Severus Snape, Letters, 1976.06.28
Name: Severus Snape
Date: June 28, 1976
Format: Letters
Relevance: Suggests work may have done by S. Snape for the Death Eaters at L. Malfoy's request prior to his Hogwarts graduation, and illustrates factors related to his eventual inclusion in their ranks.
Father,
I must continue to refuse to understand you, but if an answer will shut you up satisfy you, I believe Mr. Malfoy's bedroom is several floors above the guest room I'm staying in, and I have no idea what the da so blasted sheets are made of really couldn't speak to the contents of his linen closet. No wonder you have to keep your brain pickled; it's foul. I am not being a climber, either, I'm solidifying a business contact for the future, and have turned down more than one social invitation in favor of work, if you must know. I told you my kind of brewery's marketable; it's like pharmacy but with a broader application. Just because you don't believe I could be any good doesn't mean people who've bothered to know better agree. If I do well on the projects he wants for this summer, he'll be an excellent contact and probably a good customer once I earn the degree. Therefore I mean, as I wrote, to stay here until Wednesday in order to give this endeavor my full attention, and will do so for any other project he asks me to for the remainder of the summer.
Respectfully, hoping you rot in heaven strapped to a bedsore-inducing pillar of salt with rats eating your feet while the angels have a jolly marshmallow roast off your hair and drone happy hippy songs through to the millenium,
Severus
Deeply Terrible Person I Mean Dear Narcissa
No. Hardly! Yes. You'd have to ask him. Yes. No, I'd say his sister's are grey, too, and most of the portraits', and I hope you appreciate the odd looks I've courted on your behalf. I'm not sure yet, but he's got me looking through myths for references for various spells and items that may or may not actually exist, among other things.
The stillroom, of course. It's very well stocked, although the equipment was rather dusty when I got here. And LIBRARY!!!! Yes, the elves seem well trained, although I'm probably not a good assessor for your standards, and they drivel rather. I have not--well, maybe one or two odd smells. But no explosions.
Not stiff exactly, but horribly formal. I don't doubt they've noticed, but they haven't mentioned it, and I haven't given them cause to by overstepping myself because I do so know how to behave. …I just sometimes choose not to. I draw the line at a cheerful Cockney chirrup and a striped leather apron, though. No, it would not be funny. At all. Really.
Yes, I promise I'm not dropping and you'll see me in September. I wasn't going to anyway. But he's quite ruthless; I'm sure I'll learn a lot and get faster, so it may be all right. I know not all your family is overfond of him, and honestly he can be a bit silly at times, but he's been awfully generous about this, and very gracious. If I were a bit dimmer he might even have convinced me I'm doing him more of the favor on balance--no fear, though. And Rodolphus seems to quite like him, so there you are; he's sensible. So I shouldn't think you'll be getting short shrift.
Yours,
S.
Mother,
Don't listen to Father; words fail to describe the extent to which something is horribly, horribly wrong with his head. Lucius has been very decent.
I'll be home Wednesday. I won't be staying here longer than a night or two on end at any point, and that's an end to it. No, he wouldn't mind if I stayed the summer entire, yes, he's offered, no, I won't. It wouldn't look right, it wouldn't be right, and I'm not leaving you for months together when I needn't. Stop nagging. I'll sleep when I'm here. And, yes, eat, too, I promise. He's elves, of course, so I'm not bothering or insulting anyone if I ask for something digestible. Never mind about the shopping; if you can just keep some broth and bread about I'll still be having middays here, that'll do me.
Yes, I'm afraid I'm still quite sure I can't give you any details. It was as though someone slipped brass knuckles on Father in fugue, pointed him at me, and said 'useless uppity long-haired magic swot,' and that's all I may say. Anyway I'm tired of thinking about it-and speaking of Father, I've already learned a new spell or two, and intend to study enough Latin to get versatile; mayn't I please use him for practice? He's been unusually odious, you must have noticed, and thoroughly deserves it. And no, I really don't think he is 'worrying about me in his own way,' I think he's trying to provoke me down to his level. Suggest you urge him to reconsider; I'll be of age before next hols are over, and it only gets more tempting.
But you can see from my writing my hands are right now or nearly, and a spoiled, careless, malicious, arrogant, reckless swi such a person will surely invite what's coming to him onto his own head eventually, and I'm seeing to it I'll be ready for next year, so please don't worry any more. Or pull any on the course; the last one was a driveling insult--although I liked the trick with the biting bindweed in the keyhole, don't forget you promised to show me.
You really think I should apply for my apprenticeship now? I will if you say so; I certainly don't want to waste time, but won't they think it's odd, or just ignore it because I don't have my NEWTs yet?
Take care of yourself, damn it, especially until I get back. I wish you'd let me take you to Ollivander's now I've got my apparition license; I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find buyers for a tricky little custom potion or two, and a new wand might be a better fit. Or at least would be in one piece. Might help.
AMH,
Very
Date: June 28, 1976
Format: Letters
Relevance: Suggests work may have done by S. Snape for the Death Eaters at L. Malfoy's request prior to his Hogwarts graduation, and illustrates factors related to his eventual inclusion in their ranks.
Father,
I must continue to refuse to understand you, but if an answer will shut you up satisfy you, I believe Mr. Malfoy's bedroom is several floors above the guest room I'm staying in, and I have no idea what the da so blasted sheets are made of really couldn't speak to the contents of his linen closet. No wonder you have to keep your brain pickled; it's foul. I am not being a climber, either, I'm solidifying a business contact for the future, and have turned down more than one social invitation in favor of work, if you must know. I told you my kind of brewery's marketable; it's like pharmacy but with a broader application. Just because you don't believe I could be any good doesn't mean people who've bothered to know better agree. If I do well on the projects he wants for this summer, he'll be an excellent contact and probably a good customer once I earn the degree. Therefore I mean, as I wrote, to stay here until Wednesday in order to give this endeavor my full attention, and will do so for any other project he asks me to for the remainder of the summer.
Respectfully, hoping you rot in heaven strapped to a bedsore-inducing pillar of salt with rats eating your feet while the angels have a jolly marshmallow roast off your hair and drone happy hippy songs through to the millenium,
Severus
Deeply Terrible Person I Mean Dear Narcissa
No. Hardly! Yes. You'd have to ask him. Yes. No, I'd say his sister's are grey, too, and most of the portraits', and I hope you appreciate the odd looks I've courted on your behalf. I'm not sure yet, but he's got me looking through myths for references for various spells and items that may or may not actually exist, among other things.
The stillroom, of course. It's very well stocked, although the equipment was rather dusty when I got here. And LIBRARY!!!! Yes, the elves seem well trained, although I'm probably not a good assessor for your standards, and they drivel rather. I have not--well, maybe one or two odd smells. But no explosions.
Not stiff exactly, but horribly formal. I don't doubt they've noticed, but they haven't mentioned it, and I haven't given them cause to by overstepping myself because I do so know how to behave. …I just sometimes choose not to. I draw the line at a cheerful Cockney chirrup and a striped leather apron, though. No, it would not be funny. At all. Really.
Yes, I promise I'm not dropping and you'll see me in September. I wasn't going to anyway. But he's quite ruthless; I'm sure I'll learn a lot and get faster, so it may be all right. I know not all your family is overfond of him, and honestly he can be a bit silly at times, but he's been awfully generous about this, and very gracious. If I were a bit dimmer he might even have convinced me I'm doing him more of the favor on balance--no fear, though. And Rodolphus seems to quite like him, so there you are; he's sensible. So I shouldn't think you'll be getting short shrift.
Yours,
S.
Mother,
Don't listen to Father; words fail to describe the extent to which something is horribly, horribly wrong with his head. Lucius has been very decent.
I'll be home Wednesday. I won't be staying here longer than a night or two on end at any point, and that's an end to it. No, he wouldn't mind if I stayed the summer entire, yes, he's offered, no, I won't. It wouldn't look right, it wouldn't be right, and I'm not leaving you for months together when I needn't. Stop nagging. I'll sleep when I'm here. And, yes, eat, too, I promise. He's elves, of course, so I'm not bothering or insulting anyone if I ask for something digestible. Never mind about the shopping; if you can just keep some broth and bread about I'll still be having middays here, that'll do me.
Yes, I'm afraid I'm still quite sure I can't give you any details. It was as though someone slipped brass knuckles on Father in fugue, pointed him at me, and said 'useless uppity long-haired magic swot,' and that's all I may say. Anyway I'm tired of thinking about it-and speaking of Father, I've already learned a new spell or two, and intend to study enough Latin to get versatile; mayn't I please use him for practice? He's been unusually odious, you must have noticed, and thoroughly deserves it. And no, I really don't think he is 'worrying about me in his own way,' I think he's trying to provoke me down to his level. Suggest you urge him to reconsider; I'll be of age before next hols are over, and it only gets more tempting.
But you can see from my writing my hands are right now or nearly, and a spoiled, careless, malicious, arrogant, reckless swi such a person will surely invite what's coming to him onto his own head eventually, and I'm seeing to it I'll be ready for next year, so please don't worry any more. Or pull any on the course; the last one was a driveling insult--although I liked the trick with the biting bindweed in the keyhole, don't forget you promised to show me.
You really think I should apply for my apprenticeship now? I will if you say so; I certainly don't want to waste time, but won't they think it's odd, or just ignore it because I don't have my NEWTs yet?
Take care of yourself, damn it, especially until I get back. I wish you'd let me take you to Ollivander's now I've got my apparition license; I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find buyers for a tricky little custom potion or two, and a new wand might be a better fit. Or at least would be in one piece. Might help.
AMH,
Very