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I don't think that Lily was using Snape for his knowledge of the Wizarding World - they were in a relationship (that doesn't mean that it has to be a romantic one), and that involves a give and take. Snape gave her information about herself, and Lily validated his assessment of her by proving that she was indeed what he said she was. That is a very heady "place" to be in, and as we see in the entire Potter series, it is information that is amongst the most prized and sought after "possessions" - whether it be obtained by from a diviner, an instructor, a best friend, a traitiorous lackey or a gossip columnist. One of the lessons that I see is that you have to weigh for yourself the knowledge you have, a determine if it is enough to make a competent choice for your actions.
Who knows why Snape became a Deatheater...considering he was a mudblood himself. It was said here or in another thread before that people generally despise what they hate most about themselves. When Snape called Lily a mudblood, it was just as much directed towards himself, if not more so, than Lily. In a way, by becoming a Deatheater, he was trying to validate himself , because as we saw with his identification of Lily being a witch, that he needed external approval and recognition for being "right". He follows this pattern throughout the books: from his margin notes as The Half Blood Prince, which Harry validates as being superior to the textbook writer and Hermione (the best in the class) herself, to being at the right place at the right time to hear Trelawney's prophecy. He is almost uncanny in his ability to assess a situation and come to a correct conclusion, but lacks the confidence in himself to leave what best be left alone - he consistently tries to draw attention to himself for his "greatness", because he always lacked approval for simply being himself.
Lily, on the other hand, is open and willing to take another's assessment, but has the confidence not to take herself too seriously. Even though she is a witch, her abilities are always tempered by her sister's disapproval (born out of jealousy), and she has to adjust herself accordingly to maintain some sort of familial harmony. Snape, Voldemort and James don't have any sibling to temper their impulsive behavior (Lily is also the younger sister - who was brought up to mind her elder, as is common in many families), so what is initially recognized as being the "arrogant toe-rag" James, seems to be more of a corrolation for one who feels like they don't have to answer to anyone. Snape and Voldemort share the same "qualities", but since James had a close group of friends who became like brothers , it fostered a sibling relationship that eventually tempered him and allowed him to develop the empathy to put forth the needs of others before his own. This, is what I think turned Lily around to see the beauty in James, and also Severus' inability to see anything beyond himself and his need for validation.
This post has been edited by momwitch: Mar 18 2008, 11:02 AM
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Mar 17 2008, 01:35 PM
I thought that mudblood meant mixed blood, and could apply to both non "Pureblood" and "Muggleborns"...or am I totally off with that?
. I always thought that Mudblood was a derogatory word used purely for Muggle borns only; both parents Muggles. (I believe it was Hermione herself who explained this to Harry after Ron's self-slugging backfire jinx in Hagrid's hut in COS). I apologize if I am confusing the events from the movie 
