortable about having Snape replace his father, and it would be interesting to see how the three of them resolve things.

A thought on Sev's animagus form

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:33:29 GMT

It really ought to have hit me sooner, in light of a certain fairy tale by one Hans Christian Andersen (at least, things ought to have ended up as they do in the fable...JKR did a number on the poor fellow). So, quiz time. I'll give you a hint: it's a bird (he does have a rather impressive beak, one must admit). :)

What bird...

... is often a symbol of love or fidelity because of its long-lasting monogamous relationships (should one die, the other will usually live out the remainder of its life alone) [need I say more? this is canon-Sev we are talking about]
...is revered in Hinduism and compared to saintly persons whose chief characteristic is to be in the world without getting attached to it, just as a ___'s feather does not get wet although it is in water [he doesn't seem particularly...attached to much, does he?]
...has a name derived from the same root as the Latin 'sonus' (sound) [that famous voice]
...is known for its coloration and sometimes "aggressive behaviour towards students" (there are five of these birds at the University of York)

Click for a photo of Sev transformed.

Recruitment post!

sylvanawood@googlemail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:17:59 GMT

That's right! It's 'Rush' week in Slytherin House and we're looking for new Housemates to join with us and bring Slytherin to it's rightful place of glory as the winning House in the O.W.L. House Cup challenge.

Haven't heard of the O.W.L. House Cup? Well, you can find the official rules HERE, but as we know that Slytherins aren't much for worrying about "rules", here's the basic jist:

The Onilne Wizarding Library Harry Potter fanfiction archive is running this shindig, and all four Houses are competing for the prize (and gloating rights) of winning the House Cup. Authors and readers sign up, choose (Slytherin House) your House, and then start earning points (for Slytherin) by posting your fics, reviewing, or reccing what you read on O.W.L.

Slytherin House is doin' it up in our Common Room (Sorry, only Housemates have full access. Try breaking our wards and you'll end up with a right nasty hex!). We are plotting, planning, and strategizing. We have challenges, chats, icons, banners.... It's all happening in Slytherin!!

You'll even get robes to display your (SLYTHERIN!!!) House pride on your LJ!

Well... what are you still doing here? Go Sign Up!!

If you're not a member of the O.W.L. archive, you'll need to sign up there first. You can do that HERE.

Come on, fellow Slytherins! We certainly don't want to see those Ravenclaws or the gloating Gryffindors taking what is rightfully ours! Support your House today!!

And don't forget to stop by the Common Room and introduce yourself once you're settled in. See you then. *waves*

GO SLYTHERIN!!

If you have questions, don't be shy to ask.

---

In all the house-cup rush, let's not forget that there are other archives, open for regular business. For SSHG (and other Snape-related fic) I can heartily recommend The WIKtT Archives on The Masque
The Masque is a very welcoming place, and if you are a participant of the Severus Big Bang, you know how welcoming they are. They provided a space for us on their forum and were always helpful.
Go and pay them a visit.