About Deathly Hallows:
I am not going to try to comply with Deathly Hallows in any way. However, I will still be working to be canon-compliant through Half Blood Prince.
I am following a self-imposed "challenge" of a kind in writing "The Highest Value." My goal is to create a completely canon-compliant description of what happened during Snape's years as a Hogwarts student, including an explanation of the significance of the "Worst Memory" episode, the Shrieking Shack Incident, Snape's incentive to join the DE's and then to join the Order of the Phoenix, and the significance of Godric's Hollow to him.
I realize that by specifying Eileen Prince as half-blood, I am already getting close to sacrificing canon compliance. However, I think I can make a case that canon is not absolutely sure on this point. Keeping her as half blood explains so many other things, which are canonical, that I am not willing to give it up quite yet.
Here are my parameters:
1. Snape is not a victim of an unloving or abusive childhood.
2. To the maximum extent possible, explain his unpleasant personality in term of cultural differences, class differences, House differences, and a naturally cold personality. He is never "nice", but he starts out "good", at least according to his own and his family's definition of the term.
3. Present Snape as someone the Marauders would have good reason to pick on.
4. Show the positive attributes of Slytherin House, while at the same time realistically presenting a House that could produce someone like Lord Voldemort, and then provide most of his followers.
Finally, in answer to the question I have set, "What is Snape's Highest Value?", I do not yet know that myself. If you want to keep reading this fic, maybe we'll find out together. |