Hogwarts as a "Home"

I’ve been writing a Severus-centered fic, where he transfers out of Hogwarts after the Whomping Willow prank, and something hit me while writing. Severus, unlike Harry and Voldemort, probably never saw Hogwarts as a home, and it completely shaped his character in ways that we might not consider.

For both Voldemort and Harry, Hogwarts was their first true home. For Harry, it was the place where he discovered a sense of belonging, he found his family with the Weasleys and Hermione, and Hogwarts became Hogwarts became a safe space for him. For Voldemort, Hogwarts was where he literally found his identity—his family history as the heir of Salazar Slytherin. That gave him a sense of connection to the magical world and to the school itself. Hogwarts was the place they truly belonged even asking to stay there over the summers.

In contrast, Severus most likely never experienced that. Severus probably never wanted to come back to Hogwarts after he finished yet he is the one that had to. His time at Hogwarts was defined by bullying and loss. In canon, people often blame Severus for his bitterness, but we rarely look at the deeper reasons why he’s so jaded. He’s literally forced to work at a place he despises, doing a job he hates, teaching students who don’t respect him, and dealing with daily reminders of his trauma, day in and day out.

Severus is the only one of the three with the worst connection to Hogwarts yet he was forced to work there until he died. Literally.