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Trust me compared to ye old writing of yester year, our writing is crude and barbaric. It's a lost art. They used to make you take classes just to learn how to write properly. Since Snape came from a pure blood mother and a muggle father, who were very poor, it would make since he would want to seem as proper as possible. Good hand writing, good speech, and manners. Trying harder to make up for his short comings by improving his appearance, so others would respect him, at least in his own house. I think he tried to hard to better himself and getting into Slytherin was a part of that, and I think he lost part of himself, thus losing Lily, because he went from a little kid who cared about Lily and having friends with a better life, to a man obsessed with power, pose and prestige.