Potter_n_potions

Some things belong on paper, others in life. It's a blessed fool who can't tell the difference

[potter-n-potions]

I find one of the saddest lines in the book is one no one remembers or talks off.

‘But we’re going!’ he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. ‘This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!’

Snape was SO excited to be going to Hogwarts. Where he thought his life would be better, away from his abusive father and neglectful mother. He thought he was going to a safe place where he'd make friends and be happy.

This is the only time we see Snape excited and where he was unbelievably happy, for a heartbeat. 😔 😔

[potter-n-potions]

‘Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.' - Dumbledore, GOF.

Severus couldn't understand why he was the one to be punished for the werewolf 'prank' and the others got away with it and couldn't accept it. Severus Snape never recovered 'cause he couldn't understand and accept what happened.

[potter-n-potions]

Lily and James would never have died if he was secret keeper. So he is correct in saying it's his fault they died, he and Snape. Cos he chickened out of being SK!

If he was so prepared to die for them, never tell, then why not be SK?

Both men acted differently.

Sirius: took the law in his own hands and went after Peter, getting 12 Muggles killed and landing himself in Azkaban for 12 yrs.

Snape: Turned spy, putting himself in constant danger to help avenge Voldemort and bring him down.

We aren't our mistakes, it's what we do about them is who we really are.

Snape fucked up and he did everything he could to try and redeem his actions, to protect everyone he could from that moment on, that Lily didn't die in vain.

Sirius fucked up and chose murder. TWICE. Only stopping because Peter outwitted him and again when 13 yr old stepped in.

[lilywalkers]

sick and tired of ppl saying james was a bully like okay ?? he bullied snape ?? the same guy who used wizard slurs AND threatened children ?? he kept petty grudges into adulthood like ur point ??

[potter-n-potions]

A petty grudge is someone stealing your sandwich and you holding it against them for the rest of your life. Not attempted murder and then sexual harassment/humiliation - that is not a petty grudge. it is a very valid grudge. No one would get over that, NO ONE.

[stabbyapologist]

Snape's rage after Harry seeing his memories in the pensieve is ominous in the movie but

Book!Snape had me scared af

[potter-n-potions]

I don't care what anyone says or calls me, but, imo,

Harry DESERVED it! How DARE he!

How can anyone justify Harry doing this I don't know, even if they hate Snape! And I've seen a few. I think my favourite one ever was, 'Snape shouldn't have left the pensive out.'

What, like the girl who was r@p3d shouldn't have worn a short skirt?

And Harry's age is void here! He is old enough to know right from wrong. Old enough to know what he is doing hold consequences. Old enough to consciously make that choice by himself knowing he shouldn't do it but did it anyway.

[frederick-the-great]

Why do we love Snape, or the character who was unkindly written

Claire Jordan in one of her Quora essays said that she’s been in fandom for decades and has never seen a character so loved as Snape. I concur. Excluding some recent trends that purposefully misinterpret Snape by projecting onto him a set of stereotypes he was never supposed to embody, Snape remains one of the most loved characters in the Harry Potter universe. Every poll on Harry Potter’s favourite characters confirm that Snape is always on the top 3, sometimes reaching first place.

This is not some “bad boy syndrome”. There are two main reasons for readers to have latched onto Snape so furiously, for Snape to have been so ardently discussed and defended after HBP – and these feelings only intensified after the 7th book. The reasons, I would posit, are:

1.      Snape is a character that the narrative portrays as ambiguous.

2.      Despite this, the narrative is often, objectively, unfair to Snape especially in favour of other characters.

Let’s address the first point. Snape is ambiguous because he has to be. There are two big plot-twists in Harry Potter: Harry is a horcrux and Snape’s loyalties. These two end up closely connected because it is through the knowledge of Snape’s loyalties that Harry discovers he must die to kill the part of Voldemort that is inside him. Snape is therefore largely written as a suspect in a murder mystery. Several commentators have argued that the structure of a Harry Potter book resembles a crime novel, and I agree. Snape has to appear guilty, but the books have to give enough clues to the reader as to his true loyalties. Independently of authorial intent, this is what makes Snape so compelling. Because:

a.      Snape is cruel to his students but he constantly protects them (Harry, Draco, Katie Bell, Luna and Hermione, Neville and Ginny).

b.      Snape is described as ugly but his use of language is the most sophisticated of the series to the point it becomes sensual. Just consider his first speech in class about the beauty of potions and how they “ensnare the senses” and “bewitch the mind”.

c.      Snape is mean and petty but these characteristics are often accompanied by sarcasm and irony which make some of his most awful comments quite funny, such as him telling Crabbe not to suffocate Neville because he would have to mention it in a reference letter if ever Crabbe applied to a job. There is also a lot of incongruent humour in play with Snape. For example, him reading about Harry’s love life is hilarious because Snape and teenage drama are two irreconcilable dimensions.

d.      Snape is cruel and bullying but the narrative offers several reasons for this. While Dumbledore’s past is revealed mostly through conversation, Snape’s past is slowly revealed in images which make it much more vivid. Snape getting a glimpse of a werewolf at the end of a tunnel. Snape’s father yelling at his cowering mother. Snape upside down and petrified by Sirius and James. Petunia calling him “an awful boy”. More than any other character, Snape is rooted in a social context that brings with it inescapable references: poverty, domestic abuse, neglect, bullying.

e.      Snape is unattractive in practically all ways but he is also given the title of “Prince”. He is also one of the characters who carries a sword, and whose love is presented as “the best part” of him. These are characteristics that ennoble Snape.

f.       Snape is dismissive of people’s feelings but he is also the character who is defending children because of their mothers. Lily because of his guilt, and Narcissa whom he allows to trap him in an unbreakable vow to protect her son.  

g.      Snape is taken as evil but the character whom the narrator uses as a morality mouthpiece – Hermione – often defends him.

h.      Snape kills a man but the narrative is quick to add that his soul would likely remain intact as it would be an act of mercy, arranged between the victim and the perpetrator as Harry reinforces. Harry goes as far saying that Snape “finished him” instead of using the verb kill or murder. Furthermore, we know remorse is something that mends the soul and Snape’s whole arch is about guilt and remorse – immortalized in the scene where Snape weeps at 13 Grimmauld Palace.

i.       Snape is apparently a murderer but the narrative goes to some lengths to show that just like Harry Snape has a thing for saving people. “Lately, only those I could not save” and him risking his cover to save Lupin.

j.       Snape’s trauma is often discredited but the narrative allows part of his tragedy to come at the expense of the hero’s father whom Harry spent years admiring. A relevant part of James’s goodness is sacrificed in favour of Snape’s own character construction.

k.      Snape’s trauma in relation to having been bullied is more often discredited by the narrative, although Fudge’s comment “the man is quite unbalanced” and the comparison established between James and Sirius’s use of Levicorpus and the Death Eaters using it on a muggle woman shows that it is something to be taken serious, although never acknowledged.

This last point leads me to my second assertion that the narrative is fundamentally unfair and cruel to Snape. For two main reasons:

a.      Snape’s trauma in relation to the Mauraders is discredited by everyone that counts, namely, Lily and Dumbledore. Only Harry comes closer to understand its dimensions. We can argue as to why this is, and as to whether there was authorial intent or it is simply that JKR didn’t realise how it would sound. Lily nearly smiles when Snape is being bullied which puts in question Lily’s character as well as her friendship with Snape. Both in Snape’s Worst Memory and in the conversation about the prank, she also fails to show concern that her friend was being bullied by the boy she liked.

b.      The second instance of unfairness is more serious because it is far more insidious. A careful reading of text will tell us that Snape was set up for death by Dumbledore. That Dumbledore planted the Elder Wand on Snape while thinking its power had died with him and while knowing that Voldemort would eventually reach conclusions about the Elder Wand and wish to possess it, thus killing its current owner. Not only Dumbledore never tells Snape, but he plans it beforehand. This is why he “admits” to Harry that the intention was to let Snape have the wand. Harry understands exactly what this means, and in the Final Battle tells Voldemort that Dumbledore intended the power of the wand to die with him.

This is so insidious – and cruel – that it is never openly acknowledged. Dumbledore betrays Snape, showing an impressive disregard for his life – far more than he showed for Harry’s because he knew Harry had a good chance of survival. But Snape is never given the satisfaction of having this acknowledged in the text. Snape yearned for Dumbledore’s affection but not only Dumbledore denied him that, he also denied him the truth of what he really wanted of him. Snape is betrayed by both his masters at the end. But we are never explicitly told this. This happens because the narrative is unwilling to portray Dumbledore in a truly badly light. His apparent sorrow (“poor Severus”) and his “admission” of guilt are not enough to show him remorseful because the narrative cannot bring itself to say: “I set Snape to die by planting the wand on him so Voldemort would come to possess a useless weapon”. This would change the readers’ view of Dumbledore, especially after Prince’s Tale. Remark on how cruel it is: Snape had to agree to kill Dumbledore in “good faith” so the power of the wand died with him, but all the while Dumbledore knows that Snape would get a target on his back and die from it. Dumbledore manipulates Snape into – possibly – ripping his soul and tricks Snape into his own demise. Snape thought Dumbledore was raising Harry as a pig for slaughter, but he is wrong. It is him whom Dumbledore is raising to die. The fact that this is never openly stated, and is purposefully obfuscated by the language, is somewhat cowardly. Dumbledore barely apologises, he barely recognizes it. If he did, the readers would be horrified. As in the case of Lily, Snape is sacrificed in favour of apparently “better” characters whom the narrative wants the readers to like more.

However, the flaw in the plan is that…readers aren’t stupid. I caught on to this when I was a teenager, and it has only intensified as I grew older.

Even at the end, Snape understands from the moment Voldemort mentions the wand that he is going to die. JKR said in a tweet that Snape could’ve saved himself, presumably by setting Voldemort straight, and so his silence ensured Harry’s victory. It is a possible interpretation. More possible still is that Snape accepted death after giving Harry his memories. The fact that he stops trying to starch the bleeding once Harry appears shows it. His “look at me” is the request of a man who knows he’s going to die and just wants to do so by looking at the eyes of the woman he loves. In this sense, following Dumbledore’s words that “there are things far worse than death” and that for an organized mind death is “the next big adventure”, Snape showed far more courage than both Dumbledore and Voldemort who on several occasions tried to fight the inevitability of death.

It is true the narrative offers some vindication for Snape. Harry tells Tom Riddle of Snape’s true loyalties. Riddle is not allowed to die before knowing that Snape had betrayed him and colluded with Dumbledore, all because of a power Riddle doesn’t understand – love. Harry also names the son with his – and his mother’s – green eyes Severus. Finally, Harry tells him that Snape was probably the bravest man he knew.

But still, Snape is not kindly written. There is an underlying cruelty in how Snape is treated throughout the books. Because he is so profoundly unloved, because he is barely shown kindness and because no one ever takes responsibility for what happened to him, the readers feel compelled to do so. That, I think, explains why Snape is so widely loved, and why people are so ready to defend him in unprecedented ways.

[potter-n-potions]

101 Reasons Why I Love Severus Snape.

1) Because he fought against Voldemort to assuage his guilt, at the cost of his personal reputation.

2) Because he extended Dumbledore's life.

3) Because he saved Katie Bell.

4) Because he was a Potions prodigy.

5) Because he was abused at home and bullied at Hogwarts, finding no safe haven anywhere but still found the will to live.

6) Because he loved Lily Evans.

7) Because he could Occlude like no one else can.

8) Because he gave Umbridge fake Veritaserum - to protect Sirius Black's whereabouts.

9) Because he perfectly brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for one of the Marauders.

10) Because he told Phineas Nigellus not to ‘say that word!’ when he said Mudblood.

11) Because he shared the memories which were required to destroy Voldemort.

12) Because he didn't allow the Carrows to torture anyone if he could help it.

13) Because he sent Ginny, Luna and Neville to Hagrid for punishment instead of to the Carrows.

14) Because he prevented Neville from being strangled to death by Crabbe.

15) Because he protected the son of the person he hated most in the world.

16) Because he must've been afraid every time he had to return to Voldemort, but did it anyway.

17) Because he showed us that you don't have to be Sorted into Gryffindor to be a hero.

18) Because he made himself hated by students and staff to keep a watch on Quirrell by refereeing Quidditch.

19) Because he expressed his regret at not being able to save everyone.

20) Because he brewed the restorative potion in COS for humans AND a ghost.

21) Because he was willing to give Dumbledore "anything" to save Lily's life.

22) Because he stopped Bellatrix’s Crucio on Harry.

23) Because he told Sirius Black to remain back at Grimmauld Place to wait for Dumbledore.

24) Because he saved Lupin’s life from a Death Eater’s spell during the flight of the seven Potters, risking his own exposure.

25) Because it was he who taught Harry his signature spell - the spell that won the war.

26) Because he showed Fudge his Dark Mark to try and convince him of the Dark Lord's return.

27) Because he was worried when a student was taken into the Chamber of Secrets.

28) Because he was the only Death Eater who could produce a Corporeal Patronus.

29) Because he could've left Dumbledore at any time post Lily’s death but didn’t.

30) Because it was Snape who easily defeated Lockhart in the duel.

31)  Because he guided Harry and Ron to Gryffindor's Sword.

32) Because he made the Unbreakable Vow, saving Draco’s soul.

33) Because of his hilarious sense of humour.

34) Because he was the only person to give Harry his mother’s story.

35) Because he was human.

36) Because, no matter what, he went out of his way to help others.

37) Because he was horrified at the fact that Dumbledore had treated Harry as if he were disposable.

38) Because he didn’t care that Ron (a Gryffindor) tried to get to Malfoy (a Slytherin) and beat the shit out of him for wishing death on Mudbloods (specifically Hermione). He suddenly turned blind and deaf to Gryffindors wanting to attack Slytherins.

39) Because he could not save everyone but damn well tried to - 'lately only those whom I could not save.'

40) Because he provided the 12 different potions needed to save Hermione's life in OOTP.

41) Because he hoodwinked and fooled the Dark Lord. The greatest wizard after Dumbledore. The most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen.

42) Because he was ‘deliberately unhelpful’ for Umbridge when she wanted more Veritaserum.

43) Because, aged 20, he went to Dumbledore at great risk of his own life, at a time when Order members were allowed to kill any suspected Death Eaters on sight.

44) Because, aged 20, he had the balls to ask Voldemort to spare a Muggleborn’s life.

45) Because without his plea for Lily's life, baby Harry would have died that night in Godric's Hollow, and Voldemort would have been victorious.

46) Because he begged Voldemort three times to allow him to find Harry (so he could pass along his memories and Harry’s final task), despite being told NO!

47) Because his last worry was finding Harry, not that Voldemort was about to kill him.

48) Because he could have broken his cover at any time to save his own skin, but never did.

49) Because he chose not to tell Voldemort that he was making a fatal error in targeting Harry. Snape's silence ensured Harry's victory.

50) Because he granted Dumbledore a quick, painless death.

51) Because he ran through the castle in his nightshirt, not caring about his image, when he heard 'someone' (really the egg) wailing.

52) Because when he heard a woman (Trelawney) screaming, he wasted no time in running towards the source of the scream.

53) Because he didn’t kill Harry when he purposely looked at a forbidden, shameful, off-limit memory.

54) Because he (in the film) gave his cloak to cover Cedric’s body.

55) Because he always slithered out of Death Eater action.

56) Because he doesn’t call the Dementors on Sirius Black as he threatened to but floats him and the others back to the castle on stretchers.

57) Because he can teach us how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death.

58) Because he taught us that to undo Dark Magic, you must know Dark Magic and want to undo it.

59) Because he taught us life isn’t fair.

60) Because he taught us not to wear our hearts on our sleeves.

61) Because he didn’t take cheek from anyone.

62) Because he taught us to control our emotions and to discipline our minds.

63) Because he told us to turn to page 394.

64) Because he talked himself out of death when he returned to Voldemort in GOF

65) Because he prevented Quirrell from killing Harry by muttering the countercurse.

66) Because he taught us that the mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure.

67) Because he taught us Inferi were different from ghosts in more ways than one.

68) Because over the years he played his part well. So well he deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time.

69) Because, instead of fighting McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout, he left without harming them, making himself appear a coward.

70) Because he reunited Harry and Ron in Deathly Hallows.

71) Because, when headmaster, he protected the students to the best of his abilities.

72) Because he warned Sirius Black - sure, in a mocking and unfriendly manner - that he was recognised by the Death Eaters as a dog. He didn't have to do this, he could have left him to go out as a dog and probably be killed.

73) Because he ran into the Forbidden Forest in search of Harry when he did not return.

74) Because he alerted the Order when he could not find Harry in the Forest and realised they had gone to the Ministry.

75) Because, whilst everyone was heading to the dungeons, he went to the third floor to ward off Quirrell.

76) Because he was poetic.

77) Because he really understood ‘the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes’ and ‘the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.’

78) Because he had the strength of mind and purpose to live with Wormtail, the person who actually betrayed the Potters, and not kill him.

79) Because he had the patience not to throttle Neville after the dunderhead melted six cauldrons in one lesson.

80) Because he Stupefied Flitwick, ensuring he did not die in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.

81) Because he sent Hermione and Luna to look after and stay with Flitwick - also ensuring their safety.

82) Because he saved Draco from dying after Harry cast the Sectumsempra curse on him.

83) Because he ran to save the Golden Trio despite believing that a murderous lunatic (who had tried to kill him at 16) and a werewolf awaited him. Thus triggering his own PTSD, which he was surely aware could happen. 

84) Because Hogwarts Castle knew Snape’s true loyalties. She recognised him as the rightful headmaster, granting him access into the Headmaster’s office, something Umbridge was denied.

85) Because he sacrificed his life for the Greater Good.

86) Because he was the bravest person Harry Potter ever knew.

87) Because, when he killed Dumbledore, he also killed every ounce of trust anyone ever had in him. Making himself universally hated yet resisting the human urge to protest his innocence.

88) Because he showed us that, no matter your mistakes, you can change. Always.

89) Because he showed us that ‘We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.’

90) Because he showed us that ‘It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’

91) Because he showed us that ‘We aren't our mistakes. It's what we do about the mistake that shows who we are.’

92) Because he was Harry Potter - he was the story.

93) Because when he was in a scene your eyes were fixed on him.

94) Because he showed us that there was hope and greatness in everyone.

95) Because he showed us that anyone was capable of changing their path.

96) Because he showed us that we can understand without excusing.

97) Because he was all grey. 

98) Because his change was the most robust of the story.

99) Because he was perfectly imperfect.

100) Because I do.

101) Because, well, Obviously.

[mmad-lover]

#HeDeservedBetter

[ladykardasi]

Ow!!!

[potter-n-potions]

Why did Voldemort gain followers?

Everything is in the books, yet not a single time is the reason given as "Because they want Muggleborns dead." Many factors, most of which had nothing to do with their desire to murder Muggleborns, led those who sided with Voldemort to do so, and most (not all) of the time, it came down to supporting the side who could bid them a better life.

The side that treated them better.

Which should send a powerful message to its readers: if you treat someone badly, don't expect them to be on your side when you need them to.

[‘Anyway, this – this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ’em, too – some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ’cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right’]

[‘Voldemort doesn’t march up to people’s houses and bang on their front doors, Harry. ‘He tricks, jinxes and blackmails them. He’s well-practised at operating in secret.’]

[“As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; […] They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty.]

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

[‘Envoys to the giants?’ Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. ‘What madness is this?’ 

‘Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late,’ said Dumbledore, ‘or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!’]

 [‘I mean we soon found out he (giant) didn’ object ter all wizards – just us.

‘Death Eaters?’ said Harry quickly.

‘Yep,’ said Hagrid darkly. ‘Couple of ’em were visitin’ him ev’ry day, bringin’ gifts ter the Gurg, an’ he wasn’ dangling them upside down.’]

[‘They (Dementors) will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the Dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!’]

‘I’m sure they’d (goblins) never go over to You- Know- Who,’ said Mr Weasley, shaking his head. ‘They’ve suffered losses too; remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?’

‘I think it depends what they’re offered,’ said Lupin. ‘And I’m not talking about gold. If they’re offered the freedoms we’ve been denying them for centuries they’re going to be tempted.’]

 ["How come they (werewolves) like Voldemort?“

“They think that, under his rule, they will have a better life.']

[feelingsoftheday]

nobody apologized for how they treated me, they just blamed me for how I reacted.

[potter-n-potions]

If you poke a caged animal long enough it’ll attack back and it isn’t the animals fault, it simply isn’t - R Galbraith - IBH

[potter-n-potions]

Bloody hell, Harry is dramatic as fuck! A typical Snater.

Harry, chapter 26: The Second Task: [Snape loved taking points from Harry, and had certainly never missed an opportunity to give him punishments.]

Snape up until this point had taken a total of 47 points over four years (7-PS, 0-COS, 15-POA, 25-GOF) and Harry was given his first detention, his first punishment, from Snape in GOF.

[sal--absinthii]

If you're a pro-Snape blog can you reblog so I can build up my dashboard again

I can't remember all the blogs I was following

[kiramartinauthor]

When you finally read the book everyone's been talking up and you're just kinda like

[potter-n-potions]

I was like this with The Girl on the Train.

I never finished it. Gave up half way through.

[potter-n-potions]

Deathly Hallows Chapter 33: 

Snape: They sneak out at night. There’s something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going? Lily: He’s ill. They say he’s ill. Snape: Every month at the full moon?

4 Books earlier:

Ron: Still looks ill, doesn’t he? What d’you reckon’s the matter with him? There was a loud and impatient ‘tuh’ from behind them. Ron: And what are you tutting at us for? Hermione: Nothing. Ron: Yes, you were. I said I wonder what’s wrong with Lupin, and you – Hermione: Well, isn’t it obvious? Ron: If you don’t want to tell us, don’t. Hermione: Fine.

How is that any different to Snape hinting to his best friend? Trying to tell the truth without telling the truth. Wanting to keep Lily safe.

[potter-n-potions]

Moody: I don’t like people who attack when their opponent's back’s turned. Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do.

James Potter: 

[phantomgrimalkin-deactivated202]

Realizing Snape almost certainly knew that Peter Pettigrew had joined Voldemort and just kept his mouth shut for 12 years out of spite while Sirius rotted in jail.

[potter-n-potions]

Sirius says the following to Peter in the Shack:

“You haven’t been hiding from me for twelve years,” said Black. “You’ve been hiding from Voldemort’s old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter… They all think you’re dead, or you’d have to answer to them… I’ve heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters’ on your information… and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort’s supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they’ve seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter —”

Among the DEs in Azkaban, some of them knew Peter was the Potter’s Secret Keeper.

This introduces the possibility that Snape knew Peter was a Death Eater spying against the Order. This raises the question, did Snape know that Peter was the Secret Keeper? If he knew, that would mean he let Sirius “rot in Azkaban”, possibly because he hated him (for admittedly valid reasons). 

Again, all of the evidence indicates Snape didn't even know Peter was a spy, let alone the Potter’s Secret Keeper. The DE in Azkaban were not 18 year old newbie DEs, they were long serving DEs, as far back as when Tom Riddle was at school 

Also, Karkaroff said the Death Eaters were factioned, to minimise the chances that too many DE names would be given if a DE went to trial.

“You must understand,” said Karkaroff hurriedly, “that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named operated always in the greatest secrecy. . . . He preferred that we — I mean to say, his supporters — and I regret now, very deeply, that I ever counted myself among them —” 

“Get on with it,” sneered Moody. 

“— we never knew the names of every one of our fellows — He alone knew exactly who we all were —” 

“Which was a wise move, wasn’t it, as it prevented someone like you, Karkaroff, from turning all of them in,” muttered Moody. 

This is, admittedly, the same strategy used by Dumbledore.

Both Voldemort and Dumbledore, leaders of their respective camps, gave information to their followers on a need-to-know basis, particularly the mission-critical information. 

Voldemort didn’t tell his followers everyone’s identities or every mission, he didn’t tell anyone about his Horcruxes, and he only told a select few about his plan with Draco.

Dumbledore only told the Trio about the Horcruxes, he didn’t tell anyone that his own death was planned with Snape, and he didn’t tell anyone but Snape that Harry had to die. 

This ensured that in case one of their own was captured and interrogated by the other side, whatever information that person could give up was limited, as was the damage done to their respective causes. Logically speaking, it would be a supremely stupid idea for Voldemort to let his two spies in the Order know each other’s identity. If one of them got caught by the Ministry or the Order and was interrogated, they could offer up the name of the other spy in exchange for their amnesty, resulting in Voldemort losing both spies. War is won in large part based on intel, and Snape and Pettigrew were uniquely critical in their roles as spies in both wars. 

On Snape’s part, he defected from the winning side of a war. He was the one who gave Dumbledore the warning that Voldemort was after the Potters, as shown by Fudge’s comment and the Hilltop scene in Deathly Hallows.

“Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding.” - Fudge, Ch 10 PoA

“Hide them all, then,” he croaked. “Keep her – them – safe. Please.” 

“And what will you give me in return, Severus?” 

“In – in return?” Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, “Anything.”

He spied for Dumbledore for around a year in the first war, he promised "Anything" to Dumbledore if it would save the Potters. Giving “Anything” to Dumbledore just to try and protect Lily and her family, is not to be taken lightly. If he had been discovered by the Death Eaters as a traitor-spy, he likely would have been tortured, interrogated for whatever information he could provide, and killed. 

As Dumbledore confirms in Goblet of Fire:

“Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort’s downfall and turned spy for us, at great personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am.”

Or just look at what Sirius says in Order of the Phoenix:

“Well, you don’t just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It’s a lifetime of service or death.”

And it’s confirmed again by Snape in Deathly Hallows:

“I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you.”

It is no hazard that Dumbledore stays silent for a long moment after Snape departs to contact Voldemort again at the end of Goblet of Fire; it might well be Snape’s last night, as Voldemort made it clear in the graveyard after his resurrection that he intended to kill Snape. 

Even Severus is afraid, though he still departs:

“Severus,” said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, “you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready . . . if you are prepared...“

“I am,” said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. 

“Then good luck,” said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension (fear) on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius. 

It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again.

At the rebirth of Voldemort:

One, too cowardly to return... he will pay [Karkaroff]. One, who I believe has left me forever... he will be killed, of course... [Snape] and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service [Barty Crouch Junior].

It is only through skill, plan and luck that Snape survived that particular night:

“The Dark Lord’s initial displeasure at my lateness vanished entirely, I assure you, when I explained that I remained faithful, although Dumbledore thought I was his man. Yes, the Dark Lord thought that I had left him forever, but he was wrong.” 

Why would he risk torture and death by spying in order to save Lily in the First War, to honour her memory in the Second War… 

But then fail to tell Dumbledore that Peter was the spy if that information would save her life? 

This is unbelievably illogical.

Even if you believe that he only ever cared about Lily and himself, it makes NO sense that Snape would know Peter was a spy, the true Secret Keeper, and a potential threat to Lily’s life, and keep that information to himself, especially since he was already risking his life spying at this point. 

If Snape wanted revenge so much on his bullies, and if he knew that Peter Pettigrew was the spy, it would be in all of his interests to tell Dumbledore so that Pettigrew could be imprisoned and perhaps executed by the Aurors for being the spying traitor. Getting revenge on Peter Pettigrew and protecting Lily at once, that is what Severus would have done had he known Pettigrew was the traitor all along.

[firinniee]

Albus Rubeus Potter should be a thing. AT LEAST Albus Rubeus Potter because I can still understand why Harry wanted to honor Dumbledore. But Snape? It annoys me on every possible surface. 

[maruke2003]

It’s almost as if Snape gave up his life to undo his wrongs and help end the war. It’s almost as if Snape spent years keeping Harry as safe as possible.  It’s almost as if Snape saved Harry’s life. It’s almost as if Snape tried to save as many people as he could during the last war. It’s almost as if Snape kept Harry’s friends as safe as he could during that last year at school. Yeah I have no idea why Harry would name his kid after Snape.

[potter-n-potions]

I wonder how it makes them feel knowing Harry (who went through it) grew up, matured, and learned to understand and they’re no where near that part.

[maruke2003]

The thing is, they don’t think Harry understands properly. Becuase they seem to have it all down themselves with Dumbledore being the “ultimate evil mastermind” and Snape was just a puppet without an actual thought in his mind 🙄

[potter-n-potions]

Instead, lets name him after a man who nearly killed him a fair few times, constantly putting lives in danger and put beasts > students. Over a man who did all what you said...Yeah, sounds logical

[firinniee]

Albus Rubeus Potter should be a thing. AT LEAST Albus Rubeus Potter because I can still understand why Harry wanted to honor Dumbledore. But Snape? It annoys me on every possible surface. 

[maruke2003]

It’s almost as if Snape gave up his life to undo his wrongs and help end the war. It’s almost as if Snape spent years keeping Harry as safe as possible.  It’s almost as if Snape saved Harry’s life. It’s almost as if Snape tried to save as many people as he could during the last war. It’s almost as if Snape kept Harry’s friends as safe as he could during that last year at school. Yeah I have no idea why Harry would name his kid after Snape.

[potter-n-potions]

I wonder how it makes them feel knowing Harry (who went through it) grew up, matured, and learned to understand and they’re no where near that part.