sunlit_music | Musings on Severus and Lily, part deux

Valid Criticisms of Severus Snape

- That he was racist. He called Lily a mudblood. If he didn’t want her to get hurt by Slytherins as a result of trying to defend him, he could have said “I don’t need your help, you creep!” (or he could have called her another non bigoted slur). He dismissed Lily’s concerns over the Slytherins doing something horrible to Mary McDonald. It took him SWM to finally apologise to Lily. By then, it was too late.

- That his becoming a Death Eater was monstrous and reprehensible. Obviously.

- He was a bully. Period. He bullied and humiliated Neville and Harry (this is especially reprehensible, because Neville and Harry are children. He’s abusing his power as a teacher by bullying them). He said he “saw no difference” when Hermione’s teeth had been lengthened in GOF. He ordered around Peter Pettigrew and humiliated him. This is still disgusting and inexcusable. Even though Severus has been bullied by Peter. It doesn’t matter whether you’re bullying someone who bullied you in the past or not. Bullying is still a form of abuse. It is always wrong, no matter who does it or who you’re bullying.

- He’s narrow minded in his own way. He can’t bring himself to see that Harry is different from James.

- His blatant favouritism towards Slytherin House is obscene. Understandable, given Dumbledore’s disgusting favouritism towards Gryffindor? Yes. But still inexcusable.

- He’s a verbally abusive teacher. Seriously, his put downs and insults of non Slytherin students are way out of line.

- He can be selfish. Like when he riffles through Harry’s belongings in DH and rips the part of the photo with Lily in it.

Valid Criticisms of Lily Evans

- I was seriously disturbed when Lily dismissed Snape being upset about James bullying him. She should have offered sympathy when Severus was talking about this (mind you, Snape should have also offered sympathy re: Mary McDonald being bullied, instead of writing it off).

- Lily didn’t ask Snape whether he was feeling OK when she found out about James had rescued him in the Shack. This is plain unfeeling and bizarre. If I had found out that a friend of mine was in danger and had been rescued, I would have ran to them asking, “Are you feeling OK?”

- She left Severus to be bullied by James after he called her a Mudblood. Ordinary teen behaviour? For some teens, yes. Admirable? Hardly. A truly decent person would have rescued him from James (performed Finite Incantatem, docked House points from Gryffindor, called a teacher in to stop the bullying). She had every right to break off her friendship with Snape due to his racism. But nobody, including her, should have left him at James’ mercy. James hexed Snape and removed his wand. That’s the equivalent of attacking someone and disarming them. He then fills Snape’s mouth with soap. Disgusting.

Finally, he removes Severus’ underpants and exposes Severus’ private parts to other students. That’s a form of indecent assault.

- Lily scoffing at the tastelessness of Petunia’s vase. For goodness’ sake! Petunia was trying to reach out to her.

- Seductivedark mentions how Lily made excuses for Severus’ use of the term "Mudblood", when it was applied to anyone but her. (Lily’s mentioned this after Severus apologised to her after SWM). This could be interpreted in two ways: Either Lily wasn’t bothered by the slurs until Severus directed them at her. Or she *was* bothered by them, but Severus calling her a mudblood was the last straw.

More speculation:

Lily called Peter Pettigrew “Wormy”. So, does she know Lupin was a werewolf? Because if she does, then that means she could have known that Sirius led Severus to the tunnel. If she knew about this and never apologised to Snape, then that puts her in a disturbing light.

On different discriminations and dangers faced

Lily and Severus were in danger in different ways. Severus risked being physically assaulted (possibly killed) by Death Eaters and other Slytherins if he sided with Lily – he’s not a pureblood, after all. He was witnessing domestic violence at home – his father might have abused him, too. He was in danger of being physically assaulted (hexed) by the marauders. He would have continued to have been in danger after he left school if he sided with Lily (that doesn’t excuse his racism, though).

Severus would have encountered discrimination during and after school as a Slytherin. Slytherin is a hated house, after all. He also might have been passed over for jobs. Or he would have been treated worse than others, as a working class man and as a half blood.

And Lily? She would always be in more danger than Severus, as a Muggleborn. Randomneses has said this before, and I wholeheartedly agree. Severus can ‘pass’ as a wizard, as he’s a half blood. Lily? Can never pass, in the eyes of bigots. She’s muggleborn.

She won’t experience discrimination from poverty or her House (she’s middle class and a Gryffindor. Severus is a working class Slytherin). But she would have experienced discrimination for being a woman, and for being Muggleborn. People would have doubted her fitness to do magic, or passed her over for jobs or promotions due to her being muggleborn, or the fact that she’s female. She was in danger of being attacked and killed by Death Eaters.