Exploring Severus Snape
written by Liv Fletcher
I'm sure you all are aware of who Professor Snape is and was, but in this book, we will be diving into Severus' past. Including his relation with Lily Evans, his parents and heritage, along with his personal achievements and skills
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
4
Reads
1,465
Snape and Lily
Chapter 2
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"Always." It's a word that fans of Harry Potter love to invoke as a romantic refrain, remembering their favorite anti-hero with fondness and respect for his many years of servitude to the Order of the Phoenix, pivotal role in the Order's success, and of course, his devotion to one Lily Evans Potter. Even those of us who remained skeptical about Severus Snape following the books, particularly after witnessing his involvement in the Potters' demise and Dumbledore basically blackmailing him to be a double agent at his own risk, had to admit that Snape was truly a hero after reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, in which the potions master chooses the safety of the world over his own life.
Doubt remains, however, for those found Snape's pursuit of Lily less than romantic. He explicitly chose the Dark Arts over his friendship with Lily after she made it clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with him if he chose to lurk down that path, yet he continued to care for her, and even protected her son, long after he lost her. "It's complicated" doesn't even begin to describe what's between Lily and Severus, but that's definitely what Snape would click as a relationship status if he had a Facebook page. Between their shared interests and their surprisingly awful behavior toward one another, there's a lot still to be learned about the bond between Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter.
As much as people romanticize Severus Snape's infatuation with Lily Evans, the fact that she did not love him back, at least in a romantic fashion, seems to go ignored by many fans of the series. The fact that Lily only ever saw Severus as a friend changes a lot in terms of his refusal to respect her boundaries, ongoing obsession with her long after she perished and sullen insistence that James Potter was to blame for everything wrong in the world. Film-only fans may not know that Severus Snape did not arrive at the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow in the book, which means that the scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows --Part 2 where he cradles Lily's lifeless body and sobs is only in the film, making Snape appear both more sympathetic and possibly darker at the same time.
For years, Snape spent endless amounts of time secretly protecting The Boy Who Lived while openly despising him, going as far as bullying him in class and grading him poorly, sometimes due to things Harry had little control over. For Harry to give his child with Snape's name after all of those years, he had to really admire the man he knew Snape to be, and much of that admiration comes from Snape's protection. From counter-cursing Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to feeding Voldemort false information, Snape worked hard every day to ensure Harry's safety, perhaps more than any other individual. Even as Voldemort seemed to be winning and Dumbledore passed on, Snape maintained his secrecy and devotion to the child he'd helped become a target, forgoing his own safety to ensure Harry's.
As soon as Severus Snape discovered that the information he passed on to his beloved Dark Lord led to the woman he loved, he begged his master to spare her life. After reading the books, it makes sense: there's a moment where Voldemort tells Lily to step aside as he attempts to take out baby Harry. This is the moment that saved Harry's life, where Lily chose instead to sacrifice herself to protect her infant. Snape's request, although ultimately ignored by Riddle, is important not only because it points toward how much he cares about Lily-- despite not giving a whit about whichever other families, or any baby, Voldemort might destroy-- but that in those few seconds of giving Lily a chance, he also inadvertently helped to save Harry's life.
The sign of love is the sharing of a Patronus, right? Even though we don't know what the patronus of Remus Lupin was, we know that Nymphadora Tonks had a wolf Patronus before she was taken out by her cousin in the Battle of Hogwarts, and James and Lily Potter presumably shared a deer patronus, given that Severus Snape had a doe as his own and it was used as an homage to Lily in the book. Harry, of course, shares a patronus with his beloved father.
This is ironic since it also means that Snape's patronus was not only the same as James Potter's, the bully he'd hated, but Harry's as well.
"Always." It's a word that fans of Harry Potter love to invoke as a romantic refrain, remembering their favorite anti-hero with fondness and respect for his many years of servitude to the Order of the Phoenix, pivotal role in the Order's success, and of course, his devotion to one Lily Evans Potter. Even those of us who remained skeptical about Severus Snape following the books, particularly after witnessing his involvement in the Potters' demise and Dumbledore basically blackmailing him to be a double agent at his own risk, had to admit that Snape was truly a hero after reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, in which the potions master chooses the safety of the world over his own life.
Doubt remains, however, for those found Snape's pursuit of Lily less than romantic. He explicitly chose the Dark Arts over his friendship with Lily after she made it clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with him if he chose to lurk down that path, yet he continued to care for her, and even protected her son, long after he lost her. "It's complicated" doesn't even begin to describe what's between Lily and Severus, but that's definitely what Snape would click as a relationship status if he had a Facebook page. Between their shared interests and their surprisingly awful behavior toward one another, there's a lot still to be learned about the bond between Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter.
As much as people romanticize Severus Snape's infatuation with Lily Evans, the fact that she did not love him back, at least in a romantic fashion, seems to go ignored by many fans of the series. The fact that Lily only ever saw Severus as a friend changes a lot in terms of his refusal to respect her boundaries, ongoing obsession with her long after she perished and sullen insistence that James Potter was to blame for everything wrong in the world. Film-only fans may not know that Severus Snape did not arrive at the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow in the book, which means that the scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows --Part 2 where he cradles Lily's lifeless body and sobs is only in the film, making Snape appear both more sympathetic and possibly darker at the same time.
For years, Snape spent endless amounts of time secretly protecting The Boy Who Lived while openly despising him, going as far as bullying him in class and grading him poorly, sometimes due to things Harry had little control over. For Harry to give his child with Snape's name after all of those years, he had to really admire the man he knew Snape to be, and much of that admiration comes from Snape's protection. From counter-cursing Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to feeding Voldemort false information, Snape worked hard every day to ensure Harry's safety, perhaps more than any other individual. Even as Voldemort seemed to be winning and Dumbledore passed on, Snape maintained his secrecy and devotion to the child he'd helped become a target, forgoing his own safety to ensure Harry's.
As soon as Severus Snape discovered that the information he passed on to his beloved Dark Lord led to the woman he loved, he begged his master to spare her life. After reading the books, it makes sense: there's a moment where Voldemort tells Lily to step aside as he attempts to take out baby Harry. This is the moment that saved Harry's life, where Lily chose instead to sacrifice herself to protect her infant. Snape's request, although ultimately ignored by Riddle, is important not only because it points toward how much he cares about Lily-- despite not giving a whit about whichever other families, or any baby, Voldemort might destroy-- but that in those few seconds of giving Lily a chance, he also inadvertently helped to save Harry's life.
The sign of love is the sharing of a Patronus, right? Even though we don't know what the patronus of Remus Lupin was, we know that Nymphadora Tonks had a wolf Patronus before she was taken out by her cousin in the Battle of Hogwarts, and James and Lily Potter presumably shared a deer patronus, given that Severus Snape had a doe as his own and it was used as an homage to Lily in the book. Harry, of course, shares a patronus with his beloved father.
This is ironic since it also means that Snape's patronus was not only the same as James Potter's, the bully he'd hated, but Harry's as well.
