Know what I really don't understand? People who like Snape. I understand that a lot of people do, and I'm not going to leave hate comments or anything(I might block you depending on other factors tho) but like, why? He bullied children, stalked a girl even after she told him to fuck off, bullied one child specifically just because of who his dad was, created dark spells used for torture, and spent his life either serving voldemort or pretending to(I could probably add more to this list but I don't want to piss people off too much). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy when seemingly bad characters are shown in a new light and made more 3 dimension, and turned into heros(barty crouch jr), but what can be shown to make Snape good? Jk couldn't make me like him even with all of her reasoning, so why do people like him? If anyone has valid reasons I would absolutely love to hear them(not being sarcastic I promise), but as of this point I have heard nothing that redeems him in my mind.

Because this was in the general tag, I'm going to go ahead and assume that you are genuinely interested in hearing responses, so here goes:

I like Snape because he’s such a contradictory and complex character. He’s a brave, sarcastic, genius asshole. He walks the line between utterly pathetic and hyper-competent in a unique way. He’s a twitchy, unpopular oddball as a teen, but at the same time is the most gifted of his generation. He’s petty in his day-to-day interactions, but selfless when lives are on the line. For each child he bullies, he also does what he can to protect them and save their lives; though he’s caustic and offensive in his words, his actions, motivations, and the magic associated with him are primarily defensive. He’s cold and sneering but cares deeply. He’s a master spy and manipulator who enjoys running circles around Bellatrix at Spinner’s End, yet with Harry, his emotions tend to run close to the surface, and he is remarkably honest, blunt, and straightforward.

I also like Snape because while he’s only too human, he’s also almost inhumanly brave. He’s a traumatized character who has never healed, and he acts like it. His descent into darkness and joining the Death Eaters is a realistic portrayal of radicalization. Yet he manages to leave and commits to walking a hard path towards atonement for his past role as a Death Eater, eventually sacrificing everything—his comfort, ambitions, reputation, relationships, ability to be known, personal motivations, and life—for it. He’s the most important member of the Order and regularly risks his life for the people (and society, really) that he loathes and that loathe him right back. And he manages to do it all even while terrified of Voldemort.

Finally, he’s an incredibly dynamic character. He goes from someone who harbors anti-muggle prejudice to one who embraces muggle skills and befriends people who champion muggle rights. He goes from not valuing human life to trying to save as many as possible (“lately, only those whom I cannot save”). His motivation shifts from the personal to the good of the wizarding world. He develops his moral compass and surpasses his need for his mentor.

So yeah, tldr; my favorite characters are those that are interesting, not simply nice or palatable. And in that vein, Snape’s petty cruelty is part of the appeal, because it’s in such contrast to his ultimate selflessness. He does indeed redeem himself, even if it doesn’t turn him into a “nice” person.

I do have to wonder about your claim that Barty Crouch Jr is shown to be more 3D and turned into a hero though… while we were shown that his loyalty to Voldemort came from issues with his home life and his father (like Snape, he sees a father figure in Voldemort), I don’t think he’s ever supposed to be redeemed in any way or portrayed as a hero?

OP might find some answers in deconstructing the slandering narrative that was spread by snaters:

Snape is not for everyone either, but if you do love "seemingly bad characters, made more 3 dimensional and turned into heroes", then you will very probably love Snape. He is exactly written like that in HP. (Not Barty Crouch Jr, gosh...)

Do you want to read fics of him btw? For an introduction I advise Severitus (Snape mentors Harry), Snack and/or Snupin.

Said Snape…

An analysis inspired by my username :)

There are about 300* times in the series that Snape’s delivery of dialogue contains additional descriptives beyond “said”, giving us insight into his tone. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what this can tell us about Snape’s character. And if you’re a fic writer looking to have your Snape reflect canon!Snape as much as possible (or even if not, and you’re looking to make choices that will distinguish him from canon!Snape), I figured this might be a helpful resource.

[Adverbs] Snape says things…

...softly or quietly, most often, followed by coldly, coolly, or icily, and then smoothly, silkily, or sleekly.

This trend holds when we look across not just adverbs modifying “said” but all verbs of speech. Here's how those descriptors are used across the books in the series:

And here's what that looks like split up by the different eras in Snape's life:

Snape is most often described as saying things “repressively” or “dismissively” as well as “calmly”, “slowly”, or “deliberately” in his double agent days, which are adverbs that convey a certain amount of control over the conversation, information, and his own temperament. Taken together, this may reflect his increased caution and the high-stakes nature of information at this stage.

Although Snape displays little patience for those not at his level even in his teenage years (“just shove a bezoar down their throats” comes to mind) his dialogue only reflects this with adverbs such as “sharply” or “curtly” once he has established himself as an authority figure. We will see a similar pattern below with verbs and adjectives conveying impatience.

[Verbs] When Snape doesn’t simply “say” something, he…

...Most often is expressing a negative emotion: shouting, yelling, bellowing or snarling and spitting. The largest portion of Snape’s shouts occur in HBP, specifically in Flight of the Prince, as he tries to direct the Death Eaters to leave and faces Harry. But looking across these first two emotionally-charged categories, about 30% of these (perhaps not surprisingly) occur in Prisoner of Azkaban.

However, he's not always shouting or snarling; approximately 15% of the time he is whispering or hissing, which complements the 25% of the time that he is speaking softly or quietly.

Let's look at this in relation to Snape's timeline:

It's fitting that the majority of Snape’s inquiries occur after Voldemort’s return, when he returns to his double agent role, gathering intelligence.

I also think it’s interesting what we don’t see in Snape’s school days. In childhood/school there’s relatively little superciliousness—instead, we see more argumentation; Snape argues, demands, pants, splutters, and backtracks.

Snape’s brand of snippy impatience and condescension (sneered/snarled/snapped, etc) is most evident in his days as a professor (before Voldemort’s return through his years as a double agent). In his deep cover years it declines; he no longer has the time; he’s focused on the task at hand.

Let's now look at the adjectives used to describe Snape's tone. Snape says things in a tone of voice that is…

...Most often soft, low, or quiet, followed by cold or icy, and then by sneering or sardonic. I find it fitting that Snape’s tone is described as impatient in GOF and HBP, both books in which Snape spends the year on tenterhooks, waiting for the axe to fall.

When we look at how these adjectives are distributed across Snape's lifetime, we can see that Snape’s vocalizations described as “terrible” only three times, and they occur at pivotal moments: Lily’s death and his own. Additionally, Snape’s unconcerned or bored tone comes out during his double agent years, and 3 out of the 4 times it is used as an affectation.

Misc. notes: It is also notable when there are a lack of descriptors surrounding Snape’s speech altogether. There are definitely fewer in the first two books, likely given their shorter length and lower reading level. However, there are three moments in Deathly Hallows that, taken together, really stood out to me: The Dark Lord Ascending, Voldemort’s visit to Hogwarts to take the Elder Wand, and Snape’s meeting with Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack (that is— up until the moment of Snape’s murder, during which he protests and lets out a terrible scream). The lack of any description of Snape's speech is a neat nonverbal way to convey to us readers the effect of Occlumency.

Anyway, hope this was interesting, and I’d absolutely love to hear any additional insights you all pull out of this!

*This is by no means meant to be the definitive, exhaustive analysis of Snape’s speech. This was completed doing simple searches for dialogue with “Snape” (didn’t have the raw text to write a script or anything), so it’s entirely possible that I’ve missed several instances of Snape speaking when referred to as “he” and the dialogue in question is several lines away from his name. However, I believe those cases are relatively few, so I fairly confident that I have a majority of the instances in which Snape’s dialogue is described with with an adverb, adjective denoting tone, or with a verb other than “said”. It’s likely the remainder would follow similar trends if they are dispersed sporadically throughout the series.

The Tale of Cats & Snakes

From the first day he worked as a teacher until he quit, baby teacher

28.5.2023 , support Mani

There’s some excellent metas around about Severus stepping into Lily’s role as a maternal figure in Harry’s life.  I’m just a bit silly.

i honestly cannot get the idea of snape bowing sarcastically at umbridge out of my head. snape outrunning a hippogriff. snape writing poetry. severus “would you like me to do it now? or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?” snape. snape referring to himself in the third person when he comes up behind harry and ron in cos “or maybe, he’s waiting to hear why you two did not arrive on the school train”. snape hiding behind a suit of armor and walking out with a dramatic “it is i, severus snape!”. robes billowing. the scowling. peaceing tf out by literally throwing himself out the window.

why do people hate this man. he’s hilarious.

One of my favorite drawings, Severus being Severus

Sometimes it's just funny to me how much I changed him for my personal "I want"

Big thicc gay bitch

[ID: a digital black and white drawing of Severus Snape on white background. He's lying on his stomach, hips twisted outwardly, and he's smiling, his eyes half closed. He has very fluffy, long hair, muscular arms, a big chest and butt, and strong legs. /end ID].

I could write my damn dissertation on all of Snape’s sub-textual coding.  Feminine coding?  Check.  Queer coding?  Check.  Class coding?  Check.  Race/religion/ethnic coding?  Check.

Snape is one of the biggest single collections of historical literary coding in contemporary literature.  I could go on.  Witch archetype?  Check.  Negative Jewish archetype?  Check.  Surrogate mother figure archetype?  Check.  Ugly=evil archetype?  Check.  Queer-coded threat to the heteronormative narrative archetype?  Check.

Classism.  Antisemitism.  Sexism.  Queer phobia.

My first published work as an academic is going to be a collection of essays on Severus Snape, just you watch.

I am so not going to get tenure.

#what’s the queer coding? #genuinely curious #harry potter

Most of what I’m talking about was discussed in the various threads linked to in this post.  In addition to those, which mainly discuss how Snape is femininely coded and how that coding is used to equate nonstandard gender expression with villainy, here is a post about Snape’s potential sexuality and sexual habits (or lack thereof), and here and here are a couple of speculative posts about trans woman Snape.

Ethnic coding????

#how? can a white person be ethnically coded? that goes against ???

Hello.  So, this was mostly a personal post, and there isn’t really a standard literary definition for this concept beyond basic xenophobia and villainous foreigner stereotypes, but what I meant by “race/religious/ethnic coding” in my original post was about how I see JKR using traditional literary shorthand to immediately characterize Snape as a villain in readers’ minds, without her necessarily knowing how those shorthands developed to begin with.

Western readers have been trained by centuries of literary history to view certain characteristics as inherently villainous.  Things like Snape’s oversized nose, his dark hair and eyes, his “sallow” complexion, and his abhorrent behaviour toward children specifically all mark him as a villain instantly to any reader in any way familiar with Western storytelling traditions.  What JKR may or may not have known (and, what I argue, most modern audiences don’t know) is where and how those villain archetypes developed.  Like the “lizard people” conspiracy theories (anti-Semitism, like, let’s face it, most conspiracy theories), these archetypes have been so far removed from their origins in the modern day that their racist/xenophobic/anti-Semitic starting points are largely invisible without research.

I’ve written about Snape’s parallels to Western “evil foreigner” archetypes here, the anti-Semitic traits which characterize his brand of villainy here, and here is something I didn’t write, in case you’re tired of reading me.  I hope this explains what I was getting at by using such casual phrasing in a casual post.

That is correct but I think anti semitism is a better classification here rather than ethnic coding , ethnic coding seems too far of a stretch in my opinion, especially since most jewish people are actually white.

#if i rember correctly i thought snape was described as very pale??? or is that too much fanfic???  sjsjsjjssjsh

Snape’s complexion is described repeatedly, almost obsessively, as “sallow,” rather than pale.  From the moment the reader is introduced to Snape in Sorcerer’s Stone, Snape is described as “a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin” (ch. 7), and this word is used again at his introduction in nearly every subsequent book: “a thin man with sallow skin” in Chamber of Secrets (ch. 5), “thin, sallow face” in both Prisoner of Azkaban (ch. 5) and Deathly Hallows (ch. 33), “sallow-faced” in Goblet of Fire (ch. 13), and “a sallow face” in Half-Blood Prince (ch. 2), along with repeated uses littered throughout the books to describe him both as a child and as an adult. Also in Deathly Hallows, his mother, Eileen Prince Snape, is described as “a thin, sallow-faced, sour-looking woman who greatly resembled him” (ch. 33).

The online Oxford Dictionary defines a “sallow” complexion as “of an unhealthy yellow or pale brown colour,” and the paper Oxford English Dictionary is similarly conflicted as to which colour (yellow or brown) the term denotes.  It is never made explicitly clear whether JKR is using this term to mean “yellow” or “brown,” or something else altogether.  What is clear is that the definition of sallow is debatable because Western authors, especially Victorian authors, have long used it when describing “foreign” complexions which they meant to portray as either unhealthy-looking or simply ugly and barbaric.

I also use the word “ethnic” because Judaism is an ethnicity as well as a religion, and Jewish people have been persecuted on the basis of racialized theories of identity throughout European history, most especially as a result of the eugenics movement during the early-to-mid 20th century.  Whether or not most Ashkenazim and Sephardi Jews qualify as “white” based on modern racial understandings and social privileges is a complex issue, and not my place as a white gentile to comment on.  That said, Western literary history’s long traditions of anti-Semitism do involve ethnic/“racial” elements, so I include the term.

Snolidays Week 2: Thin Ice

When Lily and Severus get together, Petunia always knows how it will end: in a mess that she'll have to clean up. But maybe she'll have a little help this time—and from whom she least expects.

Dedicated to the lovely @momo-t-daye, who makes the absolute best Cokeworth Trio content—I hope this little story captures even just a little bit of that spirit (and I hope you notice the little nod to your art towards the end)!

No warnings really, just 12-year-old melodrama and a bit of older Muggle sister angst from Petunia!

Fic is below the cut; 2029 words. It can also be read on AO3.

AU concept

Everything is the same, except Snape is much more open with how absolutely DONE he is.

Minerva: “Severus, Potter and Weasley have found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and went down without proper supervision, slayed the creature, and saved Ginny Weasley.”

Snape: *ridiculously long sigh and an extended moment of silence* “ God Damn it. Of course they would, what else would they do? God damn it.”

Draco: *gets into a fight with Ron*

Snape: “Malfoy, I swear to….just one fucking day is all I ask… for you to not make someone want to punch you… Just One Day.

Neville: *blows up a cauldron*

Snape: *head in one hand, not even angry at this point* “I just…..god damn it”

Done and sassily self aware is how I’m interpreting this.

Snape: Ah, Mr. Potter… My newest… dark reminder… (continues taking attendance)

Class: ????

—

Dumbledore: And a fuckton of points for Gryffindor! Looks like we have a NEW house champ-

Snape: (loudly) No.

— Snape: Look, Quirrel, let’s be straight. I know you’re trying to steal the damn stone and I am just so fucking tired of keeping Potter alive when you’re clearly out for his head-

Harry (from broom above): WHAT

Snape: (groans loudly as Quirrell bolts) Goddammit, Potter, I didn’t need this unexpected cardio.

—

Harry: I swear I just found Mrs. Norris like this! I didn’t do anything to her! I wouldn’t!

Dumbledore: Harry, of course-

Snape: (taking face out of hands) Why is it always you?

—

Lockhart: And here is my lovely assistant, Severus Snape! Of course, you’ll get your potions professor back in one piece when I’m done with him! (laughs)

Snape: Your unlikely descendents would feel how hard I’m going to curse you if I believed you capable of fathering a child.

Lockhart: What?

Snape: What.

—

Lockhart: It’s VALENTINE’S DAY BITCHES! Get in the spirit! Ask Professor Snape to teach you about love… potions!

Snape: (stands)

Snape: (walks across Great Hall)

Snape: (walks out of Hogwarts)

Snape: (walks across Scotland)

Snape: (walks into the sea)

—

Snape: You’re not hiring a fucking werewolf.

Dumbledore: But who would know better how to fend off Sirius Black than his former be-

Snape: (flatly) -b-b-b-bitch?

—

Snape: Draco is fine, probably.

Draco: (obviously bleeding from reopened wound from Buckbeak) ?!

Snape: Oh, fine, but I’m getting tired of escorting you to the Hospital Wing for self-inflicted wounds.

—

Snape (waking up from being stunned by all Gryffindors present he was trying to save): Well, fine, then. (rolls over)

—

Dumbledore: And that’s it! That’s all our champions- oh, er, except for… (reads) Harry Potter?

Snape: Expel him.

—

Harry: I didn’t put my name in the goblet, I swear!

Snape: You never seem to do anything and yet

—

Snape: Avada kedavra.

Dragon: (dies)

Harry: ???

Judges: !!!

Snape: Yes, well, I am not going to sit here and break my honestly kind of obsessive promise for the sake of a death game. Does that really seem in character to you?

(cheating is against the rules, not the magical contract of the goblet - see: all the fucking cheating)

—

Umbridge: Hem, hem, Professor Snape, might I suggest some changes to your curriculum?

Snape: I don’t have the energy to hate you on top of all my other least favorite people.

—

Firenze: I hope we might be friendly, if not friends, as fellow professors, Severus Snape.

Snape: (shakes hand) I don’t even care anymore.

—

Dumbledore: So, you see, Severus, it really must be you that kills me to cement your place in Voldemort’s ranks and defuse this deathly hallow I’ve been carrying around.

Snape: (looks upward for patience) Why don’t you kill yourself if you want to die so badly?

Dumbledore: …Actually that’s not a half bad idea for neutralizing the elder wand.

—

Voldemort: Severus, are you… still loyal?

Snape: (sighs) I guess.

—

Harry: Oh, no, you’re dying! Professor, how can I-

Snape: Your eyes are… really poking my emotional wounds

Harry: …

Snape: …Fuck off. (dies)

—

Snape (in the afterlife): Thank Merlin that’s over.

Dumbledore: Have you ever heard of guardian spirits, my boy?

Snape: (covers face with hands and takes a sharp inward breath) I can never just be fucking done

just imagine Severus being Harry Guardian spirit, and Harry can see him.

Stop poking my muses

Harry: Oh… No… I thought I was done with you!

Snape: And I, you.

(they glare)

Ron: (in a whisper) Harry are you having Voldemort visions right now?

—

Harry: (on the way to death) I open at the close…

Snape: What?

Harry: (kisses snitch)

Snape: Nice to know where your priorities lie.

—

Harry: (with resurrection stone) Mum.. Dad…

Snape: (quietly) noooo

—

Harry: I’m so glad we both survived and it turns out I do love you, Ginny!

Ginny: I love you, too, Harry!

Snape: (quieter) nooooo

—

Ginny: We could name the first one Priscilla and the second one Beaufort and the third Perseph-

Harry and Snape together: NO

—

Hermione: What does our resident ghost have to say about it?

Harry (resigned) and Snape (irritated) together: Not a ghost.

—

Snape: You had your pick of any job in the world.

Harry: (in a hiss) I’m trying to listen.

Snape: They would have fallen over the hems of their robes to have you on a Quidditch team. It wouldn’t be ideal, like a nice shopkeeping position, but better than this.

Harry: (under breath) Give me a break.

Snape: A break? You’ll have at least two broken bones by the time the month is out, mark my words. I’d be surprised if you managed a single arrest in that time, unless it was one you didn’t intend to investigate at all.

Kingsley: So congratulations, graduates, on surviving entry into the aurors!

Harry: (at full volume) Oh, my god, it’s not like I’m incompetent!

Kingsley: …

Entire crowd of graduates and families: …

Harry: Fuck my life.

—

Snape: (bored) Around the corner, in the shed, and two in the basement.

Harry: Oh, thanks. (stuns wizard coming around corner)

Snape: Also…

Harry: Also?

Snape (grins)

Harry (screams and backpedals wildly)

Snape: That’s a quintaped, I think.

(screams in distance)

Snape: Maybe lots of quintapeds?

Harry: (running) HOW ARE YOU GUARDING MY SAFETY AT ALL

Snape: I reserve the right to protest my involuntary assignment.

—

Snape: (languidly jabbing at and through people’s heads as they pass by)

Harry: Please stop.

—

Snape: Page.

Harry: (flips page in the book on the table beside him without looking over)

Snape: (very quietly) Thank you.

—

Harry: What will happen when I die?

Snape: I sincerely hope I never know.

Harry: Hey, you’re saying you don’t want to see me in the afterlife?

Snape: Think through it, Potter. I know you can do it.

Harry: What?

Snape: If I’m still with you after you die, we might still be stuck together. Forever.

Harry: (processes)

Harry: Oh, god, I hope we never see each other again.

Snape: That’s the spirit

reblogged this before, but it freaking got better.

This absolutely got better and I am reblogging again.

i am definitely still not a snape stan

but

i do think this needs to be talked on.

i think it's very telling that voldemort recruited his most ardent supporters as teenagers. you know

those people whose brains aren't fully developed. that's very culty behaviour.

and given snape's upbringing and life experiences, he was a prime target for cult recruitment, according to statics. most people in cults have a low self esteem, had troubled childhoods, were very socially awkward and were 'lost' to some degree.

we aren't going to excuse his actions we're just going to acknowledge that he made a decision on a trauma addled, mentally ill teenage brain and it fucked his entire life.

Oh this has definitely been brought up before. And it’s always good to bring it up again. The DEs and Voldy had serious culty- radicalization vibes in how they recruited Severus and likely how they recruited Peter too.

Not sure if this is fanon or canon (might be fanon that is so pervasive in the fandom) but it can be assumed that’s why Dumbledore did not want to hire Tom as DADA, because he’d just recruit the students while teaching. Preying on young impressionable minds, manipulating and radicalizing them.

Not to say they aren’t already being manipulated (eyes the Daily Prophet’s propaganda). but it’s definitely a good point to bring up to understand how Snape got to where he was.

He comes to Hogwarts in poor with only one friend and that one friend ends up in a different house, so he’s isolated and ends up taken under the wing of an adult - Lucius- who is graduating that year, and likely already a DE or about to be. Targeted by the marauders, losing his friendship with Lily over time due to the house politics. Then he’s made to keep an attempt on his life a secret and no one believes him when he tries to correct them without revealing what actually happened. Then loses his only friend, his only support. It’s no wonder he was vulnerable enough to be taken in by the ideologies. He didn’t exactly have a support system like others did.

It’s not an excuse for his actions but it explains how he ended up where he did.

If Severus survived.

Snapetober 1-5

1. autumn

2. “you have to let go”

3. pumpkin carving

4. regret

5. apple orchard

"Harry's paying for our stay here, you know,"

"Of course Potter is facilitating my hell."

top chef

If Harry was in Cokeworth at the beginning of the first book when Uncle Vernon was moving them all over the place to avoid the letters, July 30th (the day before Harry’s birthday as the book specifies) Snape would have been home. Instead of sending 100 letters to the front desk of the hotel, why not floo Snape with 1 letter and have him hand deliver it to him? I’m sure Dumbledore would have been able to talk him into it.

Harry tried not to stare at the man who swept into the dingy hotel dining room, dressed all in black. He was more interesting than Harry's plate, anyhow, since Dudley stole everything but the grilled tomato and mushrooms and he'd finished those. He'd had some porridge, too, but that was more Dudley refusing to eat it without the specific tin of golden syrup they had at home than generosity from Uncle Vernon.

The man held a familiar envelope in one hand but Harry wouldn't get his hopes up. Uncle Vernon had already directed the front desk to destroy the ones delivered that morning. And they'd be leaving soon, Uncle Vernon said. It wasn't worth hoping. He'd just listen to Aunt Petunia like everyone else. They almost always did in the end, if she talked enough.

The man made directly for their table.

"Petunia." He started, his voice deep and smooth. Harry found he liked it, he thought. "I thought you never wanted the muck of Cokeworth to befoul your soles again?"

Harry boggled. No one ever spoke to Aunt Petunia like that.

"We were passing through." Aunt Petunia answered woodenly, so still it was like she'd been frozen.

"I have something for Mr. Potter. I teach...there, you know." There was something in his voice. Harry thought it might be satisfaction.

"No. We agreed to stamp it out of him and we won't have this nonsense in our home." Uncle Vernon's moustsche fairly quivered in outrage. "He won't go."

"Tell me, Tuney, did Lily ever mention an Obscurial?" Harry had never heard anyone call Aunt Petunia 'Tuney' either.

Aunt Petunia started, eyes wide. "No, we won't..."

"It's not. Your. Choice. Well, I should say that if you keep making these choices, you can count on being a very nasty surprise for emergency services. If they can find all the pieces."

"Vernon, he's going to have to go." Aunt Petunia's voice shook.

"Pet, we said..."

"It's...dangerous, if he doesn't. He has to learn control."