this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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[โ€“] [email protected] 53 points 8 months ago (3 children)

He was also vindictive and a bully

I formed the impression that James Potter and his gang were the real bullies, and Snape is a tragic character traumatized by their bullying.

[โ€“] [email protected] 54 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Yes, but then he went on to be an adult bullying children.

[โ€“] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

The book strongly implies that Snape turns into a horrible person as a direct consequence of James Potter's bullying. He seems to be a nice kid before that.

[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago

Do you honestly think hed be able to keep undercover if he didnt act like a slytherin asshole?

[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

Oh wow, you found my epitaph.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Maybe it was an act he had to play

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

In the scheme of the books, yes. He was a main antagonist for a while. In terms of his character, to what end did he have to act like a total dick to a child? No, he's just a salty bitch.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Remember that we see this scene through Snape's memories - something wizards are able to distort to varying degrees.

It may well be that we aren't seeing the full story. It is revealed later that tit-for-tat behaviour was quite common to the both of them.