snape & peter
Aug. 16th, 2003 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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snapesupport. A section of my as-yet unfinished exploration of Peter's motivations and relationships. It refers back to other parts of the article, but it should be comprehensible enough on its own.
Many writers have postulated that Peter and Snape worked together as Death Eaters, or even that it was Snape who recruited Peter in the first place. The idea is appealing, but I don't think it's possible.
If Snape knew that Peter was a DE, it means that he a) knew Sirius was not guilty of the crimes he was convicted of, and b) knew who the leak in the Order was, and didn't tell Dumbledore.
At first glance, a) seems reasonable -- surely Snape wouldn't have cared that Sirius had been falsely accused. But if he had known Sirius was innocent, why would he have pretended otherwise in the Shrieking Shack in PoA?
Point b) is impossible unless Snape is either a triple agent, or very stupid.
Whatever their relationship, Snape and Peter mirror each other in many ways. They're the same age. They were both figures of fun at school. Sirius was contemptuous of both of them (and they may both have hated him [this theory is discussed earlier]). They joined Voldemort's party at about the same time (age 20 or so). They are both traitors -- Peter to James, Snape to Voldemort. They were both Death Eaters and Order members, and they were both spies. If you consider that Snape was probably *expected* to become a Death Eater just as much as Peter was expected to join the Order, then you'll notice that they have each "switched sides" exactly once (in opposite directions), and neither shows much sign of doing so again.
Some readers also see in Snape a streak of muffled servility -- a disinclination to follow his own path, and a need to serve a strong leader (Voldemort or Dumbledore). Such traits are quite evident in Peter.
Perhaps most notably, Snape and Peter share an unhealthy fixation on James Potter. Snape is said to have been jealous of James, and many fans have speculated that this jealousy was fueled by an unrequited love for Lily Evans. If true, it can be another mirroring: Peter was in love with James and jealous of Lily [another theory discussed earlier] -- Snape was in love with Lily and jealous of James.
Like Snape (and like another emotionally warped character, Sirius Black), Peter may even confuse Harry with James, as when he insists that Harry spare his life because it's what James would have done.
The last thing Snape and Peter share is a debt to Harry Potter. James saved Snape's life, and after James died, the life debt was inherited by Harry (at least in Snape's opinion). Harry saved Peter's life in PoA, and Dumbledore tells us that this incurred a life debt as well. Snape may or may not feel that he's repaid his debt, but Peter certainly has not.
So, what can we say about Peter's future? We may reasonably try to predict it based on Snape's actions. Snape has risked his life to save Harry -- Peter may do so too. At first it may seem that Peter cannot return to Dumbledore; it would upset the parallel between the characters. But on the other hand, if it happened, it could show us that Dumbledore exercises a pull over wizardkind that exceeds that of Voldemort.
I'm very open to criticism/debate. Let me know what you think.
snapesupport. A section of my as-yet unfinished exploration of Peter's motivations and relationships. It refers back to other parts of the article, but it should be comprehensible enough on its own.Many writers have postulated that Peter and Snape worked together as Death Eaters, or even that it was Snape who recruited Peter in the first place. The idea is appealing, but I don't think it's possible.
If Snape knew that Peter was a DE, it means that he a) knew Sirius was not guilty of the crimes he was convicted of, and b) knew who the leak in the Order was, and didn't tell Dumbledore.
At first glance, a) seems reasonable -- surely Snape wouldn't have cared that Sirius had been falsely accused. But if he had known Sirius was innocent, why would he have pretended otherwise in the Shrieking Shack in PoA?
Point b) is impossible unless Snape is either a triple agent, or very stupid.
Whatever their relationship, Snape and Peter mirror each other in many ways. They're the same age. They were both figures of fun at school. Sirius was contemptuous of both of them (and they may both have hated him [this theory is discussed earlier]). They joined Voldemort's party at about the same time (age 20 or so). They are both traitors -- Peter to James, Snape to Voldemort. They were both Death Eaters and Order members, and they were both spies. If you consider that Snape was probably *expected* to become a Death Eater just as much as Peter was expected to join the Order, then you'll notice that they have each "switched sides" exactly once (in opposite directions), and neither shows much sign of doing so again.
Some readers also see in Snape a streak of muffled servility -- a disinclination to follow his own path, and a need to serve a strong leader (Voldemort or Dumbledore). Such traits are quite evident in Peter.
Perhaps most notably, Snape and Peter share an unhealthy fixation on James Potter. Snape is said to have been jealous of James, and many fans have speculated that this jealousy was fueled by an unrequited love for Lily Evans. If true, it can be another mirroring: Peter was in love with James and jealous of Lily [another theory discussed earlier] -- Snape was in love with Lily and jealous of James.
Like Snape (and like another emotionally warped character, Sirius Black), Peter may even confuse Harry with James, as when he insists that Harry spare his life because it's what James would have done.
The last thing Snape and Peter share is a debt to Harry Potter. James saved Snape's life, and after James died, the life debt was inherited by Harry (at least in Snape's opinion). Harry saved Peter's life in PoA, and Dumbledore tells us that this incurred a life debt as well. Snape may or may not feel that he's repaid his debt, but Peter certainly has not.
So, what can we say about Peter's future? We may reasonably try to predict it based on Snape's actions. Snape has risked his life to save Harry -- Peter may do so too. At first it may seem that Peter cannot return to Dumbledore; it would upset the parallel between the characters. But on the other hand, if it happened, it could show us that Dumbledore exercises a pull over wizardkind that exceeds that of Voldemort.
I'm very open to criticism/debate. Let me know what you think.
