#not pro sverus but not completely anti sverus either

[lupuslikethewolf]

We see him calling out Phineas for calling Hermione a mudblood. I'm also curious to know how true what Lily said is. Severus doesn't deny it, nor does he say it's true either.

okay so apparently i am now talking about snape to procrastinate revising for my gcses so please keep it coming chemistry makes my brain hurt!! (send help. or a hitman. im not picky.)

just a warning: this is a long post, sorry :D

Yes, we do see him calling Phineas out for referring to Hermione as 'mudblood'! According to tone and language, it is Snape talking, as Dumbeldore tends to talk in a more fantastical, upbeat and softly condescending way and we have no indication of any other portrait saying anything.

And now Snape stood again in the headmaster’s study as Phineas Nigellus came hurrying into his portrait. “Headmaster! They are camping in the Forest of Dean! The Mudblood--” “Do not use that word!” “--the Granger girl, then, mentioned the place as she opened her bag and I heard her!”

But! It is important to take into consideration the fact that this moment takes place during the time of the books, not during the 70s/Maruaders Era, which was when the incident with Lily takes place.

According to Snape's story, by this point he had actively been working as a spy to dismantle the Death Eaters (DEs) for years now, and in this discussion we are taking this as an objective action not including any interpretations of motivation and reasoning. So if we compare this moment to the 'mudblood' incident, we are comparing pre- and post-redemption arc Snape, which is always an interesting comparison and I could write a whole fucking essay and a half (note to self: write snape essay and call it english lit revision) on that topic, but what I was doing was talking specifically about pre-redemtion arc young!snape and his actions.

Basically, yes he did, and my original post isn't trying to discredit that, because the whole point is that by the time we actually meet Snape he has gone through his redemption arc and is actively working against the DE/Blood Supremacy movement, which shows his growth and development as a character! It shows that, at the very least, he has grown out of mindlessly perpetuating anti-muggle and anti-muggleborn ideology using rhetoric that has been historically blatantly racist (though i blame J*R for that one).

Regarding your second point, I think we have to do a bit of a dive into each character's personality and situation at that point in time to understand what went on in that conversation:

Lily Evans has historically been the person to see the best in Severus at each point in time. She is willing to stand up for both herself and Severus (i.e. against James) but that hasn't stopped her from noticing Severus' growing facination with the Dark Arts and his budding relationships with Blood Supremacists/Death Eaters (Lucius, Mulciber, Avery, and canon!Evan Rosier). Lily is smart and witty, brave and compassionate, and definitely outspoken. She would not shy away from speaking her mind and saying what she sees, especially in front of someone she has known and been best friends with for years, whether they are arguing or not.

Severus Snape, on the other hand, is quiet and reclusive and an introvert (same bro). He only really seems to let himself be himself around Lily. However, he is also not afraid to fight back, and he definitely has no qualms about 'holding his tongue' or not saying what he is thinking, i.e. first meeting James, where his initial reaction was to call Gryffindor the House of the Himbo ['sure, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy']. But his main motivation is to stay with Lily. Whether this is platonic or romantic or obsessive is up to interpretation (personally I think it was obsessive, but it only started to become so after Lily's death, because of grief and the stress of war).

Thinking about this, he would never outright admit to Lily that he is a Blood Supremacist and she is his 'exception to the rule' because he is smart enough to know it would not go down well for him. But he also doesn't want to lie to her and deny it because (a) she wouldn't really believe him and (b) he doesn't really lie unless it is under Dumbledore's instruction or as part of his work as a spy, though feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Also, Lily Evans wouldn't tell an outright lie about Severus to Severus' face. She is also too smart for that, and she has spent years seeing the best in Severus, and likely still wants to which is why she went to speak with him.

It does a disservice to each character to think they will lie to each other, even at this moment.

I hope this helps you see my thought process here, and how I interpret the character! I'd love to see other people's responses and interpretations, but please don't scream at me.