The wizarding world of houses based on their personality traits.
Being sorted into one house doesn't mean that a character possesses no traits from other houses. In fact, when talking to his child about Snape, Slytherin; Regulus Black is another Slytherin who exemplified bravery. So which one is braver? Let's examine the bravery of both Snape and Regulus.
Regulus Black: Playing Quidditch
Quidditch is a beloved sport within the wizarding world. Although many schools have Quidditch teams, the danger of the sport should not be overlooked. If something goes wrong during a Quidditch game, players can be severely injured.
Harry discovers that Regulus played on the Quidditch team when he was in school. Based on Regulus' position in the team picture, Harry deduces that Regulus would have been a seeker. This is a high-pressure position and Regulus would have been on Slytherin team, a team that takes Quidditch extremely seriously.
Severus Snape: Protecting Harry
After accidentally contributing to the events that lead to Lily Potter's death, Snape vows to spend his life making up for his error. One way he does this is by agreeing to spend much of his life working to protect Harry.
Snape spends years working at Hogwarts and teaching Harry and his friends. Snape resigns himself to facing a constant reminder of the worst mistake he has ever made. He is frustrated to find that Harry is more like James than Lily, and yet, he continues to do his best to protect him. Continuing to willingly relive his nightmares proves that Snape is brave.
Regulus Black: Defecting From Death Eaters
Regulus Black ired the Death Eaters and worked hard to become one of them. Once he became a Death Eater, he quickly grew to regret his decision. He was upset with many of the practices of the Death Eaters. The final straw for Regulus was when Voldemort harmed Regulus' house-elf, Kreacher.
Regulus decided to defect from the Death Eaters, something many have considered but few have done. Betraying Voldemort is a death sentence and though Regulus knows this, he refuses to participate in a regime he no longer ed.
Severus Snape: Training Harry In Occlumency
Snape is incredibly gifted in Occlumency. He begins teaching Harry this skill to help prevent Voldemort from invading Harry's thoughts.
Snape knows that in training Harry, Snape may see thoughts or memories that are difficult from him to process. Despite this, Snape once again faces his fears by taking on this task.
Regulus Black: Risking Family's Name
The Black family has a reputation for being a powerful pureblood family. This reputation means a great deal to them and they are quick to ostracize family who go against their values. A betrayal of their values is considered an embarrassment and disrespect to the family name.
Unlike his cousin Andromeda Tonks and his brother Sirus Black, who were both disowned, Regulus was always a great source of pride for the family. He cherished this adoration and respect. However, Regulus boldly defied Voldemort despite his family being proud of his position as a Death Eater, willing to risk his legacy and family name.
Severus Snape: Unbreakable Vow
An Unbreakable Vow is a binding magical contract in which two wizards agree to a set of . If one of the parties violates this contract, they will immediately die. Due to the severe nature of this agreement, few people willingly enter into these contracts. To do so requires an extreme amount of bravery and nerve.
When Lord Voldermort tasks Draco with killing Dumbledore, Narcissa asks Snape to watch over Draco and protect him. Snape agrees and is asked to make an Unbreakable Vow, which he does. In this vow, he promises to protect Draco and to murder Dumbledore if Draco is unable to do so.
Regulus Black: Leaving The Note
Voldemort made a crucial error when he decides to test the protections for his Horcrux on Kreacher. Kreacher uses his magic to transport back to his home and tells Regulus what happened. When Regulus discovers that Voldemort is creating Horcruxes, he is determined to destroy the locket, the Horcrux on which he has information. But taking the locket is not enough, Regulus is determined to rub his triumph in Voldemort's face.
Regulus leaves a note for Voldemort letting Voldemort know that he has taken the locket and intends to destroy it. Leaving this note is incredibly bold. Voldemort is known to hold grudges and does not enjoy being mocked. Leaving this note could result in Voldemort going after those that Regulus loves, and yet Regulus boldly leaves the note behind.
Severus Snape: Spying On Voldemort
Voldemort does not do well with betrayal. Few people turn their backs on him as they know it would result in their deaths. Snape is one of the only people to ever deceive Voldemort for an extended period of time. He convinces Voldemort that he is acting as a spy for him, but Snape is a double agent.
Snape feeds crucial information to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Without this information, Voldemort would not have been defeated.
Regulus Black: Sacrificing His Life
Regulus knows some of the protections in place around the locket. Still, he makes the decision to travel to the crave to destroy the Horcrux. He makes a replica of the locket to replace the stolen object.
Regulus knowingly drinks the poison protecting the locket and tells Kreacher to take the original locket and destroy it, ordering Kreacher to leave him there to die. Regulus' willingness to sacrifice his life to take down Voldemort is the ultimate form of bravery.
Severus Snape: Killing Dumbledore
Snape is a bitter and lonely person. The only living individual he has a meaningful connection with is Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusted and believed in Snape when no one else did. Dumbledore gave Snape a job and a purpose.
When Dumbledore learns of Voldemort's plans, he orders Snape to kill him to protect Draco and maintain Snape's cover. Dumbledore is already dying, but it is still difficult for Snape to respect Dumbledore's wishes. Being willing to kill Dumbledore for the good of the wizarding world is the bravest thing Snape has ever done.
