How Snape Became Our Favourite Death Eater
Bye bye Alan Rickman, you immortalised Severus Snape for us. We will sorely miss you.
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“Severus . . .”
The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.
Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.
“Severus . . . please . . .”
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.
“Avada Kedavra!”
I remember reading this part of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at 1 am in the morning. My hands froze, I felt cold sweat on my palms and feet, while tears rolled down my cheeks. I was crying copiously!
How could Snape kill Dumbledore? The man who welcomed him, inspite of his history of being a death-eater, and having ruthlessly killed “mudbloods” for Voldemort! How could he be so damn heartless, I wondered.
Before this episode, I’d always give Snape a benefit of doubt for his obnoxious behaviour. It was a professional hazard of being an ex-death eater, I reckoned. But what he did with one quick “Avada Kedavra” made me writhe with anger.
One book and 607 pages later, I cried again. More copiously than before. Severus Snape was dead. He died so that Harry could live. The shield, anchor, mentor, punching bag that Harry needed was him. Always. Yes, he was always there.
Severus Snape’s uncanny ways of protecting Harry by following his every move was intrusive yet fatherly. The following instances moulded and re-moulded Snape’s character; from an unscrupulous Satan, he became the fearless hero.
When Snape Saved Harry from Professor Quirrell’s Curse
It was Harry’s first ever Quidditch match and he was the youngest seeker in the history of the game. Sombre clouds were darkening the mood and Harry was a nervous wreck. As the game progressed, Harry’s broom was suddenly caught under a spell. When everyone, including the reader who thought it was Snape (since he was mumbling a spell), it was Voldemort, disguised as Quirrell. Snape on the other hand was undoing the curse.
Because He Was the Most Balanced Character, Ever
Severus Snape was Voldemort’s right hand and Dumbledore’s most trusted aide. While eavesdropping on Dumbledore on day, he learnt that the boy who would vanquish Voldemort will be born soon. Turned out that the boy would be born to Lily Potter, his childhood love. That was the turning point for him. From a death-eater, he transformed into a saviour. He mastered the art of being a double agent as a tribute to his unrequited love for Lily.
When He Kills Dumbledore to Minimise the Misuse of the Elder Wand
Professor Dumbledore was the greatest and the wisest magician that ever lived. He foresaw the damage that his wand, the Elder Wand (the most powerful wand in the wand) could bring if it fell in Voldemort’s hands.
Dumbledore vested Snape with the responsibility of killing him and becoming the master of the Elder Wand. Needless to say, he used it wisely.
The wand eventually went to Potter who destroyed it.
The Umpteen Times He Whacks Ron and Harry
It was adorable to read Harry and Ron indulge in careless banter in Snape’s class and being hit by him regularly.
The Man Who We Thought Was Incapable of Love Was Actually the One Who Loved the Most!
Snape’s unfathomable love for Lily Potter, indirectly made him Harry’s godfather. As a student at Hogwarts, he was bullied by James Potter (Harry’s father) and Sirius Snape for being expressionless. He inadvertently joined the gang that practiced “dark arts”. He naturally distanced himself from his childhood love, Lily. Lily missed him, but lacked a way of bridging the gap. Lily found a new friendship in James; yet Snape never stopped caring. After Lily’s death, he modelled his life to protect anything that belonged to her; he saved Harry!
And, for the One Last Time...
“After all this time?”
“Always” said Snape.
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