Bravest Slytherin

In those moments, he becomes the most vulnerable version of himself. He forgets everything—every grudge, every precaution, every defense mechanism—and his only focus is getting people out of harm's way, no matter the cost.

So vulnerable that hearing about Ginny Weasley's kidnapping forces him to lean on the back of a chair. So vulnerable and unguarded that while saving Harry from Quirrell’s curse, an eleven-year-old sets him on fire. So vulnerable that, in his attempt to manage the chaos of the Shrieking Shack—with children, a werewolf, and a supposed murderer—he’s disarmed by 13-year-olds. He's so reckless that he makes an Unbreakable Vow for Draco. So reckless that he chases a werewolf, without Wolfsbane, under the full moon near sunset. So reckless that he ventures into the Forbidden Forest to find lost children. So reckless that he roams the hallways in the middle of the night, in his nightgown, chasing the sound of a scream. So reckless that, as a Death Eater, he risks everything to warn the leader of the opposite side about Voldemort's plans to kill the Potters—and is willing to give anything to save them. He's so ungrudging that he carefully carries an unconscious Sirius Black. So ungrudging that when Black is captured, he checks on him immediately and alerts the Order of the Phoenix. So ungrudging that he risks his cover to save Lupin.

(Because rest is for the weak and joy is optional.)

Monday – Glare at Gryffindors with renewed spite.

Tuesday – Brew something volatile. Watch it simmer. Relate.

Wednesday – Annotate student essays with cruelty disguised as critique.

Thursday – Avoid Slughorn. Succeed. Avoid feelings. Succeed harder.

Friday – Sip tea darker than your future.

Saturday – Pace the dungeons in full robes for no reason.

But who cannot help the Midlands grit from his youth clawing up in his throat during sex. Something vulgar that would bleed despite his best efforts and cling to his tongue.

And he'd be ashamed of it until his partner tell him they love it.

"Y'want me raw like this? Bit o' gutter filth in yer bed?"

Raw.

The real him.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Severus talked like a Spinner's End alleycat in school. He may have been rough around the edges at 11 but very quickly adapted - whilst not entirely I think, not until the later years when he really tried to fit in more within the slytherin crew.

As for his childhood, like you said, if he went to public muggle school he would have been exposed heavily to the kid's language for sure. But even if he didn't and spent most of his time with his mother, I can't believe Eileen high-class English didn't evolve as she lived in the slums. First we don't know how much time she spent there before having Severus ; but even if we assume they started living there when he was born, that's still 11 years where she needed to fit in this ecosystem.

Now Eileen may have been a victim of Tobias's abuse but it doesn't mean that she wasn't talking to anyone else. When one research about life in the slums, those were very tight communities. People helped each other out. I believe (hope!) she socialized with the wives of other workers, neighbors, maybe had a few friends amongst them!

Now it's very human to adapt to your surroundings. As Severus might have adapted at Hogwarts, Eileen would have adapted to the slums. It doesn't mean that she may have lost all of her good manners, but it wouldn't be surprising if she tried to fit in by not sounding too posh. Then let time do the rest, picking up some of the slang, the swearing, the expressions, and Severus - hanging around with her and around the same people - learned the same things.

THIS. This is the perfect addition to my post. Why she hated so much a man who was just strict as a teacher yet sacrificed for her and her mother idk. It’s kind of sweet that he embraced the role she cast him in with love rather than having it destroy him. I mean Severus is such an amazing character and his role in the story is noble and complex. He is the most intersting character in the narrative and it’s amazing that he could see that and enjoy it. Why she needed to put him down even more is upsetting. It’s just yet another reason why I’ve become disillusioned with JKR as a person. It’s really sad honestly.

But yeah.

Can it be both?

Severus comes from a dysfunctional home, and trauma in such environments often has one main figure but several peripheral ones. Clearly, the focus of his issues is Tobias, who is a violent figure. We can also assume that his father is one of the main reasons he developed a disdain and dislike for Muggles and the Muggle world in general, as he associated everything related to it with something negative. This could explain why he had such anxiety not only about fitting into the magical world but also about being sorted into a house that was considered opposed to the acceptance of Muggle culture.

I also always say that his upbringing context must be taken into account—he didn’t come from a good neighborhood, or a comfortable area with resources and social welfare. He was raised in a very poor and vulnerable social context, so it’s logical that for him, the Muggle world represented being at the very bottom of the social ladder and, at the same time, symbolized violence and a lack of basic necessities.

The fact that we know his father was a violent man, and yet Severus does not express physical violence himself but is rather sly when he wants to hurt someone—that he acts from the shadows and always tries to contain himself—says a lot about how trauma shaped his personal expression in relation to others. Also, the fact that he clearly has more conflicts with men than with women—especially with men who have a very heteronormative behavior, who exhibit a hegemonic, dominant, and aggressive masculinity—could be interpreted as a reflection of his rejection of everything that reminds him of that abusive paternal figure, identifying that type of masculinity as something negative, while also seeing it as a threat.

But the father is not the only negligent one, and we know that victims can also be abusive without ceasing to be victims, or they can be imperfect victims. I believe Eileen also played a role in his personal issues. There are many versions of Eileen, but the most widespread is that of the abused woman who adored her son and who was his only emotional support. However, one thing that is rarely talked about—since it’s a taboo because it’s often interpreted as questioning victims of gender violence, even though it isn’t, because we’re not delegitimizing what they went through—is that violence within a couple, when there are children involved, doesn’t only affect the woman—it affects the children, too.

And women don’t have to put on a brave face or try to pretend nothing is happening. Many try, to protect their children, but even so, it doesn’t work, because children are not blind. I don’t rule out the possibility that Eileen had her moments of maternal affection, but she probably also had her moments as a traumatized and abused woman who couldn’t get out of bed or manage her own trauma properly and wasn’t capable—or didn’t have the strength—to be a support system for her son.

That, of course, adds to the fact that the abuse came from someone supposedly “inferior” to her. That she could have easily knocked him out, that she had tools to defend herself but had fallen into learned helplessness and the cycle of violence that often affects these types of victims, and simply didn’t see herself as capable. And that also breeds a lot of anger and resentment and long-term consequences.

I bring this up because it’s very common that, even though the main hatred or trauma children feel in these households is directed toward the abuser, the violent figure, over time they also develop internalized resentment toward the other adult who was supposed to take care of them. Because even if you know your mother was a victim, she was also an adult, and she was supposed to protect you, she was supposed to get you out of there—and she didn’t. And even if you understand why she didn’t, even if you know she couldn’t, that doesn’t mean you stop resenting her actions.

So to me, Severus not only has daddy issues, but could very well have mommy issues as well, from this angle. It’s not far-fetched. In fact, it’s completely logical and realistic, especially if we assume that Eileen never left Tobias—not even when Severus went to Hogwarts and she knew her son would be in a place where he’d be fed and sheltered and she could have run away. She stayed, as many victims do, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that Severus, as he grew up—and especially as he fell deeper and deeper into that Slytherin purist sphere—began to resent his mother more and more. Or even blamed her for the fact that they could have had a better life, but she chose to live in misery.