āYes, there was a commotion outside the door and it flew open, and there was that rather uncouth barman standing with Snape, who was waffling about having come the wrong way up the stairs, although Iām afraid that I myself rather thought he had been apprehended eavesdropping on my interview with Dumbledore ā you see, he himself was seeking a job at the time, and no doubt hoped to pick up tips! Well, after that, you know, Dumbledore seemed much more disposed to give me a job, and I could not help thinking, Harry, that it was because he appreciated the stark contrast between my own unassuming manners and quiet talent, compared to the pushing, thrusting young man who was prepared to listen at keyholes."
Huh! This description of the young spyās composure, though of course filtered through Trelawneyās perspective, isnāt very far removed from how he is described in his younger teen years (sputtering, protesting, becoming incoherent when emotional ā far from socially deft). Itās markedly different from how we see him operating during the course of the HP timeline; intimidating Quirrell in Philosopherās Stone, talking his way out of a death sentence in Goblet of Fire, and having the time of his life running circles around Bellatrix in Half-Blood Prince. Iām certainly not the first to note that at some point, Snape had to put quite bit of effort into this transformation. I had always envisioned a 90s-movie makeover/training montage during years 6/7 and into his first years of service with the Death Eaters in which he cultivates a more aristocratic and confident facade, learns skills like Occlumency, and develops the social aptitude which seemed to elude him as a younger teen; I always had a hard time imagining Snape trying to establish credibility with the Death Eaters without quite a bit of work on his end to conform.
But this description from Trelawney has made me consider that Snape might have picked up a lot of these skills later than I originally thought ā towards the end of the war and into his first years as a professor. Interesting possibility. While Iād always considered his sink-or-swim brand of instruction to be borne of his own brilliance and lack of a safety net while he was in school, this could add some more color as to why his instruction (particularly of Occlumency) is so focused on self-preservation; perhaps learning the skill quickly was literally life or death for him once he defected and began working as a double agent for the Order.Ā
Of course, it could be that he did indeed develop these skills before or shortly upon joining the Death Eaters, but Dumbledoreās presence has a way of making Snapeās hard work evaporate. After all, Dumbledore ā and his trust ā have the ability to get under Snapeās skin even years later when heās fully accustomed to his role as a spy...
Anyway, Iād love to hear folksā thoughts about this description of not-yet-defected Death Eater Snape and how (if at all) it might impact your view of him!
