Since the last Harry Potter book came out & even worse after the release of DH-2, there are always arguments about which pairing is better - Jaily or Snily. (James & Lily or Snape & Lily to all those Muggles out there!) Being a hard core Jaily fan, I find this argument stupid and annoying & I'll tell you why, in other words burst the myths:
1. James was a bully, Severus was the victim: Yes & No. Confused?
Yes, James was the bully. No doubt about it. I won't even defend him for that. He was an arrogant rich teenager with the looks, brains & talent and had developed a sort of big head about it. Agree it all. But (& there is always a but like there's two sides to each coin) He was a genuinely good person, proved so by his unquestionable acceptance of Remus Lupin (who was a werewolf, Muggle readers I haven't forgotten you!) & also the fact that he became an illegal, un-registered animagus just to help his friend.
Now the "No". No, Severus was not the poor victim. He retaliated when he could. He was the under-dog from a not-so-proper-family, accepted. But one can't deny he was a not "victim" he is often portrayed to be. Like Sirius Black says "At the age of eleven, he knew more curses and hexes than most of the seventh year students". And unlike James' harmless (yet humiliating pranks) his idea of fun was torturing someone. He was not accepting of Remus' situation, rather he wanted to reveal it to all & was bound by a promise to Dumbledore he wouldn't.
So not necessarily all bullies are bad, & all victims "good".
2. However bad Severus might have been, he came over to the good side in the end, that's all that matters: No it is not. And I will tell you why.
Severus was interested in The Dark Arts since he was a kid. (Refer to the Sirius comment above) He willingly joined the band of Slytherins, who all later became his Death Eater buddies. He was the one responsible for over hearing the prophecy & relaying it to Lord Voldemort (which he did!) He only switched sides when Lily Potter nee Evans was in indirect danger as Voldemort chose Harry to be his equal & not Neville. I repeat he only changed sides for Lily. Snily fans think this is the ultimate test of LOVE & Severus passes it because he came over to try to save her & that makes him a good man. No, it doesn't. Hypothetically, if Neville was chosen & the Longbottoms were in danger, he wouldn't have cared. He would have remained being a Death Eater & maybe helped Voldemort take over the Wizarding World.
Where as James was an active member of the Order & according to the prophecy "thrice defied Voldemort". If it were not Harry & Neville were chosen, James would have still tried to protect him or died trying. That is what James was capable of. When twelve year old boy, pure-blood nonetheless can accept a werewolf as a friend & try to help him, wouldn't he help a boy in danger, a child the age of his own kid?
So, Severus just switched sides for his "love" & not because he had a change of heart or he was a good person.
3. Severus loved Lily more than James ever could & they should have ended up together: I have a three point, to the point answer to this.
(i) Snape lived for Lily, James died for her. His last words were "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" Enough said.
(ii) Lily was a human. Not a bloody doll. You just can't say what would have been better for her. She was an intelligent, gifted witch, she could make her own decisions. She had the brains to decide who was better for her & who deserved her more. So thank you very much.
(iii) If Lily chose Severus, we wouldn't have been having this argument as Harry Potter wouldn't have existed. So, respect the Queen Rowling, & respect her decisions she has made for her characters & stop going on about what should have happened.
Lily chose James for a reason. Respect her decision.
Sorry for the overly long post. Rant Over.
I do love James, Direct Dil Se!
1. James was a bully, Severus was the victim: Yes & No. Confused?
Yes, James was the bully. No doubt about it. I won't even defend him for that. He was an arrogant rich teenager with the looks, brains & talent and had developed a sort of big head about it. Agree it all. But (& there is always a but like there's two sides to each coin) He was a genuinely good person, proved so by his unquestionable acceptance of Remus Lupin (who was a werewolf, Muggle readers I haven't forgotten you!) & also the fact that he became an illegal, un-registered animagus just to help his friend.
Now the "No". No, Severus was not the poor victim. He retaliated when he could. He was the under-dog from a not-so-proper-family, accepted. But one can't deny he was a not "victim" he is often portrayed to be. Like Sirius Black says "At the age of eleven, he knew more curses and hexes than most of the seventh year students". And unlike James' harmless (yet humiliating pranks) his idea of fun was torturing someone. He was not accepting of Remus' situation, rather he wanted to reveal it to all & was bound by a promise to Dumbledore he wouldn't.
So not necessarily all bullies are bad, & all victims "good".
2. However bad Severus might have been, he came over to the good side in the end, that's all that matters: No it is not. And I will tell you why.
Severus was interested in The Dark Arts since he was a kid. (Refer to the Sirius comment above) He willingly joined the band of Slytherins, who all later became his Death Eater buddies. He was the one responsible for over hearing the prophecy & relaying it to Lord Voldemort (which he did!) He only switched sides when Lily Potter nee Evans was in indirect danger as Voldemort chose Harry to be his equal & not Neville. I repeat he only changed sides for Lily. Snily fans think this is the ultimate test of LOVE & Severus passes it because he came over to try to save her & that makes him a good man. No, it doesn't. Hypothetically, if Neville was chosen & the Longbottoms were in danger, he wouldn't have cared. He would have remained being a Death Eater & maybe helped Voldemort take over the Wizarding World.
Where as James was an active member of the Order & according to the prophecy "thrice defied Voldemort". If it were not Harry & Neville were chosen, James would have still tried to protect him or died trying. That is what James was capable of. When twelve year old boy, pure-blood nonetheless can accept a werewolf as a friend & try to help him, wouldn't he help a boy in danger, a child the age of his own kid?
So, Severus just switched sides for his "love" & not because he had a change of heart or he was a good person.
3. Severus loved Lily more than James ever could & they should have ended up together: I have a three point, to the point answer to this.
(i) Snape lived for Lily, James died for her. His last words were "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" Enough said.
(ii) Lily was a human. Not a bloody doll. You just can't say what would have been better for her. She was an intelligent, gifted witch, she could make her own decisions. She had the brains to decide who was better for her & who deserved her more. So thank you very much.
(iii) If Lily chose Severus, we wouldn't have been having this argument as Harry Potter wouldn't have existed. So, respect the Queen Rowling, & respect her decisions she has made for her characters & stop going on about what should have happened.
Lily chose James for a reason. Respect her decision.
Sorry for the overly long post. Rant Over.
I do love James, Direct Dil Se!
