Snape -- Why so many fans?

[Demelza]

No: HPFGUIDX 25628

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "*Lilith Morgana*" <lilith_snape at h...> 
wrote:
> In my case it's because he's not like Lupin or Black! Let's face 
it, 
> if we look back into the past and the Hogwarts days for those lads, 
> what do you see? Myself I can easily imagine Potter & co being the 
> Popular Crowd, while Snape and his Slytherins are the Bad Ones. We 
> see it all the time in schools- the Good ones wouldn't recognise 
> their own cruelty towards the less popular if it hit them between 
the 
> eyes! We know James and Sirius always hanged out together, and I 
get 
> the feeling they were the kind of kids who could get away with 
pretty 
> much everything because they're charming, witty and good-looking. 
> Which leaves Severus as a complete looser, being greasy, nasty and 
> probably bound to defend himself with darks arts. 

I think you're underselling Snape. I don't think Snape was 
a "complete looser". According to the canon, he came to Hogwarts 
knowing more curses than a 7th year. Furthermore, he hung out with a 
group of Slytherins (most of whom became Death Eaters). 

Dumbledore in SS/PS tells Harry that Snape and James had a 
relationship very much like Harry's and Draco's: antagonistic. The 
origins of that antagonism haven't been completely revealed. Maybe it 
was a combination of things. Maybe Snape referred to Lily and the 
other Muggle-borns as  "mud-bloods". There has been bad blood between 
the Snape and Potter families for generations.

> 
> Sirius Black treated Severus Snape awfully in school- now this is a 
> canon fact. He doesn't even seem to regret this, he's still going 
on 
> with his "it served him right, the little bastard"-theory. You 
don't 
> have to have been bullied in school to realise that Sirius must 
have 
> been a s-h-i-t, to put it mildly. Putting someone's life in danger 
> isn't something you do for fun, it's bloody serious! Not every 
> puberty lad would be so darn stupid, but Sirius was and Severus 
> became the victim of this idiocy. Yes, he might have deserved to 
get 
> scared in theory, but not in reality, and not by a werewolf! I 
don't 
> even need canon proof to know that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter 
> were allowed to make fun of others, and get credit for it- not out 
of 
> pure evilness, but because they could. Everybody would still love 
> them, they were the Golden Boys. If I were in school with this 
gang, 
> I wouldn't only have hated Black and Potter, I would also most 
likely 
> have been bullied by them.  
> 

Snape still holds a grudge against Sirius and Lupin. "Letting it 
slip" that Lupin was a werewolf wasn't an accident IMO. Snape admits 
that he protested Dumbledore's decision to hire Lupin. From what the 
canon reveals to us, the adult Lupin has been discriminated against 
due to his condition. The Hogwarts job was one of the few 
opportunities he's had and the adult Snape destroyed Lupin's chances 
of permanent employment at Hogwarts and elsewhere. That's a pretty 
malicious thing to do.

> 
> Last, but not least, Severus is damn funny! Come on, admit that you 
> would have laughed as much as the Slytherins when he read the Harry-
> article aloud in front of the class in GoF if we weren't supposed 
to 
> feel sorry for Potter? I cannot have been the only one who found 
his 
> remark "dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now?" funny! If we 
> forget about his victims, Severus is actually entertaining in every 
> detail- even the "I see no difference" comment is a delight said to 
> another person. 
> 

Actually, I was horrified at the lack of Snape's professionalism. 
Same goes for the insults he throws at Neville. But professionalism 
aside, his comment to Hermione was appallingly malicious. No adult 
should treat a child with that kind of contempt. Furthermore, it's a 
double shame on Snape if he is the victim of bullying as you state 
because he of all people should know the sting of victimization. His 
behavior, therefore, lend credence to the the cycle of violence 
theories and it's unfortunate he doesn't have the character to stop 
that cycle. 

Demelza