Severus Snape is NOT A Sadist

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This is another rant about people's treatment of Snape. I'm getting extremely tired of being told that Sev is a sadist. He's not.

Nothing I'm saying in this rant hasn't been noted by other Snape fen, you can find all of these points in my favorite essays. But I want to consolidate them here.

The definition of a sadist is "someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others". Severus is the opposite of a sadist, going out of his way to save people from harm or pain. We have plenty of scenes to prove that, although most HP fans don't agree.

Patterns are key. If someone does something over and over, it is much more a part of their personality than if they only did it once. When being told Sev is a sadist, most bring up ONE key scene - the Trevor scene in PoA. That scene is important, but not in the way a lot of fans think. terri_testing made a very good argument, stating that Severus never planned on harming Trevor, and that the only reason he put on that act was to convince people he really is a mean and sadistic Death Eater (see her essays "Poisoning Toads in the Dungeon" and "Snape's Reputation among his Colleagues" for her analysis on this).

I agree with her analysis. Because one scene, an extremely important scene (and we know it was important given the amount of page space it took up) does not negate all of the subtle clues. In fact, both strengthen Terri's analysis. As Severus himself said: "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I hadn't known how to act?"

He acted like he was a cruel sadist, to keep his cover, but he isn't one. We know that because he shows his true personality whenever he can - small, subtle moments that add up to show us an extremely protective and caring person.

In fact, he often shows it when he shouldn't. Bellatrix tells us his reputation as a Death Eater - all talk and no action. And, as a Death Eater, he would have had every opportunity to torture, rape, or kill (at least, if we believe parts of the fandom. I don't believe that), but he does not. He would have been encouraged to hurt others, it would help keep his cover. And yet, he does not. I cannot sum it up any better than whitehound does when she says, "Not to hurt people when you are pottering along with your safe civilian life may indicate nothing but laziness and lack of opportunity. Not to hurt people when you are burning up with rage and you have every opportunity to do so, everyone around you is encouraging you to hurt them and doing so would be to your advantage argues a profound determination not to hurt people."

So let's go through and look at the scenes that prove that Severus is a caring person:

MWPP Era:

He was not on the front lines, torturing or killing like some parts of the fandom assume. We know that because in the fourth book, Sirius admits that Severus was never accused of being a Death Eater in gossip or in court (we know Karkaroff brought him up, but that was after Sirius was arrested).

Yes, he told Voldemort the prophesy. I've talked about it in past posts, but I'm going to talk about it again. It wasn't his decision. This is what I've said before:

Severus is ease dropping. The prophesy starts.

Aberforth catches him, and they make a lot of noise.

Prophesy ends, and the door opens.

Albus and Sybill see Severus in Aberforth's hands.

Aberforth throws Severus out of the building.

Sybill doesn't remember telling true prophecies, but she remembers seeing Severus. So the prophecy had finished before the door was thrown open. They also made a lot of noise, that Albus would have been able to hear.

Albus knows Severus has heard the first half, which speaks about a threat to Voldie. Now, we know that Albus doesn't believe in Divination. We also know that Voldie DOES. Albus knows that too.

We also know that Albus has no problem modifying peoples memories (or instructing others to do the modifying). We see that with Marietta.

So, the war is high. Here's something new for Voldie to obsess over, and gives us (Albus) some time. So we send his servant back with the message, instead of modifying his memory.

Albus also shows no surprise when Severus comes to him to beg him to save Lily. All he says is "ah, yes". No surprise. No, he (Albus) has the upper hand throughout that entire scene, and manipulates Severus like a finely tuned fiddle.

So why would that have been the beginning of him using Severus? Why would he not be surprised? BECAUSE HE WANTED IT LEAKED!

Of course, people have disagreed with that. I honestly find their responses funny. Apparently Severus escaped all on his own. It's funny because they are giving him more credit than Snape fen do! I mean, do you honestly think that Sev could just escape from Aberforth's hold with Albus staring straight at him? Ahh, no. I may not like Albus, but I've never denied that he is an extremely powerful wizard.

Also, Severus had no way to know that Voldemort would target a baby, much less Harry. All he hears is "The one with power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies." It sounds much more fitting with the "approaches" part that it is an adult. It's not until the second part – that Sev did not hear – that says the one "will be born". It could be talking about practically anyone born at the end of July.

This part is specifically against the notion that Severus didn't care at all about Harry and James, that he would never have any problems with Voldemort or the Death Eaters if Lily wasn't targeted. The fact that the world is not black and white and Death Eaters are not automatically Evil aside (those who know me know I don't agree with either Voldemort's or Dumbledore's policies), there is a crucial flaw with this perception.

The fact that Severus never said those things has been noted by many – he never said that he would be fine with Harry and James dieing, in fact his exact words were "You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all-" Them. Then, after Dumbledore accuses him of only caring about Lily, he says "Hide them all, then. Keep her – them – safe. Please." Again, mentioning all of them. His primary focus is Lily, yes, not a child he has never met, or his tormentor. But that's not the crucial flaw, we're leading up to it.

He asked Voldemort to spare Lily, yes. But asking Voldemort to spare Harry would just get him (Sev) killed, and everyone seems to know about the Marauder's torment of him. It's not like they tried to hide it (at least those first six years). It would be too suspicious to ask for Voldemort to spare James. But he had been friends with Lily, Voldemort probably knew that; and Voldemort had wanted her to be a Death Eater in the first place. She he could ask him to spare. That would slow him (Voldemort) down somewhat, he wouldn't immediately go to Killing Curses the moment he broke in. All of this has been noted by other Snape fen (the last sentence is my analysis added on). But none of this is the crucial flaw. People have argued against it, saying he didn't really care. So here's the flaw:

If he really didn't care, why go to Dumbledore? After all, his precious Lord had agreed to spare Lily, so all was good! If he truly didn't care about Harry or James, there was no reason to go to Dumbledore. Remember, he was never one of Dumbledore's favorites. Dumbledore's reaction to Sirius almost killing him was to swear him (Sev) to secrecy. So why go? Because Dumbledore could (supposedly) save them all. They would listen to what Dumbledore had to say.

Oh, I'm not saying he liked Harry or James. He didn't. And clearly Lily is in the forefront of his mind, which makes sense. But he's no sadist who traded Harry and James for Lily – he genuinely cares about saving people from pain or harm, and that's the point of this post.


Book Two:

When McGonagall says a student has been taken into the Chamber, he grips a chair hard and asks if she's sure. A subtle moment, definitely. But an extremely telling one.


Book Three:

He brews the Wolfsbane for Remus, and even takes it to Remus's office and reminds him to drink it! Of course, the thought of Remus without the potion must be extremely anxiety provoking as Remus once almost ate him. But he goes beyond the call of duty by consistently taking it to Remus's office and nudging him to drink it. He can be quite the Mother Hen, our Sev! "Fussily protective" is him alright!

He flat-out runs to the Whomping Willow when he realizes that Lupin has gone in (probably to meet Black), and that the Trio is missing. The only reason to rush in instead of waiting for them to come out was the threat to the children, to save them from harm. As Terri points out, he was probably imagining what people like Bellatrix and Fenrir would do to them - unspeakable horrors. Remember, no one knew that Sirius was not a Death Eater. And the Shack is an extremely traumatic place for him, his flashbacks to the night Sirius almost had him get eaten by Remus must have been huge. Yet he still went in, because nothing was more important than saving the children.

Then, later, he summons a stretcher for Sirius - even though he believes that Sirius is a mass murderer who's always wanted him dead. Sirius, however, let his (Sev's) head get bashed against stone multiple times after Sev had already gone unconscious from a head injury. He spills the beans on Remus only after he almost eats three students, proving that he is a threat to the students' safety. The essay he assigned on werewolves was for them to start paying attention and protect themselves, and he knew that Hermione was the only one smart enough and willing to do the research anyway to figure it out. He may not be able to stop Remus meeting with Harry in private, but he can clue Harry's best friend in.


Book Four:

He again flat-out runs through the corridors in his nightshirt when he hears a scream, ignoring a break-in to his own office! Saving someone from getting tortured (we know that's what the Egg sounded like when opened on land) was more important than anything else. He didn't even wait to assess the situation - he just rushed in, believing someone was hurt.


Book Five:

Sev doesn't like Sirius – nor would I like someone who routinely bullied me, almost killed me, and thinks I'm worth nothing – but he (Sev) does everything he can to protect him. He warns him that Lucius Malfoy recognized him in his Animagus form. He also gives Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she wants to interrogate Harry about Sirius' whereabouts, and then makes sure Dumbledore knows about it.

When he's called to Umbridge's office and she has Harry he is deliberately unhelpful, telling her that he is all out of Veritaserum (although considering he gave her a fake version before, I highly doubt that's true). Then, seconds after Umbridge has put him on probation, he tells Crabbe to stop choking Neville. This was a serious risk on his part as it was obvious Crabbe was holding on to Neville on Umbridge's orders, and that if he loses his job he loses all importance to Voldemort and the Order. Yet he risks it, to save Neville from pain.

When Harry gave Severus the warning about Sirius, Severus immediately contacted Sirius to see if he was safe. Then, as soon as Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge didn't return he alerted the Order and told them where Harry was headed. He asked Sirius to stay behind and inform Dumbledore when he arrived. He then went and searched the forest for the children. Someone who didn't care would just alert the proper people and be done with it, with the excuse that as a spy he had to sit out. But he didn't. He continued to search for the children.


Book Six:

When he contains the curse on Dumbledore's hand, he is furious that Dumbledore did not summon him earlier, with the sole reason being he could have done more and bought Dumbledore more time. He then promises Dumbledore that he would everything he could to protect the students in the school fell into Voldemort's hands. That's when Dumbledore pulls out the big punch, that Sev must kill him. Overcome with emotion, but trying to hide it, his voice is rough when he asks why Draco can't do it. And when Dumbledore answers, he asks about his own soul. Doesn't his soul matter? Doesn't he matter? Other than proving that Severus has not killed anyone (for why would he be concerned about what killing would do to him if he had killed before?), it shows a glimpse of the vulnerable man inside.

And the tool Dumbledore uses to get him to agree? Not that it would secure his position with Voldemort, no. Dumbledore appeals to his innate mercy. Save me from a slow and painful death, like the one Bellatrix and Greyback would give. Save me from pain and humiliation. That is what makes Severus finally agree.

Then Narcissa comes to him, distraught about her son's fate, while Bellatrix taunts him. He agrees to make the Unbreakable Vow, yes, but he still hesitates before for agreeing to kill Dumbledore – even though he has already promised Dumbledore he would. He doesn't want to do it. By making the Vow he can help Draco and Narcissa, beyond keeping an eye on Draco (like Dumbledore asked). He can help save a child from a horrible fate. His hands are tied, he will be forced to kill Dumbledore anyway. But this way he can still help save a child. This he can do.

He sprints through the bathroom door, not knowing anything other than that a girl had screamed murder, ashen with fright. Nothing is more important than saving a student's life – not even a potential threat to his own safety. His first instinct is to save and protect.

Out in the woods, when he gets angry about Dumbledore not telling him anything, he says that perhaps he has changed his mind about killing him (Dumbledore). He clearly still does not want to do it, even if not doing it means dieing himself. That doesn't matter to him. He is willing to die so he doesn't have to kill Dumbledore. So he doesn't have to become a killer. And as Dumbledore cuts him off later about the topic, we know this is not his only time protesting.

He is horrified when Dumbledore tells him that Harry has to die, that Dumbledore had been raising Harry "like a pig for slaughter". He may not like Harry, but he's protected Harry with his entire being. He thought that was what Dumbledore had been doing, as well.

How many people has he watched die, Dumbledore asks. Lately only those he couldn't save. He's saved the Death Eater's and Voldemort's victims when he can, risking his cover to spare them.

And when Flitwick comes to get him for the fight, he stuns him, telling Hermione and Luna to care for Flitwick. Keeping all three of them out of the fight, out of harms way. When he makes it to the Astronomy Tower, he takes in the scene, seeing Bellatrix and Greyback. And yet Dumbledore still has to beg him several times for him to make the final blow. And, full of hatred and revulsion for himself and the task at hand, he does it. Go, he tells Draco, run.

He shouts at the Death Eaters that it's over, that they have to go. Don't stay and fight, don't hurt others. Just run and leave. The other Death Eaters tried to fight Hagrid, Sev however took Draco and continued running. He then shouts for Draco to keep running, as Harry targets him (Sev). He's done all he can to protect Draco, to get him out safe.

He blocks Harry's spells, warning him not to cast the Unforgivables, warning him to close his mind. Protecting Harry to the last possible second. And when one of the other Death Eaters casts the Cruciatus curse on Harry, he roars no, with the flimsy excuse that Harry belongs to Voldemort. To kill, yes, but not to torture.

And when Harry tries to use Levicorpus, he makes Harry fly backwards, and reveals his identity as the Half-Blood Prince. He cannot have another Potter casting that spell during one of his worst memories. Harry calls him a coward, tells Sev to kill him like he killed Dumbledore. And he can't take it anymore, his agony at having to kill Dumbledore, knowing the boy in front of him will have to one day die. He gives Harry a magical slap (which is not as strong as the one Remus gives Harry for calling him a coward in DH).

Buckbeak comes for him, slashing and clawing at Sev. And yet he doesn't fight, he doesn't hurt. He just runs, letting an animal maul him, instead of hurting Buckbeak himself.


Book Seven:

It's on Dumbledore's orders that he tells Mundungus to use decoys and tells Voldemort the real date. Dumbledore reminds him, if he's forced to take part, to act his part. Yet Sev disobeys, quite loudly, to try and save Remus's life; accidentally hitting George. He then cares that the others know the truth so much that he includes the memory in his dying testimony. I didn't mean to hurt him, it was an accident. I'm so sorry.

When Neville, Luna, and Ginny break into his office, he gives them a punishment that is really an award – detention with Hagrid. He then spreads a story around that he tortured them horribly. He would have been found out, his cover blown, if anyone had read the childrens' minds. We know that both Bellatrix and Voldemort knew how. But he took that risk, to save the children from pain.

When McGonagall and Flitwick are dueling to kill, he only casts defensive spells, before fleeing. He gave up any power he has at Hogwarts so he would not have to hurt them. Fleeing so not to hurt them, to Minerva's cry of coward. Oh, if only she knew.

We don't know what Sev knew about the Elder Wand, but we do know that he knew he wasn't it's master. He has probably heard the story from Draco, that he (Draco) disarmed Dumbledore. He may or may not know that Harry overpowered Draco weeks before. Yet, he lets Voldemort think he's the master, never fighting to save his own life. He sacrificed his life, knowing that Voldemort was now going into a battle with a weapon that did not answer to him, and that Voldemort was unaware of that. A small protection he could give the others that were still fighting. He died protecting Draco and Harry by keeping his silence.


So this is our man. Our loving, protective man that does everything he can to save people from pain. And people wonder why I love him?



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Autumn-Souls's avatar
Uh no. Snape bullies kids and makes them cry. How the hell is that protecting people? He has triumph written over his face when he's trying to give Sirius and Remus to the dementors — or did you forget that part of the book? He smiles when insulting people, when making people angry — as is shown in the fourth book. JK Rowling HERSELF has said that he's sadistic.