Theories

This is a page for my random musings, wild theories and crackpot speculations.

Is Snape really Harry's father?

In canon?  No.  But it's an amusing theory to play around with nonetheless.

For instance, why is it that Harry's hair keeps popping up and looking disheveled no matter what he or Petunia do to it, while in OotP's Pensieve scene James was constantly ruffling up his hair to get the same effect?  If James' hair isn't naturally messy, how could Harry inherit that trait?  I can't help wondering...if Snape's hair wasn't weighed down by all that grease, would it be wild like Harry's?

Is Snape still secretly on Voldemort's side?

NO!  He was Dumbledore's man, through and through, and one of the bravest men Harry Potter has ever known!

Of course Dumbledore trusted him--they were more alike than Harry realized (at least pre-DH).  Both had felt the temptation of the Dark Arts; Snape followed that path much farther than Dumbledore did before realizing the terrible price such magic exacts, but they both were, in a sense, recovering addicts.  I think that, as much as Snape's deep love for Lily, was the reason for Dumbledore's unwavering trust in him.

Pre-Deathly Hallows answer, saved for posterity because I WAS RIGHT!  WOOHOO! ...

No.  Next question.

What, you want more evidence than that?  ;)

Well, personally, I think it would ruin the whole redemptive pattern to the character.  For all his black attire, Snape is a Grey Area personified.  He represents the hazy area between good and evil.  The Malfoys are all the evil we need, and Harry and his posse are the good.  We have to have Snape sitting there in the middle to balance everything.

I also think that if Snape were going to betray Dumbledore, he'd have done it by now.  Say, in Book One, when Voldemort was trying to get the Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone.

Also remember that, unlike other Death Eaters who avoided Azkaban, Snape turned to Dumbledore's side well before Voldemort's defeat, when the Dark Lord was at the height of his powers.  He didn't plead innocent by Imperio or some other cop-out.  All canon evidence points to him legitimately turning to Dumbledore because of a real desire to leave the Death Eaters.

Was it a surge of conscience?  Was he afraid of Voldemort?  Was he simply throwing in his cards with the side he expected to win?   Was he trying to protect Lily?  ;)  We just don't know.  *camps out at JKR's doorstep waiting for Books Six and Seven*

Update:  In her March 2004 chat, JKR was asked why Dumbledore trusts Snape. Her answer was, "Another excellent and non-answerable question. I shall merely say that Snape has given Dumbledore his story and Dumbledore believes it."  Most fans consider Dumbledore to be speaking for JKR in the books.  If Dumbledore trusts Snape, to me that indicates that JKR says we should, too.  Furthermore, JKR says Hermione is like she was when she was younger.  Hermione urges Harry and Ron to give Snape the benefit of the doubt, too.  So we have characters identified with the current JKR and a young JKR, both voicing confidence in Snape.  Hmm...

Is Snape a vampire?

Thank goodness, no.  And I'm very glad.

Pre-Deathly Hallows comments, saved for posterity...

Oh Merlin, please, no.  I admit there are hints in canon, but I'm treating them as another Rowling red herring until proven otherwise.   I've never been a fan of vampire tales, and I think it would cheapen his character if his brooding, solitary habits were reduced to that.

Furthermore, Snape was around Quirrel and his turban-o-garlic several times without any apparent ill effects.  He also sits at the staff table during meals and you can't tell me that none of those hundreds of students would notice if he didn't eat.  Additionally, he refereed a Quidditch match outside during the daytime, and it's implied in OotP that he comes and goes from Grimmauld Place during the day.

Yes, Rowling can play around with mythology to suit her plot ideas, but I simply don't see Snape as a vampire.  So there.  Nyah.

I do think, however, that he might be a bat Animagus.   That would explain the bat-like references and Ron's joke without resorting to the vampire thing.

Update:  In her March 2004 chat, JKR was asked if there was a link between Snape and vampires, and she said "Erm... I don't think so."  Knowing her, she can still come up with a loophole out of that if need be, but it's a good sign.

Isn't Snape being childish and unreasonable by holding onto his grudge against James and Sirius for so long, and by transferring that grudge to an innocent Harry?

Treating Harry like dirt because of what his father did was unreasonable.  Hating James and Sirius for years after their deaths is completely understandable, however.  They tried to have Severus killed and/or turned into a werewolf.  They bullied (and, yes, were bullied by) him.  James ended up marrying the only woman Severus ever loved.  And for over a decade Severus believed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, causing Lily's death.  Should Severus have been a bigger man and forgiven them?  In an ideal world, yes.   Sadly, very little about Severus' life was 'ideal.'

Why does J.K. Rowling dislike Snape so much?  She always says nasty things about him.

It's worth noting that in a March 2004 chat, Rowling said her least favorite character was Uncle Vernon Dursley, not Snape.  In the FAQ on JKRowling.com, the author wrote, "I love writing (though would not necessarily want to meet) Snape."  Exactly!

I can't speak for JKR, but as a writer myself, I know that the despicable, villainous characters are every bit as dear as starry-eyed heroes.  Sometimes they're even more fun to write!  You wouldn't necessarily want to sit and have coffee with them, but they're your creations and can be very fun characters.  There's also that "love to hate" factor.

There's a big difference between disliking a character you've written and thinking the character is a total bastard.  If you dislike a character, you re-write him until he's more satisfying.  If you think he's a total bastard, then congratulations; you've created a successful antagonist.

So I'm willing to bet that, especially given how pivotal a role he's given in the books, JKR is fond of Severus Snape.  And she should be!  He's a memorable, complex, intriguing character.  A petty, grouchy jerk sometimes, yes.  But a great character.  Any writer would be proud to craft such a persona.  :)

Post-Deathly Hallows addendum: Nobody who reads the book 7 chapter "The Prince's Tale" can possibly think that JKR doesn't want  us to feel sympathy for Snape.  Book 7 revealed Snape to be a self-sacrificing man who, while deeply flawed and not particularly pleasant, sought a path of redemption with bravery and devotion.  Though terribly wounded emotionally, he was uniquely suited to fill his very dangerous and fragile role as a double agent, and in the end he was vindicated and forgiven.

Snape, Lily, Harry Potter and related stuff belongs to the very talented J.K. Rowling, not me.