In Defense of Severus Snape (And Those of Us Who Love Him)
Anyone else catch the fact that he was doodling a Snitch with Lily's initials in it during the DADA O.W.L., and then proceeded to practice catching a Snitch that he'd stolen immediately after?
Quote from FIQ on February 17, 2023, 1:18 pmThere are, all things considered, surprisingly few fics featuring Lily that ships her with a 3rd party or none at all.
I think this is because Lily didn't have much development as a character. She's also the focus of two characters who elicit very strong feelings in readers, so it can be hard to separate her from one or the other (or both).
Beyond that… I can't speak for other writers, but in my case, about 95% of my interest in HP revolves around Severus. I like Lily as a character, and I do think she has potential. I just don't have the deep, borderline obsessive interest I'd need to explore her independently, whether on her own or paired with some third character that (most likely) wouldn't interest me half as much as Severus.
That said, there should be more stories like that for those who want to read/write them. Have you considered writing one yourself?
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on February 17, 2023, 1:24 pmAnyone else catch the fact that he was doodling a Snitch with Lily's initials in it during the DADA O.W.L., and then proceeded to practice catching a Snitch that he'd stolen immediately after?
Oh man… I didn't catch that, but how's that for symbolism?
Just for the sake of not derailing from defending Snape's character (I know @heatherlly and @mmlf have read it, but I'll still mention it), I've done reviews on the characters of both Lily and James based on what we see of them.
Excellent reviews. Highly recommended if you haven't read them yet.
I'd also recommend this analysis of potential sociopathy in James and the other Marauders. Fascinating stuff.
A famous Snater rant against Snape is if Lily wasn't threatened, he would've remained a Death Eater. Surprisingly, this what if situation is debated only for Snape, not the others, to paint him evil.
Greatest of the heroes emerged when they lost something or had an indirect hand in their tragedy. Take for example, Peter Parker. He won't have become the Spider-Man if his uncle Ben didn't die due to him letting that robbar go. He spent rest of his life with that guilt and tried to live through the mantra of 'Power and Responsibility' to become one of the greatest fictional heroes.
Another problem with this argument is that we already know the enormous coercion and personal threats against anyone who tried abandoning Lord Voldemort. Even though the POV in Book 1 is unsympathetic to those who said they had been tricked or deluded into following Lord Voldemort, we know from the weakness and cowardice of Peter Pettigrew that this was entirely possible. So the fact that Snape was willing to overcome this in order to try and save Lily's life deserves credit, especially since he believed that Dumbledore himself might kill him.
Ultimately, this argument comes down to damning someone forever because they were previously in the wrong, and assuming that people who have been brainwashed and deceived are equally as capable of leaving something wrong and doing something right. Sure, Snape did have prejudice against Muggles. There's no doubt that his allegiances were deplorable. But I simply don't understand why, even if someone dislikes Snape, he shouldn't get credit for not only leaving, but reversing all of his old prejudices.
Also, what's wrong with stopping hate because you love someone? That's a pretty good reason!
Agreed @mmlf.
The fact that Regulus' motives were called better over the Snape's despite being in same boat for turning when someone they loved was in danger, is the biggest hypocrisy of the Snaters.
Quote from Naaga on March 19, 2023, 4:26 amAgreed @mmlf.
The fact that Regulus' motives were called better over the Snape's despite being in same boat for turning when someone they loved was in danger, is the biggest hypocrisy of the Snaters.
This.
I don't hate Regulus; in fact, he's a character I like more than most. But the degree to which he's been elevated, despite having no lines other than the letter he wrote, is really, really weird.
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on March 19, 2023, 1:52 pmQuote from Naaga on March 19, 2023, 4:26 amAgreed @mmlf.
The fact that Regulus' motives were called better over the Snape's despite being in same boat for turning when someone they loved was in danger, is the biggest hypocrisy of the Snaters.
This.
I don't hate Regulus; in fact, he's a character I like more than most. But the degree to which he's been elevated, despite having no lines other than the letter he wrote, is really, really weird.
Exactly! They both joined the Death Eaters but they also both realised that the ideology was wrong and fought to stop Voldemort. Personally, I believe that the reason why some Marauders fans can forgive Regulas and not Snape is that fanon Regulas is portrayed as traditionally attractive whereas Snape is not. This is the same reason Sirius and Draco get whitewashed in fics, I believe.
