Re: If Severus is nuanced, so is Lily
(Anonymous)
Hi Anna.
I think that JKR was trying to show that Lily's concerns about the direction Sev's life was going in had led to strains on their friendship. We see this in the text when she challenges him (nicely) on his hanging out with Mulciber and Avery because she is concerned about the malicious pranking they are into, i.e. the 'evil' thing they do to Mary Macdonald (which is never spelled out, of course). I don't have a problem with that because I don't like being spoonfed by an author. We can surmise that it was Dark Magic or something very vindictive. Whatever it was, Lily is upset about it and upset that Sev hangs out with people who do stuff like this.
Rather than take on board what Lily is saying, Sev at once deflects the conversation to the Marauders and how awful THEY are. I'm not a Marauders fan and you will never hear me justify their behaviour to him (SWM appalls me). And I do see why readers find Lily cold in her reaction to Sev re: the Werewolf incident.
All I'm saying is, Sev had a case to answer for to Lily as well ... in that HE was hanging around with people who had no problem in insulting and persecuting people of Lily's blood heritage.
Now you can say that was because of peer pressure. I personally find that plausible speculation, especially when the likes of Lucius Malfoy welcome 11 year old Sev to the Slytherin table after his Sorting. But it IS speculation only, because there's no direct evidence for that in canon.
-- Pearlette
I think that JKR was trying to show that Lily's concerns about the direction Sev's life was going in had led to strains on their friendship. We see this in the text when she challenges him (nicely) on his hanging out with Mulciber and Avery because she is concerned about the malicious pranking they are into, i.e. the 'evil' thing they do to Mary Macdonald (which is never spelled out, of course). I don't have a problem with that because I don't like being spoonfed by an author. We can surmise that it was Dark Magic or something very vindictive. Whatever it was, Lily is upset about it and upset that Sev hangs out with people who do stuff like this.
Rather than take on board what Lily is saying, Sev at once deflects the conversation to the Marauders and how awful THEY are. I'm not a Marauders fan and you will never hear me justify their behaviour to him (SWM appalls me). And I do see why readers find Lily cold in her reaction to Sev re: the Werewolf incident.
All I'm saying is, Sev had a case to answer for to Lily as well ... in that HE was hanging around with people who had no problem in insulting and persecuting people of Lily's blood heritage.
Now you can say that was because of peer pressure. I personally find that plausible speculation, especially when the likes of Lucius Malfoy welcome 11 year old Sev to the Slytherin table after his Sorting. But it IS speculation only, because there's no direct evidence for that in canon.
-- Pearlette