Back for more? Glad to hear it!
So, forewarning, this chapter will be dealing with many tough subjects. The sexualization of women and girls of color and how systemic racism normalized certain types of discrimination will be brought up by Simone. This chapter will also include mentions of child abuse.
This chapter touches upon the issue of discrimination in Harry Potter. Muggleborns is treated as the big bad thing to be bigoted against and the main focus of the series conflict. But, what about other things were already discriminated against for, like you know...racism. That didn't disappear just because Voldy made an issue of blood status.
That isn't to say that discrimination against Muggleborns isn't a big deal in the HP universe. I'm just trying to say that people come down hard on Snape for his prejudices-despite them being the results of neglect and abuse-while there was plenty of other bigotry being ignored in the series. All sorts of bigotry occurred regularly in the series. Class-ism was a big one. Snape was picked on for being poor and of lower class (all the insults about his appearance, hygiene, and clothes are things related to his lack of money to afford clothes, etc), something he can help no more than Lily can help what level of magic her blood is. Ron's family was discriminated against by wealthier wizards.
Basically, this chapter is about bringing to light some glaring issues ignored in the series.
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Five: Unpleasant Truths
The room fell so deadly silent a wizard could hear a pin drop.
"What?" Lily asked her face paling.
Simone's mean smile only grew, "That's right. You thought no one saw it, didn't you? Well unfortunately for you, me and all my friends did. And I bet we're not the only ones. You smiled, and I can probably figure out why."
Taking Lily's shocked silence as a signal to continue, Simone was more than happy to oblige.
"Who would have thought the kind and noble Lily Evans would find amusement in someone's torment? Really, it is a surprise. Now let's see...why did you smile?"
Simone tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I think you find it flattering that Potter goes so far to impress you. You see how crazy he gets whenever you are around and a part of you likes that you can drive a boy wild to such extremes. In a twisted way, you think 'Wow, he must really like me if he's willing to do this for me.' You must be preening under his attentions. That's why you didn't hex him, that's why you didn't even disarm him."
"That's not true!" Lily stammered.
"Oh I think it is," Simone disagreed, "You love being the center of attention. Don't deny it. A muggleborn girl being constantly praised by her teachers as being smarter than all the purebloods and then a wealthy pureblood vies for your attention. Just like when you first found out you had magic you must feel oh so special. Potter makes you feel like the very earth revolves around and the sun shines out of your arse. And you like that. Sure when he was bothering Snape just for the fun of it, you were mad, but once he started using Snape to bargain for a date with you, you must have felt pretty special. 'Oh this isn't about just hating my friends; it's about me!' News flash, dear: a person giving you an ultimatum to date them or they'll continue harming your friend isn't charming; it's sick."
"I wasn't smiling because of that." Lily insisted angrily. Yes, she found it rather nice to have an admirer, but she didn't want people hurt because of her. She certainly didn't want James to harm anyone just to get her attention. But...she could have just used a spell to stop him like Simone said. Instead she had just stood there throwing around angry words like that would have made a difference to someone as thick headed as Potter.
Lily cringed inwardly with shame. She could have hex him, but she chose not to. The truth was that deep down she had come to enjoy their little back and forth. Potter was so infuriating but yelling at him was sort of...fun. It wasn't like she was flirting with him or anything.
Well maybe she had flirted a little…
'Oh god,' Lily thought, ' Does James think that means I like when he bullies others?'
Simone cocked an eyebrow, "Well then what was it? Oh! Could it be that you were happy Snape was being picked on? I heard you two would argue a lot. Or rather, you tell him everything that's wrong with him and make demands. Were you really so mad at him for some petty little dispute that you would enjoy seeing him treated like that? Are you that upset about his choices that you think he deserves to be treated so badly? That's rather petty if you ask me."
"That's not it at all," Lily denied. Inside, her innards were squirming in guilt. She had been upset with Snape that day. He refused to see reason whenever she spoke with him. She had been sick of the excuses, the flimsy reasons for why he hung out with Avery and his lot, for why he never batted an eye when they said anything about muggleborns. She was just so...fed up with it all. Seeing him hang upside down like that, his underwear on display, he looked so absurd. Gone was the self-assured boy who remained stubborn and stone faced to her pleas, in his place was someone who looked...well...rather gobsmacked. It was...humorous.
"I didn't think he deserved it or anything," Lily explained feebly, "I just...well his underwear was showing. That's a little silly. So I smiled."
Simone crossed her arms over her chest, "Really, that was funny to you? Someone essentially had part of their body shown to others—without their consent—and it's funny? I believe you mean its completely despicable."
"It was just his underpants," Lily defended.
"So would it have been funny if it was say...you?" Simone questioned. She fingered her wand contemplatively, "So if I petrified you, dragged you out into the hall right now, flip you upside down and showed off your knickers, you'd be fine with the chuckle everyone got out of it?"
Simone took a threatening step forward.
"Hey!" Mary moved to intervene, but a flick of Simone's wand had her disarmed and stuck to her chair.
Panicking, Lily went for her wand, but another flick and Simone had disarmed her as well. Lily made a run for the door.
"Petrificus Totalus," Simone said smoothly.
Lily went ramrod straight, unable to move.
"Thea," Simone called, "Would you be a peach and get the door?"
Obediently, Thea went over to the door, her wand drawn to undo the locking spell.
"Now, let's go give the school a show," Simone said sinisterly.
Lily remained frozen, only her wide, horrified eyes able to move.
Suddenly, Simone stepped away from her, "Kidding," Simone grinned, "Public humiliation doesn't sit right with me. Never has."
With a wave of her wand, Simone released the two girls.
"I believe I've made my point," she said.
Lily bawked, "Your point? What point is that?"
Mary pointed at Thea, "And you! Why did you go along with that?"
Thea pocketed her wand and tucked her hands behind her back. "I knew she wasn't going to go through with it," she said confidently, "That's not the kind of person she is."
"And your faith in me is appreciated," Simone stated with a gentle smile before turning her attention back to Lily, "Anyway, my point was this: If it isn't how you wanted to be treated then it isn't how anyone should be treated. You can't have this double standard. It shouldn't matter whether it is a boy or a girl. Being stripped in public is wrong, not funny. The only one who should ever get a say in what part of his body is shown is him. Consent isn't just about what goes on in the bedroom, sweetie; it's about everything to do with your personal autonomy. It's different if a friend pulls your pants down when you are alone; that's just two friend's goofing around the the slight embarrassment stays between you two. Plus, you can openly discuss with them at lengths if it bothered you to ensure it never happens again, But being forced to show something so personal to everyone? How do you think Snape must have felt? I mean, have you even apologized to him for finding it funny? He apologized to you."
"After calling me that horrible name!" Lily pointed out.
"I wondered why," Simone drawled, "Imagine being hung up by your ankles, your undergarments on display and the blood pounding in your ears. Almost everyone you know is there—everyone you hate, everyone who hates you—laughing and pointing, all so hungry for your suffering. Now imagine searching your friend out in the crowd, embarrassed most of all that they had to see you like this. You're hoping maybe they missed it. You hoped that they don't think less of you for being so pathetic, for having practically the whole school hate you. You were unable to stop it, it's your moment of weakness and you hope your friend will be the one friendly face out there, someone upset on your behalf maybe. Imagine how it must feel, Lily, to instead see them smiling, trying not to laugh, as you hang there surrounded by people who despise you."
Simone walked towards Lily, each step punctuated by the sharp staccato of her voice, "How. Would. You. Feel?"
Lily looked away, unable to meet Simone's eyes, "I…I would be hurt." She hadn't really considered all the factors put together. Her focus had been on Potter and Severus. The rest of the crowd just faded away, bystanders she had no thought for other than disgust that they had not intervened. But how must it feel to be someone like Severus and to know that that many people disliked you and actually treated your humiliation like an entertaining show?
Granted Snape wasn't the kindest or most social person, but he barely interacted with the majority of the school. The most anyone usually got from him was a scowl or a short clipped response, maybe a sarcastic remark, but that was it. Snape often times kept to himself; Slytherins were smart enough to not pick fights they couldn't finish and so Snape chose to go under the radar with most students.
Lily hated to say it, but chances are even if Severus didn't hang out with the likes of Avery, he would probably still be picked on and disliked. Because he was Slytherin. He was poor, he was dirty…and Potter had painted a target on his back and people adored the resident Quidditch star.
"I would be very hurt," Lily admitted quietly, "But I didn't mean to smile. It just happened. And I came to his help."
"Your defense means little because you failed to help him in the end. What good is your effort if you weren't giving it your all anyway? Should Snape be grateful you chose to talk Potter into submission? Especially when if the roles had been reversed, he probably would have hex someone from here to Durmstang to defend you?" Simone stated, "If you couldn't help smiling at a friend being devastatingly shamed, then why is it so hard to believe what he said just 'slipped out' by accident?"
"Words like that shouldn't be used so often that they can 'just slip out'," Lily countered.
Simone nodded, "You're right. They shouldn't be. Trust me, I don't approve of Snape's actions any more than you do. But it's just a word. There's far worse things one can go through."
Lily scowled, "We're talking about discrimination here. None of it is acceptable."
Simone shrugged, "Yes, but it's discrimination in the smallest form. Let's be honest, Evans, you're hardly a victim."
"We're muggleborn," Mary cried, incensed.
"You are also blind apparently," was Simone clipped response.
"I beg your pardon?" Lily asked, angry as well.
Simone rolled her eyes, "Face it, Evans, you aren't a minority; there are so many muggles on earth that the rate of muggleborn witches and wizards is always on the rise. There are probably more muggleborns by now than purebloods. Muggles are the majority. I don't just mean in sheer numbers either, but in power too. Think about it, muggles run the world. Wizards don't have the pure destructive force muggles do. Machine guns, Atom bombs…a wizard can kill one person with one spell or maybe poison a little village with a potion—perhaps if they somehow got hold of a Nundu they could take out little over a hundred—but we lack the means to do what muggles do. If muggles wanted to wipe us out, they probably could."
She cracked her neck and stretched before continuing, "Then there's muggleborns in the wizard world. Sure you get called some bad names, maybe get dirty looks, but are you denied jobs? Not with the ministry doing its best to counteract You-Know-Who's anti-muggle sentiments. Do you get denied a proper education? Not at all; in fact schools go out of their way to cater to you. If you haven't noticed we're celebrating Christmas and Halloween instead of Yule and Samhain. Parts of our own wizard heritage is covered up just so that you can leave out cookies for Santa. Places even overturned the archaic marriage laws saying Muggles couldn't marry Wizards. That's a right you have now too. And don't get me started on the laws. Magic in front of a muggle can land someone in Azkaban. We're so terrified of being discovered by muggles with their tanks and missiles that we punish or expel students for accidental magic!"
"That doesn't mean that I should just be okay with being treated unkindly for something I can't even help," Lily pointed out.
Simone raised a hand in placation, "I wasn't saying you should. I'd be a hypocrite—or at the very least, a fool—to try and claim that a person shouldn't be upset about their mistreatment simply because someone else might have it worse. You have every right to be upset. But have some perspective. You get called names, but people will always be there for you. Snape doesn't get that and he can't help being poor or Slytherin anymore than you can help being born to muggle parents. He's discriminated against too; and far more violently than you have been."
"So yes it is awful you get called names or made fun of. It's terrible people try to tell you that you don't belong, but for every bigot you meet, you always have ten more people in this school come out of the woodwork to defend you. You hardly can say you are fighting this alone; you have support. But others do not; Snape doesn't. You don't know what it is like to fight discrimination with so few people in your corner," Simone finished.
She walked over to the window, gazing out over the school grounds, "But I do."
Lily and Mary exchanged a look, utterly baffled.
Simone stared at her reflection, lost in thought, "Borne to a black French debutante, and a white nobleman. Mother raised in France by wealthy merchants, father raised in Wales…born in Jamestown, South Africa. Most of his family is still there."
"Wizard or muggle, color is still an issue everywhere. You probably never noticed. I bet you were raised by open-minded parents, but in a predominantly white neighborhood. You also came to Hogwarts at eleven so most of your childhood has been a sheltered existence when it comes to real prejudice. You're the privileged white girl, unaware of what you take for granted, never witnessing true hatred so you believe it doesn't exist. But me…" Simone paused shaking her head, "White and Black isn't supposed to mix where my father comes from. My parents' marriage was legal in Paris. But no one would willingly acknowledge it in my father's hometown, let alone his country. It took an entire legal battle to ensure they didn't invalidate the marriage under South African Law; my father may not have grown up in South Africa, but he was born there and citizens cannot have interracial marriages, even ones contracted in other countries."
Thea came up besides Simone and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly.
Simone looked at Thea with sad eyes, "It didn't matter how nice my mother dressed when she visited her in-laws, everywhere people thought she was some sort of maid or servant. 'Oh, you must be the hostess. Please show us to a table by the window.' 'I'm sorry miss, but the employee entrance is around back.' People made it clear that they thought she didn't belong. My father tried so hard to push for her inclusion, for fair treatment, but more often than not it fell on deaf ears and eventually, we stopped visiting."
Simone turned to Lily, "My relatives are obligated to keep me in the will to carry on their bloodline, giving us all the legal power we need, but that didn't mean they protected me from their world. And their world was cruel. My relatives' neighbors would tell me I needed to go back where I came from. A local boy rubbed mud on his face and said he was dressing as me for Halloween. My cousins told me I would be pretty if only my skin was lighter. Girls on the street used to pet my hair like I was an animal."
Simone turned to Lily, her eyes stormy, "An old man once pulled me onto his lap in the guise of a hug and said I had some nice plump hips for an ten year old; that black girls 'sure fill out nice'. Told me to come back and visit him sometime. None of my relatives reprimanded him. They claimed he was just being friendly. In truth, they were disgusted that I existed, because I was a reminder that my father married a black woman and had me. My uncle said that it was like if someone had, and I quote, 'had sex with a horse'!"
Lily was at a loss for words, her mind racing and her heart reaching out to the last person for whom she ever thought she would feel sympathy.
"One time someone set fire to the inn we were staying at. Authorities looked for a culprit but ultimately dismissed it as a random act of arson; the fact that the only two black people were inside that inn didn't mean it was a racially charged attack in their opinion. But the fire was started outside the door to our room," Simone revealed. "Do you get the difference between you and me? You-Know-Who is dangerous, and his followers are vile, but they are held up by society as an example of what not to be. Even if it is just an act by the ministry to promote a positive image, they still enforce laws to protect you, enlists Aurors to fight for you, hand out punishments in schools for discriminatory language. But racism, that's normal, even in the Wizarding World. There are laws in various places of the world banning marriages like my parents'. Laws that keep my mother and me separate from whites and feeling as if we're garbage. In Diagon Alley, I had an Auror who didn't know my family demand that I provide a receipt for my wand because he thought I must have stolen something so pricy!"
Lily stared at Simone unabashedly, "I...I didn't realize..."
Simone shrugged, "Maybe I would feel more sympathy to you if you were a black muggleborn. Then your oppression would be systemic, not some outdated medieval fad revived by a crazy fanatic. Face it Evans, you're from a protected and empowered class regards of how much or how little magic is in your blood."
"I hadn't considered any of that," Lily admitted. She felt awful hearing what Simone had gone through. Growing up at Hogwarts, it hurt whenever someone tried to imply she didn't belong, when a hurtful name was thrown her way, but a teacher was never far off to hand out a detention or let her cry on their shoulder. She was upset and ashamed when she would hear 'Mudblood' being thrown her way, but she never felt unsafe, never truly felt worthless. When the professors were available for career advice, never had they given her limitations in what she could be. She was fighting a war of her own with discrimination, but she was fighting it from the winning side. Simone didn't have that. "I'm sorry," she said finally.
Simone waved her off, "I didn't tell you that to have your pity. Rest assured if you go around spreading that information you will be facing me in the last duel of your life."
Swallowing nervously, Lily nodded.
"The same goes for you," Simone told Mary.
Mary raised her hands in surrender, "Hey, I don't go sharing other people's business. I'm not a gossip."
Simone gave them a curt nod, discreetly pushing her wand back into her pocket, "I appreciate that. And you know it isn't like I can't see where you're coming from. The bigotry you have faced may be small by comparison, but that doesn't mean it isn't something that should be stopped. No one should be made to feel less than a person. So yes, I can see why that name hurts you. I've been called some terrible things in my life too. Maybe I was a little hypocritical in saying it was 'just a word'. So yes, you do have a right to be angry," Simone rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "I may have gotten a little heated there. It's just...well everyone is so out of sorts for the whole You-Know-Who issue that people are acting like it is the only oppression and discrimination being thrown around here, meanwhile racism has been going on forever and I'm over here just...you know."
Lily took a cautious step forward, "I'm sorry you have to go through things like that, Simone. You're right, no one should be made to feel like they are nothing."
Simone looked away, " Well I suppose I was a bit short with you; don't deserve to be treated badly either. But you know Evans, while I admire your stance on muggleborn equality, I have to say that it sort of comes off as hypocritical."
"Excuse me?" Lily floundered, "How?"
"Because you are only fighting for this cause because it is one that affects you. Because it is something that could potentially cause you problems, you got involved. That's not the same as fighting for something purely because you know in your heart that it's the right thing to do," Simone explained.
"I'm not doing this for me," Lily insisted, "I'm doing it because no one should be mistreated."
Simone arched a delicate brow, "Really? Then why aren't you fighting for any other group."
Lily faltered, "What?"
Simone sighed, "In case it has escaped your notice, there are those in the Wizarding World who face worse injustices than muggleborns. In fact, the ministry's failing to help them is the reason they will probably be tricked into fighting on the wrong side of this war."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Werewolves are not allowed to attend school, nor can they hold most jobs. There is no law in place to prevent employers from firing them for their condition," Simone replied, "Half giants and half goblins are also at risk of being fired from positions for being 'half breeds'. Hell, I'm pretty sure half giant usually aren't even allowed to attend school or teach; my mother said her headmistress was very adamant she was just 'big boned' to avoid anyone finding out her heritage and sacking her."
Simone paced the room as she spoke, "Centaurs have lost most of their land because wizards deemed the ownership of forests to be something you can only claim if you have money, not centuries of your tribe born and raised there. There are no real protocols in place for peacekeeping with angry Giants other than to just wipe them out because they are deemed as too unintelligent to be reasoned with. Goblins are seen as money grubbing, greedy monsters and it is allowed in our very own school for a professor to teach biased and inaccurate accounts of the Goblin Wars, even though our curriculum was supposed to be covering the Bestiary Classification Act this year! And do not get me started on House Elves."
Mary and Lily were stunned at Simone's outburst.
"You're really very passionate about this," Mary observed.
"As I should be," Simone threw back, "No one should be made to feel inadequate or worthless. House Elves are slaves with no escape and we have yet to find a way to free them of the mindset of servitude. I care about my House Elves; they're like family to me. How any child can be raised by such kind creatures and not grow to care about them as people instead of objects is beyond me. And we would barely survive at school if it wasn't for House Elves. Who do you think has your favorite meal on the table in the Great Hall when you're missing home, finds your familiar when the furry bastards gotten lose, fixed the doll you broke and didn't know how to mend? That's all them; they do it because they care about us."
"I didn't realize they did so much for us." Lily stated. Though it did make sense. Once in her first year at Hogwarts, Lily received her first and only reply from Petunia. It had been so hurtful and cruel that she had shredded it instantly in a fit of tears. It was only after she had calmed down that she was dismayed to realize she had destroyed her parents' letter with it, their kind and comforting words strewn across the floor. She went to bed in tears that night. In the morning however, she was shocked to find the letter whole again, sitting innocently on her nightstand with a warm cup of tea and biscuits besides it. She never learned who did it. "They really do all that?"
Simone nodded, "They do."
"If this cause is so important to you, than why don't you do more about it?" Mary asked.
"I do," Simone said, pulling a small square out of her pocket. Enlarging it, she held it out to Lily, "My club's flyer. It's by invite only because unfortunately some people would only come to cause trouble if they knew a Slytherin was running it."
Lily took the flyer and examined it. On it, there was a picture of a long fingered, knobby knuckled arm shaking hands with a hand covered in fur. Emblazoned across the picture was the words "Creature United Citizens Union: Fight for equality now!" Every now and then the picture would change to a hoofed foot with a shackle on it; the shackle breaking apart the next moment.
"It kills me that no real progress is being made on any of these matters," Simone lamented, taking the flyer back and shrinking it down again, "With so little options for them in the Wizarding World, I'm sure many magical beings will be seduced by any cheap promise You-Know-Who will give them. We'll lose valuable allies simply because we are too stuck in age old prejudices to give magical creatures a chance. Not even Dumbledore is doing anything."
"That's not true," Lily interjected, "What about—"
Next to Simone, Thea shook her head frantically.
Lily stopped, "You didn't tell her?" she asked, eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. Thea didn't blab about Remus?
"Tell who what?" Mary questioned.
Thea shook her head, "It isn't my secret to tell."
"if it is about whatever was in that file Thea found, she won't tell me a thing. And I can respect that," Simone said.
Lily graced Thea with a genuine smile, "Thank you."
"Lily, what are you talking about," Mary asked, her voice starting to take on the slight whine it always got when friends left her out of something.
Lily shared a glance with Thea.
"It isn't my secret to tell," she replied, echoing Thea's words.
"Oh come on!" Mary pouted, crossing her arms.
Lily giggled at her friends antics. After a minute, she turned to Simone, a frown crossing her face, "Listen…I may have judged you too quickly. You actually are a pretty nice person under all that snark. I never realized because—"
"Because I was Slytherin," Simone offered.
Lily bit her lip, "It's not that. I mean…"
Simone held up a hand, "Relax, it doesn't surprise me. Look, I know you try very hard to tell yourself that House doesn't matter, but the truth is we've all had it drilled into our heads since we first came to Hogwarts. Sometimes it is hard to tune out. To a degree we get influenced by our Houses if we aren't careful."
Lily nodded, relieved Simone understood, "Right. So do you think we can start over?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not looking to make a friend. Frankly I think our personalities may...clash a bit," Simone said.
Lily rolled her eyes, "Fine, not friends. Could we at least agree to not to antagonize each other anymore?"
"Oh, but it's so much fun," Simone cooed.
"Please," Lily groaned out.
Simone considered this, "Fine. Can you do me a favor first?"
"Sure. Anything," Lily replied.
Simone put both her hands firmly on Lily's shoulders and looked her square in the eye, "I really think you should reconsider you decision to cut Snape out of your life."
Lily blinked, she hadn't been expecting that. "Why?"
"Because you mean more to him than you can ever imagine," Simone told her.
Lily shrugged off Simone's hands, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, "Look, I get it now that Severus was under a lot of stress when he said what he said, but there's more to it than that. It's not just the word that bothers me."
"You don't like the direction he's heading in," Simone guessed.
Lily nodded, "Severus told me blood didn't matter, but each year the boy that told me that disappears a little bit more. I hardly recognize him anymore. He brandies that insult so casually with his friends, defends their worst actions. H-he practices Dark Magic."
Simone tilted her head, watching Lily thoughtfully, " Is that so bad? To understand Dark Magic is to prepare yourself against it. Not every bit of the dark arts can be fought with light spells. Even I can see the appeal in Dark Arts at least from an academic standpoint. Many dark spells were the acts of desperate eras and empires, last resorts for protection and conquest. I imagine for someone mistreated as often as Snape, there is an appeal there; something he can relate to his own plight that draws him in.
"That spell he used on Potter to cut him was awful!"
"But Potter and Black nearly drowned him with that cleaning charm," Thea pointed out, coming to Snape's defense.
"That's different," Lily claimed, "That's light magic."
"What's light or dark really depends on the intention of the user, if you ask me," Simone told Lily, "Potter wanted to hurt Snape, what spell he used isn't important."
Lily frowned, "But the law clearly states—"
Simone cut her off, "The law isn't perfect. Did you know there was a case back in the 50's involving a witch who drowned her children on dry land?"
Lily paled, "What?"
Simone hummed, "It was tragic. She planned to run away with her lover, so she used Scourgify to flood their mouths with water and bubbles. They died in their beds."
"Why are you telling me this?" Lily asked, turning a sickly shade of green.
Simone's eyes were hard, "Because she wasn't nearly as vilified as a woman who used Avada Kervada to give her child a mercy killing after both of them were brutally beaten to near death by the woman's boyfriend. The mother killed her child to spare her from the pain, then took her own life and she was declared post humorously a murderer." Simone gestured in front of her, hands open in a pleading gesture, "Do you see what I mean; one mother acted in malice, the other in mercy, but the one who killed for selfish reasons was viewed in a better light by the media because she used light magic. Any spell can be dark; it's all about intentions. Throughout history people have resorted to desperate, even dark measures to ensure the safety of themselves and those they love most. Things aren't black and white Evans. Maybe instead of condemning Snape right off the bat, you should consider why he does what he does."
Lily eyed Simone warily, "Snape hangs out with those rotten friends of his because he wants respect, power. Anyone can see that."
"Yes, but why does he want that?" Simone asked, "Is it so unusual for the powerless to want power when it is offered to them? Why is it so important that Snape, the halfblood, be in the good graces of Avery, a notorious blood purist?"
"Snape's a halfblood?" an utterly stunned Mary asked.
"Yes and it puts Snape in a very precarious position in Slytherin House," Simone explained.
Confusion colored Lily's face, "They don't care that he's a halfblood because he's Slytherin."
Simone sighed, "No, they tolerate his blood because he's Slytherin; they don't torment him because he does whatever they say. Snape pretends to be pureblood to keep up appearances, but Avery has probably been schooled on family bloodlines since he was a child; I doubt his parents wanted him accidentally befriending someone who didn't have the noblest of family trees. Snape isn't a wizard surname; Avery would have sniffed that out on day one. Malfoy, that old prefect we had would have known too. How safe do you think Snape would have been in a dormitory of blood purist who have inklings to join You-Know-Who?"
"Severus told me Slytherins look out for their own," Lily offered weakly. A sickening feeling was beginning in her stomach.
Simone shook her head, "In public, they do. Don't get me wrong, most of the Slytherins are lovely people if you get to know them, but behind close doors, the strongest and most ruthless rule. I heard it wasn't always like this; from how Slughorn talks, Slytherin was once pretty normal like any of the other Houses. But sometime before You-Know-Who came about, sentiments turned. Now the most bigoted tend to be the most vocal and controlling. If you aren't a pureblood, you better find one who can protect you. That's what Snape did. And even then that doesn't protect him from his own friends."
Lily felt sick, "They hurt him?"
"From what I've seen, Avery likes to practice curses on friend and foe alike. I believe he's even put Mulciber in the hospital wing before. They later blamed it on Potter and his friends to cover their tracks," Thea piped up softly, her innocent doe-like eyes making the words falling from her mouth so out of place.
Lily's face was turning green again.
"That's sick!" Mary cried, "I mean, I don't care what happens to Mulciber, but Avery doing that to everyone else? What about the younger kids?"
Simone shrugged, "If they make strong connections and stay out of his way they can mainly avoid his wrath. The trick is to stay under the radar. Unfortunately Snape attracted attention to himself by showcasing his skills from the beginning; there was no way he could have stayed hidden from Avery's gaze."
"But he wants to be like them!" Lily protested, "He thinks just as badly of muggleborns as they do. I've heard what he says with his friends and how he laughs at their awful jokes and pranks."
"Snape wants power," Simone countered, "and frankly I can see why. He's been the underdog for so long, in a misguided way his thirst for power and notoriety is a way of protecting himself. In his mind, if he grows strong enough, he'll be untouchable; he'll be safe. He's a bitter kid who's sick of being kicked around and with not enough adults actually sticking their necks out for him, he's recklessly going about it his own way."
"Look," Simone continued, "I don't blame you for being uncomfortable with who he hangs out with. The thing I hate most is bullies; they're just future criminals in my opinion. I wouldn't want a friend to hang around white supremacists. But you can't just demand he cut ties with them. It's too dangerous. I saw you at the portrait hole, you felt that he needed to stop hanging around Avery if he truly wanted to win you back. You want Snape to stand up and openly declare his support of muggleborns like a Gryffindor would. But doing that when you sleep in the same room as a cruel sociopath just isn't possible, let alone sane."
"Okay so you have a point there, but he still hates muggles and muggleborns," Lily persisted. 'Even though he told me blood didn't matter'. Severus would never know just how much she took those words to heart and how shattered she was to know he lied.
"Well think about the muggleborns he's met here," Simone suggested. He's in a predominantly pureblood house—those who are halfblood or muggleborn keep it to themselves—and most of the muggleborns are in the other houses...the houses that all carry the same belief that Slytherins are evil. They were probably already thinking badly of him the moment he was sorted and then James comes along, in the 'brave and noble' house of Godric himself and goes after Snape for the house he's in. Most of the school goes along with it because they are being fed the same 'Slytherins are evil' nonsense as everyone else. If most of the school is laughing at his misery, than statistically, a number of them are muggleborns. People that should side with the halfblood over the pureblood but don't. Snape's going to warp that in his mind the more bitter he becomes. He's not been given many examples of good muggleborns and I doubt he's met many nice muggles, has he?"
"I don't know. He never spoke of any muggle he knew back home," Lily admitted.
"Evans, how much do you know of Snape's home life?" Simone asked out of the blue.
Lily blinked, "Well I...I mean he said his family doesn't get along well. I know it isn't the best of circumstances."
Simone frowned, disappointed, "That all you've got? Because what I see when I look at Snape is this: a boy in secondhand robes, so he must be poor. A boy who cares little for his hygiene; he's neglected and not used to taking care of appearances, a boy who flinches if you approach him too fast, who tenses when you touch him and who's guard was up before Potter and Black ever started going after him...with a non-magical surname his father must be a muggle...how does he feel about magic?"
"Um...I suppose he doesn't like it very much. That's what Sev said at least," Lily replied hesitantly.
Simone placed a finger to her lips, thinking, "So a man living in poverty married to a witch when he dislikes or hates magic and a magical son who is wary of touch and always on guard of an attack...what does that tell you?"
Lily laughed, disbelieving, "You can't mean..." she faltered, "I mean there's just no way...I" she paused, staring at Simone in horror, "You're saying that he...?"
Simone watched Lily pityingly, "It all adds up. Tell me I'm wrong."
Fretting, Lily ran a hand through her hair, the disheveled way it fell giving her a rather manic appearance, "But Sev never told me!"
"Not everyone can talk about terrible things like that," Simone admitted sadly, "Not everyone's parents are kind, Evans."
Mary couldn't keep silent any longer, "Hang on, are you saying Snape's dad beats him?"
"Or at the very least mistreats him. It's still pretty common for kids to be severely mistreated under the guise of 'discipline', I'm afraid," Simone stated, "Why else would Snape have such a hatred of muggles when he himself is half one? Plenty of prejudices stem from someone generalizing a group based on a bad experience with one or two individuals. It would have shaped how he views muggles as a whole. He's a young man who has been shown a lot of hate from an early age and worse yet from someone he should be able to trust. He took that hate and gave it back in turn. It's all he knows how to respond with anymore. Does any other muggle give him trouble back home?"
Lily bit her lip, "Well...my sister calls him awful things all the time because he's a wizard...and poor."
"So he has two prominent muggles in his life who treat him badly because he has magic; that would make him easy pickings for the propaganda You-Know-Who and his lot are preaching. It turns that bitterness and abuse into a desire for revenge. Snape's alone in this world as far as the adults are concerned and Snape himself thinks so too. He told me he believes there are no future prospects for him due to his poverty and blood status. With anyone else, I'd call that a load of crap, but with Snape...I don't see any professors sticking their necks out for him to help him get a prestigious job. He's talented but it will all go to waste because he's a nobody as far as society is concerned. Now he has Avery and his goons promising him that You-Know-Who will give him the power to get vengeance on his enemies and protect himself from anyone else that wants to hurt him, as well as give him all the opportunities he thought he would never get. Of course he's going to latch onto that chance. And it's doubtful Snape even knows he's getting played."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"They're using him, Evans. Snape is just a pawn for them to exploit. His knowledge, his skill. They'll promise him anything in exchange for that. He's practically a prodigy. I know some of them have him doing their homework. Once they get all they want from him, he'll probably be thrown away or handed over to You-Know-Who as low level canon fodder to die in pointless raids and attacks while he keeps his pureblood higher ranked followers close. In their eyes he's a pitiful and desperate halfblood," Simone said simply, "If Snape sticks with them, he's going to wind up dead. And they won't mourn him."
"They're awful," Lily said, her lip trembling, "They knew what was happening to him and instead of helping him they're taking advantage of him. They practiced curses on him, used him to get good grades and they've just been laughing behind his back; knowing what he's been through!"
"And none of them came to his aid with Potter by the lake," Simone added, "Don't you get it Evans, you were the only real friend he had. And probably the only one who can truly get through to him. But you can't do it by making demands or belittling his choices."
"So what do you propose I do?" Lily asked.
"Talk to him," Simone pleaded, "Really talk to him and this time, listen. Inside Snape is a boy who needs to be heard. Even if he is wrong, even if the choices he's made and the conclusions he has drawn are not right, he still deserves to be heard. That's the whole reason he started spiraling out of control to begin with; because no one would listen except the people who told him what he wanted to hear. If the professors aren't going to be there for him, then we need to. So...will you talk to him?"
Lily bit her lip, "I don't know...this is all so much to take in. I-I need some time. Can I think about it?"
Simone shrugged her shoulders, heading for the door, "It's your choice. But don't take too long; we leave here in two days."
Simone looked deep into Lily's eyes, "Before I leave, know this: You mean more to Snape than anyone in the world. If there is anyone who could pull him off this path, it would be you," she shouldered her book bag, "I'm sorry if that puts undue pressure on you, but it's the truth." She made her way to the door, Thea in tow.
"It just so hard to believe your really this caring underneath," Lily mused aloud, "I mean, your reputation...what you did to that girl...you scared her right out of the school."
Simone paused, her back to Lily, "You act like that's something I'm proud of."
Turning her head, she looked back at Lily, "I've been told I have a bit of a temper," she admitted.
"A bit?" Mary snorted.
Simone chose to ignore her, "Look I know what I did was taking it too far, but she just made me so mad. I don't like bullies, so I acted...trouble is once I was done, everyone was looking at me like I was the bully. Sort of like I had beheaded the Scylla, but then ended up as one of the heads that grew back in it's place. It wasn't my proudest moment. Maybe she wasn't so bad; for all I know she could have had some reason for being so mean. Guess I'll never find out, now. But I'd do it again; no one messes with those I care about."
"You do realize that sort of makes you a hypocrite, right?" Mary pointed out.
Simone waved her off, "That's a matter of perspective," she insisted stubbornly.
"It's really not..." Mary muttered.
"So then why let the rumors about you persists?" Lily asked, "Why not just be nice and show people you aren't some monster like they think you are?"
Simone flashed a wry grin, "Because I'm a Slytherin, my dear. I must use whatever I can to my advantage. The mystery around me gives me some level of anonymity. I'm unpredictable so I'm untouchable and that means I'll be left alone. I'd be a fool to pass up that when so many of my house have to be targeted and ridiculed daily for having a green tie."
Simone unlocked the door and stepped out into the hall.
"Give my words some thought, alright?" she asked of Lily. Then she left, Thea by her side.
Another Chapter down. Huzzah!
It always bothered me how the biggest discrimination issue in Harry Potter seems to be all about muggles and muggleborns. This was the 70's people, when we still had rampant racism in many places all over the world. Yes by the 70's America at least was repealing old laws and making changes, but racism was still treated more as something that "just happened" and people expected rather than something to be abhorred. But the HP universe...it's like that doesn't even exist and everyone is crying over how big and bad voldy is for his discrimination. I have even heard people refer to the word Mudblood as a racial slur...Being magical isn't racial! If anything, magic being something some people have and others do not even when their families are or are not magical is closer to an analogy of being gay; your parents might be straight, but you might not be. And yes discrimination is wrong in all forms, but it does sort of bug me that in a Universe where goblins, house elves, werewolves, and giants are treated as sub humans that struggle to find work or lack laws protecting them, we freak out over anti-muggle sentiments the most. When muggles (and presumably muggleborns) outnumber everyone else and live in a society where laws are in place protecting them. I mean, the Ministry openly decried Voldermort's actions.
I hope this chapter and its themes did not offended or make anyone uncomfortable. I regret to confess that some examples of racism, particularly the horse comment, were taken from a racist family member or two of mine, in regards to their own stepchild. Needless to say, I do not speak to my Uncle. I hope my readers can see why I felt it necessary to add this to my story; in a series about fighting someone and their bigotry, it seemed strange that more focus on current issues of that time regarding discrimination outside of magic wasn't discussed. Please share with me your thoughts.
Next chapter, we see how Lily processes all the info she just had dropped on her and we'll be fleshing Mary out.
Read and Review please.