Post by starsea on Jul 14, 2010 12:18:25 GMT -5
I agree with Queenie that there were few people left to tell Harry of Lily and Snape's friendship (despite all those problematic 'friends' who sent pictures of James & Lily to Hagrid for that photo album!). People also pick and choose their memories. Who is going to remember Lily hanging around with Snape? "I know he's horrible to you, but he was really good friends with your mother!" What would that serve?
My personal theory is that Lily and Snape's friendshp had its golden age from just before they started at Hogwarts until the beginning of the second year. Then things started to change: house ties became stronger, puberty reared its ugly head, maybe the bullying became more intense, driving Snape to seek allies among the older Slytherins. Don't underestimate the effect of Voldemort's efforts to recruit Death Eaters straight from Hogwarts and the multiplying attacks on Muggle borns and Muggles, which would also combine to drive Lily and Snape farther apart as their politics became polarised. It seems to be pretty difficult to maintain any kind of cross-house friendship, let alone between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. I'm sure they were still friends when they went home but they would spend most of the year at school, growing further apart. By the fifth year, Lily says her friends can't understand why she even talks to Snape, and Snape is deeply embroiled in his feud with the Marauders. Then "the worst memory" happens and Lily completely breaks off the friendship. After that, you have her going out with James, joining the Order, getting married and having Harry - the major events of her life.
Snape is the prologue to what people remember about Lily's life whereas Lily is the catalyst for Snape's, and very few people knew how important she was before she died and how that importance increased AFTER she died.
(Also, just to say, Umbridge may be exaggerated but she IS real. The scary thing about Umbridge, as opposed to Bellatrix or Voldemort, is that you really could meet someone like her anywhere, any time.)
My personal theory is that Lily and Snape's friendshp had its golden age from just before they started at Hogwarts until the beginning of the second year. Then things started to change: house ties became stronger, puberty reared its ugly head, maybe the bullying became more intense, driving Snape to seek allies among the older Slytherins. Don't underestimate the effect of Voldemort's efforts to recruit Death Eaters straight from Hogwarts and the multiplying attacks on Muggle borns and Muggles, which would also combine to drive Lily and Snape farther apart as their politics became polarised. It seems to be pretty difficult to maintain any kind of cross-house friendship, let alone between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. I'm sure they were still friends when they went home but they would spend most of the year at school, growing further apart. By the fifth year, Lily says her friends can't understand why she even talks to Snape, and Snape is deeply embroiled in his feud with the Marauders. Then "the worst memory" happens and Lily completely breaks off the friendship. After that, you have her going out with James, joining the Order, getting married and having Harry - the major events of her life.
Snape is the prologue to what people remember about Lily's life whereas Lily is the catalyst for Snape's, and very few people knew how important she was before she died and how that importance increased AFTER she died.
(Also, just to say, Umbridge may be exaggerated but she IS real. The scary thing about Umbridge, as opposed to Bellatrix or Voldemort, is that you really could meet someone like her anywhere, any time.)
