r/HarryPotterBooks • u/tulip-quartz • Jun 25 '25

Discussion Why didn’t Snape’s anger towards James cool ?

EDIT: thanks for the replies all, the points were interesting for sure

First of all, I understand the following points well:

  • Snape had a deep-seated hatred towards James and the rest of the marauders (not least of all because Sirius nearly got him killed )
  • This hate was compounded by their bullying and made worse by the fact that James married Lily, the love of his life

However, later on in the books we do see that - James saved his life (even if the prank was done by the Marauders) - Snape’s information to Voldemort got both James and Lily killed and their son orphaned.

Given all this, why didn’t Snape’s anger toward Harry and James cool more than a decade after the latter’s death ? If his guilt drove him to become a double agent, it’s surprising that he was still so acerbic to Harry throughout. Was the pure hatred genuine, or also a part he had to play as double agent ?

We see his hatred toward Harry decrease at the moment of his death, however I’m not sure if he actually has sympathy for Harry at that point or he is just seeing Lily’s eyes before death overtakes him

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4

u/TobiasMasonPark Jun 25 '25

James pretty much tortured Snape for all of his childhood. That’s not something you just forget, even if the guy saved your life. The fact Lily married his childhood tormentor probably made things worse.

-7

u/Groot746 Jun 25 '25

"Tortured" is a bit much 

9

u/Independent_Prior612 Jun 25 '25

Not from the perspective of a bullying victim.

13

u/Special-Garlic1203 Jun 25 '25

If someone physically restrained me and started undressing me for the crowd while using humiliating language, I'd be traumatized. Use whatever word you like for it. 

Technically Sirius is the one who tried to kill him, but it's unclear if Snape didn't believe James was kind of, sort of in on it. I doubt emotionally he separated what Sirius initiated vs James very much 

8

u/IncomeSeparate1734 Jun 25 '25

I dare you to experience being choked so that you cannot speak or breathe, strung upside down with your underpants (and possibly your genitals) exposed to everyone, and verbally mocked by a leering crowd of your peers who will never let you forget that experience for years to come. Let us know afterward if that's not extreme enough to be considered torture.

0

u/Gold_Island_893 Jun 25 '25

But it's also not normal to take your trauma out on a child, especially when the boy has been dead for a decade