#the contrast of him with Severus? whether as friends or lovers?

[vintageseawitch]

it's funny to me how certain hyperfixations seem to start: all of a sudden, like a damn avalanche, because my new extremely passionate obsession with Lucius Malfoy has kind taken me by surprise - not necessarily because i've been okay with him being portrayed as pure evil or truly redeemed or completely ridiculous or just out for himself in fic (any if these worked since other characters were my main focus anyways), but rather because he's blond lmao

[senadimell]

Morality and Motivation part 2

See, I wonder what let James and Sirius have empathy for Remus and not Severus. Not later down the road, not after they’d fought and established a rivalry. I mean from the beginning. Why do they choose a werewolf? Why does Sirius hate the Dark Arts? Why does James? (I think those started out as very different reasons) Conversely? Why does Harry befriend a blood traitor?  I don’t think the answer is “they are lovers of fairness who fight prejudice wherever they see it.” Let’s contrast the train scene from the Marauders’ era with Harry’s era:

We know what happened for Harry: He’d gone from a position of being bullied constantly and only wearing only cast-off clothes, only to be shown kindness and protection from Hagrid. He meets someone who reminds him of his cousin, whose words and impression say 'I’m better than other people. I have more stuff than them. There is such a thing as “trash,” and I don’t think they should be allowed to go to Hogwarts.’ Who does that sound like to him? I don’t want to downplay the power of Harry’s empathy and kindness. But at the same time, Draco’s words characterize him as someone like Dudley, and his recent elevation of status to a high-ranking wizard of fame, class breeding, and wealth,  is new. Those are three things he never protecting him while growing up. Harry didn’t forget that. So who didn’t talk down to him or make him feel inferior for not knowing anything? Ron. When Malfoy insulted Ron, who was he unknowingly insulting? Harry. Malfoy didn’t know about Harry’s upbringing, and didn’t know how arrogant he came off. He was probably raised to think of arrogance as desirable (something we still see in society today).

This isn’t an excuse. But Harry didn’t just defy injustice based on abstract terms. There were personal motivations because he knew what it was like to be on the bottom. 

Snape was switching worlds just like Harry, but unlike Harry, he didn’t suddenly inherit fame and fortune. He wanted everything to be magically better. He wanted to go to his mother’s house. He probably saw Hogwarts as a place to escape his upbringing (and we know there was likely bullying from the way Petunia reacts to him.) The text implies Snape’s of low social class and standing. Petunia was not even willing to be friends with him because of his class background. He’s looking for the group that will accept him and bring him out of that ignominy. 11-year-old Snape also has the prejudice of his upbringing (Gryffindor means brawn over brains). Who is he going to reject? (Trick question, he’s never considered worthy enough to be extended a handshake in this scene, unlike Harry)

So why did James and Sirius accept Remus and not Snape?  (This will be less about why they accepted Remus and more on why they rejected Snape) 

This is harder since we don’t have much text to go off of. Sirius was a rebel: did he befriend James as an act of familial defiance? Was it because James initiated it? It was clearly James first and not Remus. James even had the advantage of being a rich pureblood, but one opposed to Black ideology. I don’t think any stance he took was purely for moral reasons. Personally, I think James and Sirius got along swimmingly from the moment they met. They had a similar sense of humor, and Sirius wouldn’t have offended James’ sensibilities because he clearly wasn’t in love with his family mentality. Snape said he wanted to go to Slytherin. Was that why Sirius hated him? I see Sirius as initiating the Snape rivalry: Snape seemed like his family, someone who was into the Dark Arts and blood purity and whatever else. 

(As an aside, why do people take Hagrid’s words with a grain of salt—Hufflepuffs are a load of duffers, every wizard who went bad was in Slytherin, etc—but not Sirius’? We’re taking his word for a lot of the bad stuff Snape did at school. What does being knee deep in the dark arts mean? )

When discussing his reasons for disliking Severus, Sirius doesn’t call him a bully or anything like that to justify his actions. He calls him “the little oddball.” I know Snape was involved in unsavory magic by the time he finished high school, and I know he wasn’t some misunderstood angel. He probably hurt people too. (Though not enough for Lily to use it against him after he’d insulted her. You’d think she’d use her strongest ammo there, but him hurting other people isn’t mentioned. Only that he uses racial slurs. Still a horrible thing, don’t get me wrong. But he’s not just jinxing people left and right, at least not where she can see). But Sirius’ use of phrase suggests that his dislike wasn’t from Snape, the bully. That’s only how we see him after he gets power, as a teacher. 

It’s because of Snape the oddball. “It’s more of the fact that he exists.” He’s weird, thinks Slytherin is good—which means he’s like my family. He thinks he’s better than everyone. He’s just as crazy as all of them. But Sirius also doesn’t treat him like an equal—note how Draco and Harry refer to each other as Malfoy and Potter, as equals, even if they’re rivals. What does Sirius call Snape? The little oddball. Snivellus. He’s not only mocking, but dismissive. Sirius is a pretty open-minded guy on some fronts, but his upbringing stays with him—some people, whether by actions or birth, are inherently lesser. He’s the one who mentions you can judge someone by how they treat their lessers, but who does he consider his lesser? I can name two, Kreature and Snape. Don’t get me wrong—there are valid reasons he detests them. But the way Harry treats his enemies and lessers is different. He still treats them with respect, though. Even Lockhart. (Harry doesn’t really see people as lesser, for one thing, though he doesn’t exactly see Dobby or Colin as equals until later. He seems to categorize the world by friendship-familial distance to him rather than in a hierarchy).

On top of that, Severus has an air of someone who’s “passing,” trying to move his way up when he wasn’t born with what he needed to do so naturally. There’s a trope of the greasy little follower who doesn’t have the right or privilege to be on top, but is always kissing up to power. Wormtail comes to mind from the series (I think the primary example is Gríma Wormtongue). Snape’s not only subscribing to Sirius’ family political stance, but he’s a poser as well, and seems weak. This is confirmed when Lily’s the one who stands up and leaves. (Yes, I think Sirius would know “Snape” is not an old wizarding name, and yes, I do think he’s capable of simultaneously rejecting his family while assuming some of their prejudices, an yes, I do think 11-year-old Sirius in the 70s would think a girl standing up for you when you couldn’t defend yourself made you weak). 

As for Lupin, he has none of that coding. I do think James was raised to be kind to people, and to be accepting. I would love to know more about why he lacks the wizard prejudice against werewolves. I also want to know what Remus brought to the table: He’s not a prankster, and seems quiet enough. What was their “mountain troll moment?” 

I think it’s common to love your friends and hate your enemies, and to see the harm that befalls your friends as unfair but what befalls your enemies as just punishment. Harry sees Draco like that. Heck, I felt that way about Snape the first time I read PoA when he didn’t get Order of Merlin.