Please excuse me - I don't like using the word 'muggles', it sounds ridiculous to me.
I never use it, either. I think it's both ridiculous and racist.
Lily and Remus did not meet their duties as prefects. Severus' racial slur against Lily was inexcusable, but she should have protected him from being beaten up and humilated by James Potter and his friends.
I don't blame Lily for ending their friendship for whatever reason. Nobody is required to be anyone's friend, and it's common for childhood pals to drift apart as they grow up.
What I've always objected to is the way she did it. What we see of their relationship clearly indicates it was deteriorating before "the mudblood incident." But Lily wasn't straight with Severus and didn't just tell him she didn't want to be friends any more. Instead, she waited for him to screw up so she'd have an excuse to break it off and blame it on him, knowing that his social awkwardness and the pressure he was under would cause him to do something wrong sooner or later. Then she laid a (life-long) guilt trip on him on top of that, acting like it was all his fault, and the insult was the only reason she was ending it.
That's not brave Gryffindor behavior. Severus was right. She should have been in Slytherin.
Thank you so much for writing this thoughtful and intelligent post. :)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-08-19 01:37 am (UTC)I never use it, either. I think it's both ridiculous and racist.
Lily and Remus did not meet their duties as prefects. Severus' racial slur against Lily was inexcusable, but she should have protected him from being beaten up and humilated by James Potter and his friends.
I don't blame Lily for ending their friendship for whatever reason. Nobody is required to be anyone's friend, and it's common for childhood pals to drift apart as they grow up.
What I've always objected to is the way she did it. What we see of their relationship clearly indicates it was deteriorating before "the mudblood incident." But Lily wasn't straight with Severus and didn't just tell him she didn't want to be friends any more. Instead, she waited for him to screw up so she'd have an excuse to break it off and blame it on him, knowing that his social awkwardness and the pressure he was under would cause him to do something wrong sooner or later. Then she laid a (life-long) guilt trip on him on top of that, acting like it was all his fault, and the insult was the only reason she was ending it.
That's not brave Gryffindor behavior. Severus was right. She should have been in Slytherin.
Thank you so much for writing this thoughtful and intelligent post. :)
You're welcome. I'm glad you appreciated it.