Tips for authenticity for HP fanfiction writers (mainly targeted at Snapedom but also other ship writers too)
I think so many people forget that Snape was British, from Cokeworth. Edit: Let it be said that Cokeworth is a fictional town, but according to the HP Wiki it’s located in the English Midlands, so it’s still useful information to know. We can sort of assume that Cokeworth was inspired by a community in Manchester. Edit: Manchester is not in the region of the Midlands (it’s about two hours driving from Derbyshire which is in the East Midlands, so while Manchester isn’t in the Midlands, it’s pretty close, but it’s still ‘solidly Northern’). (Thank you @turtlewexlerwrites for clarifying the geography for me a bit!).
But basically, we can sort of infer that Cokeworth is a fictional Manchester town because (fun fact) JK Rowling actually spent a lot of time in Manchester writing the books, and some of the descriptions of Cokeworth match areas of Manchester.
Edit: From there, if you’re trying to find believable headcannons for the character of Snape for example, then you can look up Manchester accents/cultural references to start adding to his backstory a bit more.
In terms of his mannerisms, Snape was surrounded by the Wizarding elite in Slytherin, who were essentially upperclass British citizens for the most part. Therefore the way he thinks, acts, and lives would be quintessentially British - part of him would be like the Malfoys, but the majority of who he is inside would be the bloke from Cokeworth. He’d have been influenced by his colleagues (*cough* McGonagall) and also his peers when he was a student. I don’t know how many Hogwarts students were born/raised in England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales and areas that speak using British English, but I’m guessing it was a lot, and even if they came from overseas as exchange students or something, they’d still adapt their language to the style they were hearing at school at Hogwarts.
So it’s important to contextualize what you’re writing, understand where your character(s) are from and how it would affect the way they speak/think, and how you should write as a narrator in third person, if that’s your style.
It’s interesting to think about what’s going on in the Muggle world politically at the time Snape (and other characters) were growing up. What were the big hits in British Muggle music? What were the trends in fashion, and what was the latest update in British slang?
If you’re not British yourself or haven’t lived in the UK, let me give you a run down of things that are widely considered British (or Irish/Scottish, depending) and are not really that stereotypical. Edit: I won’t really be addressing Wales for the moment but will be happy to cover that as people send me contributions about Welsh slang/traditions/cultural references. I also won’t cover Australia or New Zealand for the same reason, until someone offers to add a list! Just because I can only really personally talk reliably about my experience with things I know (England, Ireland, Scotland). Otherwise I’d have to rely entirely on Google and I don’t want to run the risk of making mistakes with a culture I don’t know much about! But I would love to learn, and I’d love contributions, so DM me! Thanks!! :))
T/W: lots of colorful language, mostly in British English (I am educating the masses on the correct naughty words to use in fanfiction written in British English, apologies in advance.)
