There was no way for Lily to "save" Snape because he was a magical nazi, even before they met.

Lily spend years of her life on a toxic friendship and making excuses for his behavior.

 

I think Lily had all the influence to save Snape but she just did not try hard enough. Also doesn't help the fact that they are in two separate houses and they have been influenced by the circle of people they are always surrounded with. Had Lily been in Slytherin or Snape in Gryffindor, these two would be inseparable and could have even ended up together.

 

Why should she try?

 

Because Snape is a nice guy, damn it.

 

I very much doubt Snape was a "nazi" when he was a kid, he wouldn't have bothered to befriend Lily in the first place.
So I guess Slytherin is to blame ?
I also doubt Lily could have known that he was becoming a nazi.

 

Had Lily been in Slytherin she'd have been alone, bullied and discriminated by the whole house for being muggle-born.
Snape'd have been her only friend and company. She'd excuse every shit Severus said/think/do, afraid of losing the only person who stand between her and loneliness.

The relationship between them would have been totally abusive and unhealthy.

 

She knew he was hanging out with dark wizards/pureblood bigots, and that the group collectively wanted to join Voldemort once they graduated. So she knew enough. As for whether she could have done more than she did, probably not. The one thing we missed in Snape's flashbacks was what exactly drew him towards Mulciber and the others besides his interest in dark magic/possible peer pressure.

 

Now I'm imagining Snape posting on r/incel about how females ruin everything because they never jump into bed with him just because he acted like a normal decent human being for five seconds. I could totally see him opening up a thread and ranting about how "In all the years I knew her, I never once used a love potion or Imperius curse to get her in my bed! Why doesn't she appreciate me more?!!!"

 

I think she knew very well

 

Why the fuck would Lily shave Snape? His facial hair only seems to appear in drawings by JKR and Mary GrandPré, while playing no part in either the movies or books.

Also, since I went to the trouble of making this pic, I suppose this thread is reason enough to haul it out again...

 

Yes. I think her abandonment of him was in the end the straw that broke the Thestral's back, so to speak, in his joining the "dark side." People can say hurtful things when under pressure and when being tormented like Severus was, and we've seen that that was one of the things he's regretted the most.

He definitely said it in the heat of the moment, he was being tormented by the Marauders, I very much doubt he was thinking clearly in that moment.

Lily had two options: Stick with her childhood friend and lead him to a better path, or abandon him, just like every one else had, so he had no option but to go with the Death Eaters, the only ones who would accept him anymore.

I just wish James wasn't so much of a bully, it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth that she ended up with him. He bullied her best friend and tormented him and she married him.

 

The Nice Guy levels are off the charts.

 

If your friend called your mother a disgusting whore, would you stay friends with them?

 

Depends on how much you liked your mother I guess.

You can say that again. At least it tell us who we don't want in our community.

 

"If only the girls of UCSB Alpha Phi had been the adoring harem he deserved for being a supreme gentleman, Elliot Rodger could have been saved from killing those people!" ~Average James-hating Snape fan

James is a good guy whose worst crime was being mildly obnoxious sometimes in high school, and whose most questionable choice was being too hung up on one girl for his entire school career. Snape's most questionable choice and worst crimes involved being a murderous terrorist.

 

I feel there was no saving for Snape.

Maybe earlier on in his life but once he got into Slytherin, he had no chance. He was sucked into Death Eater circles, either by choice or force.

After that no character had either the patience or influence with Snape to change anything.

Also, I get the feeling the only deed he repented was Lily's murder, nothing else.

So, when he switched sides all he did was spy for Dumbledore and start intimidating kids. There is no proof in canon that he did anything else out of goodness of heart. (Someone please check DH if he did anything to check the Carrows).

Like the rest of them said, his was an obsessive love.

 

I think he remembered that the mudblood slur did cost him a romantic interest which was why I think he did not espouse his ideology openly.

It is very difficult to tell what became of his beliefs in canon(what with Dumbledore always in the background). Also, leaving Voldemort is never an option.

Remember Karkaroff? I am not sure if you are referring to the subsequent books released, in which it is said that Voldemort found it difficult to infiltrate the Americas.(no-maj? Seriously?) But remember, Snape was high enough a Death Eater to be positioned at Hogwarts.

While punishing students unfairly was a tenable practice, taking political sides against mainstream muggleborn supporting by committing any sort of muggleborn discrimination would have had Dumbledore berating him for his foolishness, after which he would either be exposed by Dumbledore as a spy, or have the same use significant political capital to secure his position at Hogwarts. Also would not have achieved his goal of ending the being who had his love killed.

While revealing himself to Dumbledore, it is shown that his main motivation in 'redemption' was Lily's death, not change in ideology.

Power of obsessive love notwithstanding, I find it difficult to believe that her death would change anything. Her death only served to make him an embittered man.

He was interested only in Voldemort's downfall, as shown in the same scene.

I suppose that it is my own bias against redemption which also helped in forming my opinion...
People(including myself) believing an action can be negated (or made up for) is an inanity beyond all magic.

Ahh.. my idea separation sucks...

 

I would argue that Snape, just like Voldemort, never even believed in that ideology in the first place. Snape's reason for joining the Death Eaters was simply a way for him to feel like he belonged somewhere. Yeah, he called Lily a Mudblood but that doesn't really mean that he agrees with the ideology. I've called my friends bastards but I'm pretty sure they all have dads.