>_> I always thought of it as a reference to First Year homesickness. *wrinkles her nose in thought*
In my little universe, Severus did not want to go to Hogwarts too much because (a) it would require leaving his mother alone with his father, (b) his education was restricted by his inability to actively learn Dark Magic and potions, which I think he would have bridled against, (c) he had no friends, and any that he made would have quickly left him one the bullying started, (d) Hogwarts was far too regimented for his tastes, (e) it's almost impossible to be alone there, and (f) I think he probably admired Albus a great deal when he arrived, but was quickly and harshly disillusioned when the Headmaster's apparent favoritism came to light. While he probably didn't like his home, he most likely liked Hogwarts even less by the time he got settled there. At least at home, he could run and hide, or lose himself in a book.
Under such circumstances, I can easily see a young, disenfranchised, isolated Severus being a sniveling mess for his first year. As time when on (a very unpleasant first summer back at the Snape residence probably helped, too), he gradually shut down, becoming angrier and more and more bitter as time passed and he buried himself in work and research. When Voldemort came 'round, Severus no doubt had visions of revenge, power, and unrestricted research dancing in his head and leapt before he looked, leading to a lifetime of regret.
If you look in canon, Severus is (arguably) extremely immature, childish, tantrum-prone, and has an almost non-existent ability to properly deal with any emotions beyond sublimating them all into aggression and lashing out at those who either will not harm him, or cannot harm him. Just because he doesn't cry now doesn't mean that he never did before. In fact, I think that the violent and unpleasant response with which any tears or happiness he displayed was met is the reason why he's so emotionally crippled.
...But I have a rather detailed and elaborate idea of what I think his pre-Harry Potter life was like, so I'm biased against seeing other POVs. =^^=
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-04-18 08:22 pm (UTC)In my little universe, Severus did not want to go to Hogwarts too much because (a) it would require leaving his mother alone with his father, (b) his education was restricted by his inability to actively learn Dark Magic and potions, which I think he would have bridled against, (c) he had no friends, and any that he made would have quickly left him one the bullying started, (d) Hogwarts was far too regimented for his tastes, (e) it's almost impossible to be alone there, and (f) I think he probably admired Albus a great deal when he arrived, but was quickly and harshly disillusioned when the Headmaster's apparent favoritism came to light. While he probably didn't like his home, he most likely liked Hogwarts even less by the time he got settled there. At least at home, he could run and hide, or lose himself in a book.
Under such circumstances, I can easily see a young, disenfranchised, isolated Severus being a sniveling mess for his first year. As time when on (a very unpleasant first summer back at the Snape residence probably helped, too), he gradually shut down, becoming angrier and more and more bitter as time passed and he buried himself in work and research. When Voldemort came 'round, Severus no doubt had visions of revenge, power, and unrestricted research dancing in his head and leapt before he looked, leading to a lifetime of regret.
If you look in canon, Severus is (arguably) extremely immature, childish, tantrum-prone, and has an almost non-existent ability to properly deal with any emotions beyond sublimating them all into aggression and lashing out at those who either will not harm him, or cannot harm him. Just because he doesn't cry now doesn't mean that he never did before. In fact, I think that the violent and unpleasant response with which any tears or happiness he displayed was met is the reason why he's so emotionally crippled.
...But I have a rather detailed and elaborate idea of what I think his pre-Harry Potter life was like, so I'm biased against seeing other POVs. =^^=