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Snape pet peeves
I just have a few...
Unlike my other pet peeves, these are *strictly* matters of opinion. I think great stories can come with using them, although a couple have, I think, become cliches.
Most of them (but not all) have to do with making Snape less of an autonomous individual with free will. I like my Snape to be making the decisions he makes because they are the decision he *wants* to make, for himself, not as a reaction to outside events.
Thus:
1. All of Snape's allegiance changes have to do with reactions to Lily and/or Marauders.
One of the reasons I tend to dislike Snape/Lily is that it seems it's always his feeling of betrayal at her choice of Potter that causes him to join the Death Eaters and her upcoming death at the hand of Voldemort that causes him to leave. Like I said in the first paragraph, I don't think stories that do this are *wrong*, I just don't like them. There are a million reasons Snape would have to join the Death Eaters, and my personal favorite is that he was fascinated by the Dark Arts. I also think he probably got more respect, at least at first.
Revenge for the sake of revenge (i.e. not related to Lily) is a little more palatable for me, because he does seem the vengeful sort, but I think even he would know that Voldemort would just use him, if that's all it was.
2. The notion that Dumbledore made him do an Unbreakable Vow, and that's why Dumbledore trusts him.
While I definitely agree that it couldn't just have been a "tale of remorse" that did it (I doubt Tom Riddle would have succeeded at getting a job at Hogwarts via a tale of remorse), I also suspect that Unbreakable Vows are a kind of Dark magic that Dumbledore would not resort to. I also think it would not be necessary. He is very, very good at securing passionate loyalty. Look at what Harry did in the cave. I don't think he'd need more to sway Snape, nor that he would demand more. He either trusts a person or he doesn't. I think if he didn't trust Snape, he simply wouldn't have given him the job of Potions instructor, and more importantly, he wouldn't have sent him to spy on the Death Eaters.
3. Snape will be cleared by Pensieve memories left by Dumbledore.
This one is more of a cliche, since I seem to see it in a lot of stories. It just seems too obvious to me.
Finally, although I like a complex, neither good nor bad Snape, I do tend to like him better evil than fluffy.
Unlike my other pet peeves, these are *strictly* matters of opinion. I think great stories can come with using them, although a couple have, I think, become cliches.
Most of them (but not all) have to do with making Snape less of an autonomous individual with free will. I like my Snape to be making the decisions he makes because they are the decision he *wants* to make, for himself, not as a reaction to outside events.
Thus:
1. All of Snape's allegiance changes have to do with reactions to Lily and/or Marauders.
One of the reasons I tend to dislike Snape/Lily is that it seems it's always his feeling of betrayal at her choice of Potter that causes him to join the Death Eaters and her upcoming death at the hand of Voldemort that causes him to leave. Like I said in the first paragraph, I don't think stories that do this are *wrong*, I just don't like them. There are a million reasons Snape would have to join the Death Eaters, and my personal favorite is that he was fascinated by the Dark Arts. I also think he probably got more respect, at least at first.
Revenge for the sake of revenge (i.e. not related to Lily) is a little more palatable for me, because he does seem the vengeful sort, but I think even he would know that Voldemort would just use him, if that's all it was.
2. The notion that Dumbledore made him do an Unbreakable Vow, and that's why Dumbledore trusts him.
While I definitely agree that it couldn't just have been a "tale of remorse" that did it (I doubt Tom Riddle would have succeeded at getting a job at Hogwarts via a tale of remorse), I also suspect that Unbreakable Vows are a kind of Dark magic that Dumbledore would not resort to. I also think it would not be necessary. He is very, very good at securing passionate loyalty. Look at what Harry did in the cave. I don't think he'd need more to sway Snape, nor that he would demand more. He either trusts a person or he doesn't. I think if he didn't trust Snape, he simply wouldn't have given him the job of Potions instructor, and more importantly, he wouldn't have sent him to spy on the Death Eaters.
3. Snape will be cleared by Pensieve memories left by Dumbledore.
This one is more of a cliche, since I seem to see it in a lot of stories. It just seems too obvious to me.
Finally, although I like a complex, neither good nor bad Snape, I do tend to like him better evil than fluffy.
As for the third *ducks* I am guilty of it! It is a bit of a cliche, the Pensieve memories, but Harry needs to learn more somehow, and unless its from Aberforth, then it will either be from the Pensieve or Dumbledore's awakened portrait. I wrote a story where Dumbledore left Harry three memories after his death: the night the prophecy was made, the night he destroyed the Gaunt Ring and returned to Hogwarts. . . and the reason Snape turned. It was actually Snape's memory, and I set it before the prophecy was even made, let alone the Potters were killed. It was a bit out there, but it didn't involve Lily much, so I was happy with it.
So what are your theories on just when he changed allegiances - and why??
~Gina :)
http://www.redhen-publications.com/Loya
(for citation purposes!)
The basic idea is this:
When Trelawney makes a prophecy, she is completely out of it for the entire prophecy. She's not aware of ANYTHING while in her trance. The prophecy itself is very short.
And yet, she remembers that the interview was interrupted by Snape.
Her idea is that Snape was summoned by a Patronus and told to deliver the first part of the prophecy to Voldemort by Dumbledore, to make sure that there would be a Chosen One who *could* stop Voldemort.
Another possibility is that Snape was there and *heard* the whole thing, but only reported the first part for Dumbledore.
In other words, I think he turned *before* the prophecy.
As for why he switched? I think he was expecting to explore the mysteries of the Dark Arts and learn to excel at them... not just torment a bunch of Muggles and Muggleborns. I also think he would have severely disliked all the fawning and submissive rituals that Voldemort demands without getting at least *something* out of it. Plus, I imagine that once they had his allegiance, the Death Eaters (but not Voldemort) probably began treating him with disrespect because he's a Half-Blood (since they clearly do not know that Voldemort is). After all, "Snape" is obviously not going to be on the list of noble and ancient Pureblood names. I think he'd be treated about the same way that he treats Pettigrew, to be specific, at least until he gets the spying position...
I included it in my Aberforth drabble for the FFIF. I doubt I will win it, since it's definitely more a look at Snape and Malfoy than Aberforth, but it was fun to write, and I think it's pretty good anyway.
And can you give me a link to the story? Or is it not up yet? Sounds exactly like my cup of tea *grins*
(Anonymous)