Quote from Dust Collector on July 14, 2024, 11:55 pm

Quote from Heatherlly on July 14, 2024, 9:12 am

Quote from Dust Collector on July 14, 2024, 1:50 am

As for the love and respect Severus has for Dumbledore... well, I agree with the respect, but speaking of love, I can't really see it there. That man treated him like trash for much too long, though that is only my personal opinion, and I do respect yours.

Oh, I absolutely agree that Dumbledore treated him like crap, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Severus didn't love him. The word itself is also highly subjective, though at the very least, Severus had a personal relationship/emotional ties with him that he didn't have with anyone else.

My overall point was that killing him must've been an extremely difficult thing to do, proof of how single-minded/determined Severus was by that point in the story. I can't see that Severus taking unnecessary risks, especially any type of substance abuse that might cloud his mind or dull his senses.

Well, killing anyone at all is bound to be extremely difficult for people with conscience, which we know Severus has in abundance.

And I agree 100% with your views of substance abuse during this time.

But then there is the time after Dumbledore's death. Or rather, the time period between Dumbledore's and Severus's death.

I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must've been on him. To be hated by 90% of the entire wizarding community. To have his former fellow house heads, with whom he had a good rapport, with whom he was friendly, turn on him and treat him like scum, all to ensure the great plan would come to fruition and as many students as possible would survive that time period... To know he was betraying the Malfoy family's friendship and trust in favour of people who hated him. To live under the impression his true allegiance and goals would never come to light and his memory would forever be spat upon and cursed...

I wouldn't wish it on anyone to go through this sober.

Quote from Heatherlly on July 15, 2024, 4:15 am

That was beautifully put.

I wouldn't wish for anyone to go through that sober either, but it's difficult to see him choosing to get drunk or high with so much still hanging in the balance. Would I want him to have that escape? Absolutely. I just don't see how it would be feasible in that situation given that he would've had to have been on guard 24/7.

Having said that, magic is a potential game changer, one I didn't think of before now. Is it possible that there was a potion that would immediately sober you up? I would think so, and it goes without saying that Severus would've known how to use it to his advantage. To me, that makes it much more believable… I can see him getting thoroughly drunk (or high) in his quarters at night, always with the "antidote" close at hand should he ever need to use it.

Quote from Sam on July 15, 2024, 11:54 am

Hard crystal meth, heroin, LSD and occasional pot. I would imagine he used to get baked with Pomona quite often since she grows all sorts of plants. They would partake in pot brownies which would help him forget about the pain or something. But jokes aside, I don't think he's the type to take any controlled substances, at least from what we have seen from the books and movies.