#can be considered mudbloods

[seriousbrat]

to add on lily’s flaws she also believes james and the marauders rather than severus (which is just bad writing imo) and she tells him to be grateful james saved his life, she also who quickly bites back once you annoy her, she also gave cheeky answers to slughorn when he suggested she could’ve been in slytherin, (i personally hate her sm for her trying to tell severus he should be grateful to james would like to hear your opinions) but yes even her, a briefly mentioned character, is very flawed!

tbh my feeling is more that she just believed a rumour that was going around the school rather than having heard it directly from james. idk obviously we dont know. but teenage girls (and boys) often believe rumours. not that weird. I actually think she wouldn't have believed it coming directly from James given how she acts towards him in SWM, but if the school generally seems to agree that it happened then it's more believable.

re: her telling Sev he should be grateful, I've talked about this before (I think in that very post about lily's flaws) but I don't read it as "you should forgive james for everything he's done" but just this kind of desperate, naive "can't we all just get along and stop fighting" sentiment. it's still not a great thing to say, absolutely it's insensitive and tactless.

however it's always interesting to me how Snape people despise Lily for that singular comment (like that's the worst thing anyone could do lol) when Sev is pretty atrocious to her in that conversation too. He completely dismisses her feelings-- like how is Lily saying he should be grateful any worse than him writing off what Mulciber did to Mary as 'just a laugh'? Sev literally ignores her because he's too focused on his hatred towards the Marauders to hear his muggleborn friend's very valid concerns about the death eater wannabes he's hanging out with.

I don't think it's fair to hold Lily to a different standard than Sev, that's my opinion. If she's insensitive towards her best friend then god is he ever. and idk teen friendships are often like that- immature. they have yet to mature

they are so dysfunctional lol. and i love them for it personally!

[i314flix]

— PART ONE, PART TWO.

the one where the thought of someone liking you romantically has never crossed your mind, much less being liked by your own crush, sirius black, who proves to you that all your doubts are nonsense.

pairing: sirius black x fem!reader

word count: 3k

rating: PG-15

content: fluff, established relationship au; gryffindor!reader

warning/s: mentions of being insecure, low self-esteem

opening note. it took a whole year for me to finish writing this part two lmao, but for the readers who got to read part one way back, i hope y’all like this!

Being seen with Sirius—and frequently, might you add—indeed became the talk of the town for the first few days.

As soon as the news spreaded, Iris and Martha, your close friends, interrogated you endlessly inside your shared room at the dormitory, asking a bunch of questions that ranged from how did Sirius confess and what did you feel for the aforementioned guy.

They labeled themselves as ridiculous and as oblivious as you were when they realized that all the gestures that Sirius has been doing in all the times they accused him of liking Iris were actually directed to you. They apologized, for not seeing it themselves and for not thinking of you as the person Sirius liked, and told you that they were going to be happy and supportive of you as long as they saw that you were happy too and that Sirius treated you well.

When your Hogsmeade date came, you spent the whole day just getting to know Sirius. Turns out, he was more well-mannered than you thought. He was a gentleman; he opened doors for you, offered to pay for everything, was the one who ordered your meal, stood up whenever you wanted to follow up something from the counter, and carried your bag when you bought some sweets from Honeydukes.

But what you liked most about him now was how he seemed genuinely interested in you and whatever that happened in your life. He made it apparent that he really was keen on discovering more about who you really were, from your hobbies, to your favorite things, and where you grew up.

“My parents… I don’t know if you’ve heard it from somewhere,” you began as you walked with him back to the path that led back to the Hogwarts castle, “but they’re, uh, Muggles. So, that means—”

“You’re Muggleborn,” Sirius supplied for you, appearing not even the slightest bit bothered by the fact. “And you don’t have any siblings, do you?”

You answered him, quite confused that he didn’t dwell too much on your revelation, but chose to drop it for now. “None.”

“Ah, so that makes you the only witch in your family.”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “uh, does that sound okay?”

He glanced at you with a quirk of his eyebrow. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know. You’re a Pureblood, and you come from an excellent line of wizards.”

“You have a point,” he said, still nonchalant as ever, “but I’m… well, you can say I’m a bit different from them. I mean, to start it off, I’m a Gryffindor.” He chuckled. “Plus, I’ve moved out from my home decades ago.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “I live with James over the summer. His parents treat me as their own. Nicest couple, the Potters.”

“Wow. I never knew.”

“Well, being a teenage runaway and an outcast in my own family isn’t exactly something I should be proud of.”

You both laughed.

You were relieved to find out that there was no issue about you being a Muggleborn, especially since as stated, he came from a family of impressive and some well-known wizards who—from what you remembered—believed that being a Pureblood was equivalent to being practically royalty in the wizarding world.

Even if you knew that he wasn’t like that to begin with, there was still some doubt in your mind that perhaps his mindset is the same as theirs, considering that you’ve been a victim of prejudice over the years you studied in Hogwarts and was even called a Mudblood by a Pureblood student when you surpassed them on an exam in second year.

So, to have a confirmation right now was great. You were happy to hear from him that he didn’t have any problem with it, unlike some people who you’ve caught muttering to themselves about how Sirius could associate himself with a person like you, which inevitably led to some insecurities building up.

“Do you reckon I can get away with taking you out again next week?” asked Sirius once you were back in the Gryffindor common room, stopping before you where you stood at the last step of the stairs leading to the girl’s dormitory.

Your eyebrows rose. “There’ll be a next time?”

“Yes. If that’s okay with you,” he said with a patient smile. “Or did I read the signals wrong and you actually hated spending time with me today?”

“Don’t be foolish. I didn’t hate it.”

“You didn’t?”

“Not one bit.”

“Then how did you like it?” He was suddenly doing it again, that thing he does wherein he moves closer to you and you were bound to move away because of shyness, but somehow at this instance, you couldn’t command your feet to do its usual response.

“Hm?”

“Was it nice?” He continued, a hand now placed on the stairs’ handrail, leaning towards it. “Was it okay? Was it average? Would you ever want to be with me again?” He was teasing, it was evident on his big smile and his mischievous expression.

“I think you already know the answer to that.” You frowned cutely.

“Oh, I really don’t.”

“Sirius…”

“Tell me what you think,” he urged, tone gentle.

There were girls from your house walking down the steps, seeing the scene of Sirius gazing at you and you looking flustered playing in front of them. They hushed among themselves, glancing at you in envy, and you felt your cheeks burn at the attention.

“It was nice.” You told him finally.

“Just nice?”

“Wonderful,” you corrected.

He nodded solemnly, waiting.

“And I’d like to do it again sometime.”

He grinned. “That’s more like it. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

You smiled down at the floor. “As if I was going to say something else.”

He lifted your chin up so that your eyes could meet. “Still, I like hearing it come from your lips.”

Before you went upstairs to your room, Sirius reached for your hand and kissed the back of it, winking at you and then heading to the boy’s dormitory.

For the following weeks, the both of you were consistently hanging out and going on dates. It reached a point wherein your respective friend groups were starting to merge. It was either Martha and Iris who were going to be with you two, while anyone from Sirius’ own friends tagged along and joined the party as well.

You were naturally growing more comfortable with Sirius day by day. You even allowed him to hold your hand by the third date. He has stolen a few kisses on your forehead and cheek, and has laid his head on your lap whenever you were in the Gryffindor common room, Sirius sometimes getting your hand and placing it gently on his hair, asking if you would stroke it as he tried to take a nap.

Everything was going at such a smooth and great pace.

Sirius was great. His friends were great. What you were feeling for him was getting stronger.

The only problem was the bitter people who had no business having a say in your blooming relationship.

You knew you shouldn’t mind them, but it was hard when you could hear students whispering about you in classes and during breaks, always going on about how someone like you didn’t seem to be a good fit for Sirius, either in deep belief that Purebloods shouldn’t date Muggleborns or that you were far too quiet and timid to be a wonderful match for the ever so magnetic Sirius Black.

You couldn’t agree more, to be frank. However, your greediness and happiness were what mattered to your most in situations like these that you managed to fade those comments out.

That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt though.

Or influenced you to sometimes see yourself in a harsher light.

“I knew you’d still be here,” Sirius spoke from behind you, a quick kiss being planted on your temple before he took the spot next to you on the sofa.

It was past midnight, and you were still working on an essay for History of Magic. You promised Sirius an hour or two ago that you weren’t going to stay up too late, but you haven’t been adding any new paragraphs to your essay because of your overthinking, so that meant you also haven’t reached your personal quota that was made in the first place to prevent you from cramming the said output.

“I thought you were going to sleep,” you replied, looking at him as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “Didn’t you say you have training for Quidditch in the morning?”

“I do.”

“Which means you really have to go to bed.”

“I tried to. Really. But I couldn’t.”

“Why not? Do you need warm milk or a frame that has dozens of sheep for you to count to help you get drowsy?”

He rolled his eyes. “Ha, very funny, but I actually wanted to make sure that you were already in your room. It’s not good to be here all alone.”

“I do it all the time. Nobody’s usually up in the common room at this hour, anyways.”

“Well, next time, tell me, so I’ll keep you company.”

“Oh, but that won’t be necessary.”

“I’m aware,” he said. “However, I insist. Come on, love, we’ve talked about this.”

You smiled, apologetic. “Sorry. I should know better, shouldn’t I?”

“Well, you told me that you’re still getting used to it, so I’m not holding that against you.”

“Yeah. But that’s just it, actually. I know that I should be getting used to it. To us… to you… but my brain keeps telling me that it’s bad to do so.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know,” you trailed awkwardly, realizing that you might have said too much, but you didn’t want to stop giving him a little bit more of your thoughts, getting a sudden rush of courage you’ve been wanting to have, “perhaps just, I feel like… I don’t deserve this. Any of what’s happening between us.”

Sirius stared at you, confused. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I just feel like this is all a wonderful dream that I’d have to wake up from soon.”

“____,” he began to say your name, but you shook your head, already sensing where it was heading.

“You don’t have to say anything, Sirius. It doesn’t have anything to do with how you’re making me feel.”

“Then what’s making you think this way? Is it because of what the others are saying?”

In your silence, he got the answer he needed.

“It’s absolute rubbish, you know,” he said. He sat up straight too, appearing more passionate now. “People don’t know what they’re blabbering about. All they want is to stick their noses into others’ businesses when they don’t know anything.”

“Sometimes they have a point, though.”

“Such as?”

“Such as you being a Pureblood and me being a Muggleborn not making any sense.”

He seemed frustrated at that. His nostrils flared a bit when you mentioned it. “Since when did that matter anymore? Lily and James are literally the same.”

“Yeah, but we’re not the same same as them. We’re still different. Lily’s different. She’s much more spectacular than I am.”

 “Come on, you’re being absurd. You’re amazing, ____.”

You had the nerve to laugh. “It’s fine, really. You don’t have to make me feel better. If there’s something that I’m used to, it’s this.” You sighed, going back to your previous position and focusing back on your parchment. “I’m sorry I brought it up in the first place.”

“No, don’t be,” he reached for your hand and forced you to face him again, in which you did, but you still couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I should be the one apologizing. I haven’t been checking up on you about this. I should have known better that this was something that would bother you.”

“What do you even see in me, Sirius?”

“What?”

“We nearly have nothing in common. You should be someone who’s at the same level as you are.”

“No, I don’t. I much rather be with you—regardless of how different we are, I don’t particularly care and I never thought of it as an issue nor will I ever do.” Sirius pursed his lips, appearing a bit nervous now because of what he was going to say. “Look, ____, I like you so much. I like every aspect of you and what kind of person you are. I see what you’re made of, and I cherish you very much because of it. I like your kindness, your wit, your energy, and your whole being. You’re simply the easiest person to adore, and I’m utterly puzzled that you cannot see it.”

Your tongue felt dry. No one has ever declared what they felt for you in that manner before. It caused your eyes to tear up a bit at the overwhelming reality that there was a person out there who saw you this way, who liked you for who you are and didn’t give two cents of what others thought of about it. You were so accustomed to being unseen, not given that much importance to, that to have Sirius tell you what you meant to him brought indescribable contentment in your heart.

So, without thinking, you leaned towards him and kissed his lips, bringing your arms around his neck while he parted his mouth in surprise, nonetheless wrapping his own around your waist to support your weight on him.

Sirius reciprocated the kiss, matching the vigor you were showing him, despite being shocked that you were the one who initiated your first ever real kiss with him. He was under the impression that it would take more dates before the both of you would reach this point, a concept that he didn’t have any problem with since he was sincere when he said he’d be patient with you, and that he’d be the one who was going to test the waters before asking if you were good with the thought of him planting a kiss on your lips.

“I like you so much too, Sirius,” you whispered, pulling away and gasping for air. “Having you be in my life is perhaps one of the most unexpected yet greatest things to happen to me.”

He grinned at that, pressing another firm kiss on your lips that made you sigh. “You’re so wonderful, love. I should’ve been with you since first year if only I wasn’t a bloody coward.”

You both laughed at his statement.

“It’s fine,” you assured him. “You have a lifetime now to show me what I’ve been missing.”

“You’re exceptionally bold tonight.” He observed.

“Well, the guy I have been crushing on and dating just made a heartfelt declaration of his attraction to me so I’m feeling my best.”

“About time that he did, honestly. Will this guy have the honor of being officially your boyfriend if he asked tonight?”

Your eyes widened. “That depends. Is he going to ask right now?”

“He’s about to. Just after he stops pretending that he’s pertaining to another guy and not himself.”

Another laugh and you were kissing him again, Sirius holding onto you tightly as he kept you in his embrace.

“Be mine?” he murmured against you, drawing his head back a little so he could stare directly at your eyes.

You smiled. You were on cloud nine; there was nothing that could ruin your entire year. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

Sirius leaned for a longer kiss, much longer than the one you just shared earlier. He thought of how he could stay all night like this, how he might have to fake sickness just to ditch quidditch practices so he wouldn’t have to wake up so damn early, but before he could seriously contemplate it, you retracted your mouth from his and was telling him that he should go back to sleep because he had a tiring day ahead of him.

He frowned, wanting to kiss you again but you shook your head, evading his advances and giggling. “Sirius, you have practice in a few hours,” you told him again, “and I have to finish my essay too. You should head back.”

“For real?”

“For real.”

“But—”

“No, no.” You stood up and pulled him with you. “As your girlfriend now, my opinion holds more bearing, so when I say that you should go back to sleep—”

“I should follow you?” he finished, allowing you to lead him back to where the boy’s dormitory is headed.

You grinned, teasing. “Only if you want to, of course.”

He snorted. “You promise not to stay up too late? Because as your boyfriend, I should be entitled to stop you from making bad decisions as well.”

“Yes, I won’t. You have my word.”

“Good.” Sirius pecked your lips. “Goodnight, beautiful.”

An even bigger grin made its way to your features. “Goodnight. I’ll see you at lunch?”

He nodded. “You’ll probably catch me standing at the Gryffindor table too. I have to announce to the whole school that you’re my girlfriend. Can’t have anyone thinking you’re still available, right?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would.”

“Sirius.”

“Goodnight. Dream of me, would you?” He snickered, abruptly rushing to the dormitory and leaving you there, speechless.

You were positive that he was only bluffing to tease the hell out of you who was not a fan of too much attention, but somehow, considering Sirius’ track record of being mischievous, you suddenly feared that he was not bluffing like you reckoned him to be.

Not to mention that he could be really petty at times too, and given that a lot of students still did not believe that a person like him would like a person like you, making a dramatic proclamation of how much he liked you and how much he hated those who couldn’t keep their idiotic opinions to themselves would certainly make a point.

For some reason, you found yourself smiling at the idea, secretly pleased that you had Sirius—the person you were now sure would move the earth and moon for you if that was what you wanted.

gentle reminder: this author is a sucker for validation so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about this! ♡

[trippingontheescalator]

Curious about the direction the HP fandom has gone

Okay, so as an old HP fan from way back when the books were first coming out, and then getting hit with the nostalgia and decided to return after years and years of not interacting with the fandom at all, the changes are truly mindboggling and I'd love to get to the bottom of some things.

Like, the disappearance of Blaise Zabini. Blaise was a fan favorite way back when we only knew his name but now I barely hear a whisper of his name. Now, the obvious answer is racism, which I think is the #1 reason why Blaise-pairings have dropped of significantly. Back then we all thought Blaise was a hot Italian girl, and then we found out he's a black man and suddenly people stop writing about him? Hm, yeah, seems the obvious answer (especially considering the popularity of other characters who are just a name on a page *cough*regulusblack*cough*).

Or the rise in Snape-hate. Like, Snape used to be the fan favorite. Everyone loved Snape. The meaner he was, the more we liked him. Being mean to children was a plus, not a negative lol. And this was back when we all thought he was a pureblood who came from a wealthy family like the Malfoys. Now by the time the 7th book came out I had pretty much moved on and so I didn't really see the fallout of readers discovering his actual background, so I don't know if his drop in popularity is classism and learning that he isn't a palette-swapped Lucius Malfoy or not, but honestly I would figure his impoverished background would be a plus in these times. Like Snape is obviously one of JKR's least favorite characters, and considering how she-who-must-not-be-named has destroyed her reputation with her increasing radicalization you'd figure the poor, abused, author-hating character would become more beloved instead of the rich, white, heteronormative bullies who barely even show up in the books. Like with our increasing knowledge of social injustice, I just don't understand why the fandom would want to latch onto the Marauders? And I just can't believe Snape's handful of snippets with Lily is the cause of his downfall (like what's there is barely enough to fill up a few pages, and there are certainly more toxic relationships in the series that are still beloved), or the fact that he was a Death Eater or that he inadvertently caused the deaths of the Potters (we already knew that in GoF and HPB respectively and he was still beloved, and this was when we assumed he didn't give a shit about the Potters or if they died when he went snitching). Draco is still popular. DRACO who doesn't give two shits about slinging around the word "mudblood," as opposed to Snape who actually changed for the better.

Am I just too old to understand? Is this like 90s fashion coming back in style (no, I won't do it again, I don't care if it's cringy I'm sticking with my millennial styles, I did the platforms and the slip dresses and the cargo pants in high school and I'm not putting myself through that again lol you gen z's can pry my comfortable mom jeans from my cold, dead fingers, I don't care if it makes me look old, that's the point, I AM old). Like, in addition to 90s fashion, has the 90s obsession with luxury athletic fashion like Lacoste come back in style? All those fashion ads of rich white people on yachts with popped collar polos? Are people starting to obsess over the Marauders because nouveau riche conspicuous consumption is coming back in style? It can't all just be young kids who have only read AtYD and have never actually opened one of the books, can it?

There also seems to be a trend of treating characters as if they're real people. I mean, we've always done it (Snape Wives, I'm looking at you), but now it almost feels as if the crimes characters commit are treated as if they're real crimes and that liking them is somehow a moral failing on the reader's fault. If you were to say "I don't like Snape, his douchy actions anger me, I'd rather skip all the parts he shows up in" I'd say, cool, I get that. That's normal. But "Snape is an abuser, a racist, and an incel and if you like him you're probably those things too" is fucking weird. Like, Harry and Hermione are not real children. Snape is not a real person. The things that happen in this book have as much influence on the real world as me imagining ninjas breaking into my workplace on a slow day. And that "media does not exist in a vacuum" pisses me off because it's blatantly misused. The pieces of media that have had serious consequences? Jaws, The Birth of a Nation. One resulted in the culling of sharks, the other helped restart the KKK. Do you know what those two pieces of media have in common? They're not about fucking wizards and magic schools. They instead paint a target on real groups. After twenty years nobody has ever tried to hurt a marginalized group of people because of a harry potter book (except for JKR herself).

Anyway, these are just some random thoughts, feel free to chime in with your own.

[lilithofpenandbook]

In Snape's memories in DH, one line that's stuck with me is 'Perhaps we Sort too soon'. It's clear Dumbledore's implying Snape isn't truly a Slytherin, despite being Sorted there. Maybe he's saying that when Snape was a first year, he might have shown Slytherin tendencies, but Dumbledore thinks that if he hadn't been put there, if he'd grown a little and had become a little more stable, the Hat would have put Snape elsewhere.

And here's the thing: students can influence the Hat. What's most likely is that Snape asked to be put in Slytherin, and the Hat agreed. But maybe if he'd been given more time to adjust, he wouldn't have made that request because he could have seen all four houses. And honestly, I see that moment, when Snape got put in Slytherin as the moment he was doomed. Lucius Malfoy was the person to welcome him, and I doubt that he's in any way a good influence. The other Slytherins were definetely not a good influence, and Slughorn probably wouldn't have even noticed what's happening to the smaller, weaker slytherins. By Snape going there, in his state, he's just been doomed to make every wrong choice and end up the way he did.

Either way, the idea that Snape isnt a true Slytherin just interests me, and so I was thinking which house Dumbledore thinks he should have been. Part of me thought maybe Gryfindor, considering Dumbledore had called him brave just before that. But Snape doesn't really seem like a Gryfindor to me. Actually, he seems to be more of a Ravenclaw, really. He likes strange subjects that most people misunderstand- just like how they misunderstood his interest in the dark arts, most people misunderstand Luna Lovegood later on. He's intelligent, a trait always accosiated with Ravenclaws. He's cunning, yes, but he's just intelligent in general. Heck, he basically rewrote his potions books (I doubt he only did it in that single text book), and invented spells, and I dont think any other character did so. Ravenclaw would have fit.

Well, I was nosing around the offical site's articles, and I found one on how people could have been missorted and who. And Snape was one of them. And I'm just gonna show the paragraph

Hufflepuff. The one house I was sure he didn't fit in, and yet... it's not wrong. Snape's primary motivation is love. And it always has been. He's the way he is because he was completely unloved. He took a definite dive down a darker path because he lost love. Calling Lily a mudblood killed their friendship, and that's his worst memory, not nearly being murdered, his worst memory is on love he destroyed. It's love that led him to betray Voldemort, to leave the group where he was respected and feared and return to the place where he had some of the worse memories of his life, surrounded by the adults who were not there when they should have been. His loyalty and love for Lily led him down that path. His loyalty to Dumbledore is what let him kill Dumbledore even though he knew he was gonna lose everything he'd gained. And his loyalty to Harry is what made him so furious when Dumbledore wanted Harry to die.

Ultimately, ironically one of the most hateful people in Hogwarts is actually ruled by his loyalty and love. And so now I'm starting to think maybe he actually was always a Hufflepuff. Maybe, he was always supposed to be kind and helpful, but instead the universe decided to break Severus Snape and make him the way he is. The kid who got Sorted into Slytherin wasn't whole, wasn't okay. Slytherin just doomed him on that first day.

Just changing that one detail could have saved everyone.

[fluffyneondinosaur]

‘She would’ve forgiven him if he’d shown he wanted to change, give up the Death Eaters’.

No, I doubt it. She cuts him off every time he is struggling to articulate himself during his apology. Her mind was understandably made up, she didn’t want to give him the opportunity to say something to make her reconsider. I also don’t think he had 100% decided to join at this point though clearly considering it - he was still torn between the two. If he’d whole heartedly chosen his side he wouldn’t have been begging forgiveness outside Gryffindor Tower. She forgave James because she liked him and didn’t forgive Severus because she no longer did. That’s her prerogative.

Yeah, I think that Lily actually stopped liking Severus as a person completely by the time swm happened, and she was only defending him out of obligation at that point. The second he did something that let her cut him off easily, she took it.

You can see it in the scene too, she refers to severus only once at the very beginning until he calls her a mudblood.

It's okay if she doesn't want to forgive him after that because that's her decision, and she probably saw how much more he seemed to believe in the supremacist ideals leading up to it. But the way that she acted during swm and after was horrifying.

It's not entirely her fault, the adults at Hogwarts were negligent at best in instilling a sense of morality in them, but still she's 15-16 in this scene, almost an adult, and definitely old enough to understand that it was wrong.

[saintsenara]

In the last post you implied that jily fell for each other the moment they met, why do you think this? I never really got that vibe (it seems like they both like each from atleast as early as their 5th year) but I could be missing something here.

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

for the simple reason that both lily and james choosing to be so bothered by each other the second they properly meet is a very good sign that each considered the other to mean something significant to them from the off.

after all, if lily considered james to be completely uninteresting and unworthy of her time... then she wouldn't have involved herself in the dick-measuring contest he, snape, and sirius get into on the hogwarts express. and james wouldn't have felt compelled to be rude about her - in a way, let's be clear, which he intends her to hear and to know is directed at her - while she's storming out of the compartment with her nose in the air if he didn't think she was worthy of his attention either.

this doesn't mean that what each of them felt for each other was immediately romantic [after all, they're eleven...], but that sort of prickly, "no, obviously i don't care about james potter! i hate james potter! he annoys me just by breathing!" dislike of someone can [in many cases] be a precursor to love...

[because - of course - the opposite of love isn't hatred... it's indifference.]

and it also doesn't negate the fact that both snape and sirius are directly involved in starting - and maintaining, and escalating - the beef. snape's immediate dislike of james and sirius [and their immediate dislike of him] has that same sense of only being so bothered by someone because they matter to you. the text points this out explicitly - that snape is immediately jealous of james having the "indefinable air of having been well-cared-for, even adored, that snape so conspicuously lacked".

and that james is immediately jealous of snape having lily.

one of snape's great tragedies is that he doesn't quite possess the ability to understand the subtext of lily's relationship with james prior to the breakdown of their friendship - and that this is why james and lily bantering [pretty flirtatiously, to be frank] while james is bullying him blindsides him, making him so angry that he lashes out in the only way he believes could soothe his pain and calls her a mudblood.

it's clear from the princes tale, for instance - especially the bit where they're arguing about mulciber versus the marauders - that snape is trying to needle lily into stating conclusively that james doesn't matter to her [and that he's immensely reassured when she seems to do so], but that he doesn't realise that lily calling james an "arrogant toerag" doesn't actually indicate the indifference he's looking for...

that conversation seems to take place in their fifth year - and snape being worried that james' interest in lily is sexual might very well have only started then - but it has as an undercurrent the heavy implication that snape and lily have had similar discussions before. it seems pretty unlikely, for example, that lily would ask snape "why are you so obsessed with them?" if he'd only just started bringing james and his cronies up with her - and it seems equally unlikely that snape would have felt the need to complain to lily about the marauders prior to this conversation if he hadn't been worried for a significant amount of time that lily was not quite as unconcerned by james as she claimed...

[this - for what it's worth - is why i think the anti-jily "james forced her into being with him!" argument doesn't hold up. james' technique is pretty heavy-handed - absolutely - but he behaves the way he does because he's noticed that lily not only reacts to it, but that she reacts to it in ways which aren't boredom, sadness, or fear. and she does this - of course - because james sincerely interests her.]

and - while this comes with the risk of undermining what i said yesterday - it's striking that this is exactly what happens with ron and hermione. while their friendship establishes itself very differently to james and lily's - and while the course it takes towards romance is also very different - that same "no of course i don't care!" interest in each other is present from the get-go.

i don't think this is because jily and romione are intended by the doylist text to be parallels so much as i think that it's a way of conducting interpersonal relationships that jkr is clearly fond of in her own life [which is due both to her own personal idiosyncrasies and the cultural context in which she lives - insulting people you care about is the british love-language, describing a man as an "arrogant toerag" is practically writing him romantic poetry].

but i do think the fact that it turns up in how both couples are written - particularly since the doylist text thinks that james and lily were a perfect couple, even if its readers disagree - is intended to show that, in both cases, the fact that it was irritation-at-first-sight meant it later turning into true love was inevitable...

[casasupernovas]

so many harry potter fans completely erase snape's past and write it over to make him a snobby rich kid who speaks like he's a 40 year old count and i think it is so interesting.

because it proves to me that the reality of snape being a kid living in a poverty stricken and abusive household on spinner's end makes you all uncomfortable.

i sure know it made me uncomfortable to re-read the books for the first time and see all the comments about his greasy hair and sallow skin with the new knowledge that these were markers of his poor upbringing. we've heard the saying how being poor never really goes away. snape keeping these two markers as an adult is the author's way of doing it. he's an adult with a better income now but he never quite shakes off spinner's end.

he also stays there as an adult as a way to punish himself, if the front room described as a 'padded cell" is any indicator. he can't move on and he won't allow himself to, and dumbledore won't allow it either. it is he who twists the knife with harry's eyes and tells him this is the only thing he can do to prove he truly loved lily. despite you know, dumbledore apparently not believing this due to his shock at snape's patronus 17 years later.

both times in snape's past when he butts heads with petunia is because she insults his background, something he cannot control. she calls him the 'snape boy' from spinner's end, a clearly 'turn up my nose' moment. harry goes through most books referring to snape as 'snape' because snape is a bully and therefore does not have harry's respect. many times adults correct him to say professor. and his first name isn't said often. so this puts a distance to him, almost others him to this 2D character. but 'snape' is an actual person, with feelings and a past, present and future. so severus snape doesn't take kindly to people insulting his family which is why he claps back at petunia.

we also know snape is a muggle name, his muggle father tobias' name. we only find out in book 6 that snape is a half blood. because what wizarding family do you know with the name 'snape'. and prince isn't part of the sacred 28 either. when harry breaks into snape's memories accidentally in occlumency, seeing those three quick snapshots of his life, it's the first time snape starts to become a real person to harry.

moreover, 8 year old snape is described as dirty, unwashed, wearing clothes that are so mismatched it looks deliberate. he hasn't got clothes of his own, wearing an adults jacket and a woman's smock. snape's family either cannot afford to properly clothe or wash their child or they simply don't care too. when petunia insults him again, this time instead of his father she goes for his mother, as she points out snape wearing his mother's blouse, we get another example of underage magic as he causes a tree branch to fall on her.

now despite this, we know it is likely snape really did want to cause her harm due to her insult. snape already is shown to have poor social skills and snaps rather quickly at any point of animosity, but he was also raised in an abusive household. his father whipped him, and shouted at his mother and god knows what else. makes sense that an 8 year old responds to tension with either insults or violence, mirroring his home. snape is also very reluctant to talk about his homelife at all, ending the conversation very pointedly with "he doesn't like anything much." so it's not surprising that a child raised in this kind of environment would respond violently. even worse, he does it without really realising what he has done considering he looked confused when petunia and lily ran away.

on platform 9 and 3/4, snape is eager to get out of his muggle clothes and when put next to james potter, the stark difference between someone who has been loved and adored and someone who hasn't is explicitly put in the books. and lastly when snape calls lily a mudblood after being yanked upside down exposing dirty underwear, lily points that out. her way of saying 'don't you dare say you are better than me - im filthy? how about you wash your clothes.'

all in all, i think the fans write over this backstory because people do not want to give snape any sympathy. he's not the right kind of sympathetic character. he's an unpleasant adult who made terrible decisions. therefore his tragedy doesn't count. it's much easier to hate him when in your head, snape is a rich, snobby supremacist, rather than a penniless, neglected and woefully misguided teenager.

odd that peope can understand the impact of certain characters childhoods like sirius, regulus, draco or harry and how it affected their actions as teens and later adults...

but not snape.

in fact, snape is probably the poorest character in the entire series apart from maybe voldemort, although the orphanage didn't seem underfunded or anything. fans characterise lupin as poor but there is little evidence for him being poor as a child, more as an adult. i've seen people say this was because of the fact that his father worked at the ministry and arthur weasley worked there and he is not rich but the weasley's are poor because there are 7 of them living on one income. and we can assume lupin's muggle mother worked. if anything, lupin's childhood was comfortable but became unstable due to them constantly moving after he was bitten.

and that's pretty much it, we don't know too much about anyone else. the dursleys are middle class as are hemrione's dentist parents and while the weasley's are poor, they are not poverty stricken - ron never goes hungry. snape also never really adresses his muggle past either. he doesnt bring it up ever. for all his 'life is unfair', he never speaks about that part of his life, choosing to solely reference the marauders. and the two main bullies, james and sirius both being rich kids bullying the poor boy is not lost on me. especially when they constantly reference his greasy hair all the time.

poverty greatly affects a person well into adulthood and we see with snape; it never really goes away. sure he's well spoken now, and doesn't wear mismatched muggle clothing but the remnants are still there. in fact, one of the reasons he hates harry intially is because he thinks the boy has been pampered. quite unlike his upbringing. so i think it's telling how many people refuse to acknowledge its very existence or the how it shaped snape as a person.

because i think it all makes you feel really uncomfortable. why else would you ignore or completely erase it?

[ruinofchimera]

Lily’s quick retort wasn’t a ‘hurtful, isolated reaction’ that was otherwise free of systemic prejudice and not indicative of anything deeper, it was emblematic of her classism. She threw his otherness in society right back at him after he did the same to her. You can argue this is no real issue, because Lily’s prejudices aren’t going to get anyone killed, but classism is part of their dynamic from the start. It’s why she’s comfortable scapegoating him for stealing Petunia’s letter, and why she doesn’t consider that he hasn’t got the luxury of antagonising people like Mulciber. Petunia didn’t emerge from the womb looking down on Spinner’s End, she learned it from the same parents who raised Lily. She’s never more Tuney’s sister than in that moment mocking his poverty.

* it’s also relevant I think to point out that JKR has said that many purebloods would also consider halfbloods like Snape a mudblood. Bellatrix certainly doesn’t consider him as one of her kind. He can’t pass as anything other than what he is - he has a muggle name and looks like his muggle father and he’s stuck sleeping in the house of pureblood supremacy. He’s, to use a very clumsy analogy, a mixed race kid who’s been abused by his POC father and has internalised self-hatred. It’s a bit more complicated than saying Snape has political privilege and Lily is the oppressed.

In my defense, I’m a paragon of laziness, which is what kept me from spoon-feeding why exactly Lily’s so-called knee-jerk reaction constitutes participation in systematic class pressure, much like Severus’s slur does. Actually, if I had decided to explain it, I couldn’t have put it better than you did. You nailed it. So while it’s not entirely necessary, I can’t help but offer a few more examples to back up your point.

Sugar-coating Lily’s behavior certainly shows that fans overlook the complexity of classism in the series. Discrimination in the wizarding world isn’t one-dimensional—it operates on multiple levels, with poverty acting as a form of ‘otherness’ that cuts across even pure-blood lines. Rowling actually depicts how deeply ingrained class prejudice is through Ron Weasley. Ron’s pure-blood status didn’t shield him from the bullying he faced due to his family’s poverty. Despite being part of one of the oldest wizarding families, Ron is belittled and looked down upon by wealthier pure-bloods, particularly Draco Malfoy. Classism in the wizarding world operates on a nuanced level, where even pure-blood characters like the Weasleys are subject to scorn from wealthier families. We see Ron systematically oppressed by this for seven books, yet some still believe blood status is the sole axis of discrimination in Wizarding society. Isn’t that curious?

Now, I want to expand on the concept of pure-blood supremacy, which is often simplified in this fandom. As I mentioned in my previous posts, Severus Snape is, in fact, a mudblood in the eyes of the pure-blood elite. The term ‘mudblood’ doesn’t just apply to Muggle-borns; it refers to anyone whose bloodline isn’t considered ‘pure,’ especially those with close Muggle relatives. Severus’s Muggle surname only highlights his deviation from pure magical lineage in the eyes of blood purists, even if he had wanted to hide it. His ‘tainted’ blood status made him just as much a target for discrimination among pure-blood elitists, complicating the idea that Snape had political privilege.

You’ve already covered this topic perfectly, so as promised, I’ve just thrown in some extra fuel to highlight your point.

[elusivesloth]

|•Pairing: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy•|

|•Chapters: 3/?•|

|•Genre: Romance/Political Drama•|

|•Angst/Enemies to Lovers/Forced Proximity/Wizarding Politics/Hurt/Comfort/Slowest of the slowburns•|

•Summary: Hermione Granger has faced numerous closed doors. Such is the consequence of attempting to do good; people, driven by personal interests, will obstruct your path. Hermione is well aware of this reality, yet, in her stubbornness, she persists in believing that she can make a difference single-handedly. However, there are times when sheer determination falls short.

Cornered, she will reluctantly form an alliance with the last person she would have ever considered collaborating with for the greater good.•

|•Extract from this chapter:|•

She hadn't recognized him by his voice. It was deeper, more authoritative, and detached—a far cry from the shrillness of his adolescent years. His features had hardened, each line etched with sharpness: thin lips, elongated eyes, a slender nose, and a chiseled jawline. Even his attire exuded rigidity and repulsiveness—all dark colors, if not outright black, a departure from the vibrant hues typical of wizarding fashion. But perhaps that was precisely his intention—to stand out or distance himself from the crowd.

She was partly taken aback by the extent of change in just 10 years.

However, not even time could perform miracles. Certain details and habits remained etched and unchanging. She recognized him by his hair. Blond, almost white, they shimmered under the sunlight streaming through the blinds, giving him an almost forbidden, Luciferian aura. She almost chided herself for observing him with such fascination.

His eyes, too, held a familiar storm within them. In an instant, she saw the tormented young wizard of her sixth year at Hogwarts, burdened by the weight of his actions.

But what sealed her hesitation from completing the sentence was the intensity of his gaze.

Draco Malfoy stood before her, surveying her from head to toe—and beneath the cold exterior, she sensed a deep contempt. The subtle curl of his lips. The arched eyebrows.

Draco fucking Malfoy was confronting her, and Hermione Granger suddenly felt like the schoolgirl in uniform, tears welling in her eyes after yet another insult about everything that defined her—her hair, her teeth, her lineage.

She waited for it, as if it were inevitable.

Mudblood.

Art done by me!

[lythea-creation]

The Honor Of A Slytherin - Platonic Hermione Granger x fem reader

summary: Hermione is surprised to say the least when a Slytherin suddenly stands up for her

warnings: bullying

word count: 848

Author's note: Feel free to check out my Masterlists and make requests. No reposting please! Reblogging, comments and requests are always appreciated <3 If you like the story/my writing, please don't be shy to say it via comments or asks! It takes you a few seconds and might make my day. It's the best appreciation you can show to a writer you like.

Requested? Yes

----------------

I was on my way to class when I heard the rustle. Another fight between Slytherins and Gryffindors.

Honestly I did not get it. Why did people have to be so narrow-minded?

As Slytherins prefect it felt like my duty to intervene. So I made my way over to the students fighting. Or rather Draco Malfoy bullying a Gryffindor girl.

I did not really know what this was about, but I did know Draco Malfoy. It was hard not to know him actually as he was behaving like a prince.

“What's going on here?”, I inquired when I arrived.

The girl looked up at me with spite in her eyes. I raised my eyebrow at that.

“That little mudblood just got on our nerves”, Draco declared.

I sighed at his choice of wording. “You really shouldn't talk like that”, I scolded him.

“Who do you think you are?”, he challenged me with a glare, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

How could a twelve-year-old be so cocky?

I smirked down at him, being easily a head taller than him. “Who do you think you are, talking to anyone like that? Do you seriously think you're better than her just because your family consists of wizards and witches? Could you beat her in a fair fight then? Or in an exam?”, I questioned.

I had no idea who that girl was, but the huge book she was carrying with her told me that she was hard-working.

The death glare he was sending me was kinda cute actually. I had put up with a lot of bullies before. My best friends were muggleborn and had therefore received many snarky remarks and even more. But this was just hilarious.

“Just go and leave her alone, Draco”, I advised him.

“You dare talk to me like that? Do you know who my father is?”, he threatened me.

“Of course I know”, I noted with a scoff. “He's a weak man who can only handle himself through connections, just like you.”

I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears at my comments.

From the corner of my eyes I could see the Gryffindor girl chuckling.

“If you don't mind I would like to head to class now. So do all of us a favor and just cut this childish behavior”, I requested.

Now he was furious, relying on his friends to stand a chance against me. But he had no idea who I was.

Their pathetic attempt at a spell was quickly deflected by me. Their wands were in my hand before they could even think of another spell.

“Hey! Give them back!”, Draco protested.

“I'll let Professor McGonagall deal with this. So if you don't want to get into any more trouble than you already are, you should leave now and go to class”, I considered.

They cursed as they walked away, but I could not care less. They were like little puppies making a scene, thinking they were a grown-up shepherd dog.

“Thanks for helping me out”, the Gryffindor girl proposed.

“No big deal”, I brushed it off. “I'm (f/n) by the way. If they make any more trouble you can always come to me. I'm the Slytherin prefect anyway.”

“I'm Hermione. Honestly I didn't know there were kind Slytherins as well”, she admitted.

“You shouldn't judge too quickly”, I remarked. “Our reputation is way ahead of most of us.”

“Yeah, I see that now. Are you a muggleborn as well?”, she wondered.

“No. Actually I'm a pureblood, but I don't really care about this whole blood status nonsense. It doesn't mean anything”, I pointed out.

“Doesn't feel like it sometimes”, Hermione mumbled.

I placed my hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “Don't let them drag you down! I'm sure you'll become a great witch. It doesn't matter what they think. As long as you have people who love you the way you are, that's all you need. You're a Gryffindor, right? Hold your head up high.”

She was beaming at my words as if I had just ignited a new fire inside her.

“I will”, she promised. “Thanks again.”

With those words she walked away to class.

I was going to be late. Great …

I hurried through the corridors until I arrived and opened the door.

“You're late, Miss (l/n)”, Professor McGonagall noted.

“I'm sorry, Professor. There was a fight between the second years and I couldn't just walk by. Draco Malfoy and his friends attacked me by the way. So I took their wands with me”, I explained and handed her their wands.

My professor smiled proudly at me. I was one of her best students. So she knew I was not just messing around.

“Alright then. Take your seat and try this new spell then. You can tell me more about this incident after class”, she suggested.

In the end I got the house points back we lost thanks to Malfoy.

[dramioneasks]

Curses and Compromise by ummltu83 - M, 30 chapters - In the aftermath of the Second Wizarding War, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy find themselves bound by personal curses that neither can break alone. Hermione, enduring relentless pain from her Mudblood scar, seeks Draco's assistance in breaking the curse with blood magic. Draco consents to offer his assistance on the condition that she grants him a year of her platonic companionship. Unbeknownst to Hermione, Draco harbours his own concealed affliction, a hidden torment that is slowly consuming him. Considering a year with the irksome man to be a manageable compromise, she agrees to the arrangement, little anticipating the burgeoning feelings that would arise.

Nuisances and Negotiations by ummltu83 - M, 22 chapters - In the sequel to 'Curses and Compromise', the once-controversial Malfoy family has now become a high-profile fixture in the public eye, their every move scrutinised by media and critics alike. Known for their outspoken views on social and political issues, the Malfoys have inadvertently made themselves the prime target for radical factions eager to silence their influential voices. Compounding their troubles, a new antagonist emerges who has personal vendettas against the Malfoys and their allies. As tensions rise, alliances are tested, and the family's unity is pushed to its limits.

Conversations and Revelations by ummltu83 - M, 10 chapters - They would spend their days immersed in reading, tending to the garden, and engaging in meaningful conversations and lively debates. Mornings began with a quiet ritual of tea and books, each absorbed in their own literary worlds before sharing insights over breakfast. Their afternoons were dedicated to tending the garden, enjoying the simple pleasure of working side by side in the fresh air. Evenings were reserved for deeper discussions, exploring a range of topics from pureblood philosophy to magical healing with arguments often centred around discussions of their favourite opinion columnist, Ursa Major (clearly a nom-de-plume), from The Discerning Digest. A further delve into Draco and Hermione’s conversations that occurred in the beginning of ‘Curses and Compromise’ when they slowly fell in love. This is a supplementary story with excerpts taken from the first story of the series. Feel free to read the full stories in Curses and Compromise and the sequel Nuisances and Negotiations. SPOILERS in this fic.

[slytherintrikru]

|| It Wasn’t A Dream ||

— Part 1 —

Pairing: Severus Snape x gryffindor!student!reader (she’s of age) 

Word count: 1904

Warnings: anxiety, angst, crush, older man/younger woman, she is of age, cuss words, pet names, an OOC Severus?, SFW (if I missed anything please let me now)

Summary: Y/N couldn’t stop daydreaming about her potions professor so she did what any insane person would do. She went and confessed her feelings to him. Will he accept her feelings and return them back? Or will he reject her? Read to find out. (SHE’S OF AGE)

Requested: by no one this is my idea 

A/N: hi- I’m a new writer and this is my first post one-shot on tumblr (I already posted this on Ao3). I know this probably sucks because I have a hard time to write what I imagine and feel but I hope you like it. Please give tips and feedback no matter what it is so I can make my writing better. Also in this hogwarts has 8 years of hogwarts and the reader is 18 almost 19 years old.

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Y/N sat at their desk, surrounded by textbooks and notes, in her warm and cozy Gryffindor common room,

but their mind was miles away. Thoughts of Severus Snape consumed her every waking moment, her heart yearning to confess the feelings she harbored. Frustration and self-loathing gnawed at them, for he was her potions professor and Y/N is his student, despite being of age. The internal battle waged on, distracting Y/N from her studies, leaving Y/N torn between desire and the constraints of her forbidden affection. 

Y/N's feelings for Severus had deepened, fueled by the pivotal moment when she saved him from the clutches of Voldemort and Nagini. The intensity of that experience had only strengthened the bond between them in her heart. Her and Severus had became closer since. Yet, the weight of Lily's memory lingered, casting a shadow of doubt within her. She yearned to express her emotions, to confess her love, but the fear of Severus's lingering affection for Lily, even in death, held her back. The unspoken words weighed heavily on her soul as she grappled with the ache of unrequited love. Or at least that’s what she thought it was and made herself believe it was true.

Besides who would want her, she’s just a filthy mudblood, just like Draco said. Severus could find someone better.

Yes, Y/N and Severus are friends which could come off as strange to everyone else considering he is her professor and she was his student but that didn’t stop her from hanging out with him. Even though she did get bullied and got hexed by slytherin’s for taking away ‘their’ professor for her being friends with him many times. Y/N still ignored them. She would go to his class just to talk to him after a long day of work and most of the time they wouldn’t talk at all. The times they weren’t talking she would take time to admire him, how he would concentrate on his work, and how his eyes would shine a bit when he saw his slytherins got answers right. She loves how much he cares for his slytherins even though some may think he’s heartless, cruel, & vicious, deep down he’s caring and kind.

She couldn’t take it anymore; her feeling was getting too much for her; she needed to tell him. She needs to at least know she tried and to know that he knew her true feelings. She huffed softly and quickly got up from her comfortable chair, she didn’t really have a plan on how to do this and she didn’t think of how he would react. She just knew that if she kept her emotions in any longer she would burst. Her feelings for him felt more powerful than any sort of magic that it took over her whole body. Making her forget how idiotic with what she was doing is.

Leaving the warmth of her Gryffindor common behind, Y/N embarked on a mission through the corridors of Hogwarts castle. She walks fast through the dimly lit halls, each step echoed in the silence making her palms sweat ferociously as her hair blows in the wind. Y/N’s heart race as she heads towards the cold dungeons towards his potions class. Her anxiety increases by the second.

With every turn and staircase descent, her heart raced a little faster. The weight of anticipation settled heavily on her shoulders, and the air felt thick with trepidation. Thoughts of Severus Snape's strict demeanor and piercing gaze occupied their mind, intensifying their nervousness. Then thoughts of his soft, kind, & more gentle side filled her brain. She didn’t know what he would say to her after she confesses her feelings. Y/N just hopes he won’t reject her.

As she reaches the dungeon halls, the corridor grew colder and darker, her steps slows dowm. As if her body and brain finally realized what she was about to do and how everything could go wrong in a few seconds. Y/N could hear the paintings on the wall’s whispering to each other. Making her feel as if they are talking about her which caused her mind to panic more.

The flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the journey feel like a solitary quest through a labyrinth of uncertainty. Each unfamiliar door they passed only heightened their unease, until finally, they stood before the entrance to Snape's potion’s class.

She looks nervously around, making sure no one is near her or his room. After she saw no one, she stood there for a while anticipating her moves. Gathering the little courage she had left, Y/N raises her trembling, sweaty hand and knocked hard on the door. The sound of the knocks echo through the cold, partly lit silent of the dungeons. It was in that moment her mind was screaming for her to stop and leave. 

But she didn’t have a chance to. The form of Severus’ appears as he opens his potions class door, revealing his stern face. When he saw it was Y/N his facial expression changed to a soft, exciting look, and a hint of another emotion.

What am I doing here? I shouldn't have come, why am I here? This is stupid— her thoughts had stopped when she heard him speak.

Y/N looks at him, his soft expression made her melt. “Ms. Y/L/N? What do you want?” He asked

“C-Can I come in?” She asked, he looked at her with confusion before moving aside allowing her to enter. She slowly walked in as if he would snap at her and tell her to leave at any moment. After she made it in he slammed the door causing her to jump.

“To what do I owe you the pleasure of having you bother me on a Saturday?” He jokingly questioned. She saw that hint of emotion in his eyes before going away completely. She felt her cheeks turn red as she blushed at him. Severus smirks at that. 

“I need to tell you something, it’s important. I know that it will probably not end well. I want you to know before I say anything that, I apologize. I have enjoyed being your friend for all those few years so much so that you are one of the reasons I decided to come back for my 8th year here. I know you probably will think I’m crazy-“ before she had the chance of finishing he cut her off.

“Would you stop the rambling for Merlin’s sake? Go on, tell me what you want to say.” He hissed playfully and she could have swore she saw a smile, not a smirk, a normal happy smile. Which was rare for him to do.

“Ok here it goes… I like you and not just as a friend. After the war my feelings for you have grown into something more and I know you probably don’t care. That I may be nothing more than just a dunderhead-“ before she could finish he grabbed her face and he kissed her. Y/N  felt lips, not just any lips, his lips, on hers. It took her a few seconds to comprehend what was really happening, as if it wasn’t really happening. As if it was all a dream.

Sure enough she slowly came to her senses as she did, she knew it was real. Y/N kissed back almost immediately when she realized it wasn’t a dream. She felt his hands move from her face and make their way down to wrap around her waist. She wrapped her arms around him back, taking in and feeling everything. This felt almost like a dream, the way his lips were moving against hers, but it wasn’t a dream. It was as if she was on cloud nine and she never wanted to return to earth.

The kiss lasted for a few minutes before they finally pulled away panting as they were out of breath. She slowly opened her eyes and saw his dark brown eyes staring at her with that same emotion she saw after she walked in. She knew that look anywhere, it was the same look she has when she looks at him. The look of love. How didn’t she notice that before?

“That was- that was…fucking amazing.” Y/N whispered, as she stuttered a bit, her cheeks were as red as a tomato. She didn’t want this to end. She wished she could fill this way for a lifetime. Just her and him together. Forever.

“It truly was, my little love.” Severus murmured back while looking in adoration at her. If it hadn’t been for how close he was holding her and her hands in his hair he could’ve sworn it was all a dream. “I like you more than a friend as well. I have for a while now, I just didn’t know how to tell you. I thought you’d reject me so I just ignored my feelings.” 

“Oh my Prince, I would never reject you, I’ve liked you for years, Severus. The last couple of years, especially last year when I saved you, my feelings have grown stronger.” She said with honesty, he looked at her trying to see if she was lying or if there was any dishonesty in what she said but he couldn’t find it. Instead he saw the same look he has on his face right now, which was love.

They looked at each other for what felt like ages and then Y/N leaned in to kiss him again, he happily accepted and kissed her back. This kiss was much more intense than the last. They kissed as if at any moment one of them would disappear and be gone forever. Y/N tugged at his hair, Severus groaned at that and held her tighter. His hands swiftly began to make their way from her back to her ass, squeezing gently. Y/N moaned but then Severus pulled away causing her to whine at the loss of connection. Severus smiled at her.

“I want our first time to be special. I want it to be in a place where you and I are both comfortable, not worrying about who will walk in. So I’ll be able to take my time with you.” He said, creasing her face softly while looking at her beautiful E/C eyes as he continued. “Let’s wait ok, darling.”

She was a bit disappointed but she knew he was right, she also wanted her first time to be special. “Ok.” She whispered. “I guess I’ll go back to my common room, I need to study for my NEWTS. I’ll see you later Sev.” 

She kissed him one last time before turning away to head back to the Gryffindor tower. Before she could take another step she felt a hand, it was his hand, grabbing her. She turned to look at him. 

He kisses Y/N softly once more and than lets her go.

Y/N smiled in return and flustered at him kissing her again, “I’ll see you later, Sev.” She muttered, he smiled back. She then made her way to the door, opened it and left for her common room with a huge smile across her face. I can’t believe that just happened, she thought. Tonight was the best night I ever had in a while.

—

Part 2

[iamnmbr3]

I would love to hear your snily thoughts 🤍

Idk. I just think they're neat you know? I think they should both be rough and angry with jagged edges and ferocity and power and creativity that often gets overlooked and underestimated. I think this would make them very interesting together but also make them clash in interesting ways. We see how flawed their friendship is and I think they'd have to overcome a lot to be together, while at the same time being incredibly similar and compatible in many ways. I also think they have a lot more in common than they get credit for.

Snape is tremendously intelligent and creative and likes to play around with the nature of magic to the point that he is already inventing spells in school, which is extremely impressive. And I think this is something he would also have in common with Lily.

I subscribe to the theory that it was more than just her sacrifice that saved Harry that night in 1981. I think she did...something. My money's on some type of blood magic ritual with herself and potentially James as sacrifices. I mean Voldemort's spell doesn't just rebound. He's ripped apart - at a metaphysical level. Not only is his body (and the house) destroyed but also his very soul is also shattered. Something that never happens again despite the fact that he later makes more Horcruxes and kills more innocent people. Not only that but the spell later burns Quirrel alive when Voldemort possesses him and tries to hurt Harry. Only by taking Lily's blood is he partly able to circumvent this, so I think a blood magic ritual makes the most sense.

So yeah I kinda like the idea of Lily and Snape both being kinda scarily inventive and creative and holing up together somewhere to experiment and play with magic and just being utterly fascinated by it and maybe a little scarily risk tolerant (after all, Luna's mom died experimenting with magic so we know it can go very wrong). Also I like to think that they both shared a passion for potions. Slughorn mentions Lily having been really good at the subject so I love to imagine them both being genuinely enthusiastic about obscure potions topics and debating them and mutually admiring each other's skills and building off of each other. Not to mention they are both fiercely devoted to their love ones and willing to die for those they love.

Also consider the fact that they were both probably called mudblood by some of the same people (because remember while Lily would certainly have had it way worse, "mudblood" is also an insult for halfbloods). And consider also the bitter areas of disagreement. Snape's resentment of muggles and his muggle heritage driven by his relationship with his father versus Lily feeling much more positively about that side of her heritage (despite her deteriorating relationship with her sister) because of her supportive parents. Snape's resentment over Lily accepting Slug Club party invitations (because as a muggleborn she lacks connections in wizarding society) and Lily being horrified when Snape rubs shoulders with some of the very same people in his House.

They both have sharp tongues. Consider them enjoying each other's wit but also both being vicious in their arguments. Consider them being the only ones to really see each other when they are both caricatures to so many people. They both see each other's isolation and anger and daring and intellect and creativity and sense of never quite belonging in either world and need to prove themselves.

Imagine them slowly weaving the messy bits of themselves together, learning to build something functional, learning to compliment rather than undermine each other. Imagine them standing together to face a world that discounted them. Imagine what they could create and invent.

Imagine a soft world in which Snape turns away from Voldemort and Lily tells James that he will not be getting the idealized fantasy version of her (or indeed any version of her) in the end. Imagine them going through life judging everyone together, with a fierce loyalty only to each other, perhaps becoming Unspeakables or perhaps striking out on their own and continuing to invent and discover. Imagine them having a child and Lily immersing herself fully in that - because so often I see characterizations that try to make her "more badass" by trying to minimize how important motherhood was to her, which I personally really dislike.

Or imagine the alternative. In which something happens between them. But it can't last. Because they still end up pulled to opposite sides of the war. Imagine Lily marrying Snape's worst enemy partly out of spite. Imagine their affection turning to bitterness and no one even noticing that even though they aren't together so much of what they do is still a private battle between them. Because even if they look at each other with bitterness now they still see each other in a way no one else does. Imagine them both compromising their loyalty to their respective sides to spare the other, even while still feeling angry.

Imagine them both being petty and vindictive and deeply flawed and deeply human, both extremely different and so, so similar. And imagine all the ways that a relationship between them, whether or not it works out, could help explore and illuminate the facets of their characters.

[massiveladycat]

here's my opinion on severus snake: 1. he absolutely did not deserve to be bullied by the marauders 2. he hated mudbloods so idk how i feel about that cause from my opinion its the norm in the wizardry world but severus CHOSE to hate them 3. should NOT have been out there bullying students 4. i can appreciate his complexity but i'm not going to ignore the fact he's an asshole 5. should really learn how to let go. lily rejected him, and i can understand that must hurt, but like more than a decade later he's out here gunning for harry 6. i did really appreciate the plot twist in one of the books (i think the first or second) where snape was actually trying to keep harry safe because james saved him once 7. bullied random kids just because they breathed the same air as harry potter 8. movie snape was morally better than snape because they really watered down how shitty he treated those kids and alan rickman did a BRILLIANT job as him 9. still kept thinking about how voldemort originally respected snape enough to even consider the idea of sparing a muggleborn for his sake (in the books voldemort was willing to let her live but lily said 'over my dead body' and we love her for that) Movie Snape: grumpy introvert but still definitely a good person. Book Snape: abusive, petulant bully who plays constant favorites based on houses and traumatizes his students by actively exploring the fact he’s in a position of power over them and only left the magical massacre-ers because his favorite muggleborn died

[forestdeath1]

why do you think lily allowed snape to get chocked (and everything else) by james and sirius while not doing anything except almost smiling and telling them to stop if jkr says lily loved him?

Telling them to stop — isn’t that a lot already? I mean, it’s really not that easy to stand up to James and Sirius, especially considering that Snape was known for being kinda creepy and J&S were loved by everyone. Actually, people who think that Lily did nothing, can they at least do what she did? I mean we all love to bark but would we really bite in the same situation?

(Btw, if Snape loved her, what did he really do to protect her from Muggle-born discrimination? Do we have anything about it? No? Does it mean he did nothing at all?)

"Almost smiling" — what is really important here is not the first automatic reaction to something that seems "funny" to the brain out of context, but the conscious action. You judge intentions, but you should judge real actions. For example, Snape might not have wanted to call her a Mudblood, but he did. What difference does it make that he didn't want to if he did it? Similarly, what difference does it make what the automatic reaction was — she didn't act on it, she took control of her reaction.

As for the reaction itself — again, for all the drama lovers who see some terrible hypocrisy here, the laughter reaction is primary and happens out of context when a person sees something absurd, strange or funny, and only then do they start to understand the context. Especially teenagers, whose frontal lobes are not yet fully developed. That's why people can laugh at very bad jokes and then feel ashamed. Some people don't laugh right away — but such people are generally much more serious than those who are easily amused.

The fandom has turned a simple teenage reaction of "almost smiling" into such a drama, as if Lily is the queen of hypocrisy and a TERRIBLE PERSON INSIDE.

[saintsenara]

hi!! for a black family inspired ship ask, i'd love to hear what you think of lucretia/ignatius prewett and dorea/charlus potter

and to keep the silly vibes of the game, alphard/voldemort, walburga/abraxas malfoy, pollux/augusta longbottom, arcturus/horace slughorn

thank you very much for the ask, anon! and for providing me with some ships which require me to do some research!

lucretia black/ignatius prewett dorea black/charlus potter

while i understand the impulse to turn these unions between the blacks and two families who will - in the latter half of the twentieth century, at least - become the biggest blood-traitors going into sexy tales of forbidden love, i suspect that both of these were actually pretty unscandalous matches.

it's very striking in canon that even characters like the weasleys who stridently disavow the more unpleasant bits of blood- and magic-supremacy are susceptible to prejudices against those who aren't pureblood. muriel prewett's disdain for kendra dumbledore connects to her being muggleborn [and she also refers to hermione as "the muggleborn" when she first meets her - it's more polite than "the mudblood", obviously, but it's not great...]. molly weasley is instinctively uncomfortable with many non-magical things [medical treatments, modes of travel] - to an extent that means we have to assume that she doesn't venture into the muggle world without arthur. ron finds harry and hermione's lack of knowledge about the wizarding world vaguely amusing. the whole family - like most of the series' good guys - treat muggles in a way which is paternalistic at best [fudge's condescension towards the muggle prime minister - a man who, in 1996, was working to broker a peace deal in a decades-long sectarian conflict in his own country, and who might have been able to offer some helpful tips in that regard - is a case in point].

all of which is to say, the prewetts and the potters - no matter their more liberal political views - were not still pureblood in the 1930s and 1940s by accident. i'm sure that both dorea and lucretia's marriages were regarded as perfectly sensible ones, to men who came from families which were a little bit odd, but who were otherwise entirely tolerable choices.

[not least because we know the potters weren't poor, even before they earned all that sleakeazy's money, and i think we can also assume the prewetts were also well-off - muriel's entire vibe is giving aunt march sitting on her enormous pot of money while her relatives wait for her to die, and i quite like the idea of molly having gone down a lot in terms of financial security by marrying arthur.]

the other pairings, though...

alphard black/lord voldemort

yeah, i'll back this.

alphard being unmarried, while both his siblings are, is very much giving "confirmed bachelor".

and one of the rules of being a confirmed bachelor in a society with slightly... victorian morals is that you keep your mouth shut about who you meet while cruising in knockturn alley's more sinister establishments.

especially when he's a man who'd kill you if he thought you were yapping about his extracurricular activities...

walburga black/abraxas malfoy

listen, you just know walburga was a bonafide baddie in her day. i bet all the boys were lining up to enter a semi-arranged marriage couched in stifling gender conventions with her.

abraxas fumbled her, i fear, by spending more time on his hair than she did on hers. she wanted to feel the uptown girl fantasy - and he was not making the effort.

pollux black/augusta longbottom

flopping, i fear. despite being an extremely mid-tier specimen, pollux considered himself the sort of man who could attract the sort of woman who'd want to start a tradwife tiktok account and let him control her financially.

augusta, in contrast, was of the opinion that a man who wanted fresh bread baked for him every morning could do that himself.

arcturus black/horace slughorn

canon. i won't explain why.