You Can Be Emotionally Intelligent, Observant, And A Good Judge Of Character, And Still Be An Asshole

457 are so harrymort coded

‘She wasn’t a good mother’ great are we evaluating this character trait as one of her many facets or are we just damning her for not being the most maternal womanliest woman who ever womaned

Educated = Hot

The Class Dynamics between James Potter and Severus Snape: A Critical Analysis:

This is a dedication to all those who say that class has nothing to do with the bullying that James exerted on Severus, to those who claim that James couldn't be classist because "he never proactively despised anyone for being poor" or because "he was friends with Remus," to those who say "Snape also attacked him" or suggest it was a "rivalry" and that they were on equal footing, or simply to those who say they are "fictional characters" and that fiction has nothing to do with reality, blah blah blah. This is something I have written with bibliographical references because, once in a while, I can stop being a simp goof and show off my university degree in political science. And yes, I am going to be an authentic pedant because I can, and because many people seem to live in a candy-coated world regarding these issues, and it wouldn't hurt them to get a bit educated. That said, here goes my essay:

When analysing the interactions between James Potter and Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" universe, it is common to find vehement defences of James, arguing that his bullying was not class-motivated. However, it is crucial to untangle how class dynamics operate structurally and how this influences interpersonal relationships. James Potter, as a member of a wealthy, pure-blood family, represents the dominant class, while Severus Snape, coming from a poor, working-class background, embodies the subordinate classes. In the magical world, pure-blood lineage is associated with inherited privileges similar to aristocracy in the real world, where blood purity is a marker of status and power. Authors like Anderson and Löwe (2006) have explored how heritage and lineage have been determining factors in the distribution of power and privileges throughout history, both in fictional and real contexts. This socioeconomic background plays a crucial role in the power dynamics between characters like James and Severus, highlighting how class structures affect their interactions and perpetuate inequality.

Social class, according to Marxist analysis, is a structural category that determines individuals' positions within society based on their access to the means of production. In "Harry Potter", pure-blood status equates to magical aristocracy, while Muggle-borns, Half-Bloods with muggle parent and those from humble origins, like Snape, represent the working or marginalised classes. James Potter, on the other hand, embodies the privileges of the elite, not only through his wealth but also through his lineage, which grants him a status that influences his interactions with others.

The bullying James exerts over Severus cannot be disconnected from its socioeconomic context. Although James may not have explicitly expressed disdain towards Severus for being poor, the way he exploits his superior position to humiliate and subdue Severus reflects power dynamics based on class. Pierre Bourdieu describes how power structures are reproduced through symbolic violence, where the dominant classes impose their cultural and social legitimacy over the subordinate ones, perpetuating inequality. In the context of 'Harry Potter', this symbolic violence is reflected in how the magical aristocracy imposes its values and norms on those of humble origin. The public humiliations James inflicts on Severus are not just acts of bullying but also manifestations of a structural power that favours the privileged like James. Besides Bourdieu, other theorists such as Michel Foucault could provide complementary perspectives on how power is exercised and perpetuated in institutions, in this case, Hogwarts as a microcosm of magical society.

In James and Severus's case, this symbolic violence manifests in the public humiliations James inflicts on Severus, using his status to ensure there are no significant repercussions. James's position as a popular and privileged student grants him social immunity that Severus, due to his humble origin, cannot counter. This demonstrates how class structures influence the dynamics of school bullying, where resources and social capital determine which behaviours are acceptable and which are not.

The "Harry Potter" fandom often minimises James's actions, portraying him as a mere prankster without malice, while pathologising Severus's response, attributing it to resentment and bitterness. This narrative reinforces the whitewashing of the actions of the rich and popular to the detriment of the poor and marginalised. Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer, in their "Dialectic of Enlightenment", explain how the culture industry and hegemonic discourses contribute to naturalising domination relationships, presenting them as inevitable or even fair. Their analysis reveals that modern media perpetuates class dynamics by presenting power structures as natural and immutable. This can be observed in how the dominant narrative in the 'Harry Potter' franchise tends to glorify high-class characters like James while marginalising figures like Severus, whose resistance to the system is viewed with suspicion or disapproval. Contemporary studies, such as Mark Fisher's "Capitalist Realism" (2009), also highlight how media reinforces the current economic and social status quo, making it difficult to imagine alternatives to the existing system.

By justifying James's bullying as mere youthful pranks, the fandom perpetuates a narrative that excuses the abuse of power and classism, ignoring the impact these actions have on individuals like Severus, who are already in a structurally disadvantaged position. This reinforces social hierarchies and strips victims of their agency and dignity.

Severus's portrayal as a bullying victim is intrinsically linked to his social class. His marginalisation is not just a product of his actions or personal choices but a consequence of social structures that privilege figures like James Potter. Antonio Gramsci's theories on cultural hegemony are useful here to understand how the dominant class's ideas are imposed as normative, silencing the oppressed voices and legitimising the violence they suffer. In the 'Harry Potter' narrative, this hegemony manifests through the glorification of the values and behaviours of pure-blood characters like James, while the perspectives of the marginalised, like Severus, are dismissed or vilified. For example, the Marauders, led by James and Sirius, both rich pure-bloods, are portrayed as mischievous heroes despite their aggressive behaviour towards Snape, who is depicted much more negatively even when acting in self-defence. This reflects how cultural hegemony shapes public perception, perpetuating a value system that favours the privileged and marginalises the oppressed. Authors like Stuart Hall have explored how media and popular culture reinforce these hegemonic structures, underscoring the need for critical analysis to dismantle these dominant narratives.

Severus, in this sense, represents those who are constantly repressed by power structures and whose narrative is distorted to fit a worldview that favours the privileged. His resistance and eventual adoption of extreme ideologies can be understood as a response to this marginalisation, a desperate attempt to reclaim agency systematically denied to him.

To fully understand the relationship between James Potter and Severus Snape, it is essential to acknowledge the influence of class structures on their interactions. The narrative that minimises James's bullying and blames Severus perpetuates a simplistic and biased view that ignores the complexities of social inequality and power. By applying a critical analysis based on Marxist theories, we can unravel how classism permeates these relationships. Studies on young adult literature, such as those by Maria Nikolajeva, and the analysis of victimisation frameworks in popular culture by Henry Jenkins provide a theoretical framework that reinforces the need to re-examine fandom's conceptions to avoid perpetuating these structural injustices. These investigations highlight how narratives of power and oppression are often shaped by dominant interests and how this affects the public's perception of marginalised characters like Severus.

Only Remus is acceptable, although he's also a little bitch. But James, Sirius and Peter can choke on my dildo and die.

It's like Severus with Lily except Sirius and James were actually compatible.

It's wild to me that prongsfoot isn't more popular. What happened to the friends to lovers enthusiasts? James and Sirius had the two-way mirrors because they couldn't stand spending ONE DETENTION apart. Sirius escaped prison and spent a year eating rats and DIED to protect James' son. They were attached by the hip. They were the only ones that mattered to each other. They were one soul in two bodies and you're telling me they're a rareship??

Do you think James and Sirius bullied Severus frequently? Since we only have one memory, perhaps it was especially brutal that day because of the Shack incident? Or maybe this was simply the norm for their interactions. The fact that everyone around laughed tells me this type of thing did happen at least once before. I can't imagine most people not being shocked if this were the first time Sirius and James had treated Severus so harshly.

Severus clearly had a bad reputation (although not because of anything bad he did). The fact that he immediately knew what was coming the moment he heard their voices in the memory - and was described as twitchy - suggests he had adapted a defensive stance in this environment. This implies the bullying must have been somewhat frequent. But what did it actually look like?

James and Sirius clearly felt entitled to bully him, even just to get rid of their boredom. But were these actions common, or was it particularly brutal that day due to the Shack incident and other circumstances?

Yes, James and Sirius frequently bullied Severus, and the narrative makes this quite clear through multiple hints. SWM scene in is the only one Rowling shows us directly, but it is not an isolated incident; there is enough context in the books to infer that the bullying was constant:

-When Harry sees Snape’s memory, the narration emphasizes that Severus tenses up and assumes a defensive stance the moment he hears James and Sirius’s voices, indicating that he is already used to being their target. If this kind of attack were an exception, his initial reaction would be one of surprise rather than resignation.

-The other students do not seem shocked or outraged; in fact, many laugh or just watch without intervening. This suggests that this behavior was normal and recurring. If James and Sirius had attacked someone randomly or without precedent, the reaction would likely have been different.

-Sirius mentions in PoA that "it was just something between Snape and us." Moreover, in OotP Lupin—who tends to be more impartial—acknowledges that James was "a bit of an idiot" and that his behavior towards Snape was unjustifiable. This confirms that the bullying was not a one-time thing.

-The mere fact that James called Snape "Snivellus" suggests a pattern of constant mockery. Offensive nicknames typically arise in contexts of systematic bullying, not from a single episode.

-Snape and the Marauders did not just argue in class or have an intellectual rivalry; their relationship was marked by animosity that went beyond academics. This is evident in the fact that Sirius once tried to lure Snape into the Shrieking Shack to be killed by a werewolf. Such an extreme act does not occur in the context of occasional teasing but rather in a sustained hostility dynamic.

-The fact that Sirius and James decided to attack him simply because they were bored suggests that this was a habitual occurrence. The difference may have been the brutality of the attack itself, but the underlying attitude remained the same.

I need people to stop thinking that enjoying morally bad characters and ships makes people a morally questionable person themselves. Like, stop. I hope you are not a 13-year-old child but a mature individual that should know that fictional worlds have a completely different impact on a person's mind and how it engages with it compared to real life and real-world consequences. I need people to understand this and stop being weird.

Do y'all know what is more scary than people who ship Sam with Dean, who are literally brothers?

PEOPLE WHO SHIP VOLDEMORT AND HARRY POTTER. WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K IS WRONG WITH YOU FREAKS!!? 😠😭

I'd like to think Voldemort has an oedipus complex.

There's a lot of fluff about how Harry shows no sign of trauma from his upbringing but maybe it's because I was neglected and often spoken of as extremely well-adjusted, but to me Harry seems to be a pretty natural response to a combination of neglect and a stable upbringing? He's not like. Traumatized. But a lot of people just develop maladaptive habits from these circumstances. Like:

Dissociative tendencies. I know this one is not intentional, but he shows constant lack of focus which interferes with his schooling and will often just space out and stare at things. This is used as a device to point the reader towards plot relevant items and turn them from irrelevant details, but it is something he does.

Harry does not actually distrust adults outright at first! He goes to teachers for help! But he tends to disrespect them, and struggles to think of adults as figures of authority the moment they slip up. Hagrid's bumbling chaos, Quirrell's nerves, Snape beefing with an 11-year-old, McGonagall not taking his Very Real Concerns seriously, Vernon's bluster, these are moments Harry discards their authority - that child thought McGonagall was going to burn him at the stake at first, but was barely shaken by her later. And it makes sense! You are a powerless child, you are looked down on, but the "consequences" you face are things you got used to and feel are normal, so you take strength from being unafraid of punishment.

A lot of fluff is made about abuse victims and independence because yeah, obviously, but I do think a lot of his savior/martyr complex is egged on by his servile role; he lived his entire life apart from the Dursleys, but they relied on him. To be crude, when someone shits the bed he puts it in the washer. And I do think he takes satisfaction in being the best man for the job, and I do think that can breed a whole host of mental problems that will lead you to a fated suicide duel with a Dark Lord

The books are mean-spirited in general, but he learned a lot of the fundamentals on engaging with the world from the Dursleys. He's pretty consistently petty and vindictive! And I genuinely believe Harry is, personally, as a character, fatphobic (in addition to the doylist text being fatphobic), because it was something Dudley gets criticized for and thus something that proves Dudley isn't infallible, and he would have definitely fixated on it and felt comfortable doing so, because that's just how the Dursleys talk about people.

For that matter, he is in general stifled by the inner lives of others - he's somehow the most socially stunted person in a trio with Hermoine in it. He is at all times deeply uncomfortable by the thought that other people have feelings and motivations, and reifies people with strong, clear roles in his life, and a lot of his development is realizing there are people behind those roles. I stand by the fact that Harry naming a child after Snape is a symptom of unaddressed mental illness.

This boy is so unbelievably susceptible to mania. I'll acknowledge a lot of his behaviour is teenage bull-headedness but the way the extremes of "I need to be doing something Now" and catastrophizing only gets worse...You know when he's 30 he's going to get prescribed mood stabilizers

And these are all things that can spiral into really toxic and self-destructive behaviour, which we know because that's what happens in the books. I think part of pushing his trauma in fanfiction is accepting that sometimes when someone is traumatized they develop an awful personality instead of PTSD.

(You may now reread this entire post and think about Tom Riddle.)

HP Canon for the Game Avoidant: The Marauders Era

Now that I have your attention! There seems to be some need for it so I decided to write up one of those brief character profile posts I was talking about in the two earlier installations of this series. If you didn't see the previous parts, the whole purpose of this series is to give canon info that people might not be familiar with so they can see what the series has been up to and take from it what they like. I'm also including a heavy dose of Pottermore info on this post since that seems to get heavily ignored.

The Marauders were at Hogwarts 1971-1978, and I'll be covering all the people we know or suspect were at school at the same time as them (that means anyone that started Hogwarts between 1965 and 1977), all clearly marked with when they started Hogwarts and what House they were in when such details are known from canon. I also intended to give you a look into the relevant adults that were around, but this post got way too long for that. So you get a brief timeline summary instead.

(reminder for the non-gamers among us: if anyone is referred to as 'unnamed', that character is an empty slot to insert your OC into. You get to decide their name, appearance, and House among other factors all by yourself, canon sources simply provide the detail of what happens to them)

Briefly on the Timeline

Just so we're all on the same page! It was quite a time of change back then. Across the pond Rappaport's Law (banning wizard-muggle marriages in MACUSA-controlled areas) was repealed in 1965 as we know from Fantastic Beasts, so it was quite recent still, and the Ban on Experimental Breeding came into effect in Britain around that same time as per the books. Also, Albus Dumbledore most likely became Headmaster in mid 1960s, at which time Minerva McGonagall took over as the Head of Gryffindor and Head of the Transfiguration Department, as told us by the supplementary Pottermore materials. A slight bit later, before 1970 considering that's when the books say the war started, a previous DADA professor quit for whatever reason, just as Voldemort came back from continental Europe. Voldemort applied for the DADA professor job and came to the castle for his job interview, but Dumbledore basically told him "lol no". And ever since then no DADA professor of that position (it's unknown whether that position is 'Head of the DADA Department' or anything of the like) has been able to keep the job for more than a year. The ever-changing DADA professors were still a fairly new thing at the time period we'll be looking into, as there had only been 2-5 such one-year professors previously.

The sixties also saw some other notable events at the school and elsewhere, such as the highest scoring student quidditch match in the history of Hogwarts in the quidditch cup final in spring 1967, according to Hogwarts Mystery. The person responsible, Ethan Parkin, graduated shortly thereafter and enlisted as a chaser for the Wigtown Wanderers. That same year Devlin Whitehorn founded the Nimbus Racing Broom Company and has produced high quality professional brooms ever since. Societal changes also saw the Squib Rights March make waves in 1969, along with the pureblood riots in counter to that.

The Minister for Magic at the time of the Squib Rights March and the pureblood riots was Eugenia Jenkins. People on the whole liked her peacetime handling of the politics, but she was eventually ousted from office in 1975 when she failed to contain Voldemort's rise. A bloke called Harold Minchum became the Minister instead, and immediately stuffed Azkaban to the gills with even more dementors. His actions also failed to do anything about Voldemort. Finally in 1980, the decisive Millicent Bagnold became the Minister and saw the wizarding world to the end of the war, although probably not due to any action of hers.

As mentioned, the war started in 1970 and lasted for 11 years. Despite that Dumbledore was busy on other fronts too. Over summer 1971 he prepared the Shrieking Shack, had a tunnel dug from Hogwarts grounds all the way to Hogsmeade, and had the school's whomping willow replanted on top of the tunnel entrance, all to bring a werewolf to attend Hogwarts as a student. It was a risky maneuver as not only were they at war in which werewolves generally allied with Voldemort, but there was no wolfsbane potion yet so any lapse in security measures would mean a rabid werewolf running wild in Hogwarts itself.

For the faculty, Dumbledore was Headmaster, McGonagall taught transfiguration, Flitwick charms, Slughorn potions, and Hooch was the flying instructor. Binns was on History of Magic quite naturally. Care of Magical Creatures was taught by Silvanus Kettleburn, him of the missing limbs also mentioned in PoA, and Herbology most likely by Herbert Beery still, although that might have changed to Sprout sometime in the mid 70s. Filch might have become the caretaker as early as 1968, but might also be that he didn't start until further into the 70s and the previous caretaker by the name of Apollyon Pringle was still on staff until then. Same thing with Pince, she might have started as late as 1976 but could potentially have started earlier. The rest of the faculty is quite a bit harder to say anything about. Divination and Muggle Studies are a complete unknown since Trelawney didn't start until 1980 and Quirrell not until sometime in the early 80s, and while it's quite possible that Pomfrey was already on staff since she's old enough, the astronomy class or the other electives we have no word about one way or another.

Quidditch continued to be a big thing throughout the 1970s, which we know from the mini-book Quidditch Through the Ages. In 1974 the Quidditch World Cup final between Syria and Madagascar saw wands forbidden for the audience amid draconian security measures. The following year Fabius Watkins, chaser for the Montrose Magpies, died in a freak collision with a helicopter. They may have technically been at war, but quidditch must go on, and such.

And now that we know a bit of what was going on at the time, let's look at the list of known students at the time. I know for a fact that it's quite a bit longer than some (most?) people are expecting. I've gone over the data before and I didn't register just how many people we know who attended Hogwarts in those years (certainly I didn't think that there'd be enough for it to take four days to type up this post!). I honestly ended up skipping mention of most of the murkier cases, there were much too many of them to write even a brief description about all in a single post.

The Student List

(note that several students have been omitted due to there not being anything to say about their school years that isn't in the books, provided that the character in question isn't widely ignored by the fandom. Don't worry, there's no chance you could forget any of the omitted characters attended Hogwarts at this time period)

Duncan Ashe a Slytherin who started Hogwarts in 1974, at the time when Snape was a fourth year. He was friends with Olivia Green (a Ravenclaw), and Jacob the unnamed (has the same surname and Hogwarts house as the unnamed Hogwarts Mystery protagonist). He was largely unremarkable for most of the time Snape and others were still at Hogwarts, the major events of his life happened after their graduation. In specific, he and Jacob were used by the criminal organization known as R to advance their goals. Duncan was made to brew potions beyond his skill level and eventually one exploded on him and he died, most likely in early 1981 or late 1980. He's haunted the prefects' bathroom ever since and is incredibly jaded towards all living beings.

Bertram Aubrey was targeted at least once by James Potter and Sirius Black, with an illegal hex that made his head gigantic. Unlike most of their tormenting other students the two of them got caught this time, but just like all the other times they faced practically no consequences. I mean. Detention. For an illegal hex!! (did you know hexes are canonically Dark magic?) We don't know for sure which year he was in, but considering their modus operandi Bertram was likely younger than James and Sirius, or at most in their own year. It's also unknown what house he was in.

Avery (M) + Mulciber (M) are more than a bit of an unknown. They could have been years older or younger or even the same age as the Marauders, and we can't even be sure if they were in the same year with each other. One can have friends in different years after all. Both joined the Death Eaters after graduation and fought in the First War, and both also had a male relative who was friends with Voldemort back in his school days, but we don't know how exactly the new generation Avery and Mulciber are related to the older ones, and we don't know for how long they were Death Eaters during the First War. Aside from their actions in the Second War we know basically nothing about them. That, and how Lily Evans once claimed that they tried to use Dark magic on Mary MacDonald. Considering how vague the definition of Dark magic is and how we didn't actually witness this event in question, they might have used a jelly-leg jinx on her for all we know. Being a jinx it technically counts as Dark magic by canon definition! And that is, of course, if they weren't just using a non-Dark spell in ways that disgusted some who heard of it - canonically, Lily complained that their sense of humor is evil and therefore Dark, and gave no further hints on the identity of any possible spell used.

Narcissa Black (later Malfoy) started Hogwarts in 1966 or '67, so she was fifth or sixth year when Snape started at Hogwarts. Was also very much a Slytherin, and before her older sister Bellatrix had graduated (in 1969 or '70) she was already being courted by Lucius Malfoy. At Bellatrix's graduation she would have been on her fourth or fifth, possibly as early as third year. She was close to both her sisters all through their school years, real problems didn't start until Andromeda's graduation (likely before Snape came to Hogwarts) when she left to marry a muggleborn.

Sirius + Regulus Black I trust we all know no problem who these are supposed to be. I would just like to emphasize that while Blacks were basically extinct by the 1990s, in the 70s there were still plenty of them left. Including but not limited to their parents, their three cousins, their uncles Cygnus and Alphard, grandparents Pollux and Irma as well as Cygnus and Melania, great-aunts Cassiopeia and Dorea... and in fact, Dorea married Charlus Potter so some manner of family tie already existed between him and the Potters long before Sirius befriended James. Dorea may have died in '77, same as Alphard, but by that point Sirius had already lived with the Potters for several years. Who knows whether she had any interactions with Fleamont and Euphemia concerning Sirius. And let's not forget the squib great-uncle Marius, nothing better to stir up trouble than his sudden reappearance. Or the first cousins twice removed Callidora, Cedrella, and Charis, of whom Cedrella married a Weasley (and was disinherited for it), which means Arthur Weasley is Sirius and Regulus's second cousin once removed. Hell, since Charis married a Crouch and had a son and three daughters it's in fact entirely possible that Barty Senior is also one of their second cousins once removed (yeah the math of their ages does work out), which in turn would make Barty Junior into their third cousin. And let's not forget that Callidora married a Longbottom so there's also Longbottom cousins somewhere, a man and a woman specifically even though we don't know their names or whether they had any children roughly Sirius and Regulus's age. And then there's the Gamp cousins and Crabbe cousins, but we know zilch about them other than that they likely exist. Clearly all these are an opportunity to expand, yeah? The web of various cousins the Blacks have is huge.

Greta Catchlove started Hogwarts in 1971 or '72, making her either be in the same year as Snape or the year below (same year as Regulus Black). She's a bitpart character at most, but what she'll eventually be known for is writing the book Charm Your Own Cheese. Clearly a homemaking type.

Glenda Chittock started in 1975 or '76 when Snape was a fifth or sixth year. It's unknown what house she was sorted into, but a personality like hers she was probably very outgoing, and as such would have been much more visible to older students. After graduation she became the host of the enormously popular radio programme Witching Hour.

Dirk Cresswell started Hogwarts in 1972 in an unknown house, back when Snape was a second year (and in the same year as Regulus Black). As a muggleborn the current goings-on of the wizarding world would have been highly relevant to him. He was also one of Professor Slughorn's favorite students. Anyone who intends to write about Regulus in his school years would do themselves a favor to pay attention to this character. We don't know much about him, but by the 1990s he was Head of the Goblin Liaison Office. He was also married and had an unknown number of sons. He was killed in 1998 by a group of Snatchers during the Second War.

Bartemius Crouch Jr unlike what some people would have you believe, Barty started Hogwarts in 1973, possibly '74, when the Marauders were in their third or fourth year. Sirius saw him after his trial and identified him as "no more than 19". That was early 1982. The canon is what the canon is. What Sirius says also underlines that he'd never seen Barty in his life before they were both in Azkaban, at least not so that Sirius would have paid any attention to this random kid. I also pointed out in Sirius's section that there's a chance the two are third cousins, but at the same time - how many people know who their third cousins are? Clearly Sirius didn't, if they're actually related in that way.

Mundungus Fletcher the series is very reluctant to give out info on Dung for some reason. However, from the hints given he started Hogwarts sometime after 1968 or so (after Filch was already caretaker) and no later than 1973 (was banned from Hog's Head in 1975). Either way he attended Hogwarts at least some of the same time as Snape did, although could be a couple years younger or older. His Hogwarts house isn't known either, and while we know all of his family is dead by the the late 80s, we don't even know when exactly they died. Or for that matter, when and why Dung joined the Order of the Phoenix. Because oh yes, here we have an Order member who supposedly fights alongside the Marauders in the First War, canonically knew both Lily and James well, and is more or less their age even. And yet, how often do you see Dung's existence so much as acknowledged? I guess an alcoholic petty thief just doesn't cut it for some fans.

Shane Golding a largely unknown entity, most of what he know of Shane comes from his wife Glenna (née Merriweather). He was either the same age or a bit older than Glenna, so likely started Hogwarts in the late 60s, and would have been roughly the same age as Narcissa Black. His House is unknown. After the wedding, he moved into the old Merriweather house in Hogsmeade. Sometime between late 80s and early 90s him and Glenna had a son, Nyle, who was born a squib. He wasn't discouraged by it though and did his best to include Nyle in wizarding daily life. He died over christmas 2010 of unknown causes.

Olivia Green started Hogwarts in 1974 when Snape was in his fourth year. Was sorted Ravenclaw, and was friends with the Slytherin student Duncan Ashe as well as Jacob, who shares his surname and house both with the unnamed protagonist of Hogwarts Mystery. While a lot happened over their school years, most of it happened in their last years at Hogwarts when Snape and the others had already graduated. To make a long story short, the international criminal organization known as R was using the boys for some of their dirty work inside Hogwarts. An unknown time after graduating in spring 1981 she was accepted into the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. In 1990-91 she became the year's DADA professor as a personal favor to Dumbledore, although was careful to resign when the year was up so as not to suffer worse consequences from the curse. Afterwards, she joined up with the Rare, Obscure and Confounding Case division at the Ministry, who mainly go after international crime.

Daisy Hookum started Hogwarts in 1973 or '74, when Snape was third or fourth year, and attended an unknown house. We don't know much about her, except that after she graduated she gave up magic for a while and wrote the bestseller My Life as a Muggle. She also married celebrity herbologist Tilden Toots at some point, who'd been 2-4 years above her at Hogwarts.

Bertha Jorkins Sirius mentions she was a few years above him at Hogwarts, so she would have started attending around 1969, in an unknown house. She was a plump teenager with a nose for gossip and a memory for personal details. She must have been quite the memorable gossip for Sirius to have remembered and reviled her despite her being just a random older student, although if there was any particular incident behind that dislike we don't know about it for sure. Dumbledore may give a hint via pensieve though, when he goes through the trouble of finding a memory of her gossiping about a 'him' and a 'Florence' kissing behind the greenhouses. Why show Harry that particular memory of her if it had no relevance? Regardless of speculation, she went on to find employment at the Department of Magical Games and Sports an unknown time after graduation, where she eventually found out about Barty Crouch Senior's busting his son out of Azkaban and keeping him imprisoned inside the family home. The resulting obliviation to keep her quiet frayed her mind enough that she became known as particularly absent-minded, despite her mental acuity in her Hogwarts years. And of course, she was killed with Voldemort's wand in summer 1994 in Albania.

Gilderoy Lockhart started Hogwarts in 1975 when Snape was a fifth year, and was sorted Ravenclaw. In his school years was known for his grandiose stunts, such as carving his name on the quidditch pitch in twenty foot high letters, and sending a picture of his face in the sky in imitation of the Dark Mark. This is not a student that anyone who attended at the same time could have ignored or overlooked. Gilderoy graduated in spring 1982, after the war was already over. He wasted no time going for fame however, as even if he wrote just one book a year that means his first was published two years after his graduation - and that's calculated based on just the books that we know about from canon. And, as I'm sure we all remember, each of those books was him listening to the story of the person who actually did the deed and then obliviating them.

Frank Longbottom + Alice (maiden name unknown) while far from being in the same year as Snape (auror training takes three years and we know that Frank and Alice were both aurors before the end of the war), it's in fact quite likely that Frank and Alice were among the older students when Snape first started at Hogwarts. We know this also from the age of Augusta Longbottom (Frank's mother), who had to have been in the same year as Minerva McGonagall for Minerva to know her OWL scores intimately well. The time between Augusta's school years and the time required for Frank to become an established and well respected auror before 1981 when put together mean he likely started Hogwarts sometime around 1967, and thus would've been a fifth year when Snape was a firstie. Alice can't have been far behind for her to be a well respected auror too, before 1981. Additionally, we know Frank was a Gryffindor, but Alice's house is uncertain. It's more than likely both of them had graduated by spring 1976 at the absolute latest and went straight to auror training. If they took time off to do something else between graduation and auror training, Frank at the very least would have already graduated before Snape started Hogwarts, otherwise there's no time to establish a well respected pillar of the community type career.

Mary Macdonald an unknown entity who was a Gryffindor at least partially around the same time that Snape attended Hogwarts, as we know she was there when Snape was in his fifth year. It's noteworthy that Lily Evans refers to her by her full name despite the two being in the same house, meaning she either doesn't know her very well or she knows multiple Marys so she has to specify which one she's talking about.

Lucius Malfoy good ol' Lucy started Hogwarts in 1965 and was a seventh year when Snape was on his first. He was also one of the Slytherin prefects so younger students, even firsties, would have had reason to interact with him more than any non-prefect older student. By the time he was in his seventh year he'd been courting Narcissa Black for several years already.

M.G. McGonagall won an award of some sort for playing quidditch at Hogwarts in 1971, so they were definitely a student in at least Snape's first year, probably for longer. The last name and the sorting to Gryffindor indicates this was probably one of the nieces and nephews of Minerva McGonagall, and their father was either Malcolm or Robert Junior. The latter was killed sometime during the First War, which means basically the 70s. It's a quite relevant point to remember when writing Minerva McGonagall too, that she lost a brother in the war most likely when the Marauders were still at school.

Tarquin McTavish started Hogwarts in 1966 or '67, so he was a fifth or sixth year when Snape started school. Coincidentally, it's likely that he was in the same year as Narcissa Black. Nothing is known about him though, except that later in his life he was sentenced to Azkaban for trapping a muggle neighbor inside his kettle.

Glenna Merriweather (later Golding) one of the two daughters of the Hogsmeade Merriweathers, Glenna attended Hogwarts mainly in the 1970s. She could be a couple years older than Snape or even up to the same age, although what House she was in is unknown. She has pale blue eyes and brown hair in intricately arranged braids. Her home is located roughly behind Gladrags in Hogsmeade, on a road that leads towards the Shrieking Shack, and it's haunted by her great-great-great-grandfather Morven who built the house. She had a squib sister who was much younger than her, to the degree that when the squib was ousted from the family and left in the muggle world she retained no memories of the wizarding world, but Glenna still remembered her. The Squib Rights March in 1969 would have been of extreme importance to Glenna, even though she was likely too young to attend. Glenna went on to have a job at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Married Shane Golding an unknown time after graduation, and the two had a squib son, Nyle. After Shane's death over christmas 2010 she joined NOTME (more about NOTME in the post handling post-books events) in order to expose magic to muggles and through that create better conditions for squibs. It's also very much worth noting that Glenna's squib sister married a muggle, and they had at least one muggle daughter, and that daughter had at least one child who was a muggleborn witch or wizard. This is the same unnamed muggleborn who is the protagonist of Magic Awakened.

Sturgis Podmore started Hogwarts in 1968 most likely, and as such was a fourth year when Snape and the others started school. He was sorted to an unknown House. His graduation in 1975 afforded him plenty of time to join the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War and actually be useful. By the end of the war he had potentially been fighting for up to six years, although we don't know when he joined the Order exactly. In his adult life lived in Clapham (in London), and continued being an Order member in the Second War. Unfortunately, he was Imperius'd in the Death Eaters' efforts to enter the Department of Mysteries, and was sentenced to six months in Azkaban. For some reason I've never seen Sturgis mentioned when the time period in question comes up. Funny how it goes. This is canonically supposed to be one of the Marauders' brothers in arms though.

James Potter Just like I felt the need to point out with Sirius and Regulus, the Potter family (or at least this branch of it) wasn't always on the verge of disappearing. We don't know much about the Potters, but we do know that in the 70s there was still Charlus and his wife Dorea, even though we don't know their exact relation to James and Fleamont. What should also be taken into account is that Charlus and Dorea had a son, he would have been a cousin of some sort to James. It's unknown when this cousin died or why, we just know it happened before October 1981.

Gethsemane Prickle started Hogwarts in 1969, so she was a third year when Snape came along. We don't know her House, but at least in later life she's a prickly and strict personality, wears glasses and her hair in a bun, and is a notably good potioneer, even if she decided to not make a career out of it. She took NEWT level Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures at the very least. After graduation she went to work at the Ministry, and starting in 2003 won every consecutive Ministry Exstimulo Potion Brewing Contest for the next 17 years. By around 2015 she was the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and while we don't know for sure when exactly she got the job she definitely went far in her career.

Quirinus Quirrell a bit of an unknown, but he almost definitely attended Hogwarts (as a Ravenclaw) in time to share at least part of his school years with Snape, if not most of them - and there is that slight chance that he was in the same year. Not very likely though, considering that he was picked up as a professor (of Muggle Studies!) sometime in the early 1980s, and if him and Snape are the same age then Snape's age kind of fails to stand out for being hired. Regardless, it would have been fairly close. Of Quirrell's school years we know that he was bullied and turned to the Dark Arts because of that, in an effort to find something to 'prove' himself. His sabbatical year in 1990-91 with its end result of Voldemort almost being resurrected would never have happened if he hadn't been bullied, so he has kind of a major impact in the Second War beyond the obvious. And, lest the memory elude you for the moment, what Quirrell got for it was being either killed (movies) or severely wounded (books) in June 1992.

Patricia Rakepick started at Hogwarts in 1967 and was sorted Gryffindor, which makes her a fifth year when Snape was a firstie. She was always an out of control student who routinely broke school rules just for the fun of it, and was despised by most if not all of her teachers. Some among the students loved her though - mainly the Marauders. Rakepick loved to jump in on them tormenting Snape in particular and had good rapport with James and Sirius for that. They were close enough that Rakepick had seen the Marauder's Map and knew how it works, although that can be interpreted as the boys wanting to show off to an older girl instead of actual friendship. She graduated in spring 1974 when the Marauders and Snape were finishing their third year. After graduating Rakepick eventually became a cursebreaker for Gringotts, and was good enough at it that by late 80s she was famous worldwide. Less known is that by late 70s she had joined the criminal organization R. Around early to mid 80s she had teamed up with Jacob (him of the unnamed surname) and then locked him in one of the Cursed Vaults they were investigating, dooming him to eventual madness and death. Dumbledore hired her as a DADA professor for 1988-89. At the end of the school year she attempted sealing a bunch of students in the same Vault that Jacob was sealed in. When that failed she escaped, and later Avada Kedavra'd a sixth year student Rowan Khanna in late 1989. She was eventually imprisoned in Azkaban.

Evan Rosier once again we have a character that very little is known about. He was a Slytherin and later became one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. We can deduce that he probably shared at least a few years at Hogwarts with the Marauders since Sirius knew of him, and that considering they appear to share the same father (who was among Voldemort's original crowd from his own Hogwarts days) he has a younger brother called Felix. That's where it gets complicated since Felix didn't start Hogwarts until 1980 - the same year Evan was killed for resisting arrest. Evan can't have been still at school then either, as he was skilled enough to do some serious damage to the arresting auror Alastor Moody. The problem with saying he started Hogwarts in early 70s is his skill level and his high status with the Death Eaters. Those two seem to require someone far older than Sirius, but also the older you make him the more ridiculous the age gap between him and his brother becomes. Who even knows really, but the evidence does seem to point at him starting Hogwarts in the latter half of the 60s. We can also speculate that Evan and Felix's father the OG Death Eater might have gotten a young new wife at some point, which would explain the big age difference between the brothers, but that's pure speculation. There is also the tidbit that Sirius claims Evan was friends with Wilkes, but Sirius is unreliable on these things and the only thing we can really take from that is that Sirius canonically didn't know either of them other than for their names. Both Rosier and Wilkes were killed roughly around the same time though, so he might actually be on to something there.

Kingsley Shacklebolt there's no hard evidence, but Kingsley talks about James Potter as if he knew him. Considering that James canonically became a full-time Order member after graduation (James being an auror is pure fanon, sorry), and the fact that Kingsley didn't join the Order until the Second War, that pretty much just leaves Hogwarts as the time they met. He likely started Hogwarts in the latter half of the 60s and is of similar age to Lucius Malfoy and/or Narcissa Black, meaning he was at Hogwarts for a year or two at the same time as James and the others.

Stebbins (M) took the OWLs at the same time as Snape and the others, so he started Hogwarts in 1971 just the same as them. We don't know a single thing about him beyond that fact though, so it's OC creation time! He might have a son who attended the 1994 Yule Ball, as there's a Stebbins there. There's also a Stebbins who was an auror in the 1920s, so there's a potential grandfather or great uncle or whatever.

Tilden Toots started Hogwarts in 1970 or '71, and as such was either in the same year as Snape or one year above him. Other details of his student life aren't known, but he likely took NEWT Herbology at least. After graduation became a celebrity herbologist and a radio personality. Married the bestselling author Daisy Hookum at some point, who'd been two or three years below him at Hogwarts.

Sybill Trelawney probably started Hogwarts in the late 1960s, as she's young and still looking for her first job in 1980, but has had time for a brief marriage. It's possible she's of around the same age as Patricia Rakepick although could be younger by a couple years, making her probably somewhere between third and fifth year when Snape started at Hogwarts. Pottermore additionally reports that she was always very proud of her family ancestry and their abilities, so it's likely that if anyone took an interest in Divination while she was at school she would have gotten herself involved somehow as a supposed expert.

Dolores Umbridge must have started Hogwarts sometime between 1960s and '75, since she started working for the Ministry before she was 30 and we already see her there in 1990, although she's possibly been working there for some years by that point. Not too long though considering she isn't greying yet in 1995, which seems to favor starting Hogwarts in the 70s. We also know that she was sorted Slytherin. Here we have a rare potential girl Slytherin around the same age as the Marauders! She's also a rare half-blood Slytherin, which is bound to make her dynamic with the other kids in her house very interesting, not to mention her squib younger brother who she'd have done anything to conceal the existence of so it wouldn't affect her personally. As we all know, she committed quite the atrocities over the course of her life. By the early 90s she was Senior Undersecretary for the Minister for Magic and was creating anti-werewolf laws, and during the year of Voldemort's reign she was Head of the Muggleborn Registration Commission. She was imprisoned in Azkaban in 1998 after the Second War.

Wilkes (M) another one of them future Death Eaters we know almost nothing about. Sirius does say he's friends with Evan Rosier, but Sirius also claims that Snape used to hang out with Bellatrix who had long since graduated. So the only thing we can really say for sure is that he was in Slytherin, shared at least a few years with Sirius at Hogwarts (and was possibly in the same year as Rosier, but neither of them had any dealings with Sirius), and after graduation became a Death Eater who was killed by aurors in 1980. Since that coincides with Evan Rosier's death and Sirius does claim they're friends, there's some chance that the two were taken down together, but that's pure conjecture.

Florence (last name unknown) was snitched on to have been kissing a 'him' behind the greenhouses by Bertha Jorkins, and Bertha was friendly enough with her to call her by her first name only. She was probably in the same year (possibly even same house) as Bertha, or at the very least the two were friends. What's curious is that Bertha felt the need to snitch on her to Albus Dumledore of all people. Why report such a thing to the Headmaster? There could be any number of reasons, most of them very good fic material.

Jacob (unnamed) as already mentioned a couple times before, Jacob is the older brother of the unnamed protagonist of Hogwarts Mystery, and started school in 1974 when Snape started his fourth year, in the same house as the protagonist. He was initially groomed to become the next head of the criminal organization R after his father, but when he failed to meet expectations their focus switched to Jacob's younger sibling instead. Regardless, Jacob was a natural legilimens who received training for his gift from Dumbledore when the headmaster discovered the talent during his school years. If any of the Marauders paid any attention to him, it was likely through noticing Jacob was doing shady stuff around the school and meeting in secret with Dumbledore. Despite Dumbledore's inclination to keep him on no matter what, Jacob refused to tell the truth of what happened to cause the death of his friend Duncan Ashe and Dumbledore was forced to agree into expelling Jacob. His wand was snapped and the whole debacle widely reported in the Daily Prophet. The last of this all happened around 1980 though, when Snape and the others had long since graduated. Jacob was subsequently imprisoned within a portrait in one of the Cursed Vaults, from where he wasn't freed until early summer 1989. He then started hunting for Patricia Rakepick for what she'd done to him.

Also Consider

Mr + Mrs Brown In general, I find it a bit funny how the parents of other students in Harry and Draco's year get completely skipped over as if they don't exist, so let this stand in as a reminder that chances are, the majority of them shared at least some Hogwarts years with Snape and the others. And hey, if you're in need of some less white representation, there's a good chance that Lavender's father Mr Brown has Jamaican ancestry from a hundred years back. We know that there were Browns that arrived to Britain from Jamaica in 19th century, and while that's not a guarantee that the two appearances of Browns are related, there's no guarantee that they aren't either. They're also a particularly fascinating case since we know that at least in late 19th century, the (freshly from Jamaica) Browns owned a book store in Hogsmeade known as Tomes and Scrolls. That's fic fodder right there.

Amycus + Alecto Carrow We don't get ages for these two siblings, but we know they fought in the First Wizarding War for at least a few years. Like many other Death Eaters, there's some chance that they could have been older students when Snape started Hogwarts. Then again, they could already have been adults, but neither took the time to couple up before the war's end as far as we know, so it'd be realistic for them to be on the younger side. These two are a fairly good choice if you need to fill in some older Slytherin students.

Mr + Mrs Chang I offer you more diversity: the parents of poor Cho Chang. If even one of them was 20 when they had her, that parent would've started attending Hogwarts in 1970. That makes them a year older than Snape. Either way they probably shared at least a few years at Hogwarts with Snape and the others. See what I mean about the parents? You really shouldn't neglect the parents.

Gregory Cotton, Dougal McBride, others the thing with quidditch players is that they have a limited time on the pitch before they grow too old for the sport. Which then means that almost any professional British quidditch player in the 1980s or early 1990s can believably be made to attend Hogwarts in the 1970s, in a year of your choosing. Gregory was the Appleby Arrows Seeker in late 80s, while Dougal was the Pride of Portree Seeker, and the two had a bit of a rivalry going on.

Crabbe Senior + Goyle Senior + wives Considering that they both had sons of Harry and Draco's age, it's quite likely they were roughly around the same age as those two's fathers. This could mean that they've already graduated by the time Snape starts at Hogwarts, but they could also be among the older students in Slytherin.

Todd Cribb + Corrine (maiden name unknown) one of them couples that we don't technically know the ages of, but they look young enough in mid- to late 1980s when they appear in Hogwarts Mystery, so might just have attended Hogwarts in the 70s. Todd looks just like a self-important 25-year old to my eye, although that's just a personal opinion. It'd mean he would've started Hogwarts around 1974. Corrine is definitively a dark witch who takes pleasure in targeting magical creatures to use their parts for fun and profit, and while Todd tries his best, what he does usually amounts to petty theft at best. He's absolutely devoted to Corrine though. If you're in need of some light fun, add a young Todd and Corrine to your fanfic soup and watch the fireworks.

Lorcan d'Eath okay, so this one is a bit uncertain. Lorcan is a part vampire (someone whose parent was a vampire, and yes vampires can have children in the wizarding world), and we don't exactly know whether he attended Hogwarts. Considering the name he might've been French for what anyone knows and just sung in English for whatever reason, and that's on top of the whole 'part vampire' thing. He was born at the right time though, considering if he did attend Hogwarts he started in 1975 or '76. He went on to become a famous singer, and honestly? If he really did attend Hogwarts he probably made quite a splash, just like the Weird Sisters in the 80s. Not to mention the whole vampire thing. How often do you get a (part) vampire attending Hogwarts. No matter how much of an age difference there is, Lorcan would have garnered attention.

Bilius Finbok Bilius is one of those people who we don't get the age of, although considering that he has slightly graying hair in 2017 when we see him, it's entirely possible that he was a student in the 1970s should you feel like including him. He's a probably-Hufflepuff who lives in Cornwall at least as an adult, and dicks around with dangerous substances while being an experimental potioneer in his free time. Meaning he most probably took NEWT level Potions. He technically works at the Department of Intoxicating Substances at the Ministry, although might've been fired in 2017 after he was discovered using illegal ingredients.

Gerard Grey his age is unknown but he's definitely well into adulthood and definitely had a daughter in 1996-97 or so. He could well have attended Hogwarts in the 70s! He's stupidly tall and really buff, but what makes him interesting is that he was turned into a werewolf sometime over the course of his life. He takes a proactive approach and gathered himself a little pack of other werewolves that he protects at all costs, although that pack possibly didn't happen until after the wars were both over.

Rowena Rowle, Thorfinn Rowle members of the very large Rowle family that seems to keep producing girl children. We don't technically know how old Rowena is, but attending Hogwarts in the 1970s would fit just as well as any other option. Rowena is an employee of the Department of Mysteries (likely an Unspeakable) and appears to have been one since at least early 2010s, although probably quite a bit longer than that. And of course, Thorfinn is a Death Eater in the Second War. We don't have confirmation whether he'd already joined up in the First War or not, but since we get no hints on his age either it's entirely possible that he was a student in the 1970s.

Emmeline Vance a member of the Order of the Phoenix in both the First and Second War. We technically know nothing of her beyond that, but she's depicted as being fairly young-looking in all official art. One could suspect that she shared at least several years with Snape at Hogwarts.

Weasley cousins Honestly now. Considering how plentiful the Weasleys are and how much of a big deal is made out of there being too many Weasley cousins, it'd be more than a little unrealistic if there wasn't at least one or two Weasleys running around in the 70s. Go create some, shoo.

Wendy Wunderwind we have no indication whatsoever of this person's age, so she might as well have gone to Hogarts in the 1970s, right? She lives in Wrexham (in Wales) at least later in her life, and becomes an expert in weather modification charms. Sounds like someone useful to know, under specific circumstances!

(Likely) Not Attending in 1971-78

Bellatrix + Andromeda Black, Ted Tonks Bellatrix started Hogwarts in 1962 or '63, and as such she had most definitely graduated by the time Snape came along. Long before Snape ever even set foot in Hogwarts Bellatrix was already a marked Death Eater, since that happened before the war started. Andromeda we don't know for sure but since she's the middle sister she had to have started between 1963 and '65, depending on which years her sisters did (although the later years are more unlikely due to the birth of her child). Some configurations allow her to still be in her sixth or seventh year when Snape starts school, but in most sensible options she's already graduated by then. Regardless, she started secretly dating Ted Tonks while they were still at Hogwarts and married him shortly after. This is also the reason Ted Tonks is very unlikely to still be at Hogwarts when Snape is there. Their only child was born in 1972-73, not that there's any certainty her sisters or anyone else would have known about it at least immediately, but that's why it's very likely she and Ted didn't share Hogwarts years with Snape any more than Bellatrix did. You have Andromeda still be a student in 1971-72 and there's a good chance she got pregnant while at Hogwarts. Her free choice to marry a muggleborn in opposition to her family would turn into a scramble to get married for the kid's sake.

Marlene McKinnon (unknown if maiden name or married name) a complete unknown other than for being a core member of the Order of the Phoenix in summer 1981, and was said to be extremely skilled. Was not especially close to Lily Evans or Sirius Black as she was obliquely referenced as one of 'the McKinnons', although was their common acquaintance through the Order. She was killed "along with her family" in late summer that year, s per Moody, although we don't know if by 'family' they meant her parents and siblings, or whether they meant her husband and kids, or possibly both of the above. Her being especially targeted by the Death Eaters and killed along with said 'family' hints that she's no fresh-faced graduate but a recurring nuisance throughout the war who ran the risk of inspiring others to resist, to the degree that she along with her whole family had to be made into a warning to not go against them.

Dorcas Meadowes A full member of the Order of the Phoenix in the First War, and enough of a threat to Voldemort that he had to kill her himself. This is not something a literal child could have made happen. She was more than likely an active member of the resistance for the duration of the war to be so special. This powerhouse was most definitely nowhere near Hogwarts in the 70s unless it was to protect the kids.

Xenophilius Lovegood + Pandora (maiden name unknown) There's very little personal information known about the two of them, but what we do know for sure is that Xenophilius and Pandora met while both were Hogwarts students so they attended at the same time. And for Xenophilius there's a practical reason why he probably wasn't a student in the 1970s - the Quibbler was already a big name in its niche in 1986. It takes time and effort and above all money to get a publication off the ground, and the younger you make Xeno the more money he had to have access to before even starting, to make the magic happen well before 1986. I could see them being sixth or seventh year at most when Snape starts at Hogwarts, but again. You have to make Xeno filthy rich in some regard (or at least have a filthy rich patron willing to fund his passion) if you're saying that he managed to make the Quibbler into a sensation when he was right out of Hogwarts. With a baby. Since Xeno and Pandora's daughter Luna was born in February 1981. The possibility of them being school kids in the 70s is not looking very realistic when they had a baby to worry about all through early 80s when they by all sense should have been working on getting the Quibbler off the ground after graduating.