30 DAYS TO HP:DH CHALLENGE: DAY ONE
A 30 day meme, answering deep and probing questions about the Potter 'verse. No cuts so if you're worried about spoilers... GTFO RIGHT NOW AND DON'T COME BACK YOU LAME ASS POTTER FANS!
1. How do you think Snape stomached/dealt with being able to watch Voldemort kill and torture others? How do you think he evaded being detected by Voldemort? Do you think he enjoyed it in some ways?
I think in the beginning when Severus Snape first chose to be a Death Eater and first joined Voldemort's fledgling/growing movement there was little guilt. They had a common perceived enemy muggles/normal humans as they were both persecuted/abandoned by muggles, and their witch mothers were both abused/abandoned by their muggle fathers. Their muggle fathers rejected magic as abominable and horrible, and so they both choose to identify as wizards and reject/hate their muggle halves. Severus Snape certainly would have jumped at an opportunity to give pay back to the people he perceived (mostly) to be completely awful. Not to mention there was the opportunity to rule/control the wizards that had made his life hell for not being pure-blood and wealthy. Voldemort strikes out revenge himself on his hated muggle father, but also to persecute wizards that inherently represent himself, destroying the weakness in the blood basically. I think as far as the enjoyment goes Snape would have originally enjoyed it, or if not enjoyed it then at least felt justified. He had a lot of hate and self hate, and I think depending on the type of person you are it is easy to project that feeling onto others. In this case the people being tortured and killed.
I think Snape would have been easily swayed by Voldemort's opinions initially, because they had similar backgrounds which could be why Voldemort trusted Snape even if the other Death Eaters might not after he returned to power. Voldemort knows that he and Snape have a shared/similar background which leads to a similar mindset, and even though Snape is a trained Occlumens he wouldn't have had a reason early on to hide his hateful feelings from Voldemort so I think Voldemort assumes that Snape is like him in a lot of ways.
However, I think once Voldemort killed Lily Evans then everything changed. Snape hated people and hated himself, but Lily Evans was the only person he ever loved and the only person he will ever love whether with James Potter or after she had passed. So I think if he enjoyed anything after that he would enjoy that he was one step closer to helping destroy the man that killed the only person he ever cared about.
I think this love helped Snape keep his secrets, because I think Voldemort always underestimated the power and virtue of love; each time it is his downfall. What he perceives as a weakness is a strength to all of his enemies. I think his love for Lily Voldemort-proofed his mind, and even if Snape felt obligated toward Harry even if only for his eye color I don't think he ever got over his hatred of James Potter. I think rescuing him from Remus Lupin as a werewolf could have faded and passed over time, but I think marrying the love of his life was unforgivable. After all, the response to Dumbledore about his Patronus? "Always." I think the hatred of Harry, wanting nothing more most of the time to see him as James' avatar even though he can't forget that he's Lily's son too, also worked in his favor. Voldemort wouldn't be able to penetrate Snape's mind or understand what he saw there. Voldemort certainly understood hatred and the want for revenge, and if Snape could hone and focus these two emotions without precisely giving them an object (i.e. Voldemort ultimately for killing Lily) then Snape kept receiving 'get out of jail free' cards.
I don't think Snape at the end would have enjoyed the killing, torturing, and bloodshed of muggle and wizard alike. I think he could have realized through Lily's death that love is more important than power or revenge, and that he had chosen the wrong side to accomplish his goals. Even if he isn't all "peace and goodwill for all!" he still understands that he lost something precious, and that Voldemort's way was not -the way- to deal with the things that happened to him in the past. He'd only caused himself more misery as a result of his hatred.
1. How do you think Snape stomached/dealt with being able to watch Voldemort kill and torture others? How do you think he evaded being detected by Voldemort? Do you think he enjoyed it in some ways?
I think in the beginning when Severus Snape first chose to be a Death Eater and first joined Voldemort's fledgling/growing movement there was little guilt. They had a common perceived enemy muggles/normal humans as they were both persecuted/abandoned by muggles, and their witch mothers were both abused/abandoned by their muggle fathers. Their muggle fathers rejected magic as abominable and horrible, and so they both choose to identify as wizards and reject/hate their muggle halves. Severus Snape certainly would have jumped at an opportunity to give pay back to the people he perceived (mostly) to be completely awful. Not to mention there was the opportunity to rule/control the wizards that had made his life hell for not being pure-blood and wealthy. Voldemort strikes out revenge himself on his hated muggle father, but also to persecute wizards that inherently represent himself, destroying the weakness in the blood basically. I think as far as the enjoyment goes Snape would have originally enjoyed it, or if not enjoyed it then at least felt justified. He had a lot of hate and self hate, and I think depending on the type of person you are it is easy to project that feeling onto others. In this case the people being tortured and killed.
I think Snape would have been easily swayed by Voldemort's opinions initially, because they had similar backgrounds which could be why Voldemort trusted Snape even if the other Death Eaters might not after he returned to power. Voldemort knows that he and Snape have a shared/similar background which leads to a similar mindset, and even though Snape is a trained Occlumens he wouldn't have had a reason early on to hide his hateful feelings from Voldemort so I think Voldemort assumes that Snape is like him in a lot of ways.
However, I think once Voldemort killed Lily Evans then everything changed. Snape hated people and hated himself, but Lily Evans was the only person he ever loved and the only person he will ever love whether with James Potter or after she had passed. So I think if he enjoyed anything after that he would enjoy that he was one step closer to helping destroy the man that killed the only person he ever cared about.
I think this love helped Snape keep his secrets, because I think Voldemort always underestimated the power and virtue of love; each time it is his downfall. What he perceives as a weakness is a strength to all of his enemies. I think his love for Lily Voldemort-proofed his mind, and even if Snape felt obligated toward Harry even if only for his eye color I don't think he ever got over his hatred of James Potter. I think rescuing him from Remus Lupin as a werewolf could have faded and passed over time, but I think marrying the love of his life was unforgivable. After all, the response to Dumbledore about his Patronus? "Always." I think the hatred of Harry, wanting nothing more most of the time to see him as James' avatar even though he can't forget that he's Lily's son too, also worked in his favor. Voldemort wouldn't be able to penetrate Snape's mind or understand what he saw there. Voldemort certainly understood hatred and the want for revenge, and if Snape could hone and focus these two emotions without precisely giving them an object (i.e. Voldemort ultimately for killing Lily) then Snape kept receiving 'get out of jail free' cards.
I don't think Snape at the end would have enjoyed the killing, torturing, and bloodshed of muggle and wizard alike. I think he could have realized through Lily's death that love is more important than power or revenge, and that he had chosen the wrong side to accomplish his goals. Even if he isn't all "peace and goodwill for all!" he still understands that he lost something precious, and that Voldemort's way was not -the way- to deal with the things that happened to him in the past. He'd only caused himself more misery as a result of his hatred.