#catholic!snape

[maxdibert]

okay, yes, snape suffered a lot but he also made his students suffer a lot. do you know what it must have been like for all those kids to be constantly humiliated??? if you like comparing with real life so much, what would you think of a real adult who abuses their power to feel better at the expense of children??? snape fans always come up with all kinds of excuses, but when it comes to the topic of his abuse towards his students, you always stay silent, and that's because it has no forgiveness.

Severus’s role as a dysfunctional adult is honestly pretty amusing to me, especially because while I never experienced bullying from peers or equals, I grew up in an environment full of wildly dysfunctional adults. On top of that, I now work on legal cases involving even more dysfunctional adults. And, to make it even better, while my classmates never gave me grief, attending a private Catholic school in the 2000s meant teacher-on-student violence was pretty much a daily occurrence. Not just at school—I've also had some truly awful professors at university. So, I get firsthand what it’s like to have authority figures who are supposed to guide and protect you but act like an absolute pack of jerks.

Here’s an unpopular opinion: if I compare my personal experiences with dysfunctional adults and terrible teachers, Severus is practically a lamb. I’ve witnessed some insane things. There was a case at my school where a teacher bullied three siblings (in different grades) so badly that their dad came to the school and physically beat the teacher up. And honestly? The guy deserved it. I’ve seen old-school priests handing out slaps. I’ve had a teacher in his late 30s openly flirting with 17-year-old students. I’ve had teachers who didn’t just throw out a sarcastic remark—they flat-out called us “idiots,” “morons,” "dickheads", "assholes", “worthless,” or said things like, “You’re all going to end up mopping floors because you’re useless pieces of crap.” Fun times with Mr. Antonio.

There was one teacher who made students stand up one by one so he could critique their outfits in front of the entire class, piece by piece, like he thought he was Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Another handed out nicknames that were humiliating and outright cruel. Or that elementary teacher who also taught catechism and would call up children who were not going to take their First Communion (this happens at 8 or 9 years old) to the front of the class and publicly ask them why they didn’t want to embrace Jesus Christ. She would even ask if they thought their parents didn’t love them because they weren’t letting them do the same as their friends. Or the second-grade teacher who called a boy up to the board because he didn’t know a multiplication table very well and started singing a mocking song in Spanish that goes, “Fulanito tururú, que no sabe ni la u” (basically calling someone slow-witted).

Then there was the fourth-grade teacher (9-10yo) who had a particular grudge against one of my classmates and kept threatening to lock him in places or scaring him by saying he was going to throw him out the window. The English teacher, who, when we were 14 years old, locked us in a classroom, made us skip lunch, and kept us there without eating until 5 PM. The technology teacher, a 50-year-old man with a very hands-on approach towards the girls in first and second year of secondary school (12-13 yo). And I could go on and on.

So yeah, I’ve seen some wild stuff in classrooms, and trust me, you don’t need to explain the trauma bad teachers can cause—I’ve had my share of them. And none of it is going to make me like Severus any less. If anything, the stuff he does in the books feels like 1% of the madness I’ve seen play out in real life.

[sneverussape]

for @crocky-wock and @wanderusprince who wanted to see teenage choir boy severus and the malfoys being able to watch him by accident :) i’m so sorry it’s so sketchy but my life has been so busyyyy

bonus: sev getting ready

[wellpresseddaisy]

Saints for whom Snape has a particular fondness:

St. Joseph - the father who loved his child as his own despite the whole Son of God thing. I always thought Snape would take comfort there.

Mary - I don't think I know a Catholic who doesn't have any kind of personal connection to Mary. She's comfort and understanding and an intercessor in troubled times. Huh...I may have had enough vodka tonight to make a parallel between Eileen and Mary in re: their function in the Church and in Severus' life.

St. Joshua - the patron saint of spies and intelligence workers. I like to think Dumbledore (despite being raised in a hand-wavey Anglican sort of household) had a St. Joshua medal commissioned for Snape at some point.

St. Michael the Archangel -

O Michael of the Angels and the righteous in heaven, Shield thou my soul  With the shade of thy sword. Shield thou my soul  On earth and in heaven.

From foes upon earth, From foes beneath earth, From foes in concealment, Protect and encircle  My soul 'neath thy wing,   O my soul with the shade of thy wing. (I can see this being a bit of a ritual for Snape before heading into a DE meeting)

St. Jude Thaddeus - patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes. I feel like that one is a bit of a no-brainer

Now, though, I've made myself sad thinking of canon Snape dying with no one there to administer Last Rites.

Good thing there's fanfic!

[thesongthesoulsings]

When did this happen?! ^^

I´m glad so many of you enjoy the content and grateful for every likeminded individual!

[itsbansheebitch]

I feel like my brain was put in a washing machine, dude. There was a Christian Mystic who claimed she married Jesus (in spirit I think?) and that his foreskin was used for the wedding ring anyway all I'm saying is that Snapwives really weren't that bad

[wanderusprince]

Yess, this idea has always been at the back of my head.

But what happened to her body? Was there a funeral? Was she buried in the backyard? Was she left on the floor where she was killed and left like THAT until she started smelling? Did Tobias hid her inside a cupboard, nail the door shut and told Severus to never open it? Did Tobias burn her corpse, afraid that she could rise again since she’s a witch?

Did the Prince family even KNOWS that she died? Did anyone care that the bony Snape woman with a constant frown disappeared?

Was there a neighbour that came over when Tobias was out, asking little Sev where his mom is— not very close friend, but sometimes they spoke a few words to each other when Eileen was occasionally out and about, buying groceries or cleaning the front of the house? Was there Pastor who spotted Severus after months when he was running around with Lily, asking how his father and mother are, wondering why he never saw them in mass lately?

Did someone realise that the Snape boy was looking even less taken care of as time goes on? Did Tobias ever got drunk at the bar, got rowdy, and somebody told him ‘Oh, go back to your wife, Toby, you’re drunk’? Did Tobias ever told anyone what he did— the Pastor at the confessional, the bartender at the end of the night, the witch who picked up Severus to their school of demons?

I.. I just wonder sometimes, you know.

I head canon that Tobias killed Eileen in an alcohol fueled rage

[maluceh]

I love your art <3333 I was just wondering, do you have any headcanons about Lily's family? Or James's if you don't have any for her. Thank you! :)

i have plenty

she’s half irish (on her dads side)

i’m a firm believer in the lily evans did not have a perfect family agenda

her parents were a bit emotionally neglectful, cause they had to work a lot and she was off to school all year and when she was at home, it was pretty much empty

so she worked on the summers to earn extra money for her supplies and keep herself busy cause the house was too quiet

petunia and snape where the reasons why she got closed off to other people when she was 15, and feared people leaving her behind again

like SERIOUS abandonment issues

i love Derry Girls, so I think she definitely has an uncle Colm and an aunt Sarah.

Her mom is from the North of Mexico and she grew up there, spent a lot of time there before Hogwarts

She has a HUGE family from her mums side

and catholic guilt ^2

like seriously get that girl some help

[trippingontheescalator]

Snape Headcanons

He's bad at geography. Sure, he knows this super rare, obscure potion ingredient can only be found in this one area in Laos, but ask him to find Laos on a map he won't have a clue. There was a time he dreamed about seeing world, but he quickly realized he would never get the opportunity and so doesn't see any purpose in learning geography.

A lot of the Marauders' claims about him, like knowing curses as a first year, are exaggerated, but the one thing they're right about is Snape was very nosy. Part of it was because it was useful; knowledge is power, after all. He could trade gossip with his fellow Slytherins, or use it to keep one step ahead of the Marauders (or taunt them with it). But most of it is just his natural curiosity. He's a people watcher. He doesn't often understand people, is bad at human interaction, so he watches from a distance.

Severus knows half the first years think he's some sort of vampire and he revels in it. He knows exactly the kind of image he creates, dressing up in those long black, swishing robes, the spooky dungeons with the jars full of animal body parts. His taste is 33% Mad-Scientist-Run-Amuck, 33% Sad-Victorian-Boy-Dying-of-Tuberculosis, 33% Tacky-Post-Halloween-Discounted-Decor, and 1% Lucius's-Increasing-Despair-to-Make-Severus-Into-a-Functional-Human-Being.

In addition to potions and reading, Severus also does a lot of writing. He's been working on-and-off on a novel since he was fifteen. At this point, it's almost 500,000 words long. One of the few ways he's able to express his thoughts and feelings is through fiction. The main character was heavily based on Lily, especially in the early stages when they were still friends, but as he grew older he put more of himself into the character and now she's become the version of himself he wishes he could be. The night before he kills Dumbledore he burns the entire thing.

Severus knows the DADA position is cursed. Everyone knows it's cursed. He still asks to teach it every year because he also knows that it's the only way he can escape Hogwarts, and he's willing to risk death to do it.

His feelings for Lily have gone through the entire spectrum. At times, she was a sister to him, especially the years before Hogwarts. He used to be incredibly jealous of Petunia, wished he could be Lily's sibling and live in their house and have their parents. It became romantic as a young teenager, especially since she was the only person he felt safe enough with for his pubescent mind to fixate on and explore his budding sexuality. Later, as he became friends with the other Slytherins in his year, it was strictly platonic but nonetheless a very deep friendship. They were both trying to control the other, and Severus was especially worried that Lily would end up like Eileen if she gave into Potter's charms. After his failed apology, he grew angry and resentful and he tried very much to hate her (but he couldn't, not even after she married Potter). And then, after her death, it circled back around to brotherly. He liked to remember those early years best of all, and his devotion to a better cause after her death parallels that of Dumbledore's after Ariana died.

Look I know there's a lot of confusion about godparents, and HP didn't help by being coy about religion, but a godparent isn't a legally appointed guardian. Like, they definitely can be if the parents want that (as it appears to be the case with Sirius Black), but that's not the default. A godparent sponsors a child's baptism and is in charge of their spiritual upbringing, making sure they know their catechism, etc (hence the god part of godparent, its a Catholic/Anglican thing). And the most widespread religion in HP does seem to be Christianity with Christmas being celebrated and whatnot (though I do headcanon the purebloods have their own Druidic/Christian hybrid religion going on). With that being said-- Severus Snape is Draco's godfather. He's also Merula Snyde's godfather. And Pansy Parkinson's godfather. And, like, the godfather of 10 other kids of former Death Eaters. Severus Snape climbed the Death Eater ladder; he was one of Voldemort's favourites during the First War and these other Death Eaters were like, "Damn. I got to get on his good side. Please sponsor my child's baptism."

[momo-t-daye]

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got your scarf?" “The little asshole was whinging about being cold,” Sirius shrugged, unconcerned by the chilly evening air. “I thought he might gag himself but no luck yet.” “Huh,” said James.

“I still think it’s just a marketing ploy,” the little asshole swathed in woolen scarves said thoughtfully.  “Everyone knows he doesn’t sell firewhiskey to students and his butterbeer is near rancid, but once you’ve hiked all the way up here to check out the goat it’s almost a waste of time to not buy something.” “A giant goat is quite the statement given his, ah, past legal entanglements,” Narcissa said with the sort of obvious delicacy that teetered dangerously close to turning suggestive. “It really must be seen to be believed and the last few have hardly lasted any time at all.” “It looks so flammable,” Lily Evans gushed, bubbling with malicious anticipation. The best thing about the magical world, Lily maintained, was the sheer number of holiday traditions that eventually included lighting something on fire.  Her mother’s nerves had never been up for a proper Bonfire Night and Cokeworth’s Catholics weren’t the type to celebrate it either.

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got MY scarf?" “Because Evans said it was cold and you gave her your scarf to be gallant and she then handed your scarf over to him” Sirius replied, without any worries over his best friend’s apparent memory issues. “Right,” said James.

“He’s bound to have put up some anti-arson charms on this one after the fiasco with Dumbledore’s pet phoenix last year and inexplicable triple lightning strikes the year before,” Severus scoffed.  “If it’s properly phoenix-proofed— and I doubt the rest of Hogsmeade would allow him to put another goat up that wasn’t properly phoenix-proofed— we’d need a miracle to burn it down without being caught.” “We’ve got the blessings of tradition with us, Sev,” Lily replied. “Can’t you see? The goat must burn again!”

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got Remus’ scarf?" “Because I was foolish enough to take my scarf off inside and Snape picked it up and put it and just looked at me when I asked for my scarf back,” Remus interjected, slightly bitter at his ignoble defeat. “Gosh,” said James.

“Twice is hardly sufficient grounds to claim a tradition,” Narcissa opined. “Three is a far more magically significant number.” “So you’re saying it’s up to us to ensure the sacred fires once more hold back the darkness!” Lily said, full of pyromaniacal resolution. “I say it’ll take planning and proper intelligence gathering, neither of which I’m inclined to do while my mouth still tastes like something died in the Hog’s Head butterbeer barrels,” Severus sighed. “Let’s stop at the Three Broomsticks, Potter will buy us all a round of the special seasonal cinnamon spiced butterbeer, and we’ll work on preparations back at school.”

“Hey,” said James Potter.  “Why hasn’t Snape got—” “Unlike you all, I know better than to leave my clothes and stuff unattended in Snape’s vicinity,” Peter interrupted, smugly snug and cozy. “Oh,” said James. It really was quite cold.

_______

For an assortment @snapecelebration's Snoliday 2023 prompts

[maxdibert]

I once sat in an Catholic Studies lecture where a professor argued in all seriousness that Snape, by the end, was the most moral person in the entire series. He based his case on this passage:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:43-48&version=NIV

Snape’s the only character who comes close to ‘love thy enemy’, because he’s sacrificed his life and reputation in order to aid those who despise him or have failed him. Most of the other characters are fighting because the people they love are at risk. He shows genuine remorse, and genuinely seeks to do better. I don’t know that I wholly agreed with the professor, but it was a compelling case. If you’re a consequentialist, Snape did far far more good than evil. Saving lives > being a bitch to toads and their owners.

Having studied my entire basic education in a Catholic school, I can say that from a Christian-Catholic moral perspective—one based on repentance but especially on penance as key pillars for earning a place in Heaven and reaching God—Severus fits perfectly as the ultimate example of the stray sheep who returns to the flock. He is the prodigal son; he’s Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted and judged Christians but later became one of their most devoted followers.

From a purely Catholic viewpoint, Severus is the perfect acolyte because he embodies the teachings of Jesus, who always advocated for those who strayed from the path. In Catholic thought, there’s great reverence for those who make mistakes, choose the wrong path, but later find redemption. And it’s not just about changing one’s beliefs—it’s about taking a painful, thorn-filled path where suffering itself demonstrates one’s worthiness for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Severus doesn’t just repent; he imposes upon himself a life solely dedicated to atoning for his sins. He renounces any personal happiness or fulfillment in order to be considered worthy of returning to the “flock.” It’s a deeply Catholic figure, now that I think about it—something I hadn’t realized before, but it makes perfect sense. Maybe that’s why I find everything he does so justifiable? Probably because, even though I’m not a believer and never have been, I grew up in an environment where figures like Severus were held up as examples of unwavering willpower and strength of character.

Let’s not forget that Catholicism also praises humility and condemns arrogance. The humility of doing good deeds without seeking recognition is considered virtuous, while the arrogance of wanting to be seen as a hero is sinful. Jesus sacrifices himself on the cross under extreme torture—that’s the Catholic ideal of the martyr. Your sins are forgiven not only if you repent but also if you become penitent. Severus is the ultimate penitent figure, and I probably have a very biased view of this because of the environment in which I was raised.

I will always value the sheep that returns to the flock more than the one that never left, because the former is the one that needs help the most. That’s how I was taught—that Christ didn’t care for the rich or for those with intact morals; he sought out the poor, the accused, the sinners, because they were the ones who needed a guide.

The priests really brainwashed me, my God—but it definitely makes sense. You can take the girl out of the Catholic school, but you can’t take the Catholic school out of the girl.

[saintsenara]

more @hprecfest!

day seven: the best of your otp

the ballad of judas iscariot by eldritcher severus snape/lord voldemort mature | 2.9k words

why i recommend it:

having snapemort as your ultimate otp isn't for the faint of heart, but it means you get fics like this, featuring a brave, feral snape [weighed down by the long shadow of catholic guilt, real of him…] whose betrayal of voldemort actually means something, told in spare, beautiful prose.

[korpuskristae]

Writing a fic about Severus and it got me thinking, do you think Severus would’ve been religious?

I personally don’t think in his later life he’d be religious but I get the feeling he might’ve been raised religious. For example, someone else on here brought this up before but I can totally imagine when things get really bad, and I mean really bad, and he breaks down, he’ll drop to his knees and pray.

In my mind, he’d do it not because he was expecting it to help, but out of habit (his father was catholic and made him and his mother attend church), once he’s regained his senses, he’d feel weak and pathetic for attempting to ask for help from some mystical being he doesn’t even believe in. After peeling himself up off the floor, he’d probably end up feeling worse than before.

This has literally been torturing me!Please share your thoughts so I can get some ideas for this fic!!!

[newtscamandersbf]

harry potter takes place in britain and then theres little to no poc okayyy .. anyways heres my main poc hcs !! ^_^

pakistani james / potter family (culturally hindu) (fleamont was born & raised in britain while euphemias family is from pakistan & punjabi and she moved when she married him, her full name is euphemia yasam paracha)

⁠puerto-rican lily / evans family (not exactly white ?)

⁠pakistani-puerto rican harry (hindu, but practiced secretly @ the dursleys as theyre catholics) (bear with me)

⁠black hermione / granger family (specifically ghanaian father & somali mother, culturally muslim but not religious) (her and her parents were born in britan)

⁠mexican-irish ron / weasley family (irish weasleys & mexican prewetts, molly is a second generation immigrant and grew up around british wizardry. her parents immigrated to britain when they got married as young adults) (white but i felt like sharing this)

⁠iranian pansy / parkinson family (of iranian descent)

⁠blaise zabini is canonically black of 'italian' descent but specifically i hc him as shona (zimbabwe) of sardinian descent (both him and his mother were born in britain) (sardinia is part of italy but sardinians are a different ethnicity if youre wondering y i put 'italian' in quotes)

⁠wasian sev / snape family (british father & vietnamese mother) kay thx these r the main ones

[thesongthesoulsings]

Chapter 3 Glimpse of Us

The third chapter from Glimpse of Us (Severus Snape/Hermione Granger Fanfiction) is online!

[housewifemd]

What if instead of ex catholic Chase was ex snapewife and instead of praying when he did that baby autopsy he asked snape for advice

[danpuff-ao3]

Snarry-a-Thon 2021

Snarry-a-Thon is an annual fest of Snarry goodness that always brings so much creativity and joy in the Snarry community. I am forever blown away by how much talent and passion Snarry-lovers have. With that in mind, I wanted to create some special recs for a fest near and dear to my heart.

With that, here are my Top 5 picks for the 2021 fest! But first...

Disclaimer: my rec lists are created based on my personal experiences and preferences. There are plenty of other stories and authors who are quite good and deserve just as much love. This is not meant to be an objective “best of the best” list, but the subjective opinion of a longtime reader and fangirl.

Forever Yours, Severus

by maraudersaffair (@maraudersaffair). Rated: E. Words: 10,583. Pining. Curses. Sexual tension. Some humor. Fluff & smut. Love letters.

Severus is cursed and can't stop writing Harry love letters. Severus is nothing but cold and distant, so Harry is more than a little shocked when he learns his old professor has feelings for him.

In the Mist He Was Standing

by ImpulseFunWritinAnon. Rated: T. Words: 2,282.

Severus, a Catholic shepherd, starts to dream of a mysterious figure. He prays that the dreams go away.

Lost and Found

by JocundaSykes. Rated: E. Words: 38,646. Angst with a happy ending. Memory loss. Brief Harry/OMC.

Harry only has one New Year’s resolution: to move on from his life with Severus. The only thing Richard wants is for customers to stop disturbing him so that he can be alone with his books.

Reveal Your Secrets

by pluperfectsunrise. Rated: E. Words: 14,839. Bathing/washing. Some humor. And lots of feelings.

Harry Potter has a secret. The secret is how much—how very, very much—he would like to wash Severus Snape's hair.

Hawthorn Branches in Spring

by zalil. Rated: T. Words: 37,569. Hogwarts 8th year. Pre-slash.

Harry returns to Hogwarts to finish school properly and sit for his NEWTs. He doesn't expect Snape to be back teaching, nor their old animosity to resurface. When it is pointed out to him that he is responsible for it, he sets out to change their relationship for the better. The results have more of an impact on him than he expected.

Snarry-a-Thon 2021 Masterlist