Notes of Mephestopheles

I agree.

I think (maybe it’s just my personal experience, idk) Snape gave us what we couldn’t get in real life. Snaters are prime examples of people who tell victims of abuse to

• “get over it”

• Because “it wasn’t that bad”

• “But you did *this* so in my eyes they did a Justice”

• And “what exactly did you do before that happened? That’s why it happened to you”

• And let’s not forget that “being angry and impacted long term by the actions of others (AND their lack of consequences) isn’t called trauma, it’s called “holding grudges” and that’s childish”

For us, it was a damn statement that he held on to that shit. It was relatable that it affected him well into his adulthood and that he didn’t tolerate anyone telling him to do and feel otherwise. The books, whether Snaters want to admit it or not, laid it out: he was valid for hating them.

Even Harry saw the bullshit after he witnessed swm

And, like we see with Snape, trauma is villainous apparently. Because how dare what we went through negatively shape our thoughts, feelings, and perspectives? How dare our trauma force us to put up a wall around ourselves and become cold and unlikable as protection? How dare we do stupid things in hopes we’d be accepted SOMEWHERE because god knows the rest of society doesn’t give a shit…How dare us?

And how dare Snape show us that traumatized ppl don’t have to be lifeless husks but brave mfs who will die to save the rest of the ppl who were too busy judging others to do it themselves. Let’s be honest, most ppl who hate on Snape wouldn’t have half the balls to what he did…

It’s that there are two parts to people, the part that they’re set up for by their circumstances and the part that’s a result of their choices. But their choices can only come after they’ve been through enough of the stuff they’re set up for. There are so many parallels made constantly between Harry, Snape, and Voldemort, for instance: the abused, impoverished halfbloods for whom the magical world promised an escape and a home. But they all turned out differently. And the point that JKR makes over and over again is that it’s the power of love that does it. Neville, Luna, and Harry had friends. Luna had a loving father who taught her to be confident in herself even if others thought she was weird. Neville’s circumstances were different from Harry’s (although Harry himself sees how this is really just a matter of chance). Harry had loving parents for a year, and Dumbledore goes to great lengths to get him to understand that it’s his ability to love — his parents, his friends, Sirius — that makes him different from Voldemort. And while Snape initially makes bad choices, it’s his ability to love Lily that leads him out of that. No, he isn’t completely healed; he never has any room or opportunity to do so. But it’s harshly unfair and ridiculous, not to mention completely missing the point of not only Snape but the entire series, to judge this one character as a static entity based on choices they made as a kid in shitty circumstances who didn’t see an alternative. There is no great strength in avoiding a pitfall that was never a threat. There is nothing impressive about rich liberal James who grew up without those obstacles or ingrained prejudices or pressure about them not joining the Death Eaters, but it is very impressive for someone who did fall into that to manage to get out.

Snape grew up in slums, the rest didn't.

Harry did not have an option to join Voldemort. The choice was made for him.

James's bullying explains, doesn't justify, his reaction to Harry. Not his joining the Death Eaters. Not by itself, for sure.

It’s that there are two parts to people, the part that they’re set up for by their circumstances and the part that’s a result of their choices. But their choices can only come after they’ve been through enough of the stuff they’re set up for. There are so many parallels made constantly between Harry, Snape, and Voldemort, for instance: the abused, impoverished halfbloods for whom the magical world promised an escape and a home. But they all turned out differently. And the point that JKR makes over and over again is that it’s the power of love that does it. Neville, Luna, and Harry had friends. Luna had a loving father who taught her to be confident in herself even if others thought she was weird. Neville’s circumstances were different from Harry’s (although Harry himself sees how this is really just a matter of chance). Harry had loving parents for a year, and Dumbledore goes to great lengths to get him to understand that it’s his ability to love — his parents, his friends, Sirius — that makes him different from Voldemort. And while Snape initially makes bad choices, it’s his ability to love Lily that leads him out of that. No, he isn’t completely healed; he never has any room or opportunity to do so. But it’s harshly unfair and ridiculous, not to mention completely missing the point of not only Snape but the entire series, to judge this one character as a static entity based on choices they made as a kid in shitty circumstances who didn’t see an alternative. There is no great strength in avoiding a pitfall that was never a threat. There is nothing impressive about rich liberal James who grew up without those obstacles or ingrained prejudices or pressure about them not joining the Death Eaters, but it is very impressive for someone who did fall into that to manage to get out.

Snape grew up in slums, the rest didn't.

Harry did not have an option to join Voldemort. The choice was made for him.

Tonks did nothing wrong. She just fell in love with a man. Stop bashing her because of your toxic puppyship that was never going to happen anyway.

The Weasleys—besides Molly—treated Percy like absolute shit, especially Fred and George. “Abandoning” your family because said family never acts like they care about you and never shows you the appreciation you deserve even after you got the job of your dreams is NOT a bad thing. Most of you hate him because you know damn well you’d do the exact same thing if you were in his shoes.

People who love Snape aren’t “Snape apologists,” you guys just can’t handle the fact that about 99% of your so-called arguments can be debunked by canon facts and quotes.

Cho Chang is not a “crybaby” or “weak.” She had just lost her wonderful boyfriend and was having a hard time dealing with her grief. Yes, playing with Harry’s feelings was wrong, but she was going through a lot of different emotions. She was just a hormonal 15/16 year old. You would all go crazy and call her heartless had she just immediately gotten over Cedric’s death.

Ron was not “abusive” to Hermione, he was a jerk to her sometimes and he’s wrong for that, but he always regretted it. If anything, it’s Hermione who’s abusive. She was the one who sent raging canaries (which were described as “golden bullets” btw) at him which left him bleeding, and punched him all over when he returned in DH. Had Ron been the one who did all this, you all would give him hell for that (and rightfully so).

i’m not a huge fan of any of the ships sirius is usually involved in, but in my opinion—sirius is simply too…broken to even THINK about having a romantic relationship. he’s on the run from the Ministry, he’s just escaped after 12 years of literal hell on earth—only to be trapped in the house of his traumatic childhood; not to mention he has to deal with the fact that the entire Order and one of his close friends wholeheartedly believed he was a mass murderer and that he would really betray james.

oh, also—it was his idea to switch secret keepers. something totally non consequential that would have nooooo effect on him in the presence of magical creatures designed to dredge up your worst memories and torment you with them xD

at this point, harry really is his only purpose in life. and he can’t even focus on THAT properly because of how absolutely miserable he is.

sirius black is such an interesting character, and part of the appeal to me is just how doomed by the narrative he is. for all intents and purposes, sirius also died on that terrible night in 1981. he has no prospects, his entire life was stolen from him, and he can’t even fulfill the one purpose he has anymore because he was so intensely fucked over twelve years ago. his entire life, his escape AND his death…was just…pointless. and that’s so fucking tragic it makes me want to curl up and die. and also read a million fics about the short period of time he DID have with harry.