Tobias Snape & Eileen Prince
Quote from Shell Cottage on September 3, 2026, 2:11 amQuote from IFFIN on September 2, 2026, 7:58 pmIf you are ever interested in the essay about Spinner's End here is the link:
http://members.madasafish.com/~cj_whitehound/Fanfic/index.htm
woah. haha, this is like Christmas! at least, I'm waking up to how much is already out there in terms of analyzing the HP books...I just skimmed the Spinner's End essay (very interesting!) and am starting on the one about dating when the Potters go into hiding. (I hadn't realized the discrepancy with the timing of Dumbledore borrowing the invisibility cloak until I read Naaga's great analysis of Dumbledore.)
I'm inclined to agree that it does sound like Lily's family was well off enough to live on a significantly nicer side of town. (Though I'm basing that more on my own childhood experience of just how brutally and unforgivingly being from the poor neighborhood determines the assumptions everyone makes about you at school--the same way Petunia does with Snape...I can attest, the shame and humiliation of that never quite leaves you--you feel it so keenly when you're a kid...so I really identify with Snape that way...and I think the sting of six years of feeling poor compared to Lily was just one more factor contributing to the pain that made him lash out and insist he didn't need her help.)
And the implication that Lily was--though not rich, still better off than he was...honestly, I feel like that makes her mean jab about his underwear that much worse.
Sometimes I really wish for a fanfic where kid Snape could have had a real friend...
Dumbledore borrowing the invisibility cloak until I read Naaga's great analysis of Dumbledore.
I have been trying to read it, but it is so long and I keep losing my place. At this time I think that Dumbledore just took the cloak because he knows James might get bored and leave Godric's Hollow. I am assuming that James still left in his animagus form. 😊 Maybe if I read the essay I might see it another way.
That Snape worst memory has so much going on and everyone is going to view it differently. What I get from the author's intent and casual general interpretation is to show Harry that James was not perfect, that Lily found James attractive and Snape is a racist. I also think Lily's comment "I'd wash my pants if I were you"? was to imply that Severus was dirty. As others have brought up, if his pants were dirty they would be more yellow than grey. Grey is an indication that they are old and worn.
Here I deleted my rant of how I hate this scene so much and fanon casual analysis and author's intent. I noticed and you might have that I was starting to go on and on. Well I did but I don't need to bore others with it. 😅
And the implication that Lily was--though not rich, still better off than he was...honestly, I feel like that makes her mean jab about his underwear that much worse.
I also see the scene as Lily commenting on his economic status. I also don't see Lily as coming from a lot of money. I think we see that in Petunia how she wants everything status quo. Also Petunia and Lily play in the park often. I think if they were rich they would have clubs, events, piano lessons and other things people with a lot of money have. I'm not saying that rich people don't go to the park, but I don't think that they would spend hours hanging out there. Which I believe they did for Severus to notice them. I know that an essay by Whitehound on Spnner's End describes where they might have lived better than what I can, since she is from the UK and I am not.
Sometimes I really wish for a fanfic where kid Snape could have had a real friend...
I can understand this.
Quote from Shell Cottage on September 3, 2026, 9:11 am
Guilty. Since Petunia is telling Lily about the letter. I do wonder how much Lily is responsible for that entire situation. I do think Severus is nosy, but I don't see him opening the door and walking into Petunia's room. Granted Petunia and Lily might share a room and Petunia might just call it her room since Lily is leaving for Hogwarts and/or she is the older sister and she said so.
I like your take on the letter!
I am still scratching my head trying to understand how/when Snape saw it.
I tell you it is because he is nosy I say. Nosy. (Here I am quoting some character from an old cartoon or movie.) But I think he is just a curious child and that makes him nosy sometimes. I think him and Harry are a lot like each other when it comes to being curious and wondering what others are up to. Harry was really nosy when it came to Draco. I also think this trait made Snape a good spy. I already brought up that Lily and Petunia might have shared a room, but if they didn't. Lily might have been comfortable enough to go into Petunia's room whenever she wanted to. It might be that Petunia had the record player in her room and it was also Lily's or something of Lily's like a 45, so her and Severus went to get it and he saw the letter, because he is nosy. When he went to use the toilet in their home, he probably looked through the medicine cabinets also.
I do want to add that I think he was nosy about Lupin also. And he probably should have let it go, but I think many people had the same theory and he needed to prove it to himself that it was true or false. I think Sirius reaction was wrong. Wrong to put Severus life in danger and Lupin's and then years later showing no remorse.
