i don’t understand why the chapter the prince’s tale has caused so many people to shed snape in a better light and paint him as this tragic character who was in love and had an awful life and deserves to be put on some kind of pitying, loving pedestal. if anything, that chapter only served to highlight his awful behavior, at least for me.
so, the first part of his memory shows snape jumping out of the bushes to tell lily that she’s a wizard after she’s performed this feat that should be impossible, and that’s all well and good. then, he proceeds to insist that lily is a witch, and petunia responds rather hautily, “’wizard! i know who you are. you’re that snape boy!… why have you been spying on us?’” obviously petunia’s not being the nicest, and so snape responds “’haven’t been spying. wouldn’t spy on you, anyway, you’re a muggle’”. right off the bat, here’s proof of snape’s prejudice against muggles. this didn’t just magically appear in hogwarts as a result of the people he was forced to spend time around - the sentiment was already there.
then, in another scene, lily and snape are underneath a tree, talking. it’s in this scene that we see the sort of weird obsession snape has with lily, when jk rowling writes “he watched her as greedily as he had watched her in the playground”. rowling wouldn’t have used this wording if she didn’t want to emphasize the way he was looking at her - how lily has become this kind of escape for him, maybe his only source of friendship and happiness. and i’m not denying him that, but treating her this way is obviously unhealthy and leads to problems.
the next scene is on platform nine and three quarters, when lily is preparing to leave for her first year at hogwarts. it’s revealed that petunia sent a letter to dumbledore asking if she could come too, and that it was snape’s idea to read the letter when he saw it, full well knowing how tense petunia and lily’s relationship is and how this could affect it.
then, once on the train, snape’s prejudices are revealed once again. lily is crying because petunia called her a freak and the two aren’t on good terms, and snape says “’so what?’”. lily replies “’so she’s my sister!’” to which snape says “she’s only a -’” obviously about to imply that petunia is inferior because she’s a muggle.
then, a few years after, lily and snape are talking in the hallway. snape calls dark magic “’…a laugh, that’s all’” and when lily calls him on it, he immediately shifts the conversation to james potter, attempting to change the subject, to which lily replies (rightfully), “’what’s potter got to do with anything?’” obviously,despite knowing the ideals and actions of people like avery and mulciber, snape isn’t able to take responsibility for being friends with them. then, when lily she knows that james is awful, but then continues to chastise snape for the company he keeps, he doesn’t take note of anything but the fact that she doesn’t like james. he treats her like something that he needs to keep a hold onto.
in the next scene, set after the fifth year incident, snape doesn’t even deny that he wants to be/his friends are death eaters. he’s come to “apologize” to lily for calling her a slur, and he doesn’t even deny he is in a group that thinks that calls people the slur and who want to kill them. lily says it best: “’but you call everyone of my biirth mudblood, severus. why should i be any different?.”
then, snape is in dumbledore’s office. voldemort has just revealed that he thinks lily’s son is the son of the prophecy, and he wants to kill the whole family. dumbledore asks “’if she means so much to you, surely lord voldemort will spare her? could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?’ ‘i have - i have asked him -’ ‘you disgust me. you do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? they can die, as long as you have what you want?’ snape said nothing, but merely looked up at dumbledore.” yeah, me too dumbledore. snape disgusts me too. the fact that he was willing to let a child die so that he could have lily is appalling. this is where his true character is revealed, because this is a grown man who claims to be in love with a woman, yet doesn’t realize that if you love someone you want them to be happy, not want to have them.
the part of the chapter that has to do with lily does absolutely nothing to paint their relationship in any sort of healthy, positive light, and honestly serves to reveal snape’s true character of being a pretty awful person.
aries is passion, fire in their veins, endless energy. they want to live forever and just experience everything, passionate about life and love and anything that holds their interest. they want to be the best at everything. they’re icarus flying too close to the sun, achilles and his power and his immortality. they’re loud and wild and they want the world, to live with childish excitement. their anger, though, is unpredictable and terrifying, like a volcano or a dragon that leave nothing behind their fury.
taurus is patience, the slow tick of the clock, lazy naps and plants and the smell of the earth after rain. they want to enjoy the pleasures of life, luxury and love and food and beauty. loyal and sensual, stubborn and traditional. stable with roots deep in the earth, they often get called materialistic for their love of beautiful things. but taurus is ruled by venus, and they long for romance before anything else, to care for someone and being loved in return.
gemini is wit and fun, the sign of peter pan. they are unpredictable, mutable air, changing every second from a face to another. they are talkative, manipulative and fun-loving. they have a way with words, and can talk their way out of any situation. they’re brilliant, really, smart in every sense of the word. they lose interest in things quickly, but they know a bit about everything. they have this youthful appearance, a personality that gets easily excited, and they’re not really fond of routine or responsibility.
cancer is the tide, the gentle glow of the moon, the waves crashing on the shore. they feel everything deeply, even though they don’t like to show it. they are very protective of those they love. they are the rain on a cold january day, the warmness of a blanket, the touch of a lover. bossy and moody, they are wonderful friends ; cancer will care when no one else does. they can be very loving and caring, but if they don’t like you, they will make sure you know it.
leo is courage and love and generosity. leo is the sun, and rules the heart ; they are emotional and warm and need attention and affection. they give back the love they receive with surprising intensity. but they are still lions : kings of the jungle, big lazy golden cats with magnificent hair and a playful spirit. leo is sunflowers, a sunny afternoon, vibrant laughter and brilliant smiles. but they are also very dramatic, and have mean claws they will not be afraid to use.
virgo is the endless pursuit of perfection. they want to finish everything they start and do everything that has to be done. like gemini, they are ruled by mercury, and have a great ability with words. though unlike the twins, virgo is better at writing than talking. they are very observant and detail-oriented, they notice if anything, anything, is slightly out of place. they are always happy to help, if a bit nervous, and make excellent detectives. they are often stereotyped as nerdy and boring, but they have a brilliant mind and a loving heart; they just struggle to share their emotions.
libra is balance and harmony, peace and equality. but if anything disturbs the balance, they can quickly lose themselves in indecisiveness and chaos. they are the sign of peace, but that does not mean they are docile ; they have aries’ rebellious spirit and a desire to break the boundaries. like taurus, they are ruled by venus, which is evident in their romantic nature and love of beauty and art. they often excel in painting or poetry. they are a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, a flower with hidden thorns, and despite their beauty and grace, their heart can easily turn to ice.
scorpio is death and passion and spirituality. they feel a deep connection to the underworld, to darkness and secrets and mysteries. they are secretive and intense, very observant, but unlike virgo, they analyze everyone they meet. they can be overcome by jealousy, and their feelings are always deep and overwhelming. they love with everything they have. they are impossible to forget, they will brand their name into your skin, and their words into your soul. they are vengeful and know exactly where to strike, how to hurt and create a wound that will never heal.
sagittarius is freedom and travel and sharp intellect, honesty and a carefree personality. they are simple people, and don’t need much to be happy. optimistic and adventurous, they are allergic to responsibility. they don’t really care what anyone thinks of them. they are smart and they know it. they are hilarious, with a great sense of humor and a lively personality. contrary to popular belief, they love with surprising intensity, and as long as you don’t try to hold them down, they will love you fully.
capricorn is the ice queen. with a cold exterior, always in control, they appear to be emotionless. that couldn’t be farther from the truth. they are ambitious and hard-working, yes, but they’re hardly the cold-hearted businessman everyone paints them to be. they have a wonderful sense of humor, a brilliant mind, and often make remarkable writers. they believe you should always try and work hard to make your dreams come true. they want to succeed and will stop at nothing to get what they want. their determination is admirable, as is their creativity. like virgo, they may struggle with displays of emotions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel them, or the stress, or the pression to succeed.
aquarius is the mad scientist in his fucked-up lab, inventing and creating night and day. they are rebellious and creative, with a modern and bright mind. their intelligence sometimes makes them feel superior to others, and they distance themselves from society even more. aquarius want to break all the rules and create a new, better world. like capricorn, they are often mistaken as being emotionless, but they are humanitarian and suffer with the world. they have opinions on pretty much anything and will fight you on them any day. they love being unique, original, shock, stand out from the crowd.
pisces is 3 am, vodka & psychedelic music. lou reed, kurt cobain and karen carpenter’s haunting voice. they’re wonderland, a sinking ship, lazy afternoons and heavy eyelids, a mess of feelings and obsessions. they feel everything, and are often exhausted by social interaction. they run away from responsibility, from life, from routine and obligations and reality. they’d rather not be here, and their escapism can manifest in many forms, through drugs and alcohol or creative expression. they are idealistic and awkward, romantic and mutable.
You don’t care about getting hurt. But you know how I’ll feel? I’ll be devastated. And if you die, I will literally go out of my freakin’ mind. You see, death doesn’t happen to you, Lydia. It happens to everyone around you, okay? To all the people left standing at your funeral, trying to figure out how they’re gonna live the rest of their lives now without you in it.
