Unfair Comparisons (part 3)

Unfair Comparisons (part 3)

Here are descriptions of two boys from HP books. It’s hard to believe, but Harry Potter fans claim that boy number one had a very tragic and difficult childhood, suffering abuse, violence, and neglect from his family. These hardships caused him to experience a tough and insecure adolescence, eventually leading him to join the Death Eaters under pressure. On the other hand, fans claim the boy number two is a racist and a professional killer, who in his youth tried to join the Death Eaters in order to freely torment Muggles with dark magic.

1- Regulus Black:

Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them. ‘They’re all about Voldemort,’ she said. ‘Regulus seems to have been a fan for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters ...“

He was younger than me, said Sirius, ‘and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.’ ‘But he died,’ said Harry. ‘Yeah,’ said Sirius. ‘Stupid idiot … he joined the Death Eaters.“

2- Severus snape:

Suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his — a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner. …

Two girls were swinging backward and forward, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smocklike shirt.

"Oh yes, they’re arguing", said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won’t be that long and I’ll be gone". "Doesn’t your dad like magic?" "He doesn’t like anything, much", said Snape. 

One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked around at the word, and Harry, whose attention had been focused entirely on the two beside the window, saw his father: slight, black-haired like Snape, but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared-for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked.

J.K. Rowling: Well, that is Snape's tragedy. Given his time over again he would not have become a Death Eater, but like many insecure, vulnerable people (like Wormtail) he craved membership of something big and powerful, something impressive.

I love both Regulus and Severus, and I believe they were both brave boys who made mistakes and tried to make up for them by risking their lives. But there’s something in the fanbase that bothers me regarding these two characters. It’s that Snape’s story is erased from him and given to Regulus Black. I haven't found any evidence of Regulus being tortured or forced to join the Death Eaters, as described in the books. He willingly joined Voldemort because he was fan of voldemort. Moreover, according to Sirius, Regulus was well-liked within his family, and his parents not only didn’t mistreat him, but they actually loved him more than Sirius.

I’m tired of constantly seeing people say that Regulus was a saint while Snape was a sadistic murderer. I can’t believe people can read these lines from the books and still claim that Regulus was tortured with the Cruciatus Curse and abused by his family in childhood, which forced him to join the Death Eaters due to his traumatic upbringing. But Snape? Oh, apparently, he was born to be a racist, torturer, sadist, and murderer from day one.

Aren’t you tired of these ridiculous double standards? Aren’t you fed up with constantly insisting that fanfictions and TikTok videos are canon?

I’m really worried about the new generation of Harry Potter fans. They don’t even know that Harry Potter is originally a series of seven books by J.K. Rowling, not just some fanfiction on AO3! I think, soon enough, even the name and story of Harry Potter will be erased from its own narrative. No one will remember the tale of an orphaned boy discovering the wizarding world and getting caught in the battle of good versus evil. All that will remain are the ridiculous, over-the-top drama and fanfiction about the Marauders.

It might be surprising, but in the canon and the books, Regulus Black was this kind of teenager:

His face and appearance: described in Half-Blood Prince (in Slughorn's picture) as "smaller, slighter, and less handsome" than Sirius.

The photo on the right is Regulus Black in the Deathly Hallows movie; the photo on the left is Regulus Black from J.K. Rowling's official website.(wizardingworld.com)

His ideology: “Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them. ‘They’re all about Voldemort,’ she said. ‘Regulus seems to have been a fan for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters ...“ (Harry potter and deathly hallows book)

His status in the family: The golden child—obedient, loyal to pure-blood ideals, and the one who didn’t rebel like his older brother.

He was younger than me, said Sirius, ‘and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.’ ‘But he died,’ said Harry. ‘Yeah,’ said Sirius. ‘Stupid idiot … he joined the Death Eaters.“ (Harry potter and order of phoenix book)

unlike snivellous regulus actually got abused by his mother and got casted the crucio curse multiple times to make regulus obey walburag and snivilus isnt even confirmed to have abusiev or neglective parents....sirius almost died because snivellous casted the flipping spell that he made to curse sirius and peter....he also bullies barty and regulus and bullied remus for his dyslexia....thats why the marauders bullied him in the first place. james just used the spell against him in the books for revenge bceuz he used it on pete and sirius on the tree thing when remus and james werent looking...reggie got casted sectumsempra when james was gone and he also bullied nevile and harry... he was so obsessed with lily and lily wanted to die because of it. lily tried to kill herself and she forced herself with snivellus because she believed that snivvy would change...and wdym james was a sexual assaulter???????snivvy literally lifted lily's skirt and forced himself inside her......he was obsessed with lily...and when they broke off he used charity as a coping mechanism....minevra did nothing wrong she was fair unlike snivellous and for all i know severus chocked reggie once and james wanted to kill him thats why he bullied him in the first place. he shouldnt stick his greasy hair and ugly nose in the first place on sirius and remus conversation about the full moon...he should be glad that prongs saved him and regulus treated his scars even though snivellouse tried to kill him. snivellousse stole the marauders map for malicious resons and stalked lily... yu didnt read the books and use fanfics for prof....stop spreading misinformatio

I can't explain how wrong this is. Please tell me this is satire, or I will truly kms.

"Bullied Remus for his dyslexia." I think I have an idea on what fanfiction have you read. Please consider reading the real books and stop using ATYD along with other fanfiction to make this.

And are you on something...?

Eyes That Held the Truth:

The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.

I hadn’t revisited Snape’s death scene in the book for a long time, but recently, I stumbled upon the lines describing his final moments in a post, and something struck me something I had never noticed before: Snape dies with his eyes open.

Given how central his eyes have always been in shaping our perception of him, I began to wonder if there was a deeper meaning behind this detail. Could his open eyes in death carry a message of their own? Here are a few thoughts that came to me:

1. A Search for Redemption:

The fact that Snape dies with his eyes still open might suggest that, even in his final breath, he was still searching — for redemption, for forgiveness. He spent his entire life trying to atone for past mistakes, but he never truly found that closure. He never heard Harry forgive him, and his sacrifices went largely unnoticed. His open eyes could be a sign that he dies with some things left unfinished, especially when it comes to being at peace with himself.

2. The Eyes as a Mirror to the Soul:

We’ve all heard the saying that “the eyes are the window to the soul,” and in Snape’s case, this feels especially true. In life, his eyes were filled with depth and secrets, but in the moment of his death, they become “blank and empty.” It’s as though everything that made Snape who he was the pain, the complexity, the hidden truths — vanished in an instant. His soul, once so guarded, has left, and all that’s left behind is a body, an empty vessel.

3. Unfinished Love:

Snape’s final moments, staring into Harry’s green eyes, feel like a tragic symbol of his undying love for Lily. Those green eyes — the very ones Harry inherited from his mother are the last thing Snape sees. It’s as if he’s holding onto that connection, even in death, unable to “close” the chapter of his life that revolved around her. His eyes remaining open suggests that, emotionally, he never found closure. Even in death, his heart still longs for her.

4. Harry’s Role in Snape’s Life:

It’s significant that Snape dies looking at Harry. Harry represents so many things for Snape — both his deepest pain, as the son of James, and his chance at redemption, as the child of Lily. In many ways, Harry is the center of Snape’s story. His open eyes, fixed on Harry, reflect the complicated emotions Snape felt toward him. Even in death, Snape is still connected to Harry, unable to fully let go of all the feelings he carried for him. He remains fixated on Harry even after death, just as his eyes had been for the past 19 years, always watching over him, always saving him.

5. A Final Moment of Truth:

Throughout his life, Snape was a master of concealment, always hiding his true emotions, always playing his cards close to his chest. But in death, with his eyes wide open, there is no more hiding, there’s no more control. His eyes are wide open, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. his final act stripped of all the secrecy and control he held onto so tightly. His open eyes are like the truth revealed at last — nothing left to conceal, nothing left to protect. It’s a moment of raw honesty, where his story can finally be understood.

Wait, who told them Snape fans would even want to attend such a party?

Trust me, we prefer more meaningful company... like complex characters and actual depth.

I saw one tiktok video from a Marauders fan with the caption that they wouldn't invite any Snape fans to their Marauders era party.

Girl, let's be honest, you look like the kind of person who would have bullied me in high school and then resented me for refusing to help with math, what party are we talking about 💀💀💀

I was thinking about how heartbreaking it is when your favorite character becomes the author’s punching bag.

Yes, I know it was J.K. Rowling who gave us Snape, but sometimes I wish the creation of Severus Snape had gone differently. I wish this fascinating, complex character had been the brainchild of a different writer—someone who would have treated him with kindness, someone who truly understood and cared for him. A writer who would have approached his complexities and psychological wounds with patience and insight, someone who would have given him an entire story of his own, one that ended with healing and love.

Not a writer who projected their own frustrations and anger onto him, using every opportunity to humiliate and punish him.

If you've ever read J.K. Rowling's interviews, you can easily sense the deep resentment and anger she's projected onto Snape. It’s hard to miss how much of that negativity she’s funneled into his character.

Greasy or Oiled? A Translation Twist

When I first read the Harry Potter books in my native language, I had no idea that Snape’s hair was being used as a way to mock and belittle him. Quite the opposite, I actually thought he was someone who cared about his hairstyle and aesthetic appearance and was trying to keep up with 1990s trends! like these:

In the English version of the books, Severus Snape's hair is famously described as "greasy," giving off a certain image of neglect and uncleanliness. However, in the translation to my native language, his hair is described as "روغن زده" (oiled) instead.

This is the Persian translation of the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Well, I’m not sure what the exact equivalent of "روغن زده" (oiled) would be in English, but in my language, this adjective is used when someone applies special oils to their hair for styling and beauty purposes.

This subtle shift in wording changes the way we perceive Snape's appearance. While "greasy" makes you think of someone who doesn't take care of themselves, "oiled" feels more intentional, like Snape might have styled his hair that way on purpose. It’s almost as if Snape would wake up every morning, take a refreshing shower before classes, then sit down in front of a mirror in the dungeons to start his precise and delicate oiling ritual, carefully styling his hair to perfection.

Maybe Snape really was indulging in a bit of hair oil therapy or just trying to keep his locks in line with the trends of the time. But, of course, Harry’s biased perspective ruined any chance of appreciating the poor man’s grooming efforts. Who’s to say?