Harry Potter LF Severus time travel fic
- Thread starter Nahtangnouv
- Start date
First off, we have a thread for this.
Second off, we tend to only read and thus recommend good stories. I highly doubt there are any good stories that involve bashing james.
Literally every single james bashing story I've ever seen was written by some preteen girl that barely passed English with a crush on Alan Rickman trying to make Lily into her SI, with all the story and characterization butchering that comes with it.
tl;dr: Lurk more, get some taste.
Second off, we tend to only read and thus recommend good stories. I highly doubt there are any good stories that involve bashing james.
Literally every single james bashing story I've ever seen was written by some preteen girl that barely passed English with a crush on Alan Rickman trying to make Lily into her SI, with all the story and characterization butchering that comes with it.
tl;dr: Lurk more, get some taste.
The only way this could be non-terrible would be if you subverted audience expectations about what they were getting into.
For example, I've long suspected that whatever Snape's problem was with the Fantastic Four, it was probably his fault.
Because, in Book Four, Lupin described Snape as someone who, as a first year, knew more curses than most graduating seventh years. I can't brain a way that Lupin (age 11) would know that about Snape (age 11) without it making Snape out as some kind of monster. Perhaps he got street cred in Slytherin by bullying Sirius? I feel like that would be a really good story, James Potter completely thinks Sirius Black is no better than the rest of them, but eventually he can't stand seeing Black getting pooped on by all the Slytherins, and Snape kept pushing it farther and farther as In-Group Affirmation, and eventually James stood up for him, and then there's a big dust up and maybe they didn't win but they didn't lose either, and afterwards they're like in detention together with black eyes and broken lips, and they're like "Bros? Bros." and roll credits. I think the story about how James Potter and Sirius Black became fast friends is way more interesting than Snape falling in with a bad crowd or whatever.
Anyway,
If Snape really did like send his soul back in time or whatever, we all know what he'd do:
Use his knowledge and skills as an adult man to bully teenagers and/or teenagers.
I man, that's pretty much all he's done with his life as a teacher, so of course he'd do exactly the same thing. That was literally his role in the books.
That's probably where you could get your fix for James-bashing. I mean, assuming you're into that thing, it's kinda weird. I mean, I always felt like... Snape talking shit about a dead guy when he's basically, directly responsible for getting that guy killed... way to stay classy, you know? That dude's not around to defend himself 'cuz you got him killed by Voldemort. Maybe you should shut your mouth, Snape. That's how I felt about that.
So, like, Snape travels back in time, and rather than redeeming himself, he basically just continues to be a shithead, or rather, he's a far worse shithead than he was the first time around, because the second time around, he's more powerful than the people he hated.
I'm thinking it would end after it escalated too far, and the last chapter is, he's in Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore's like, "suppose you tell me what the heck is going on," and Snape spills his guts about time travel and how Lilly never loved him and Voldemort and everything, and then Dumbledore sighs real slow, takes his glasses off and wipes them with a handkerchief, he's clearly trying to decide how to say what he wants to say, and then Dumbledore puts his glasses back on and looks directly at Snape and says, "Severus. My boy. What the fuck is wrong with you."
Cuz the thing is, Snape is the most pathetic guy in the whole series. I mean, maybe Voldemort was such a coward about mortality that he literally changed his name to "The Guy Running From Death", but at least he had the gumption to go out and do something about it, you know? Snape didn't. He was just a huge loser, that's the essence of his character.
For example, I've long suspected that whatever Snape's problem was with the Fantastic Four, it was probably his fault.
Because, in Book Four, Lupin described Snape as someone who, as a first year, knew more curses than most graduating seventh years. I can't brain a way that Lupin (age 11) would know that about Snape (age 11) without it making Snape out as some kind of monster. Perhaps he got street cred in Slytherin by bullying Sirius? I feel like that would be a really good story, James Potter completely thinks Sirius Black is no better than the rest of them, but eventually he can't stand seeing Black getting pooped on by all the Slytherins, and Snape kept pushing it farther and farther as In-Group Affirmation, and eventually James stood up for him, and then there's a big dust up and maybe they didn't win but they didn't lose either, and afterwards they're like in detention together with black eyes and broken lips, and they're like "Bros? Bros." and roll credits. I think the story about how James Potter and Sirius Black became fast friends is way more interesting than Snape falling in with a bad crowd or whatever.
Anyway,
If Snape really did like send his soul back in time or whatever, we all know what he'd do:
Use his knowledge and skills as an adult man to bully teenagers and/or teenagers.
I man, that's pretty much all he's done with his life as a teacher, so of course he'd do exactly the same thing. That was literally his role in the books.
That's probably where you could get your fix for James-bashing. I mean, assuming you're into that thing, it's kinda weird. I mean, I always felt like... Snape talking shit about a dead guy when he's basically, directly responsible for getting that guy killed... way to stay classy, you know? That dude's not around to defend himself 'cuz you got him killed by Voldemort. Maybe you should shut your mouth, Snape. That's how I felt about that.
So, like, Snape travels back in time, and rather than redeeming himself, he basically just continues to be a shithead, or rather, he's a far worse shithead than he was the first time around, because the second time around, he's more powerful than the people he hated.
I'm thinking it would end after it escalated too far, and the last chapter is, he's in Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore's like, "suppose you tell me what the heck is going on," and Snape spills his guts about time travel and how Lilly never loved him and Voldemort and everything, and then Dumbledore sighs real slow, takes his glasses off and wipes them with a handkerchief, he's clearly trying to decide how to say what he wants to say, and then Dumbledore puts his glasses back on and looks directly at Snape and says, "Severus. My boy. What the fuck is wrong with you."
Cuz the thing is, Snape is the most pathetic guy in the whole series. I mean, maybe Voldemort was such a coward about mortality that he literally changed his name to "The Guy Running From Death", but at least he had the gumption to go out and do something about it, you know? Snape didn't. He was just a huge loser, that's the essence of his character.
Translation: there are a lot of people here that do not like Snape as a character that would rather tear you down for your tastes in fanfics rather than act like adults and ignore a topic they clearly have no interest in.
See also: Naruto fans that get so butthurt over NaruHina becoming canon they would rather post revenge pics to disgust others rather than learn to live and let live like a rational adult once the pairing became canon.
See also: Naruto fans that get so butthurt over NaruHina becoming canon they would rather post revenge pics to disgust others rather than learn to live and let live like a rational adult once the pairing became canon.
I like Snape as a character just fine. In fact, he's probably one of the best-written characters in the Harry Potter series in my opinion (not that being the best-written character in HP is a prize, mind you). Snape as a person I dislike, but that's not what we're talking about.
What we're talking about is that bashing and good writing tends to be mutually exclusive. When you're bashing a guy solely because he grew the fuck up and stopped being pathetic, thus Getting The Girl, you're not gonna find jack shit of quality.
People on this board tend not to read shitty fics, or at least only read enough of it to post in the Stories You Can Destroy thread, so it's not like we're about to recommend a shitty story. We would have to read it first, if nothing else.
EDIT: Like, seriously. Of all the people you could bash in harry potter, I can only think of one person whom would be more retarded to bash, and that's Lily.
What we're talking about is that bashing and good writing tends to be mutually exclusive. When you're bashing a guy solely because he grew the fuck up and stopped being pathetic, thus Getting The Girl, you're not gonna find jack shit of quality.
People on this board tend not to read shitty fics, or at least only read enough of it to post in the Stories You Can Destroy thread, so it's not like we're about to recommend a shitty story. We would have to read it first, if nothing else.
EDIT: Like, seriously. Of all the people you could bash in harry potter, I can only think of one person whom would be more retarded to bash, and that's Lily.
i think Bashing is the problem, IMHO Good Stories don't bash characters.
James was an inmature brat once upon a time? most people are like that at least once in their lifetimes, Severus was bullied? while i may think so, i also think he gave as good as he got, so most of his 'trauma' comes from his inability to really make friends/allies and his father.
i also agree with Shirotsume's first and third point.
but i think you could be missremembering the fic, i remember One meh quality fic that has Harry doing the time travel in order to prevent Snape from 'experiencing his worst memory' (and my memory fails to recall if it's one of the Father related ones or if it's the one Harry sees in the pensieve in book five) and it goes up from there.
or i could be missinterpreting the request and you are just simply searching for Time Teavel Seversus Snape fics instead of one in particular.
James was an inmature brat once upon a time? most people are like that at least once in their lifetimes, Severus was bullied? while i may think so, i also think he gave as good as he got, so most of his 'trauma' comes from his inability to really make friends/allies and his father.
i also agree with Shirotsume's first and third point.
but i think you could be missremembering the fic, i remember One meh quality fic that has Harry doing the time travel in order to prevent Snape from 'experiencing his worst memory' (and my memory fails to recall if it's one of the Father related ones or if it's the one Harry sees in the pensieve in book five) and it goes up from there.
or i could be missinterpreting the request and you are just simply searching for Time Teavel Seversus Snape fics instead of one in particular.
Oh sorry if I hadn't posted in the thread but seeing how you mention it link?
and about the James bashing, though Im not asking for a fanfic where he is bashed, it doesnt mean I dont enjoy it. I mean is it really so wrong to want James to get his while he's bullying severus(while being in his younger body with greater knowledge and confidence that he retaliate? by that I dont mean beating the shit outta him but turning the tide and embarrassing him instead)? Really... does it not get you angry that James the bully whom bullies lily's friend eventually marries her and that snape practically gets kicked aside? Though I guess severus snape did act a bit like a douche to harry(I would too if the person who bullied me had a son who looked like him and remained a constant reminder of what I lost) and though he may have been the cause of James and Lilys death, he seems to have regretted it and has furthermore became a spy for dumbledore whom I might add is pretty fucking manipulative for the greater good while subtly helping out whats left of his friend and love Lily?
P
truthfully I cant see how the guy gets the girl even if he grows the fuck up, however I mainly like bashing on bullys etc, whom I see James as and if he does grow up in the fic good for him but he didnt seem so great to me around the time of snapes worst memory and so I do not feel bad if he were to be bashed around that time. I saw snape and lily as childhood friends, even if lily hadn't reproached his love Id like to believe that she loved him as a friend, and even if they dont get together I would hate that instead she picked james. Im not looking for a fic where snape is the one who bullys others but instead acts accordingly and doesnt take shit from others personally snape seeking to bully james would not bode well with me, but I would be delighted that if James tried to hex him, severus would somehow counter accordingly.
and about the James bashing, though Im not asking for a fanfic where he is bashed, it doesnt mean I dont enjoy it. I mean is it really so wrong to want James to get his while he's bullying severus(while being in his younger body with greater knowledge and confidence that he retaliate? by that I dont mean beating the shit outta him but turning the tide and embarrassing him instead)? Really... does it not get you angry that James the bully whom bullies lily's friend eventually marries her and that snape practically gets kicked aside? Though I guess severus snape did act a bit like a douche to harry(I would too if the person who bullied me had a son who looked like him and remained a constant reminder of what I lost) and though he may have been the cause of James and Lilys death, he seems to have regretted it and has furthermore became a spy for dumbledore whom I might add is pretty fucking manipulative for the greater good while subtly helping out whats left of his friend and love Lily?
Ptruthfully I cant see how the guy gets the girl even if he grows the fuck up, however I mainly like bashing on bullys etc, whom I see James as and if he does grow up in the fic good for him but he didnt seem so great to me around the time of snapes worst memory and so I do not feel bad if he were to be bashed around that time. I saw snape and lily as childhood friends, even if lily hadn't reproached his love Id like to believe that she loved him as a friend, and even if they dont get together I would hate that instead she picked james. Im not looking for a fic where snape is the one who bullys others but instead acts accordingly and doesnt take shit from others personally snape seeking to bully james would not bode well with me, but I would be delighted that if James tried to hex him, severus would somehow counter accordingly.
Im still interested in a fic where severus is the one to time travel tho :3 and actually redeem himself instead of being the shitty person everyone in the hp universe viewed him as with or without james bashing
ALSO fuck naruhina and that naruto sequel, Ill forever believe in the au where he had a giant harem <3
ALSO fuck naruhina and that naruto sequel, Ill forever believe in the au where he had a giant harem <3
Since we only have Severus' totally-not-biased-at-all memory of what actually, you start getting into Unreliable Narrator questions as a literary device, to wit; did James actually bully Snape, or are we watching Rashomon? Shit maybe it's more like Inception, with all the Memory Charms getting thrown about.
But that's getting too twisty. We can leave aside Unreliable Narrator as a device that the author just didn't intend to use, so take it as given that whatever Snape remembered was "true".
Here's a good exercise.
Go re-read Book One. No, rather, skim book one. Only read the passages where Snape interacts, not with Harry, you can ignore those parts; read where Snape is interacting with Neville Longbottom. That will control for Lily-and-James related baggage. Go see how Snape, a teacher, treats 11-year-olds in his classroom.
Yeah.
See, the thing is, Snape is exactly the same type of character as Argus Filch.
A pathetic, miserable man who uses what little power he has to torment children.
These are highly typical stock villains in boarding-school adventure novels. They exist as antagonists to prove that the adults are fundamentally unreliable and detestable and cannot be relied on to do anything. That's why the plucky child heros of boarding school novels have to solve all their own damn problems, because the teaching staff will actively make things worse if you get them involved.
Giving Snape a Freudian Excuse that he was picked on by other kids to explain why he torments children as an adult might makes logical sense, but he is still a villain. He neither repented nor changed. He didn't have a moment where he came across Harry poking around his Memory Bowl, and then he fucking exploded at the kid and was shouting abuse at him, and realized that he had become the thing he despised. That's what a real redemption arc would have looked like, not Snape vomiting out a Magical Memoir as he lay bleeding to death so that Harry would feel sorry for him.
tl;dr however bad you think James was at 17, Snape is visibly 100 times worse at 30.
But that's getting too twisty. We can leave aside Unreliable Narrator as a device that the author just didn't intend to use, so take it as given that whatever Snape remembered was "true".
Here's a good exercise.
Go re-read Book One. No, rather, skim book one. Only read the passages where Snape interacts, not with Harry, you can ignore those parts; read where Snape is interacting with Neville Longbottom. That will control for Lily-and-James related baggage. Go see how Snape, a teacher, treats 11-year-olds in his classroom.
Yeah.
See, the thing is, Snape is exactly the same type of character as Argus Filch.
A pathetic, miserable man who uses what little power he has to torment children.
These are highly typical stock villains in boarding-school adventure novels. They exist as antagonists to prove that the adults are fundamentally unreliable and detestable and cannot be relied on to do anything. That's why the plucky child heros of boarding school novels have to solve all their own damn problems, because the teaching staff will actively make things worse if you get them involved.
Giving Snape a Freudian Excuse that he was picked on by other kids to explain why he torments children as an adult might makes logical sense, but he is still a villain. He neither repented nor changed. He didn't have a moment where he came across Harry poking around his Memory Bowl, and then he fucking exploded at the kid and was shouting abuse at him, and realized that he had become the thing he despised. That's what a real redemption arc would have looked like, not Snape vomiting out a Magical Memoir as he lay bleeding to death so that Harry would feel sorry for him.
tl;dr however bad you think James was at 17, Snape is visibly 100 times worse at 30.
Nahtangnouv said:
Oh sorry if I hadn't posted in the thread but seeing how you mention it link?
and about the James bashing, though Im not asking for a fanfic where he is bashed, it doesnt mean I dont enjoy it. I mean is it really so wrong to want James to get his while he's bullying severus(while being in his younger body with greater knowledge and confidence that he retaliate? by that I dont mean beating the shit outta him but turning the tide and embarrassing him instead)? Really... does it not get you angry that James the bully whom bullies lily's friend eventually marries her and that snape practically gets kicked aside? Though I guess severus snape did act a bit like a douche to harry(I would too if the person who bullied me had a son who looked like him and remained a constant reminder of what I lost) and though he may have been the cause of James and Lilys death, he seems to have regretted it and has furthermore became a spy for dumbledore whom I might add is pretty fucking manipulative for the greater good while subtly helping out whats left of his friend and love Lily?P
truthfully I cant see how the guy gets the girl even if he grows the fuck up, however I mainly like bashing on bullys etc, whom I see James as and if he does grow up in the fic good for him but he didnt seem so great to me around the time of snapes worst memory and so I do not feel bad if he were to be bashed around that time. I saw snape and lily as childhood friends, even if lily hadn't reproached his love Id like to believe that she loved him as a friend, and even if they dont get together I would hate that instead she picked james. Im not looking for a fic where snape is the one who bullys others but instead acts accordingly and doesnt take shit from others personally snape seeking to bully james would not bode well with me, but I would be delighted that if James tried to hex him, severus would somehow counter accordingly.
and about the James bashing, though Im not asking for a fanfic where he is bashed, it doesnt mean I dont enjoy it. I mean is it really so wrong to want James to get his while he's bullying severus(while being in his younger body with greater knowledge and confidence that he retaliate? by that I dont mean beating the shit outta him but turning the tide and embarrassing him instead)? Really... does it not get you angry that James the bully whom bullies lily's friend eventually marries her and that snape practically gets kicked aside? Though I guess severus snape did act a bit like a douche to harry(I would too if the person who bullied me had a son who looked like him and remained a constant reminder of what I lost) and though he may have been the cause of James and Lilys death, he seems to have regretted it and has furthermore became a spy for dumbledore whom I might add is pretty fucking manipulative for the greater good while subtly helping out whats left of his friend and love Lily?
Ptruthfully I cant see how the guy gets the girl even if he grows the fuck up, however I mainly like bashing on bullys etc, whom I see James as and if he does grow up in the fic good for him but he didnt seem so great to me around the time of snapes worst memory and so I do not feel bad if he were to be bashed around that time. I saw snape and lily as childhood friends, even if lily hadn't reproached his love Id like to believe that she loved him as a friend, and even if they dont get together I would hate that instead she picked james. Im not looking for a fic where snape is the one who bullys others but instead acts accordingly and doesnt take shit from others personally snape seeking to bully james would not bode well with me, but I would be delighted that if James tried to hex him, severus would somehow counter accordingly.
on the other hand, he is even more confusing in Hating James (who managed to snag Lily) instead of Sirius whose idiocy managed to almost Kill him, or Tom Riddle who actually managed to Kill his 'only' love.
also if 'Snape's Worst Memory' is that bit of bullying then something is absolutely wrong with him, because... Spinner's End, him destroying his friendship with Lily, finding that she is Dead or any of Voldemort's torture sessions or even one of his Death Eater experiences would top that IMHO.
OTOH a Snape Time Travelling not to 'make his life better' but to Do Everything it takes to make sure that Lily (and maybe Harry) Lives and thus becoming a better Character? then i'm all for that.
and reding the reasons for why you'd like a Snape to counter his 'bullying' then why not choose someone who isn't actually at fault for their own bullying like Harry freaking Potter, Neville 'i was a laughingstock for almost everyone' Longbottom, Luna 'everyone calls me crazy and steals my things' Lovegood, someone who had their body Hijacked like Ginny, heck even Ron was a victim of that thanks to the Twins (Arachnophobia anyone?).
and that reminds me why i hate many parts of Albus 'i can't admit to do anything wrong when it actually matters or do anything to prevent it or help' Dumbledore with his ever frustrating "harry stop antagonizing Snape, give him respect and be mature about it" when he can't expect Snape to do the same for anyone.
do i like stories where Snape is awesome? Fuck yeah, because in most of them he gets to act OOC or 'matures' enough for him to be likeable as a character instead of being an antagonic character or a foil like he was for most of the books.
and Sorry for the Rant, anyone can like any character they like and IMHO there is no problem, the thing that gets me into ranting mood is when the reasons given for liking or disliking them clash abruptly with my views, sorry if i was rude, offensive or assholish, i just wanted to bring my unrequited two cents to the conversation.
btw, linking to that story? let me search for it because it's been years since i partially read (i couldn't stomach some of the later characters or the later reasons Harry had for doing what he did), sorry.
About the only way I can figure to make a time-travelling Snape redeem himself without getting straight into OOC Snape territory
In the original timeline,
1. Have Dumbledore realise Voldemort is still alive as soon as November 1, 1981, just wandering around in wraith form.
2. Dumbledore tells Snape this and says he needs Snape to be a spy when Voldemort inevitably comes back.
3. Snape maybe wants to change but can't. He needs to continue to be an utter asshole because he needs to be so in character that Voldemort will take him back easily. Voldemort would get suspicious if Snape started being roses and daisies after the first war. He of course takes this to ridiculous extremes with all the bullying, helped by this being pretty much his natural personality.
Then Time-travelling Snape realises this or gets called out on it by the Sorting Hat or what have you.
In the original timeline,
1. Have Dumbledore realise Voldemort is still alive as soon as November 1, 1981, just wandering around in wraith form.
2. Dumbledore tells Snape this and says he needs Snape to be a spy when Voldemort inevitably comes back.
3. Snape maybe wants to change but can't. He needs to continue to be an utter asshole because he needs to be so in character that Voldemort will take him back easily. Voldemort would get suspicious if Snape started being roses and daisies after the first war. He of course takes this to ridiculous extremes with all the bullying, helped by this being pretty much his natural personality.
Then Time-travelling Snape realises this or gets called out on it by the Sorting Hat or what have you.
I'm pretty sure that this has already been discussed to death, but you don't actually need a pensieve to just store memories. You can just use a vial. The only reason Snape would have needed that Pensieve was to actually view his own memories.
So either Snape likes to remember his childhood torments right before Harry's "remedial potions lessons," to get himself in a suitable mood for mind-violating, or Snape specifically set that Pensieve there in the hopes that Harry would view the memory of James bullying Snape.
So either Snape likes to remember his childhood torments right before Harry's "remedial potions lessons," to get himself in a suitable mood for mind-violating, or Snape specifically set that Pensieve there in the hopes that Harry would view the memory of James bullying Snape.
didn't dumbledore said that he left his memories on the pensieve so they (or he i don't remember clrearly) could sort themselves? IMHO, he either likes remeinding himself Why he should 'hate' Harry (because hating children in general is such a 'normal' thing and because Harry behaves like james soooo much *insert sarcasm here*), he set a trap for him or he tried to 'temporarily dampen/forget that memory so he could at least say that he tried to help Harry and the child was just as inept as he believed and the memory episode was nasty for both of them.
and for an Awesome Snape Fic, well the moment he finds out that Riddle killed the Love of his life (Lily) he swears absolute revenge against him and when he finds that he may still be among the 'living' he makes anything to make him suffer a permanent death, up to and including using Harry Freaking Potter as his tool of vengeance against voldemort.
even if Severus Snape was in character (as in 'not different from how he is portrayed in the books') that change of focus (instead of getting his petty revenge on the Potter and the children and being an all around asshole he just focus on utterly destroying Riddle and everything related to him) it could be nice reading that.
and for an Awesome Snape Fic, well the moment he finds out that Riddle killed the Love of his life (Lily) he swears absolute revenge against him and when he finds that he may still be among the 'living' he makes anything to make him suffer a permanent death, up to and including using Harry Freaking Potter as his tool of vengeance against voldemort.
even if Severus Snape was in character (as in 'not different from how he is portrayed in the books') that change of focus (instead of getting his petty revenge on the Potter and the children and being an all around asshole he just focus on utterly destroying Riddle and everything related to him) it could be nice reading that.
There is another factor to consider with Snape being a mean asshole. He was a teacher in classes with two rival houses half the time. Teaching eleven year olds how to do things that, if done wrong, reacted strongly enough to either explode or melt a solid pewter cauldron. And had been doing so for over a decade at this point. I know I would get fed up with it and be a very strict asshole just to try to keep them all from killing me and themselves within the first week or so. For the first three books we were seeing a child's perspective of a strict and unfair teacher. But I never remember a thought of Harry's or Ron's along the lines of "I need to be careful or this is going to kill me and everyone else in the room." There is always another perspective in the "Unreliable Narrator" point of view argument. You are seeing kids perceive and adult. An ugly, scary looking adult at that. They will be naturally biased in that perspective.