LPFC Topic #2: Lily and Snape

A relationship, or at least a mutual (or one sided affection) between Lily and Snape has become more of a possibility as the books have gone on. There are many fans that think this possible relationship may play a part in the seventh, and final, book. Some people even suggest that this may be why Snape hates Harry (he’s James’s son, and not his), but also while he tries to protect him (he’s also Lily’s son). Some have even purposed that the shared love interest [of Lily] is the real reason for the rivalry between James Potter and Severus Snape.

So, did Lily really like Snape, or vice versa? Was there more to Lily and Snape then first meets the eye? What are your thoughts on Lily and Snape’s relationship as friends, enemies, or something a little more?

Please keep in mind that this thread isn’t arguing that James and Lily weren’t a great couple, or that they didn’t love each other. Thanks !

I have heard something about Lily and Snape having some sort of relationship that is to be revealed in the seventh book. I, personally, don't believe it, though. That would be just to terrible. But here's a possibility: what if she was just a good person with a good heart and, by treating Snape like a normal person, he felt that he should have been with her? Just a thought.

I've heard of it too, and I find in a bit bizarre. I mean, what would rivals naturally do? Oppose each other, of course. You don't see Hermione and Draco dating, do you?

Anyway, it's just not possible, but JK may have something up her sleeve. Perhaps Lily was just too attractive. Or... James' liking for Lily was no secret, right? What if Snape hated James in the first place already, and just wanted to get back at him by somehow getting closer to the one thing he loved most... Lily.???

Could be very true. Hmm, don't forget that Lily seemed taken aback when Snape said "I don't need help from a mudblood" ish thing. As she tried to tell James not to attack him? One wouldn't be taken aback unless there's something else there.

Maybe the relationship is something a little less romantic? Maybe if you think anagramtically Severus Snape becomes: Persues Evans. Maybe he liked her, OR even many they were related? He was a half-blood as it was, and she could've been his cousin for all we know!

I think Snape loved Lily and he's protecting Harry because he's Lily's son, and Snape hates James because Lily loved James, not him.

I think that Snape was attrack to him but i don't know if Lily had the same attraction toward him. I know she did cared about him enought to stand up & tried to protect him a little.

Hmm…Lily and Snape? I think that they were just friends. Lily seemed like a kind person, who wasn’t phased by looks, or stereotypes. She doesn’t strike me as the type of person that would mind being associated with the less popular kids at school.

I think Severus might have just been grateful for her behavior towards him, if they had any at all. Everyone else seemed to treat him like scum, so of course when someone shows kindness towards you in a world full of evil, you are going to be appreciative of that person, in this case Lily.

As for romance blossoming between them, I don’t think its likely. Snape could have developed feelings towards her, but I don’t think Lily shared those feelings. I believe she saw him as a friend only.

And I believe that Snape hated James not because he had feelings towards Lily, but just simply because James was always a jerk to him. He made his life a living hell, and it’s hard to have happy thoughts about people who do that to someone.

But…I guess we’ll just have to see what the truth is when book seven comes out.

Lily and Snape friends? Do you really think that after reading Snape's worst memory in Book 5?
Personally I think that they were never friends could have even dated if Snape hadn't been so mean towards her they could have dated.
They had more in common then James and Lily for one.

My guess is that he had feelings for her but didn't dare make it public because she was a Gryffindor and a *mudblood*.
And their are two possibilities concerning Lily: Or she had feelings for him (not as strong as her feelings for James though) that disapeared when he insulted her or she was just a very nice person whom made her love him because she was kind to him. And she never realized it.

Anyway Snape loved Lily of that i'm certain. And he hated James because at school everyone knew that James loved Lily (he asked her out every chance he got) and Snape thought that he couldn't compete agains James the popular, smart and star quidditch player.

And he hates Harry because he lookes like James who married his Love but everytime Snape looks into his green eyes he sees Lily, so he can't hurt him.
Snape told Dumbledore of this love and that's why DD trusted him.
I mean the books are about love aren't they.
Harry's biggest power is love and because of love his love for Lily Snape realized what he had done that's what i think anyway.

I don't think they were friends, but I don't think she hated him either. I do think that Snape thought she was pretty and might even have been attracted to her at one point, which would not be helped by James. I think that she just treated him like any other human being deserves to be treated, instead of the slimey disgusting thing he is/was, which caused him to think that she might have liked him.

Because Lily was nice enough and civil enough to treat Snape with the respect of every other person, some people might have viewed it as a friendship, but I see it as just Lily being nice, and not wanting to see another person be hurt or humiliated for no good reason.

Snape, however, might have misinterpretted it into thinking that Lily liked him, and when James won Lily, so to speak, it made Snape angry and so he disliked both of them and coincidentally dislikes Harry because of the actions of his parents.

I think everything about Snape and Lily was just one big misunderstanding of the actions of a kind young woman.

I think from what I can see from the other comments we pretty much knew anyway that there was something more to Lily and Snapes relationship!
I think the fact that we all know Lily is such a kind hearted individual who could even see past James' immaturity and go on to have a relationship with him just goes to show us that.
Now we're able to say that Snape hated Harry so much because he looked so much like his father who he hated, but also his eyes arethe perfect likeness to his mothers! Who could blame him really?! Wouldn't that hurt anyone? I'm pretty sure it is not something which could be easy to forget.

Poor old Snape ... To love someone so much but to never have gotten to hold them ... and then to have them kill out of something you did! Oh poor poor Snape!

So I was partially wrong, partially right, Lol. But that's because I was in denial. So the Snape/Lily relationship, I do actually feel sorry for the greesy git, I mean just because he's disgusting doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings. I did like that part of the book, actually, because it gave some insight to a man we'd not learned a whole lot about, really. And I loved how cute Lily and Snape were together, too, with her calling him Sev, hehe.

Although his hatred toward Harry is extremely believable what with all he went through, loving Lily before she loved James, WAAAY before she even knew James, James being his arch-rival, and Lily just wanting to be friends with him and ending up marrying James.

It was that part in the book with the patronus doe that I didn't understand, until the "Always" part, which was extremely touching. Snape didn't really want to help Harry, but he did so because he was really good all along, and he did it for Lily, most of all.

I really do feel sorry for the man, now....

I think the whole thing is really sad. He loved her and maybe if it weren’t for James, she would have loved him back. Snape had some serious social skill problems. If someone would have told him how to talk to a girl, he would have done better. I don’t think Lily minded his appearance, she saw him for the beauty he had inside.

From a completely non judgemental point of veiw, i don't think to use the word "discusting" is fair on Snape. JK herself said in reply to a question from a fan why Snape didn't take care over his apperance ... the reply was that he felt there were more important things over personal apperances.

Yeah lack of social skills to me sonds about right! Just look at Ron with the girls ... Just the same wouldn't you say? I think if Ron had of been a person interested in the Dark Arts like Snape then I doubt he would of been friends with Harry, Hermione and the others. It really would turn things around.
If Snape had of had some sense of social skills he would of maybe had a slightly better chance of having Lily.

After reading Deathly Halllows I totally liked this ship. A lot. And even though I still do like Lily/James I also like Lily/Severus [weird I know ] I thought it was just extremely cute at the beginning when they were first introduced and they were only like ten - eleven years old.

Anyways - I think Severus always had stronger feelings of emotion towards Lily [that weren't anywhere near just friends] then she had ever had towards him. I also think even though he did love James and ended up married to him that a part of her will always love him too..

I agree with Cat too. If Sev [] had had better social skills and perhaps if they had ended up in a House together and maybe even if he hadn't hung out with some future bad Death Eater kiddo's then maybe just maybe Lily would have ended up with Snapey.

All in all I do feel sorry for the poor man. He loved Lily his life long - even when she was married. And then when she was gone he cared for her son just because a part of her was within him.

I ship these 2 after i read DH!!! They would have been a great couple!!!

Well, it was kinda the exact opposite thing, like JK said =D

James was the one who picked on Snape more because he presumed there was something more going on there between Lily and Snape.

Auch! That hurts my ears xD -pokes Emzie-

Slimey disgusting thing?

Personally, I've never judged any person by their physical appearance, but from an objective POV, I really wouldn't classify Snape in that manner. It's what's inside what counts most, anyway, right? And what was inside him was obviously subject to this debate, especially considering adult Snape. But remarks like this tend to bring children/teenagers down, and sometimes help them develop into less pleasant adults...

His social skills were likely not the best, I agree. But I don't think he didn't know 'how to talk to a girl'. He seemed to blush all the time and stutter as a kid in the presence of Lily, but I didn't really think he was all that out of it in his teenage years, when we catch glimpses of the conversation with him and Lily.

Especially when it comes to the 'saying sorry' bit. I would have paid galleons to find someone who was that sensible when apologizing, even taking into account the gravity of the insult he had laid on Lily before.

He was probably afraid of rejection. Which boy isn't, after all? But he had a darker past and a more unstable childhood than many. And the eventuality of losing the only person who treated him well, and saw him like a worthy human being, must have been gruesome enough so that he couldn't express his feelings for Lily more openly.

I wonder if Lily would have eneded up being with Snape if James had never come into the picture. He really did love her and I think if she had the chance she would have loved him back.

Yeah, me too, I can't help but wonder if Lily's first instinct to think James was a jerk had stuck through, would this be the Lily Snape Fan Club? I mean, I know James was a jerk for a while, an egomaniac, we all know that. But Snape was in love with her from the start, she only ever got aquainted with the wizarding world BECAUSE of Snape, and so she wasn't scared to go to school. And he was nothing but nice to her, because they were best friends, forever, just like she'd told him one night.

I just have to say....

I'm not sorry that Lily saw the good in James and picked him. Harry would have had aweful hair.

i think that Snape loved Lily but she just liked him as a friend but i also think a Snape/Lily ship wouldn't be bad i just see her ending up with James i just can't help it

Well of course we can see her ending up with James, it's Canon, it's what JKR wrote, but yeah, it's just... a better match than Snape, especially because, up until the last book, she set it up so we would all hate Snape, made him the bad guy....

LOL. That is very true.... he would have horrible hair if Snape was his daddy....

Of course Lily did end up with James, otherwise there would have been no Harry (well, at least not as we know him!) I feel badly for Snape, though. It's pretty clear that he loved Lily with all his heart and soul, but I don't believe for one minute that she felt the same way about him. I do believe she regarded him as a good friend, though, and that he kept hoping for more than that. It just was never meant to be.