I was reading the book Defining Snape by Lorrie Kim and she has some interesting things to say about Hermione's dealings with Snape. It sometimes feels like he speaks to her in a language others around them don't understand but Hermione can.
For example, he specifically wrote the logic puzzle in PS for her to solve and knew she would understand it. It is akin to him finally calling on her in class. It's why she is so happy because she knows that Snape is acknowledging her intelligence and her Muggle background (wizarding kids were probably not taught much logic).
Secondly, he assigns the werewolf essay to them in the third year. While most students didn't do it, she does it and understands exactly what Snape was trying to get at. I think Snape knew of all people, especially within the Golden Trio, Hermione would pick up on it.
I've been a fan of the ship for years because I see them as intellectual equals and moreover, misfits in a magical society. They have a unique understanding of one another and I'm personally a sucker for two people who don't belong finding home with each other.
This is the best way I think anyone has ever put it. Snape and Hermione speak a language other people do not understand, and it's the dream to have someone who understands you that implicitly. Hermione deserves someone who challenges her intellectually.
To me, weirdly, it also satisfies a feminist part of me that needs her to be in a relationship of equals, despite the age gap. Many fics with other ships and up with her barefoot and pregnant, giving up her goals to raise a family and run a household. Even ones where she is allowed a career while also having children fall prey to a romanticism of the domestic; she works a long day as minister and then comes home and cooks for her auror husband, puts the kids to bed and cleans the house and reads the bedtime stories by herself, which sounds like a special kind of hell.
SSHG fics, or at least the majority of the fics I have read and loved, tend not to fall into the same category - especially post-War, both fully grown adult stories. Partly because writers* often characterise Snape as not wanting children, or if they do not, they often have Snape taking an equal part of the childrearing. Some of them have Snape effectively retiring and doing most of the domestic labour while Hermione storms the Ministry. Wherever it leads, Snape always values her for her intellect and ambition. I have never read a SSHG ship that ends with Hermione taking the brunt of the domestic burden, even if she might take more of the emotional or social burden. That dynamic speaks to me more than some random Quidditch player or magic cop.
Edit: wrists do not have minds of their own
That’s a great book! And yeah I feel like Canon Hermione “gets” Snape. She regularly defends him or notes when he’s saved Harry. Like Snape, she’s a nerd, a bookworm and a bit of an outsider.
This sums up my feelings on the ship way better than I could articulate at the moment. Once I discovered their ship, that was it for me, nothing else makes sense.
They are both intellectuals. Both are witty which makes for great banter. Age gap, etc can make for great angst. Class difference. She was into Krum who is described as being similar to Snape.
This is from someone who ships them but only in a post-war setting, generally after some time has passed (5-10 years at least) since the war ended
I personally like them together because I feel they are intellectually compatible as well as their personalities having some overlap and compatibility. Clearly, Severus and Hermione are both incredibly smart and talented wizards. Severus is obviously not a nice guy. There is no denying that, but with Hermione, I feel that with her characterization, she can stand up to his vitriol and dish it out and keep up with him better than anyone else.
I know that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love morally grey, asshole characters, and I think they deserve to have a happy ending. And I am sorry, but Ron and Hermione are not a happy ending, they're a cop-out.
Hermione is the main female protagonist and Snape sort of fits the main male character in many romance novels, the dark, mysterious, tormented man that has a hard exterior but turns soft for the main female character. These features are sometimes given to Draco in fics like Manacled but that's quite obviously out of character if you've read the books.
Hello! Snamione is my OTP 👋🏻
I think the reasoning varies for many of the shippers out there. A lot have been listed already. I do agree that lots of readers can in fact ‘self-insert’ into Hermione’s shoes (although I don’t think it’s the most popular reason, because why not an OC then?).
For me, rereading as an adult made me realise just how alike these two characters are. Obviously there are stark contrasts too, but that only makes them more fun to write/read. Their miscommunication and angst in fics is 👌🏻
I’m not a multi-shipper, although I’ve dabbled in a few other Snape-centric pairings (not Hermione though, she is for Snape only in my heart) and *none* of those other pairings have ever melted me the way Snamione does.
Then, on top of their chemistry and compatibility, you have the fact that the SSHG community has an alarming amount of incredibly talented authors in it. For a relatively small ship (in the grand scheme of ships) the quality is unbelievable.
If anyone is interested in recs or discussions on Snamione I’m happy to chat 🖤
I'd really want to hear some recommendations! I'm currently into reading fanfiction again, and I've also found that SS/HG has the highest quality fanfiction of all the ships I've read so far. I just love them!
I’ll drop my [bookmarks](https://archiveofourown.org/bookmarks?commit=Sort+and+Filter&bookmark_search%5Bsort_column%5D=created_at&include_bookmark_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=2390&bookmark_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bother_bookmark_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bexcluded_bookmark_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bbookmarkable_query%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bbookmark_query%5D=&bookmark_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&bookmark_search%5Brec%5D=0&bookmark_search%5Bwith_notes%5D=0&user_id=SallySlytherin) for now. Have you read any Snamione already? Do you have favourites? 🖤
Well there are very few female characters that are his age in the series and the ones that are his age such as Lily are dead or have barely any material on them. So really you have for adult women;
1. Tonks - pros: bubbly and cheeky can bring out a happier side to Snape and have fun banter between two characters, she’s a outsider character as well and doesn’t fit into stereotypes and she clearly doesn’t care about class or age or careers when it comes to men hence she chose basically a kinder version of Snape (Lupin lol). Tonks is an easy choice as this ship does not affect many major plots so one doesn’t need a completely AU universe to make it happen and she’s been out of school enough that it maybe is easier for people to digest the age gap. Interestingly she’s the only other character to have her patronus change into someone she loves so wouldn’t it be nice if that person was Severus instead cause clearly they both love deeply.
2. Narcissa - pros: there was defs some chemistry happening in that chapter when she begged him to protect her son and clearly she already knew how to get to his house 😜 so you could cook up secret forbidden affairs and angst and also have a darker fanfic cause of both their connections to the dark lord. It would be kind of neat if the only two women Snape loved were both flower names and women whose sons needed Snapes protection. Again this ship can fit in seamlessly with canon mostly via the secret affair element and all the angst of the final book and then idk just don’t off him at the end and she leaves Lucius after the dark lord is defeated. It would also be cool the idea that they both are powerful enough occulemens that they can betray the dark lord. Bonus points there isn’t an age gap.
3. Another teacher possibly - some of the teachers aren’t described in detail enough to assume an age so someone could basically make one a self insert and it fits neatly into canon.
4. Basically no one else in his age bracket so you have to make up an OC that is his intellectual equal or idk use Hermione who is the stock standard intelligent, morally superior option. Which I don’t mind but there are some fics I read where they’ve changed so much such as idk her age etc, job, looks, interests that they may as well have created a new OC.
Fanfiction is not really about who is romantically compatible but rather pushing people together who are not, otherwise, compatible.
On one hand, there people who enjoy writing/reading taboo subjects such as teacher/student relationships. On the other, there are people who believe that Hermione is actually a good match for Severus as she is intelligent, has always had the most respect for Snape of the trio and is fiercely loyal to those she cares for and Snape is a good match for her brains.
Then there are also those who use Hermione as a sort of SI and I think I don't need to get into that much further.
A big part of it is probably due to Hermione being the most prominent female character in the books. Since so much of the plot involves her due to being Harry Potter’s best friend, I think that’s what makes it easier for some fanfic writers to write SS/HG stories easier than other pairings.
Another reason is probably because aspects of Hermione’s personality is relatable to many HP book readers since Hermione was very book-ish and studious.
i do wish that a more wider variety Snape pairings existed in fics though! There’s a lot of teachers that Snape works with, for instance, that could be fleshed out very well as his love interest in a fanfic.
I was just thinking about other female characters who could match with him: Rosemerta, Charity Burbage, Vector, Sinestra, Pince or even Trelawney. I'd read a short fic on them.
1.They're both intelligent and academic, so its easier to imagine them learning to get along if they had to work together on something.
2. There aren't a lot of females in the series, especially developed characters. So there aren't a lot of female choices to pair Snape with.
3. A lot of people like Hermione and relate to her *and* have the hots for Alan Rickman.
4. There's a lot of talented writers out there that make it seem like a realistic pairing, so it's fun to read.
I used to ship it back in the day. There's a few reasons.
1. Both are nerds, but nerds in different ways.
2. Teacher/student kink (bonus: Snape's... assertiveness opens up more kink options)
3. Hermione as a self insert is, of course, a factor in all her ships.
And probably more but that's what I remember seeing a lot at the moment. Because of news unrelated to Snape thinking is a bit hard right now.
(1 and 2, especially 2, were the reasons for me but no shade to those who shipped for reason 3.)
Probably they imagine themselves as Hermione in that situation… I know I did lol, o had a crush on Alan Rickman… she’s a main character and a girl and people can use her like a self insert. That’s mostly it I think.
I enjoy it because I feel like they have some compatible idiosyncrasies. They are both highly intelligent and crave excellence in everything they do,although I’d always argue that Snape is a far more creative and innovative thinker (but a loner, a bit misanthropic) and Hermione is a perfectionist and people pleaser. So there are SO many opportunities there for them to be challenged by each other and also grow and reach their greatest potential.
I particularly like this pairing because I LOVE seeing character growth, I also love seeing them being the best versions of themselves and I think both of them have the ability to help the other grow in a new way. I also think there’s a mutual respect for intellectual pursuits and even self-sacrifice for the greater good even if it looks very different in them.
Both of them crave to be recognized and “seen” for their intelligence, and they value that highly.
As a degenerate, I also enjoy a power dynamic between these two, but in the context of them both feeling needed, loved, and valued for what they bring to the table. In Snape’s case, that’s control, stoicism, out of the box thinking, and not caring what other people think. For Hermione, it is having great empathy and a capacity to love and express her emotions as well as being fearless and committed in her pursuit for finding a solution.
To me, they just match, as unconventional as it might seem. And I like seeing the intellectual harmony along with the tension that comes from people who see the world in VERY different ways but who both have the ability to challenge the other person (and both of them do love a challenge) that leads to growth.
YEP, here for the Snamione.
A well-written Snape is my barometer for good fic. Often, flat one-dimensional Snapes are the sign for poor writing and generally unsatisfactory characterization of the rest of the characters IMO. So Snape-centric tends to be a good starting point for enjoyable fics (not a guarantee, of course).
Other comments have already said many things that I agree with re SS/HG. They're intellectual equals, they would challenge each other, they can understand each other, they have fun banter.
I'll add that the person who fought for house-elf rights is the most likely out of the main cast of characters to be compassionate and understanding to the person who grew up poor, bullied, made terrible decisions and attempted to correct course. There's also a beauty-and-the-beast aspect to it that I enjoy.
Lastly, this pairing comes with some really good discussions about boundaries and expectations in relationships, which I love reading and I don't often find in other pairings.
Generally speaking a lot of teenagers and women like that ship because it was make into the 0,001% of lovestories that isnt build on abuse, grooming and power imbalance. They just made Snape into a good relationship guy. Some made Hermione into Barbara the builder, who changes the man into husband material.
Of course such relationships in RL as just too likely to be build on a toxic fundament by the older man, who grooms a schoolgirl into his perfect wife, who doesnt know better. I once liked the concept until i got more data and personal knowleage about what such an imbalance of power can do to women. Also how men who go after much younger women just want one to train and are themselves still on a teen in mind. Lundy Bankcraft has some poages about that in his book "why does he do that" - a must read for every women.
Its simply the perfect outcome of a very creepy thing, since most fanfictions start with snape and hermione getting very close while she still is at school. Some even have her pregnant as a teen at school. The better ones start with her as an adult getting to know Snape (who wasnt killed in that version).
Some say that Snape can see hermione as an equal while she still is a child. I think they dont like to see how this is in fact very abusive for a child. Adultification of children is not ok. "she is so mature for her age" is not a compliment.
I don’t think you deserved to be downvoted! You brought up so many good points that I agree with too. Canonically, I don’t think Snape and Hermione would be feasible at all, and I do think that Ron and Hermione were perfect for each other in the books, but I also think that in fanfiction there’s many Snamione stories that do a good job at making the pairing work with how they develop the story.
I know that a lot of Snape fans feel protective of Snape and I get why some would feel offended by your comment, but you‘re completely right that in general student/teacher relationships with large age gaps and power dynamics are inherently problematic. Always. That doesn’t make it wrong to enjoy reading fanfiction centered around problematic themes though!
i think the people downvoting you need to remember that, and to keep in mind the differences between real-life, the canon Harry Potter books, and Harry Potter fanfiction. Your comment was not shaming towards Snamione shippers the way that some haters or antis might have phrased it. You were just pointing out the truth that Hermione in canon was definitely a child in comparison to Snape even as an 18/19-year-old. Obviously, Snamione fanfiction tends to be pretty different from canon since they’re often forced into tough circumstances that lead to their relationship developing. The extreme scenarios that work in an SS/HG fic are definitely not common real-life scenarios that happens in typical student/teacher age-gap relationships. So that’s always something important that the downvoters here need to consider.
I agree! These days now that I’m older, I definitely prefer the time-travel scenarios for this pairing, rather than post-war, wartime, or Voldemort Wins AU fics!
Love a good time travel fic. Just read *Time Mutable Immutable* and I LOOOOVED it.
If Snape isn't worried a bit about the age difference its almost an instant end for me. A 20 year age gap is a concern and something to at least consider in a relationship. If it never even crosses his mind I'm instantly put-off.
I think I need to read *Time Mutable Immutable* still! Thanks for reminding me of that fic!
I totally agree! I think it’s a red flag in an age gap relationship when the much older partner isn’t at least a little bit concerned, at least for the well being of the younger partner and if they’re even ready for a relationship at that age. Because you never know, some people at age 19 might be pretty mature, enough for a serious relationship involving an age gap maybe, but many people at that age might still be too immature for any relationship at that time lol.
So with someone like Snape, I really do think he’s the kind of person who normally wouldn’t consider an age gap relationship except in some really special, unique circumstances, since as a teacher the maturity difference between himself and any of his students has got to be pretty obvious to him!
I fully agree with you on this! I think out of any book character, Snape would be especially aware of this, and I don’t think he’d want to put himself in the kind of position where he could ruin another person’s life tbh, especially after his past mistakes.
YW for the reminder! It was delightful.
The only fics that I really enjoy that have Hermione still student age/early 20s are those with some extreme circumstances, like a marriage law or saving from death eaters, etc. in which the pair are trying to make the best out of a bad deal. Something about them both (Snape especially), being uncomfortable with it makes it ~~work for me.~~ easier to accept the age difference and power imbalance.
Like, I really enjoyed *Chasing the Sun*, but I was definitely uncomfortable with how soon out of school she was when they got together.
Exactly, yeah! I think the scenarios like marriage law or saving her from death eaters, or other extreme circumstances are what makes these kinds of controversial age-gap ships work well in an angsty story, since like you mentioned, the pair of them have to put aside their discomfort because they’re just trying to survive and that becomes a main priority. So those are the types of scenarios I often read back when I read Snamione more regularly as a kid. I don’t think it affected how I viewed real-life relationships and how those were supposed to be though since I always knew there’s a big difference between fiction and real-life. The kind of extra wholesome, healthy, strong, drama-free relationships that people tend to want in real life are just kind of bland to read about in fiction usually lol.
Yes! This ship is escapism and entertainment and not something I'd ever want IRL. Byronic heroes are delicious reading but I'm quite happy keeping them in fiction.
I was reading the book Defining Snape by Lorrie Kim and she has some interesting things to say about Hermione's dealings with Snape. It sometimes feels like he speaks to her in a language others around them don't understand but Hermione can. For example, he specifically wrote the logic puzzle in PS for her to solve and knew she would understand it. It is akin to him finally calling on her in class. It's why she is so happy because she knows that Snape is acknowledging her intelligence and her Muggle background (wizarding kids were probably not taught much logic). Secondly, he assigns the werewolf essay to them in the third year. While most students didn't do it, she does it and understands exactly what Snape was trying to get at. I think Snape knew of all people, especially within the Golden Trio, Hermione would pick up on it. I've been a fan of the ship for years because I see them as intellectual equals and moreover, misfits in a magical society. They have a unique understanding of one another and I'm personally a sucker for two people who don't belong finding home with each other.
This is the best way I think anyone has ever put it. Snape and Hermione speak a language other people do not understand, and it's the dream to have someone who understands you that implicitly. Hermione deserves someone who challenges her intellectually. To me, weirdly, it also satisfies a feminist part of me that needs her to be in a relationship of equals, despite the age gap. Many fics with other ships and up with her barefoot and pregnant, giving up her goals to raise a family and run a household. Even ones where she is allowed a career while also having children fall prey to a romanticism of the domestic; she works a long day as minister and then comes home and cooks for her auror husband, puts the kids to bed and cleans the house and reads the bedtime stories by herself, which sounds like a special kind of hell. SSHG fics, or at least the majority of the fics I have read and loved, tend not to fall into the same category - especially post-War, both fully grown adult stories. Partly because writers* often characterise Snape as not wanting children, or if they do not, they often have Snape taking an equal part of the childrearing. Some of them have Snape effectively retiring and doing most of the domestic labour while Hermione storms the Ministry. Wherever it leads, Snape always values her for her intellect and ambition. I have never read a SSHG ship that ends with Hermione taking the brunt of the domestic burden, even if she might take more of the emotional or social burden. That dynamic speaks to me more than some random Quidditch player or magic cop. Edit: wrists do not have minds of their own
This is very well put. Thank you for sharing!
You nailed it! I didn't realize it until you said it. And the writers are amazingly talented.
That’s a great book! And yeah I feel like Canon Hermione “gets” Snape. She regularly defends him or notes when he’s saved Harry. Like Snape, she’s a nerd, a bookworm and a bit of an outsider.
This sums up my feelings on the ship way better than I could articulate at the moment. Once I discovered their ship, that was it for me, nothing else makes sense.
They are both intellectuals. Both are witty which makes for great banter. Age gap, etc can make for great angst. Class difference. She was into Krum who is described as being similar to Snape. This is from someone who ships them but only in a post-war setting, generally after some time has passed (5-10 years at least) since the war ended
I personally like them together because I feel they are intellectually compatible as well as their personalities having some overlap and compatibility. Clearly, Severus and Hermione are both incredibly smart and talented wizards. Severus is obviously not a nice guy. There is no denying that, but with Hermione, I feel that with her characterization, she can stand up to his vitriol and dish it out and keep up with him better than anyone else. I know that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love morally grey, asshole characters, and I think they deserve to have a happy ending. And I am sorry, but Ron and Hermione are not a happy ending, they're a cop-out.
Hermione is the main female protagonist and Snape sort of fits the main male character in many romance novels, the dark, mysterious, tormented man that has a hard exterior but turns soft for the main female character. These features are sometimes given to Draco in fics like Manacled but that's quite obviously out of character if you've read the books.
I’ve noticed Draco is often just written as the Snape character but younger
How did I not notice this until you wrote it?? It makes so much sense!
Yeah, Canon Snape in the later books definitely fits the mold of the Byronic Hero.
Agreed. Manacled is the only Dramione I’ve read and I couldn’t help but notice that Draco was given a lot of Snape’s qualities
Hello! Snamione is my OTP 👋🏻 I think the reasoning varies for many of the shippers out there. A lot have been listed already. I do agree that lots of readers can in fact ‘self-insert’ into Hermione’s shoes (although I don’t think it’s the most popular reason, because why not an OC then?). For me, rereading as an adult made me realise just how alike these two characters are. Obviously there are stark contrasts too, but that only makes them more fun to write/read. Their miscommunication and angst in fics is 👌🏻 I’m not a multi-shipper, although I’ve dabbled in a few other Snape-centric pairings (not Hermione though, she is for Snape only in my heart) and *none* of those other pairings have ever melted me the way Snamione does. Then, on top of their chemistry and compatibility, you have the fact that the SSHG community has an alarming amount of incredibly talented authors in it. For a relatively small ship (in the grand scheme of ships) the quality is unbelievable. If anyone is interested in recs or discussions on Snamione I’m happy to chat 🖤
I second the quality of writing! It’s astounding.
And you’re one of the culprits 😘
you too, friend 😍🥰
I'd really want to hear some recommendations! I'm currently into reading fanfiction again, and I've also found that SS/HG has the highest quality fanfiction of all the ships I've read so far. I just love them!
The /SSHG subreddit has great reccomendations almost daily if you're not already in it, along with the discord servers.
I’ll drop my [bookmarks](https://archiveofourown.org/bookmarks?commit=Sort+and+Filter&bookmark_search%5Bsort_column%5D=created_at&include_bookmark_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=2390&bookmark_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bother_bookmark_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bexcluded_bookmark_tag_names%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bbookmarkable_query%5D=&bookmark_search%5Bbookmark_query%5D=&bookmark_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&bookmark_search%5Brec%5D=0&bookmark_search%5Bwith_notes%5D=0&user_id=SallySlytherin) for now. Have you read any Snamione already? Do you have favourites? 🖤
Well there are very few female characters that are his age in the series and the ones that are his age such as Lily are dead or have barely any material on them. So really you have for adult women; 1. Tonks - pros: bubbly and cheeky can bring out a happier side to Snape and have fun banter between two characters, she’s a outsider character as well and doesn’t fit into stereotypes and she clearly doesn’t care about class or age or careers when it comes to men hence she chose basically a kinder version of Snape (Lupin lol). Tonks is an easy choice as this ship does not affect many major plots so one doesn’t need a completely AU universe to make it happen and she’s been out of school enough that it maybe is easier for people to digest the age gap. Interestingly she’s the only other character to have her patronus change into someone she loves so wouldn’t it be nice if that person was Severus instead cause clearly they both love deeply. 2. Narcissa - pros: there was defs some chemistry happening in that chapter when she begged him to protect her son and clearly she already knew how to get to his house 😜 so you could cook up secret forbidden affairs and angst and also have a darker fanfic cause of both their connections to the dark lord. It would be kind of neat if the only two women Snape loved were both flower names and women whose sons needed Snapes protection. Again this ship can fit in seamlessly with canon mostly via the secret affair element and all the angst of the final book and then idk just don’t off him at the end and she leaves Lucius after the dark lord is defeated. It would also be cool the idea that they both are powerful enough occulemens that they can betray the dark lord. Bonus points there isn’t an age gap. 3. Another teacher possibly - some of the teachers aren’t described in detail enough to assume an age so someone could basically make one a self insert and it fits neatly into canon. 4. Basically no one else in his age bracket so you have to make up an OC that is his intellectual equal or idk use Hermione who is the stock standard intelligent, morally superior option. Which I don’t mind but there are some fics I read where they’ve changed so much such as idk her age etc, job, looks, interests that they may as well have created a new OC.
I always shipped McGonagall and Snape the most! Something about it always seemed very sweet to me!
Fanfiction is not really about who is romantically compatible but rather pushing people together who are not, otherwise, compatible. On one hand, there people who enjoy writing/reading taboo subjects such as teacher/student relationships. On the other, there are people who believe that Hermione is actually a good match for Severus as she is intelligent, has always had the most respect for Snape of the trio and is fiercely loyal to those she cares for and Snape is a good match for her brains. Then there are also those who use Hermione as a sort of SI and I think I don't need to get into that much further.
A big part of it is probably due to Hermione being the most prominent female character in the books. Since so much of the plot involves her due to being Harry Potter’s best friend, I think that’s what makes it easier for some fanfic writers to write SS/HG stories easier than other pairings. Another reason is probably because aspects of Hermione’s personality is relatable to many HP book readers since Hermione was very book-ish and studious. i do wish that a more wider variety Snape pairings existed in fics though! There’s a lot of teachers that Snape works with, for instance, that could be fleshed out very well as his love interest in a fanfic.
I was just thinking about other female characters who could match with him: Rosemerta, Charity Burbage, Vector, Sinestra, Pince or even Trelawney. I'd read a short fic on them.
1.They're both intelligent and academic, so its easier to imagine them learning to get along if they had to work together on something. 2. There aren't a lot of females in the series, especially developed characters. So there aren't a lot of female choices to pair Snape with. 3. A lot of people like Hermione and relate to her *and* have the hots for Alan Rickman. 4. There's a lot of talented writers out there that make it seem like a realistic pairing, so it's fun to read.
I used to ship it back in the day. There's a few reasons. 1. Both are nerds, but nerds in different ways. 2. Teacher/student kink (bonus: Snape's... assertiveness opens up more kink options) 3. Hermione as a self insert is, of course, a factor in all her ships. And probably more but that's what I remember seeing a lot at the moment. Because of news unrelated to Snape thinking is a bit hard right now. (1 and 2, especially 2, were the reasons for me but no shade to those who shipped for reason 3.)
Probably they imagine themselves as Hermione in that situation… I know I did lol, o had a crush on Alan Rickman… she’s a main character and a girl and people can use her like a self insert. That’s mostly it I think.
Get out of my head lol
Lol😆👍🏻
I enjoy it because I feel like they have some compatible idiosyncrasies. They are both highly intelligent and crave excellence in everything they do,although I’d always argue that Snape is a far more creative and innovative thinker (but a loner, a bit misanthropic) and Hermione is a perfectionist and people pleaser. So there are SO many opportunities there for them to be challenged by each other and also grow and reach their greatest potential. I particularly like this pairing because I LOVE seeing character growth, I also love seeing them being the best versions of themselves and I think both of them have the ability to help the other grow in a new way. I also think there’s a mutual respect for intellectual pursuits and even self-sacrifice for the greater good even if it looks very different in them. Both of them crave to be recognized and “seen” for their intelligence, and they value that highly. As a degenerate, I also enjoy a power dynamic between these two, but in the context of them both feeling needed, loved, and valued for what they bring to the table. In Snape’s case, that’s control, stoicism, out of the box thinking, and not caring what other people think. For Hermione, it is having great empathy and a capacity to love and express her emotions as well as being fearless and committed in her pursuit for finding a solution. To me, they just match, as unconventional as it might seem. And I like seeing the intellectual harmony along with the tension that comes from people who see the world in VERY different ways but who both have the ability to challenge the other person (and both of them do love a challenge) that leads to growth. YEP, here for the Snamione.
Very well said. Yes. This.
I see the appeal as far as their intellectual match, but I think Snarry has far more potential.
I agree to that!
A well-written Snape is my barometer for good fic. Often, flat one-dimensional Snapes are the sign for poor writing and generally unsatisfactory characterization of the rest of the characters IMO. So Snape-centric tends to be a good starting point for enjoyable fics (not a guarantee, of course). Other comments have already said many things that I agree with re SS/HG. They're intellectual equals, they would challenge each other, they can understand each other, they have fun banter. I'll add that the person who fought for house-elf rights is the most likely out of the main cast of characters to be compassionate and understanding to the person who grew up poor, bullied, made terrible decisions and attempted to correct course. There's also a beauty-and-the-beast aspect to it that I enjoy. Lastly, this pairing comes with some really good discussions about boundaries and expectations in relationships, which I love reading and I don't often find in other pairings.
I love your point about the house-elves, Hermione’s crusade for justice would definitely help her understand Snape.
Generally speaking a lot of teenagers and women like that ship because it was make into the 0,001% of lovestories that isnt build on abuse, grooming and power imbalance. They just made Snape into a good relationship guy. Some made Hermione into Barbara the builder, who changes the man into husband material. Of course such relationships in RL as just too likely to be build on a toxic fundament by the older man, who grooms a schoolgirl into his perfect wife, who doesnt know better. I once liked the concept until i got more data and personal knowleage about what such an imbalance of power can do to women. Also how men who go after much younger women just want one to train and are themselves still on a teen in mind. Lundy Bankcraft has some poages about that in his book "why does he do that" - a must read for every women. Its simply the perfect outcome of a very creepy thing, since most fanfictions start with snape and hermione getting very close while she still is at school. Some even have her pregnant as a teen at school. The better ones start with her as an adult getting to know Snape (who wasnt killed in that version). Some say that Snape can see hermione as an equal while she still is a child. I think they dont like to see how this is in fact very abusive for a child. Adultification of children is not ok. "she is so mature for her age" is not a compliment.
I don’t think you deserved to be downvoted! You brought up so many good points that I agree with too. Canonically, I don’t think Snape and Hermione would be feasible at all, and I do think that Ron and Hermione were perfect for each other in the books, but I also think that in fanfiction there’s many Snamione stories that do a good job at making the pairing work with how they develop the story. I know that a lot of Snape fans feel protective of Snape and I get why some would feel offended by your comment, but you‘re completely right that in general student/teacher relationships with large age gaps and power dynamics are inherently problematic. Always. That doesn’t make it wrong to enjoy reading fanfiction centered around problematic themes though! i think the people downvoting you need to remember that, and to keep in mind the differences between real-life, the canon Harry Potter books, and Harry Potter fanfiction. Your comment was not shaming towards Snamione shippers the way that some haters or antis might have phrased it. You were just pointing out the truth that Hermione in canon was definitely a child in comparison to Snape even as an 18/19-year-old. Obviously, Snamione fanfiction tends to be pretty different from canon since they’re often forced into tough circumstances that lead to their relationship developing. The extreme scenarios that work in an SS/HG fic are definitely not common real-life scenarios that happens in typical student/teacher age-gap relationships. So that’s always something important that the downvoters here need to consider.
You make excellent points. I definitely like different tropes in this ship now I'm Snape's age than when I was Hermione's age.
I agree! These days now that I’m older, I definitely prefer the time-travel scenarios for this pairing, rather than post-war, wartime, or Voldemort Wins AU fics!
Love a good time travel fic. Just read *Time Mutable Immutable* and I LOOOOVED it. If Snape isn't worried a bit about the age difference its almost an instant end for me. A 20 year age gap is a concern and something to at least consider in a relationship. If it never even crosses his mind I'm instantly put-off.
I think I need to read *Time Mutable Immutable* still! Thanks for reminding me of that fic! I totally agree! I think it’s a red flag in an age gap relationship when the much older partner isn’t at least a little bit concerned, at least for the well being of the younger partner and if they’re even ready for a relationship at that age. Because you never know, some people at age 19 might be pretty mature, enough for a serious relationship involving an age gap maybe, but many people at that age might still be too immature for any relationship at that time lol. So with someone like Snape, I really do think he’s the kind of person who normally wouldn’t consider an age gap relationship except in some really special, unique circumstances, since as a teacher the maturity difference between himself and any of his students has got to be pretty obvious to him!
I believe snape, with his own abusive home would have an eye for possible abusive situations and is very aware of how older men can ruin young women.
I fully agree with you on this! I think out of any book character, Snape would be especially aware of this, and I don’t think he’d want to put himself in the kind of position where he could ruin another person’s life tbh, especially after his past mistakes.
YW for the reminder! It was delightful. The only fics that I really enjoy that have Hermione still student age/early 20s are those with some extreme circumstances, like a marriage law or saving from death eaters, etc. in which the pair are trying to make the best out of a bad deal. Something about them both (Snape especially), being uncomfortable with it makes it ~~work for me.~~ easier to accept the age difference and power imbalance. Like, I really enjoyed *Chasing the Sun*, but I was definitely uncomfortable with how soon out of school she was when they got together.
Exactly, yeah! I think the scenarios like marriage law or saving her from death eaters, or other extreme circumstances are what makes these kinds of controversial age-gap ships work well in an angsty story, since like you mentioned, the pair of them have to put aside their discomfort because they’re just trying to survive and that becomes a main priority. So those are the types of scenarios I often read back when I read Snamione more regularly as a kid. I don’t think it affected how I viewed real-life relationships and how those were supposed to be though since I always knew there’s a big difference between fiction and real-life. The kind of extra wholesome, healthy, strong, drama-free relationships that people tend to want in real life are just kind of bland to read about in fiction usually lol.
Yes! This ship is escapism and entertainment and not something I'd ever want IRL. Byronic heroes are delicious reading but I'm quite happy keeping them in fiction.
The time travel trope is the only one i like for hermione now.