Slytherblogging

One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked around at the word, and Harry, whose attention had been focused entirely on the two beside the window, saw his father: slight, black-haired like Snape, but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared-for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked.

The way J.K. Rowling describes the first meeting between Severus Snape and James Potter is one of the most poignant moments in Harry potter and deathly hallows. It's not just about the bullying and taunts that eleven-year-old Snape endures—it's the heartbreaking contrast she paints between them. And what's worse? This imbalance doesn't just end on the train. It lingers for the rest of their lives.

James and Snape were never rivals—because how could they be? James was the golden child, adored, sheltered, born into wealth and love, proud of everything he had. Snape? He was the forgotten one, fragile, drowning in poverty, neglect, and violence. By what standard could they ever have been equals?

Like one time he and Rolanda Hooch ended up making face ice baths to see who'd last longer and he won (no small feat because a picture Rolanda Hooch is under the dictionary definitions of competitive and stubborn) and he casually went "yeah, it was easy, my old man sometimes held me under water if there was enough rain in the buckets under the holes in the ceiling when he was mad at me" and everyone else was like "wait what the fuck did you just say??!" and he just. continued to ask what was for lunch

Or the time poppy Pomfrey got mad because he had burns on his hand and didn't bother telling her and he was like "it's nothing, my old man would sometimes stub his cigarettes out on me" and she just stared at him because what do you even say to that?!

Sev letting these things slip and his students being fucking terrified at the nonchalance with which he says them, worried that he's going to do those things to them.

So this is very telling, and also very telling.

Rowling spends six books telling us that Snape is greasy nigh on every chance she gets (via Harry's POV) but only once puts it in the mouth of another character, and that character hates him.

She also fails to mention this about him in the moment where she expects us to forget that she has spent seven books riddiculing him.

There's no reference to Snape being greasy either in his memories when Harry views them, or in his death scene.

That's not accidental. You're supposed to understand that Snape is greasy only when and because Harry and Sirius say so. Snape is greasy because greasy is just Harry's mental shorthand way of calling him Snivellus. We know this because the only person who uses both of those terms is Sirius Black.

So basically, the narration calls Severus 'greasy' in the same way that teenage girls are known for calling other teenage girls 'fat'.

It's not true, they just don't like you, but they know they have touched a nerve in a culture where the only other person even on nodding terms with greasy, is Filch; the hated, vicious, jealous, squib.

Because there is no worse insult for a wizard, especially the Half-blood Head of Slytherin, than a word that puts him on the same level as someone without magic; but Harry is supposed to be the flawless paragon of virtue, hero, light wizard, and saviour- so we don't talk about that.

Regarding Harry not being biased in the first instance:

Given that Harry mistakes his scar hurting in that moment as being caused by Snape, it's a very close thing, especially as Harry has already decided that the whole of Slytherin house looked "an unpleasant lot" and was more focused on the 'hooked nose' (mentioned twice in quick sucession) and the fact that he got the impression that Snape 'didn't like Harry at all'.

Harry has already proven by that first instance that he's got form for being succeptible to judging entire groups based on hearsay, and judging someone's character on how they look.

When I said it's a lie:

I expected you to grasp that in the context of

So basically, the narration calls Severus 'greasy' in the same way that teenage girls are known for calling other teenage girls 'fat'.

In combination with Rowling's obvious issue with men having long hair, and Snape being greasy being hammered home so much thereafter; It's obvious that calling Snape greasy is reflexive to the POV narration -which is Harry's- hence my comparison to bullying teenage girls; which was very deliberate and I draw your attention to the tag I added to this original at time of posting

It's a description with real malice behind it after the first time, and therefore is likely to be (at the very least) exaggerated as it takes on the form of a literary caricature- a distorted representation of a person in a way that exaggerates some characteristics and oversimplifies others.

Not all lies are outright lies; exaggerations and distortions are still lies.

To put this another way in context; kids will bully the outsider for one aspect of their presentation that was 'incorrect' one time for years.

~Believe me, I have lived it.~

So, just to be absolutely clear this time

Harry could notice Severus' hair being greasy once or even more than once, and it be true in those instances, but to be that reflexive and repetitive in describing him as such is malicious and isn't a reliable indicator of the longer term reality of the state of Severus' hair-regardless of what that was.

ok so I’m not gonna lie, I don’t like the guy. HOWEVER a lot of the hate the marauders fandom directs at him is quite unjustified. Specifically at pre 5th year Snape.

and when compared to how we love other characters who have done arguably worse things (Barty, Evan, reg) (I love them too but let’s be real they did horrible shit)

ok so canonically, Snape grew up in an abusive household, with bigoted parents before he went to school. This is an explanation, not a justification, just as the Black family being abusive was an explanation *not* a justification for why reg & bellatrix were death eaters.

he goes to school, and starts being rude and cruel to muggle Borns (no worse than Barty Evan and reg ok) and has a rivalry with the marauders

(technically only Sirius and James were actively involved tho, and both of them did fucked up things to Snape (snapes worst memory) Snape also was a shithead (I’m like 90% certain he actually was the one that instigated the rivalry on their first ur train to hogwarts, and he cursed them and bullied other students canonically))

the one thing that really puts me off him is his weird creepy incel-like behaviour to Lily. Like dude, it’s the whole ‘you’re different from the rest of your marginalised group, you’re one of the good ones’ and then calling her a mud blood and then stalking her around hogwarts and then refusing to leave her be and then becoming all bitter and sour and then joining a bigoted hate group and then saying he doesn’t care about her baby and husband and just wants her to be alive for him and then acting like he’s on the ‘good side’ while continuing to be bigoted and then literally bullying 12 y/os for 11 years to the pint where he is literally Neville’s worst fear over everything else in the world and threatening to kill their pets and then still having the audacity to still be obsessed with a dead woman who rejected him like. 20 years ago?????

yeah no fuck him past that point. The thing is that he acts like he’s a good guy when he’s just gross and horrible, while at least Barty, Evan and bellatrix know they’re terrible people, and reg is actively trying to be better.

but people hating on him when he as just a 14 year old does bother me a bit cus. He wasn’t worse than any of them at that point.

(I’m like 90% certain he actually was the one that instigated the rivalry on their first ur train to hogwarts, and he cursed them and bullied other students canonically)

The scene in the train goes like this: Snape and Lily are in a compartment with James and Sirius. Soon after the train leaves the station, Snape and Lily are talking, Lily is crying and Snape tries to cheer her up by excitedly saying that they're finally going to Hogwarts, and he hopes that they'll be in the same house, namely Slytherin.

Hearing that, James butts in the conversation and says "Who'd want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?". The very first sentence that James ever says to Snape (after interrupting a conversation) is to insult the house he wants to join.

After that James goes into a pro-Gryffindor rant, Snape snorts, James asks him if he's got a problem, to which Snape does reply with an insult towards Gryffindors.

Sirius is the one who then insults Snape directly, Lily decides that it's time to leave, and as she and Snape leave the compartment, James tries to trip Snape and one of them yell after him “See ya, Snivellus!”.

In summary: James insults Slytherin and interrupts a private conversation / Snape insults Gryffindor / Sirius insults Snape / James tries to trip Snape as he leaves / they insult him one last time with this horrible ridiculing nickname

Snape was not the one who instigated the "rivarly".

There is also exactly not a single line in any of the 7 books that even hint that Snape bullied other students, unless you count using the word "mudblood" as bullying, which I can understand.

and then stalking her around hogwarts and then refusing to leave her

I challenge you to find one scene, one line or even one word, that shows that Snape stalked Lily around Hogwarts and refused to leave her alone. One.

Actually, who's the character who had a map that could tell him where everyone was at all times, and an invisibility cloak? Who's the character that tried to blackmail Lily into dating him? Who's the character who refused to take no for an answer and kept on trying to win her heart? Yeah, it's not Snape.

in fact, the moment Lily cut off their friendship, he left her alone. Something even James was incapable of doing.

and then becoming all bitter and sour and then joining a bigoted hate group

The main reason why Lily ended their friendship was because he was already planning on joining the Death Eaters. It didn't happen the other way around.

then saying he doesn’t care about her baby and husband and just wants her to be alive for him

Second challenge of daring you to find one line in the books that could possibly hint at Snape "wanting her to be alive for him". Also no, he never says he doesn't care about Harry or James, in fact he literally warns Dumbledore that Voldemort is going to "kill them all".

then acting like he’s on the ‘good side’ while continuing to be bigoted

??? what do you mean, "acting" like he's on the good side??? No one except Harry and Dumbledore did more than him to destroy Voldemort, this man saved countless lives and did more than all the Marauders combined for the Order.

Also, again, third challenge, find me one example of him being bigoted. He even screams at a portrait in DH that dared use the word "mudblood" in front of him.

to the pint where he is literally Neville’s worst fear over everything else in the world

People in the Harry Potter fandom really need to learn what a boggart is. It's a creature that turns into what it thinks will scare you most at that moment. It's not, and never was, your worst fear over everything else.

Also, just take a moment and think. Are you saying that Ron's worst fear in the whole entire world is spiders, and not oh... Ginny being possessed and almost dying 2 months earlier? Or any of his other family members dying? Are you saying that Hermione would rather her parents be murdered than get a bad grade from McGonagall? Are all these children psychopaths? No, the answer is no. Because when you're 13 you don't think about your loved ones dying, or you dying, or any other truly horrible shit. Instead, you're scared of mean teachers, mummies, bad grades and spiders.

The thing is that he acts like he’s a good guy when he’s just gross and horrible, while at least Barty, Evan and bellatrix know they’re terrible people, and reg is actively trying to be better.

Ah yes, Snape scares children, but at least Barty and Bellatrix only tortured two people to insanity and committed murders.

Regulus died too young to be of any help sadly, and what he did was indeed heroic, but the fact is that everything he did only made it more difficult for Harry to find the locket, and he died while still being a blood supremacist.

Snape says himself that he's trying to save as many lives as he can, and indeed we see him risk his cover and his life to try and save Lupin during the Battle of the 7 Potters. He did so much, sacrificed so much, the war would have been long lost without him, or at least would have lasted years if not decades longer.

also these are fictional characters so just let’s not take things too seriously

‘There is also exactly not a single line in any of the 7 books that even hint that Snape bullied other students, unless you count using the word "mudblood" as bullying, which I can understand.’

I do in fact count that as bullying, as well as his bigoted beliefs to muggleborns, but u also vaguely remember a scene where it mentions he cursed a girl behind the greenhouses or something? I can’t remember precisely and didn’t know which book so I couldn’t find it but yeah

also Lily implies that he’s used dark magic before (or at least that his friends have, wasn’t entirely sure if she was referring to him or them), presumably on other students, and we know he created the sectumsempra and Levicorpus spell, the latter of which James knows and uses on him, implying that he must have publicly used it before

so u feel that all this at least ‘hints’ at some questionable behaviour from him

‘I challenge you to find one scene, one line or even one word, that shows that Snape stalked Lily around Hogwarts and refused to leave her alone. One.’

ok what about that moment where he’s literally SLEEPING OUTSIDE THE COMMON ROOM because he REFUSES TO LEAVE until Lily comes out and talks to him. Is that not at least hinging on obsessive stalker ish behaviour?

(‘I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.’ ch ‘the princes tale’, Page 542 in my copy)

‘The main reason why Lily ended their friendship was because he was already planning on joining the Death Eaters. It didn't happen the other way around.’

yeah my fault there. Mixed up some things, as I said it’s been while since I read not-fanfiction if Harry Potter lol 🙃 (still think Snape was a weird incel tho)

‘Second challenge of daring you to find one line in the books that could possibly hint at Snape "wanting her to be alive for him". Also no, he never says he doesn't care about Harry or James, in fact he literally warns Dumbledore that Voldemort is going to "kill them all".’

Snape acted generally quite controlling (in my opinion) during their friendship, the first thing u could find was:

{Snape} ‘… you’re not going to- I won’t let you-’

{Lily} ‘Let me? Let me?’

Snape then proceeds to go on an ‘incoherent’ rant about James fancying Lily

him not caring about a baby’s life and her husbands was at least heavily implied when he goes to Dumbledore about saving her, and literally only speaks about her until Dumbledore says:

‘you do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?’

to which snape ‘said nothing, but merely looked up at dumbledore’ before conceding that Dumbledore should perhaps hide them all, actually, despite the subject of the prophecy not even being Lily

(disclaimer I don’t like Dumbledore much either)

‘??? what do you mean, "acting" like he's on the good side??? No one except Harry and Dumbledore did more than him to destroy Voldemort, this man saved countless lives and did more than all the Marauders combined for the Order.

Also, again, third challenge, find me one example of him being bigoted.’

When I say acting I mean that he would gladly have gone on being a DE if Lily hadn’t potentially been in danger. (I guess I could’ve been clearer about that). He literally does. Not. Care. I genuinely don’t think his views changed at all.

One example of him being bigoted? HOW ABOUT HIM LITERALLY JOINING A FUCKING HATE GROUP.

‘People in the Harry Potter fandom really need to learn what a boggart is. It's a creature that turns into what it thinks will scare you most at that moment. It's not, and never was, your worst fear over everything else.’

ok I got the definition wrong but I’d still find it at least a bit concerning. Also, if we examine Neville’s reaction, he was shaking and incoherent when seeing Snape. That is not ok for a person in that position to have this effect on children. he also threatened to kill Neville’s pet toad??? If hermione hadn’t stoped in he actually would have???? Not least of all, that’s animal abuse.

he’s also generally a bitch to the golden trio and makes hermione actual burst into tears sobbing at one point. And he despises Harry for no reason other than who his parents were.

Sure I’ve had bad teachers, that’s because they weren’t great at teaching. Sure I’ve had strict and effective teachers, but Snape is not effective at teaching. He terrifies his students, taking it to the point of being downright cruel and bullying, and refuses to help students who don’t understand his lessons.

‘Ah yes, Snape scares children, but at least Barty and Bellatrix only tortured two people to insanity and committed murders.’

as I’ve established he does much more than ‘scare’ kids. He’s literally killed people to. (Or at least he’s been involved with hate crimes against muggle borns during his time as a DE)

And I like Barty and Bella because they’re fun interesting characters who are insane and do wrong things because they like it (note: I never said they were good people. You can like a character without liking them as a person. Irl, I would despise ppl like them)

tbh I just would find Snape a bit boring anyway even without all the bad stuff he’s done.

‘He did so much, sacrificed so much, the war would have been long lost without him, or at least would have lasted years if not decades longer.’

my problem is that he did it for very selfish reasons. He didn’t truly care about the cause, he just did it for the sake of his creepy obsession w a dead woman.

‘Snape was no saint, and he was a bitter man who bullied students, but he was also incredibly brave and selfless.’

sure maybe he did some brave things, but that’s a hard disagree on the selfless bit. For literally reasons my entire response can explain.

That scene doesn't exist.

ok what about that moment where he’s literally SLEEPING OUTSIDE THE COMMON ROOM because he REFUSES TO LEAVE until Lily comes out and talks to him. Is that not at least hinging on obsessive stalker ish behaviour?

First, that's not stalking, and second, at this point Snape wanted one last word with Lily, to apologise and try to make amends. By this point, they were still friends. Once Lily makes him obvious that she will not accept his apologies, he goes away and as I said, leaves her completely alone.

(still think Snape was a weird incel tho)

The definition of an incel is (usually) a man who can't get laid, and hates women/couples because of it, thinking that women are responsible for his lack of sexual experiences.

The only point that Snape possibly has in common is that he may be indeed celibate, and even that we don't even know. At no point does he show hate towards women or seems frustrated by sex (and thank god we don't know any of it either, because that'd mean that Harry would be familiar with Snape's sex life and let's not go there).

Snape acted generally quite controlling (in my opinion) during their friendship, the first thing u could find was:

{Snape} ‘… you’re not going to- I won’t let you-’ {Lily} ‘Let me? Let me?’

That's it? He's controlling because he used the words "let you"? Context matters, and in this discussion, Lily is acting like she knows better than Snape what went down in the Whomping Willow tunnel for some reason. Snape is obviously trying to say something like "I won't let you think that he's a hero" or some variation. That's not being controlling, jfc.

him not caring about a baby’s life and her husbands was at least heavily implied when he goes to Dumbledore about saving her, and literally only speaks about her until Dumbledore says

Check your book again. Snape says quite clearly that Voldemort is going to "kill them all". Yes he cares more about the only person he ever loved than his former bully and their son, but he shows concern for the whole family even before Dumbledore goes all manipulative mode on him.

When I say acting I mean that he would gladly have gone on being a DE if Lily hadn’t potentially been in danger. (I guess I could’ve been clearer about that). He literally does. Not. Care. I genuinely don’t think his views changed at all.

And you know this how? The only person who could possibly know this is JK Rowling. How do you know that he didn't already have second thoughts?

After all, you could also said "if Voldemort hadn't harmed Keature, Regulus would have never given a single shit about the genocide of muggle borns". Do we know this for a fact? No we don't.

he also threatened to kill Neville’s pet toad??? If hermione hadn’t stoped in he actually would have???? Not least of all, that’s animal abuse.

Again, how do you know that he would have? Because in my book, Snape had the antidote ready to use. Also, Snape never physically touches any of the students (with the one exception of when Harry violates his privacy by looking into the pensieve), and you think he'd just casually go around murdering pets?

my problem is that he did it for very selfish reasons. He didn’t truly care about the cause, he just did it for the sake of his creepy obsession w a dead woman.

So when he tries to save Lupin, when he literally says "Lately, only those whom I could not save", meaning that he tries to save as many lives as he possibly can, it was for the sake of his creepy obsession with a dead woman?

By the way, if he's so obsessed, I guess that after reading the first or let's say the second book, you already knew about his feelings for Lily? I mean, it must be obvious since it's apparently so huge that he spent 20 years lusting after a dead body. Even Dumbledore was surprised.

Talking a which, just the act of having a doe patronus shows that his emotions towards Lily were pure, which is the whole point of a patronus and such overwhelmingly light magic.

sure maybe he did some brave things, but that’s a hard disagree on the selfless bit. For literally reasons my entire response can explain.

The opposite of selfless is selfish. What did Snape gain from doing any of what he did? Lily's dead and mong buried, so even if we go by your theory that he's obsessed with her, what did he gain from doing any of what he did?

He begged Dumbledore to not let anyone know about what he did and why he did it. He agreed to kill Dumbledore, at the risk of damaging his soul (and so, implying that his soul was intact, so he'd never killed before), becoming the second most hated man of the country... for what exactly? Bonus points in the afterlife with Lily's ghost?

Snape had nothing to gain at all from any of what he did. Even Harry was less selfless because he had obvious reasons for wanting the guy who seeks to kill him gone.

anyway don’t take things too srsly as I said, they are all just fictional characters so 🙃

And yet, Snape fans get harassed regularly for liking Snape. And yet, Snape fans have been sent death threats, called homophobic or transphobic (hi ATYD stans!) or called nazis, for liking Snape.

Do you know why many Snape fans are literally afraid of saying they like Snape on social media? Because of the kind of misinformation we can find on posts like these.

"I've made the unbreakable fucking vow and now I'll die because of Harry fucking Potter?!?"

"Not TODAY"

Contemplation

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