Severus and Primary School
Let's talk about Severus' childhood.
Do you all think Severus went to primary school?
We know from books that children from wizarding families were often educated at home by their parents.
I don't think this is the case for Severus because of his dysfunctional family and I don't belive Eileen was psychologically stable for her son's upbringing (in my headcanon she suffers from depression).
So we would have seen in the second half of the 1960s a little Severus attend the Primary School at Cokeworth❤️
What kind of child would he have been at school?
I imagine him quiet, shy, introverted and studious.
In my heart as a pedagogue, I hope he met teachers who supported him as much as possible, understanding that he had a difficult family situation.
From the beginning, little Severus will have studied and done his homework on his own, without help from anyone, demonstrating from an early age his profound intelligence.
A small but.
What if he attended the same school as Lily, but they were enrolled in two different sections? ❤️
A side note: I hope that in those early years he was not bullied for his unkempt clothing, because the class was from a lower class background and therefore it was normal to meet boys with threadbare clothes.
I think it may have been possible that he went to primary school, but if that was the case, there is a much higher chance that he was bullied due to his appearance (Petunia knew him by sight, and she commented on his clothes, which she believed belonged to his mother). He would have developed additional prejudice towards Muggles if this was the case, and it's likely that he would have stopped attending.
I think there was a high chance he was also bullied or ignored by other kids thus fueling his anti-muggle sentiments.
I think Tobias would've wanted for him to keep attending primary school and keep being Normal and he would've attended till he went to Hogwarts.
I don't think teachers paid much attention to him because teachers of that era weren't taught to recognise or handle the likes of abused kids.
Quote from Naaga on July 11, 2023, 2:12 pmI think there was a high chance he was also bullied or ignored by other kids thus fueling his anti-muggle sentiments.
I think Tobias would've wanted for him to keep attending primary school and keep being Normal and he would've attended till he went to Hogwarts.
I don't think teachers paid much attention to him because teachers of that era weren't taught to recognise or handle the likes of abused kids.
One other thing to add, and someone in the UK can correct me on this if I'm wrong, is that the UK at that time was much more rooted in classism, and someone who looked like Snape and who lived in a disreputable part of town would be disregarded more than someone of a more respectable class.
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on July 11, 2023, 2:15 pmQuote from Naaga on July 11, 2023, 2:12 pmI think there was a high chance he was also bullied or ignored by other kids thus fueling his anti-muggle sentiments.
I think Tobias would've wanted for him to keep attending primary school and keep being Normal and he would've attended till he went to Hogwarts.
I don't think teachers paid much attention to him because teachers of that era weren't taught to recognise or handle the likes of abused kids.
One other thing to add, and someone in the UK can correct me on this if I'm wrong, is that the UK at that time was much more rooted in classism, and someone who looked like Snape and who lived in a disreputable part of town would be disregarded more than someone of a more respectable class.
I agree that he faced classism by muggles in primary school and his neighbourhood. I think part of the reason he took to blood purism because it felt pretty good as payback for all classism he suffered at muggle hands.
I can clearly picture in my mind Severus trying to wizard in school. It's not a headcannon but it comes close.
I could see Eileen placating his mistreatment by stating that he is a wizard, the muggles will never understand him and Severus accepting that he will never be part of muggle world. He probably spent most of the time trying to get ahead in his magical education, collecting frogs from creeks, plants and flowers from nearby gardens or playgrounds to concoct potions that he's read from his mother's book. Knowing that other magical families will probably have more of a headstart and not wanting to be left behind.
He would be that weird kid that everyone talks about and stays away from because his accidental magic would lash at them if they step too close to him. Severus probably lost some battles growing up with the muggles but got back at them eventually. Already as a teen we see he stands up for things he believes him, so I think that stemmed from the faith he had in himself to be able to change a situation in the muggle world that he otherwise wouldn't have been able to if he didn't have magic.
I can see him being hardheaded and refusing to do anything the muggle way. Probably brought traditional quills to class, and used superior parchment. To the teachers, he probably is seen as intelligent but a bit outdated. I think saying this, he may have chosen to ostracize himself when he caught whiff that he was being looked down upon. Better to not have hope in a world that would never accept him.
I can see it now.
Severus Snape. The Dark Luna Lovegood of his town. XD
If I'm not mistaken, then school attendance is compulsory for all children who have reached the age of 5(?) In the UK, in that case, Snape would have no other choice but to attend. That doesn't mean he would do so willingly. He probably was bullied among the muggles just as badly as with the Marauders. The kids probably thought his clothes odd not only because they are dirty and threadbare but why the hell is this boy wearing women's clothes?
I also highly doubt that the teachers liked him. Teachers nowadays tend to act all friendly and caring (cause nowadays it is very easy to watch them via cameras or perhaps their students may record any unprofessional behavior) but I highly doubt that was the case in the 60s. For one, corporal punishment was still a thing back then and I imagine that a school in the poorer parts of town would be overcrowded, resulting in a moody and stressed teacher who would make quick use of the ruler to get the necessary obedience from their students.
I even imagine his family having a bad reputation in the neighborhood. Eileen probably did suffer a great culture shock among those muggles and probably stood out noticeably. Kids could have heard their parents gossip about the Snapes and they would parrot their parents' judgemental behavior.
Snape is also a little snobbish about being a wizard and his schoolmates probably did not enjoy being called "mugs" by him..no matter how strange that insult sounds.
