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[snivelingprince]

Character Basics:

Character Name: Severus Snape
Journal: snivelingprince
Age: 16
Fandom: Harry Potter (Books)
Canon Point: End of his 5th Year (Marauders Era)
Debt:

Class A: 1
Class B: 4
Class C: 79

Dropping a tree branch on someone (accidentally)

Defacing instructional book

Blatantly ignoring instructional book's instructions

Calling best-friend a Mudblood

Inventing dangerous or mischievous hexes

Not washing hair often enough

Spying with intent to seek cosmic justice

GRAND TOTAL: 9 years 7 months

Canon Character Section:

History:

So there is a wiki here, but I've also written up a history that deals just with his life up to this point, since much of the wiki deals with his adult self. Feel free just to read the wiki if you prefer.

In many ways Severus' early life mirrors that of Tom Riddle, which may be why in his adult years Voldemort is so willing to trust Severus among his top Death Eaters despite his blood status. Severus is a clever wizard, a halfblood, born to what once may have been a proud pureblooded line, and a muggle father who was distant at best and abusive at worse. They were poor, and generally neglectful, often screaming at one another while Severus would hide and cry. Before school age his clothes were described as so mismatched it almost seemed to be on purpose, and he carried a general uncared for and neglected look to him.

His father was described as not liking magic (not liking much of anything, really), and Severus developed a strong dislike for him early on. This, along with much of his childhood, coloured his future views of muggles. He identified much more with his mother, and her side of the family tree, fashioning a secret name for himself using her surname- The Halfblood Prince.

It was Lily who brought some light into his childhood, and kept him from following the same path as Riddle. She brought love into his heart, and was for a very long time, his first and dearest friend. He knew she was special from the start; he watched and planned for some time before revealing himself, and his introduction didn't go at all as well as he'd planned. Lily's sister ruined the carefully planned moment, and would continue to be another source of his dislike towards muggles.

He and Lily bonded over time, a friendship that along with Lily's powers drove a wedge between her and her sister. Severus told her everything he knew about the world they were both secretly a part of, and both showed a knack for controlling their powers wandlessly at a very young age. (Severus had to assure her she would not be sent to Azkaban for this misuse of magic).

They each received their respective letters to Hogwarts, and for Severus it was the escape he longed for. His mother saw him off at the station, and despite his worn hand-me-downs he looked bright and eager. He and Lily sat together on the train, and this was where he first met James Potter and Sirius Black. Lily had fought with her sister, and in an effort to cheer her up Severus tried to turn the conversation round to the sorting, telling her she'd have to be in Slytherin, the house he hoped to find him in. The two boys, who had been ignoring them until now, scoffed at the idea of anyone wanting to be in Slytherin, teasing them and all ready imprinting an unfavorable impression on Severus. Lily found them to be as unsavory as Severus did, and asked her friend to follow her to a new car.

His bright new beginning was tarnished, however, when the sorting came and Lily was placed in Gryffindor along with the traincar boys, while Severus was placed in Slytherin. His house greeted him warmly, and Lily assured him they would still be friends.

For the first time since Lily, Severus began to make some new friendships. None were quite the same as what he had will her, but there was a sense of belonging he'd never had before. He was never popular, but there was a group of Slytherin boys, most with ambitions of joining You Know Who, who were fine to share his company.

Meanwhile, his relationship with the Marauders continued to deteriorate. They (mainly James and Sirius) liked to pick on him, and while in their adult years they make many claims about Severus initiating, in every instances we've been shown in the book he seems to have been actively avoiding them. It's only when they approach that he draws his wand, ready to defend himself. They create a nickname for him, Snivellus, which becomes quite popular around the school, and often when they go after him it attracts chanting crowds who do nothing to help. His housemates are never described as offering any assistance in these matters, only Lily, who Potter was now constantly pursuing. Severus didn't like James constantly asking Lily out, but thankfully she always turned him down, and seemed to see him for what he 'really was', in Severus' eyes at least.

He studied hard in school, excelling in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts in particular. He began rewriting his old textbook with his observations about potion making, and jotting down spells he'd created, many to try and deal with the Marauders (because while he didn't (seem) to start the fights, he was always ready to retaliate). His grades earned him a spot in Slughorn's Slug Club, along with Lily, though he was never quite as prized a member as many of the other students.

Away from Lily, Severus' new friends talked of their aspirations to join You-Know-Who once out of school, of blood purity, and the need to rule over the muggles. Severus began to agree more openly with the cause, and his attitudes towards others shifted. This caused a lot of tension between him and Lily (obviously) though Severus never quite seemed to realize just how much. He saw Lily as special, beyond those classifications, and didn't see that calling every other muggleborn a 'mudblood' but exempting her didn't make her feel any better.

The final straw came during a particularly bad day. The Marauders (again mostly James and Sirius. Peter is 'visibly excited', standing up to watch and laugh, but doesn't actively joing. Remus never laughs, and watches it all with a furrowed brow.) had decided to torment him again, to cheer themselves up. James used many of Severus' own spells against him, taunting him about the exam they'd just written. He has his mouth washed out with soap after he swears at them, frozen and unable to move. Lily (probably James true target given how he kept looking down the the lake), ran to Severus' defence. The hex on his wore off while they argued, and he hit James with Sectumsempra across the side of his face. He was quickly hexed again, hanging upside down, robes falling over his head. At Lily's insistence they drop him on his head, only to quickly bond bind him. She demands they release him, and while they final relented, they throw in a final taunt about how lucky he is that she's there to protect him. Mortified, and too humiliated to be grateful, Severus instead lashed out at her for thinking he needed rescuing. He called her a filthy mudblood, and the instant he did so he knew what he'd done. James demanded an apology, but Lily told the both of them off. Once she'd gone a frustrated James renewed his torment, hoisting Severus back into the air.

Later, deeply regretting his actions, Severus had gone to the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, making camp outside the portrait that served as entrance and prepared to sleep there if he had to, determined to see Lily. She finally came down, and Severus tried to apologize. Lily wouldn't accept, and asked if he was still planning to join the Death Eaters when they left school. Severus didn't answer, and this effectively ended their friendship.

Bitter, and blaming the Marauders for the loss of this person who meant so much to him (along with a large helping of self-hate), Severus threw himself into finding some sort of revenge. He'd long suspected he knew why Lupin was sick each month, and while Lily had told him to drop it, he knew the four of them were up to something, and if he could prove it maybe he could get them expelled. Meanwhile, Sirius helped Severus out, which he should have known was suspicious from the start. After observing the Whomping Willow, Sirius gave him the clue he needed to enter the hideout. If not for James finding out, Severus probably would have died that night, but being saved was cold comfort. In his mind Potter had only done it to save his and his friends' skin. Meanwhile, despite sending him to what should have been his death, the Marauders received little punishment, while Severus was ordered to keep quiet about what he'd seen, something he viewed as a great injustice, and clear favouritism.

Personality:

Severus is a not a very friendly person. He's guarded, quiet and sarcastic, and carries a grudge for a very long time. As a teenager he keeps mostly to himself, nose deep in a book, and has consistently proved a convenient target for the Marauders. From what we've seen he rarely goes after them directly (save the Whomping Willow incident) but when he sees them approach he's prepared to fight.

He can be very selfish, especially when he's younger. He's had a hard life, but in his desire to find a place he's made bad decisions and hurt people he cares about.

Severus hates to be called or thought of as a coward. He knows he's not the strongest, but when the fight comes to him he tries to give as good as he gets. Its never worked out for him so far, not at home nor at Hogwarts.

Jealousy plays a big roll in his life, and bitterness, dark emotions that push him to cruel behaviour. He wants to do and accomplish big things, and the popular people being praised while he's ignored grates him entirely the wrong way. He doesn't admit to himself that it is jealousy, to him it's more a case of injustice.

He's not all sour grapes and glares, though not many people get to see. Severus is very ambitious. He works hard, and most of the time he doesn't care very much what others think of him. When they were young he bonded with Lily, and around her the Severus we see is much more like a typical boy his age. He can smile, laugh, joke and cry; even apologize when occasion calls for it, things he's very guarded about with other students. He's capable of maintaining neutral or even friendly relationships, it just takes a little pushing to get past his walls. Even once said friendships are established he can insensitive to those he cares about.

He's not as polished as his adult self. He's awkward, soft spoken, and curses when he's upset. His clothes are old and worn, and hair often unwashed. His appearance isn't usually something Severus concerns himself with, but like most teenagers, its not entirely beyond him. He knows he's not much to look at, and he's embarrassed by his clothes on occasion.

Despite being a Half Blood, Severus has ascribed to some very prejudiced views about muggles and muggle borns. As a child he told Lily being a Muggle Born didn't matter, and in his view of her that has never changed. As he's grown older though his feeling about others has changed. This is in part due to the company he keeps, he was accepted into a group of boys in his house, nearly all of whom held ambitions to join Voldemort. Severus' view on muggles was all ready tainted from his experiences with his father. That coupled with the bad neighborhood and general lack of attention or friends outside of Lily left a very poor impression of muggles on him. Even Lily's sister was awful to them, though admittedly her parents seemed all right. With this pre-existing prejudice it is quite easy to see him getting swept up in the sentiment of his house mates. He really didn't see at the time how ascribing to these beliefs hurt Lily, even if he didn't think he directed them at her.

Without Lily's influence since their fight he's become a more bitter and closed off person.

Having is magic and wand stripped away will be very difficult for him. His skill and intelligence are very much wrapped up in his feelings of self worth. However, with a muggle father and growing up in a muggle town he knows how to function without magic. The fact that only certain people from his world are here, none of which like him will also be frustrating and suspect until Severus can be sure it isn't all some elaborate prank

Key Relationships (characters in (or to be apping in) game and how Severus will feel):

Lily Evans: While Severus does indeed have romantic feelings for Lily, for me the key aspect of their relationship has always been more about the friendship, and how very much that meant to Severus. He loves her. As a friend. Romantically. Both. While he was/is sad that she never returned the romantic love, and he behaviour to towards James can be fuelled with additional jealousy, he never played the 'nice guy'. She rejected him, and while not happy about it, Severus respected that. If/when she started dating James it will be hard for him. If he learns about Harry and sees that proof of their love in his living breathing face it will be even harder, but it won't twist that deep rooted love for Lily. She is, at this point in his life, one of the only people to get to see the good inside of him, and who inspires him to be better than he is. He will keep an eye on her, and may try to seize this as an opportunity to start over and try to begin to make amends.

James Potter: They've never gotten along for one second, and arriving here together Severus will be convinced Potter had something to do with it. What started as bullying became rivalry for Lily's attention, and Severus very much sees him as part of the reason he's lost Lily's friendship. In short, he thinks James is an arrogant, pig headed twat. He owes him his life at the moment, something he's extremely bitter about. As a tie to home however he may begrudgingly have to keep an eye on him.

Sirius Black: They've also never gotten along. Sirius seems to hate Severus simply because James does, but he's embraced the bullying whole heartedly, and is always quick to put Severus in his place if/when he lashes out against James. Of the two of them Sirius has proved more dangerous to Severus' immediate health, tricking him into nearly being killed by Remus. There's a lot of emotions and dark feelings built up over the years, and its likely there will be altercations. Like As a tie to home however he may begrudgingly have to keep an eye on him.

Remus Lupin: Remus is in a grey area with Severus. He's never participated in the bullying, but he's never stopped it either, just watched and stood by with a disapproving look. To Severus he's as guilty as the others, but he holds less resentment towards him than James and Sirius. After very nearly getting himself killed by trying to figure out his illness, Severus thinks Remus and his condition are dangerous. He's still bitter about the fact that he's been made to keep the secret while no one was punished for what happened, and a lot of that bitterness gets misdirected towards Remus, who had no way of knowing that Sirius had sent Severus to him. The idea of him being a werewolf is something Severus had been toying with for a while, suspecting but never able to prove. He thinks it is dangerous to have a werewolf roaming free at the school, but it hasn't really changed his view of Remus as a whole.

Peter Pettigrew: Peter means very little to Severus. He's Potter's tag along, always delighted by anything James does. Their scraps seem to entertain Pettigrew but he's never really gotten too hands on involved. He's a pest, and a little pathetic in Severus' mind. They actually have a bit in common, Severus wants to fit in, find his place, and in doing to made friends with some very questionable Slytherin boys, and later would join the Death Eaters. So on some level he can understand Peter's desire to be liked.

Harry Potter: This will be hard for Severus. In his time Lily has only just began to show any real outward interest in James, and for the most part still seems disgusted by his behavior. James' pursuit is a one sided affair. To see that he succeeds will be a blow, the person he loves most and the person he hates most coming together. If he then learns that they (mostly Lily, he doesn't care that much about James) died to save Harry it would be a pretty extreme emotional break for him. There would be a lot of resentment, both towards Harry and James. If he doesn't learn about her death he may be slightly more accepting of Harry, since he's a part of Lily. Seeing her eyes starring out of him though, that's going to be hard to get past. When an older Harry ends up with a potions book filled with annotations by 'the Half Blood Prince' he becomes quite taken with him, thinking of him as both an all right person and a good teacher (better than Prof. Snape). Perhaps this suggests that a younger Severus might be more to Harry's liking.

Powers/Abilities:

Severus is a young wizard, still not finished his schooling. He's very bright, and has a natural aptitude towards potions and a passion for Defence Against the Dark Arts. According to an adult Sirius Severus came to Hogwarts knowing more Dark magic/spells than most seventh years. This is to be taken with a grain of salt though, given their relationship. His skill with potions is so much so that he rewrites the book (literally), and follows his own approach rather than the one laid out for the students.

He has written his own spells and hexes, some of which have been shown to be extremely powerful and/or deadly (Sectumsempra). A number of them got picked up by his fellow suited after he used them, and even occasionally used again him.

He has also been shown to be quite skilled with wandless magic and silent magic, both of which are uncommon in their world.


Appearance:
Severus isn't much to look at. He's long and lean without much fat or muscle to him, usually hunched over a parchment or a book. He nose is hooked, skin pale, and his hair is long, dark, and usually greasy. His clothes are second hand, fading, worn, and always a bit ill fitting. His eyes are dark, almost black, and can deliver a very sharp glare.

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Samples:

Actionspam Sample:

[Severus bristled, anger building up as Dumbledore praised Potter for saving him, disbelieving as the Marauders were sent out with nothing more than a series of detentions for an event that very well could have led to his death.]

...Do you really think that's fair, Headmaster? This wasn't some prank. Black tried to kill me. Just because Potter tried to save his own skin by stopping me--

[Dumbledore interrupted with a look that said he was not willing to discuss this any more.] James Potter saved your life, Severus. As for Mr. Black he will be appropriately dealt with, that is not for you to judge; now I think you'd best return to your common room. And remember Severus, Lupin's condition does not leave this room.

[Dark eyes narrowed, but Severus gave a curt nod, lips drawn into a thin line, muttering under his breath once he'd left the confines of the Headmaster's office.] No, that would be a serious offence, wouldn't it? Mauled to death? That's nothing. Expose a danger to the school? Now that's crossing a line.

[He took a slow breath, and paused on the stair to regain his composure. Of course Dumbledore wasn't going to properly punish Potter and his friends. When had that ever happened? But there was another kind of justice in Hogwarts. Slytherin's weren't well thought of in the other houses, but they took care of their own.]

[Severus woke with a start from the memory, or was it a dream? He was flat on his back on an unfamiliar floor, and voices echoed through the room. He sat up and reached for his wand, only to find it missing.]

If this is another one of your pranks-- [He growled, pushing to his feet, but the faces around him were entirely unfamiliar and his brow creased. At least until he spotted a familiar set of faces amongst the strangers.] What did you dunderheads do this time?

Prose Sample:

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