Young men/bad decisions (was Re: The "choosing evil" difference

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 126495


 
> SSSusan:
snip 
> Do you imagine he chose evil for more mundane reasons, or that his 
> family background rather predisposed him towards the path he took?  
> Or something else entirely?

Potioncat:
I'm not sure if I'm really answering this question. And I've never 
even heard of the other character Snape is being compared with in 
this thread. But what strikes me all of a sudden, is the comparison 
between Regulus Black and Severus Snape.

June 1978 Severus Snape graduates from Hogwarts (18 years old)
1980/81 ??? Regulus Black tries to leave DEs and is killed (19/20?)
1980/81 Severus becomes spy for Dumbledore (20/21?)
Sep/Nov 1981 joins Hogwarts staff (21 years old)

Regulus seems to have some respect from fandom because he died trying 
to leave the DEs. Although we know he was a DE, no one seems to think 
he was evil. Evidence is that he joined because of Pureblood ideology 
but didn't approve of everything LV stood for and hadn't realized 
what the DEs really planned to do. 

So why is Snape seen differently? Would he have been better recieved 
if he had died? It appears he also had a change of heart, or didn't 
fully understand what he was getting into in the first place. He 
could have come to the same conclusion as Regulus at the same time. 
Maybe some new part of LV's plan was announced and both young men 
knew it wasn't for them. Regulus, wearing his heart on his sleeve 
jumped up and said "I quit" Snape kept quiet. 

I suppose I'm saying we don't know that Snape was evil. We know he 
joined an organization that is evil, but we also know the full extent 
of its evil nature wasn't known at first. Did he join it because of 
what it offered him? What did it offer him? Or did he agree with 
restricting Muggle-born wizardry?

What is really apparant (all of a sudden) is how very young Snape and 
the Marauders were. But, isn't it always that way in wartime?

Potioncat