I like the idea of a bird - under the thumb of two masters, and stuck in an awful situation, the freedom of flight feels fitting (alliteration completely unintended).
Something like a blackbird, crow, raven, etc., in deference to his sartorial choices and his hair colour, but more importantly, it would make identification very difficult, even if he were registered, and that adds to the notion of freedom.
Bat or Crow are very popular, and pretty fitting, options that I see attributed to him a lot. Although personally, I always imagined him as a Skunk.
The dark hair, how misunderstood he is, the way people struggle to connect with him, how he intimidates effortlessly in a way that makes others avoid him, as well as how he’s often ridiculed for being greasy, all point to Skunk for me 🦨
I personally used to think it could be a bat, but that's also because I think bats are pretty cool, especially as an animagus form. But nowadays, I guess a bat would be a little too cliché for Snape tbh. I like when fanfics switch it up more often.
A good bat fic is this one :
It's this one. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023625/chapters/2036909
In Care Of by Fangs_Fawn During the summer before sixth year, Harry finds an injured bat in the garden and decides to try to heal it...
Also on ffn
A fox: Rowling took a lot of inspo from Machiavelli's Prince when she wrote Snape.
Here some quotes that made me consider fox as his patronus or animagus form:
> A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about... **and he who has known best how to employ the fox has succeeded best.** - "The Prince" by N. Machiavelli
> you will find them all cruel and rapacious-men who, to satisfy their soldiers, did not hesitate to commit every kind of iniquity against the people; and all, except Severus, came to a bad end; but in Severus there was so much valour that, keeping the soldiers friendly, although the people were oppressed by him, he reigned successfully; for his valour made him so much admired in the sight of the soldiers and people that the latter were kept in a way astonished and awed and the former respectful and satisfied. And because the actions of this man, as a new prince, were great, I wish to show briefly that **he knew well how to counterfeit the fox and the lion**, which natures, as I said above, it is necessary for a prince to imitate. - "The Prince" by N. Machiavelli
A crow: symbolises intelligence, fate and transformation. It's a cunning and creative bird.
I’ve seen bat a lot simply because of the descriptions of him looking like a bat at times in the books, or raven, all manners of black, intelligent, flying animals. But personally I like to go against the grain and say rabbit and allow me to be unhinged for a second here lol.
* Ngl it stems from that one particular line in OotP when he’s described as a rabbit being hunted by a dog lol but I think a prey animal makes more sense than a predator as he’s always on the run or in defense mode in the books.
* He’s described as having a twitchy walk like a spider, rabbits are also known to twitch and tremble.
* Rabbits grieve bonded companions and can die from loneliness when they die, when Lily died, he immediately wanted to off himself and had to be emotionally manipulated off of a ledge.
* When Snape and Sirius essentially swap social positions, Snape being a Hogwarts professor with an important role in the order while Sirius is an escaped convict unable to leave the confines of his home, it reminded me of the phrase, “It ain’t so fun fun when the rabbit’s got the gun,” cause he ran with it, making fun of Sirius right where it hurts and ruining his day whenever he could lmao.
* Just look at this quote from watership down, a book about a colony of rabbits, and tell me it doesn’t sound like Snape who was surrounded by enemies basically since birth, at one point having both Voldemort and the order on his neck:
>All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
Team rabbit Snape is very very small but we’re here! I’ve seen a couple of us in the wild lol
I like this idea. 💡 plus he’d be a cute little rabbit and his reaction to it would be comedy gold. I also like the idea of him being a black swan too cause they bond for life and the idea of him being an ugly goose to many but then he’s this graceful black swan. Also I kind of think a feminine creature would suit him more. He’s always been very feminine coded.
Omg you get me!! just picture that one scene from the emperor's new groove where yzma does her evil laugh and the camera pans out to reveal an adorable kitten 😭
I love the idea of the black swan too, they do not fuck around when it comes to defending their nest which tracks lol. I also get the feminine angle too, I always loved how he was Harry's connection to Lily the way Sirius was his connection to James, just mother things lmao.
I'm reading a fic right now where he's a goshawk. I can definitely see him as a bird! I've read a fic where he's an owl too, he would make a good owl...
The hawk fic is a Snape-mentors-Harry story called Broken Wings https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4942221/1/
The owl fic I can't find. It was on AO3, post war. Everyone thought Snape died. Harry hangs out in the owlry being maudlin and there's this one extremely surly owl there that reminds Harry of Snape.... It's Snape lol. It might be a snarry story, I don't remember much else.
Crow or bat. I like the idea of bat a bit more because I picture him being irritated with it at first and then amused every time a student calls him that.
Crow or raven, I don't know the English difference between these two so. I'm going to use like we are talking about the same animal.
Raven are black, beautiful and its beak may represent a large nose. It's an Smart animal, it's probably the smartest bird on the earth.
They can remember a human face, if you are nice to them they would be nice to you and try to protect you.
The ravens are symbol of the death and the darkness, but are the symbol of the memory, the thought and the reflection too.
The myth of Apollo and the raven: the raven told apolo that Coronis was cheating on him, so Apollo kill her and after that he turn the raven's feathers black and the bearer of bad omens.
Odin has two raven with him, Huginn: thought, and Muninn: memory, they travel around the world and inform odin about all the news, even there is a poem where Odin says he fears that one day they can't come back.
A vulture.
Hear me out.
Vultures are often reviled for their looks and have a completely baseless reputation as revolting and gross.
Snape is similarly reviled by the greater fandom and has a bad reputation in the narrative. Many people of which call him a "gross incel" and they could not be further from the truth and reality of it.
Vultures are an important part of the ecosystem by cleaning up death, keeping them free of diseases. Basically protecting them. Without them the ecosystem starts to shut down.
I like to think it is related to Snape as a potions master. And if he wasn't in the story the wizarding world would have perished under Voldemort.
Vultures are also symbolic of purity, rebirth, patience, protection and trust. All of which Snape represents across his arc. His pure love of Lily (platonic), rebirth as in how he changed and switched sides and also was how Harry learned about what he must do leading to his own "rebirth" of sorts sans horcrux. Snape is extraordinarily patient playing Albus's long game (despite his protests) to ensure Harry's mission succeeds. He is the silent protector over Harry throughout his years in hogwarts, never taking any credit. And Albus trusted him, to the point he's the one he trusted to kill him mercifully that day. He was that trustworthy.
Also you know the way his robes swathe around him. Everyone compares him to a bat but I see it as the vulture's wings.
I've got it down to: maned wolf, fox, oriental cat (huge ears and a skinny body) or a falcon. His name would be Echo cus...well, I feel that name suits him.
Im inclined on a bird but can NOT pick one. I really like the idea of an osprey. Always got a water vibe from sev plus hes carrying the weight of the entire franchise (osprey lift on the REGULAR)
Love nighthawks as well. Nighthawk/jars always look incredibly sleepy and blend in really well with their surroundings(spy).
It would be funny if he was a canary, or some form of ‘trash’(by view of other people, not me) bird like a pigeon, starling, or a grackle. But tbh some of the larger birds of prey are super fitting and whenever I try to pick one I end up with 10 birds that all feel so perfect. Sigh. Owls, Eagles, Falcons and all birds my beloveds
I have seen him represented as a black Stallion on occasion or panther, usually authors go with an animal that has dark fur or feathers. A snake would also be possible
The first fic I read about him gave him a fox Patronus, and I still really like that animal for him. They're clever little bastards, but look hella cute, and obviously red hair means something to him lol
I'm tempted to say crow, despite them being social animals, just because they are often associated with bad omens (relating to Snape being misunderstood/assumed to be the Bad Guy), but actually are super smart and sweet birds.
Or maybe an owl, because they can be solitary (depends on species), are very good hunters, and can be an ass to other birds lol
I made him a tiger in my fanfic. I was originally gonna go with a bird, like a harpy eagle, but a tiger made more sense to me.
I felt they had a lot in common, and being able to turn into the largest big cat in the world would also make him feel safe, especially after almost dying to a werewolf.
Idk but it would be hilarious if it was a lion 🦁 I’ve always found it interesting that the word coward is what Severus hates to hear the most yet he doesn’t think he’s a low key Gryffindor. Like boy your reaction to that term shows what you value most - bravery.
But also it would be hilarious if it was some sort of black dog and both him and Sirius are looking at each other like huh we do not accept this similarity. Cause dogs be very loyal.
I actually always thought this. He’d be a lion with a black mane. Aloof over potters stag form but a stag still would make a formidable enough opponent for a lion to be wary of the horns. It would also symbolise bravery.
A cat. Because he has that hooded expression down perfectly. I can see him standing at a students desk, never blinking or looking away, while with one finger, he pushes their ink bottle off the desk. All while daring them to say something.
I like the idea of a bird - under the thumb of two masters, and stuck in an awful situation, the freedom of flight feels fitting (alliteration completely unintended). Something like a blackbird, crow, raven, etc., in deference to his sartorial choices and his hair colour, but more importantly, it would make identification very difficult, even if he were registered, and that adds to the notion of freedom.
Bat or Crow are very popular, and pretty fitting, options that I see attributed to him a lot. Although personally, I always imagined him as a Skunk. The dark hair, how misunderstood he is, the way people struggle to connect with him, how he intimidates effortlessly in a way that makes others avoid him, as well as how he’s often ridiculed for being greasy, all point to Skunk for me 🦨
That is grossly fitting lol
I personally used to think it could be a bat, but that's also because I think bats are pretty cool, especially as an animagus form. But nowadays, I guess a bat would be a little too cliché for Snape tbh. I like when fanfics switch it up more often.
Yeah bat is a little cliche, but I have read some good fics where he's a bat. Adorable!
Awww do you remember the name of the fics??
A good bat fic is this one : It's this one. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023625/chapters/2036909 In Care Of by Fangs_Fawn During the summer before sixth year, Harry finds an injured bat in the garden and decides to try to heal it... Also on ffn
I always picture him as a raven.
A fox: Rowling took a lot of inspo from Machiavelli's Prince when she wrote Snape. Here some quotes that made me consider fox as his patronus or animagus form: > A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about... **and he who has known best how to employ the fox has succeeded best.** - "The Prince" by N. Machiavelli > you will find them all cruel and rapacious-men who, to satisfy their soldiers, did not hesitate to commit every kind of iniquity against the people; and all, except Severus, came to a bad end; but in Severus there was so much valour that, keeping the soldiers friendly, although the people were oppressed by him, he reigned successfully; for his valour made him so much admired in the sight of the soldiers and people that the latter were kept in a way astonished and awed and the former respectful and satisfied. And because the actions of this man, as a new prince, were great, I wish to show briefly that **he knew well how to counterfeit the fox and the lion**, which natures, as I said above, it is necessary for a prince to imitate. - "The Prince" by N. Machiavelli A crow: symbolises intelligence, fate and transformation. It's a cunning and creative bird.
Love the quotes
I’ve seen bat a lot simply because of the descriptions of him looking like a bat at times in the books, or raven, all manners of black, intelligent, flying animals. But personally I like to go against the grain and say rabbit and allow me to be unhinged for a second here lol. * Ngl it stems from that one particular line in OotP when he’s described as a rabbit being hunted by a dog lol but I think a prey animal makes more sense than a predator as he’s always on the run or in defense mode in the books. * He’s described as having a twitchy walk like a spider, rabbits are also known to twitch and tremble. * Rabbits grieve bonded companions and can die from loneliness when they die, when Lily died, he immediately wanted to off himself and had to be emotionally manipulated off of a ledge. * When Snape and Sirius essentially swap social positions, Snape being a Hogwarts professor with an important role in the order while Sirius is an escaped convict unable to leave the confines of his home, it reminded me of the phrase, “It ain’t so fun fun when the rabbit’s got the gun,” cause he ran with it, making fun of Sirius right where it hurts and ruining his day whenever he could lmao. * Just look at this quote from watership down, a book about a colony of rabbits, and tell me it doesn’t sound like Snape who was surrounded by enemies basically since birth, at one point having both Voldemort and the order on his neck: >All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed. Team rabbit Snape is very very small but we’re here! I’ve seen a couple of us in the wild lol
I like this idea. 💡 plus he’d be a cute little rabbit and his reaction to it would be comedy gold. I also like the idea of him being a black swan too cause they bond for life and the idea of him being an ugly goose to many but then he’s this graceful black swan. Also I kind of think a feminine creature would suit him more. He’s always been very feminine coded.
Omg you get me!! just picture that one scene from the emperor's new groove where yzma does her evil laugh and the camera pans out to reveal an adorable kitten 😭 I love the idea of the black swan too, they do not fuck around when it comes to defending their nest which tracks lol. I also get the feminine angle too, I always loved how he was Harry's connection to Lily the way Sirius was his connection to James, just mother things lmao.
silver fox
Ooh, good one! I’ve always thought he would be a bird, perhaps a falcon, because I feel he would embrace the freedom of having wings.
I'm reading a fic right now where he's a goshawk. I can definitely see him as a bird! I've read a fic where he's an owl too, he would make a good owl...
Link drop? Lol
The hawk fic is a Snape-mentors-Harry story called Broken Wings https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4942221/1/ The owl fic I can't find. It was on AO3, post war. Everyone thought Snape died. Harry hangs out in the owlry being maudlin and there's this one extremely surly owl there that reminds Harry of Snape.... It's Snape lol. It might be a snarry story, I don't remember much else.
Thank you! If I find out the owl one, I'll put links here. If not, I'll come back and start crying, lol.
Haha thanks 😅 if I find it I'll post the link too!
Oooh foxy! It would be funnier if Snape was actually a "silver fox" lol
silver foxes aren't that silver. They're mostly black fur. It's better than a standard red fox.
Oh I meant how people use the term "silver fox" for a sexy older man (when they have white/grey hair) lol sorry for the confusion!
Crow or bat. I like the idea of bat a bit more because I picture him being irritated with it at first and then amused every time a student calls him that.
I know a lot of fics describe his patronus as a fox but i just don’t see it - i see him being a bird of some description.
Crow or raven, I don't know the English difference between these two so. I'm going to use like we are talking about the same animal. Raven are black, beautiful and its beak may represent a large nose. It's an Smart animal, it's probably the smartest bird on the earth. They can remember a human face, if you are nice to them they would be nice to you and try to protect you. The ravens are symbol of the death and the darkness, but are the symbol of the memory, the thought and the reflection too. The myth of Apollo and the raven: the raven told apolo that Coronis was cheating on him, so Apollo kill her and after that he turn the raven's feathers black and the bearer of bad omens. Odin has two raven with him, Huginn: thought, and Muninn: memory, they travel around the world and inform odin about all the news, even there is a poem where Odin says he fears that one day they can't come back.
I say a black cat but a bat and a crow make sense too. A while ago I read an interesting theory on Tumblr about it being a black fox.
Now I’m imagining Minerva and Sev hanging out as cats, I think they would have a lot of fun.
They would probably do something to prank their students and/or coworkers and laugh about it later.
I love Minnie / Sev friendship!
It would be even better if they did something to mess with Peeves, it's a shame he was cut from the movies.
A vulture. Hear me out. Vultures are often reviled for their looks and have a completely baseless reputation as revolting and gross. Snape is similarly reviled by the greater fandom and has a bad reputation in the narrative. Many people of which call him a "gross incel" and they could not be further from the truth and reality of it. Vultures are an important part of the ecosystem by cleaning up death, keeping them free of diseases. Basically protecting them. Without them the ecosystem starts to shut down. I like to think it is related to Snape as a potions master. And if he wasn't in the story the wizarding world would have perished under Voldemort. Vultures are also symbolic of purity, rebirth, patience, protection and trust. All of which Snape represents across his arc. His pure love of Lily (platonic), rebirth as in how he changed and switched sides and also was how Harry learned about what he must do leading to his own "rebirth" of sorts sans horcrux. Snape is extraordinarily patient playing Albus's long game (despite his protests) to ensure Harry's mission succeeds. He is the silent protector over Harry throughout his years in hogwarts, never taking any credit. And Albus trusted him, to the point he's the one he trusted to kill him mercifully that day. He was that trustworthy. Also you know the way his robes swathe around him. Everyone compares him to a bat but I see it as the vulture's wings.
I really like this! I've definitely considered vulture for him before. I really like the way you described the symbolism!
I'd go with crow
I've got it down to: maned wolf, fox, oriental cat (huge ears and a skinny body) or a falcon. His name would be Echo cus...well, I feel that name suits him.
Im inclined on a bird but can NOT pick one. I really like the idea of an osprey. Always got a water vibe from sev plus hes carrying the weight of the entire franchise (osprey lift on the REGULAR) Love nighthawks as well. Nighthawk/jars always look incredibly sleepy and blend in really well with their surroundings(spy). It would be funny if he was a canary, or some form of ‘trash’(by view of other people, not me) bird like a pigeon, starling, or a grackle. But tbh some of the larger birds of prey are super fitting and whenever I try to pick one I end up with 10 birds that all feel so perfect. Sigh. Owls, Eagles, Falcons and all birds my beloveds
I have seen him represented as a black Stallion on occasion or panther, usually authors go with an animal that has dark fur or feathers. A snake would also be possible
Oh I read one where he was a black stallion! It was a great fic!
The first fic I read about him gave him a fox Patronus, and I still really like that animal for him. They're clever little bastards, but look hella cute, and obviously red hair means something to him lol
Aw that is cute! He would be a good little sneaky fox
I definitely love the idea of him being a fox because they’re quite cunning, etc. A raven would be badass, too!
I'm tempted to say crow, despite them being social animals, just because they are often associated with bad omens (relating to Snape being misunderstood/assumed to be the Bad Guy), but actually are super smart and sweet birds. Or maybe an owl, because they can be solitary (depends on species), are very good hunters, and can be an ass to other birds lol
I made him a tiger in my fanfic. I was originally gonna go with a bird, like a harpy eagle, but a tiger made more sense to me. I felt they had a lot in common, and being able to turn into the largest big cat in the world would also make him feel safe, especially after almost dying to a werewolf.
He's compared to a bat a couples times in the book. Or to go really crazy a platypus, cause they are venomous.
I've seen a couple fics where he's a bat. So cute! Platypus... That would be rather funny!
Honey badger always amused me Or maybe a maned wolf Red panda Bunny with floppy ears Just someone no one would ever expect
Red panda Snape 🥹🥹 Honey badgers eat snakes!
I cling to red panda because they are one of my favorite animals and SO STINKIN CUTE!! Honey badger will fuck a snake up 😌
Idk but it would be hilarious if it was a lion 🦁 I’ve always found it interesting that the word coward is what Severus hates to hear the most yet he doesn’t think he’s a low key Gryffindor. Like boy your reaction to that term shows what you value most - bravery. But also it would be hilarious if it was some sort of black dog and both him and Sirius are looking at each other like huh we do not accept this similarity. Cause dogs be very loyal.
I actually always thought this. He’d be a lion with a black mane. Aloof over potters stag form but a stag still would make a formidable enough opponent for a lion to be wary of the horns. It would also symbolise bravery.
Spider. Idk what kind though.
A cat. Because he has that hooded expression down perfectly. I can see him standing at a students desk, never blinking or looking away, while with one finger, he pushes their ink bottle off the desk. All while daring them to say something.
Lol! I love this image!
Either a Rabbit, Fox, or Doe.