Ayvayenildi

It feels good thinking about the years Severus Snape spent in Hogwarts as a professor among the colleagues who respected his good qualities (while silently disapproving his teaching style, I shall hope). Friendly witty banter and a tad of healthy competition with McGonagall (who must've been pleasantly surprised by his successes as the Head of Slytherin at such a young age, Slytherin winning the House Cap seven years in a row is no joke). Hagrid bringing him wild plants from the heart of the Forbidden Forest from time to time (just to show him some support in the form that he will accept; Hagrid has always protected him from any Golden Trio accusations and I think it stems from the fact that he too allegedly has a shady past that makes people judge him too harshly). Maybe some fruitful collaboration with Pomona (just like the one in the "Chamber of Secrets")? Even though Lily’s death hurt him until he himself died, I do believe that those years before Harry came to Hogwarts might have been the best of his life.

By the way, Snape is like the most vindictive guy ever (and rightfully so) because, as a Death Eater, he must have absolutely known that Sirius Black wasn't one of them and could have probably saved him from prison but instead chose to never mention it to anyone and insist on soulsucking the innocent guy in the third book because he wanted to hurt Sirius back so badly. Kinda evil but also quite iconic.

Not to be a Snape apologist (I prefer my characters as morally grey as they get, thank you) but it is pretty obvious that he doesn't buy into this pureblood stuff as, while in sixth grade, presumably already actively socialising with (future) Death Eaters, he still quite proudly calls himself "the Half-Blood Prince". It may be a pseudonym coined to keep his identity a secret from anyone who might find the textbook, but it's still likely him who thought of it. So my belief is that he supports this pureblood narrative just because Voldemort promises his followers power, glory and maybe eventually wealth - all the things that Snape so desperately desires as a teen.

I swear, The Hunger Games trilogy does hit different when you are from fucking Russia... I swear in several years we'll have what they have and more...

It is my personal belief that for the longest time (from his fifth year in Hogwarts and up until Lily's death, to be exact) Snape's boggart was a werewolf (or should I say THE werewolf as in "the only one he had ever seen and he barely avoided death mind you") and you cannot tell me this isn't hot as hell.

Honestly, it blows my mind to think that Voldemort wouldn't have been back if it hadn't been for Wormtail. Voldemort literally acknowledges it at the end of "the Goblet of Fire". And what an interesting decision from Wormtail's perspective. I don't believe it was cowardice as he easily could've run to any place in the world and continued a normal life. I doubt that, for example, Chinese wizards could have recognized him as a dead British wizard. Yet he chose to find Voldemort and help him even though all he got back was pure contempt from both sides. He is such an interesting antagonist and I would love to learn more about his thought process.

Ambitious, power-hungry, interested in Dark Arts and definitely smart but not enough to choose the right side... I bet Severus Snape sees his younger self in Quirrell. Is that why he tries to warn him to stop what he's doing (and get some help)?