First off, like others I just love (not) this white fans telling fans of color how they should feel about a character who deals with fantastic racism within a book series.


Snape almost getting killed because Sirius was a a**hole who thought it would oh so funny have Snape see wolf!Lupin is in no way comparable to whatever prejudice Lily faced while at Hogwarts. Why? Because Sirius did not go after Snape because of his blood status - or even because Snape was in Slytherin. It was personal. Not say that what Sirius did was nothing, it really was a vile thing to do. (And not just because it put Snape into danger. How do you think Remus would have felt once he was back to his human form if something had happened to Snape?) But it was one person being an ass to another person. And it in NO WAY absolves Snape for his actions. Or for his bigoted views of Muggle-borns. Those are Snape's fault - and Snape's alone.

Now, I agree that by time Harry and co got to Hogwarts Snape was not a bigot. He was a misanthrope, a bitter man who could not let go of the past and blamed a child for the "sins" of his father - but I don't think he was a bigot. But that does not mean he wasn't one in the past. People change. They grow. It is what a redemptive arc is about. It's part of what made Snape such a great character.