Life of Lydia

Warning: As I find it nearly impossible to discuss the topic at hand without giving away major plot spoilers for the Harry Potter series, this post should not be read by individuals who have not finished all seven books. At the time of publication, this would include both Amy and Luke Tyndall. 

“I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.” Sorcerer/Philosopher’s Stone ch. 8

On my recent escapade through the Harry Potter audiobooks, I found the character of Severus Snape to be one of the most interesting and ultimately tragic yet satisfying. I was originally going to include him in my regular Harry Potter review, (coming soon) but I quickly learned that I had enough to say to warrant a separate blog post. 

I have been interested in Snape’s character since book one, and he didn’t disappoint. I could tell he would be important, considering so much time was constantly put into him throughout the series. When I reached the end and finally found out his full story, I cried. Then the next morning (which happened to be Christmas) I watched clips of the important Snape scenes from the movie and cried all over again. 

Snape reminds me a great deal of Sydney Carton from “Tale of Two cities”. He’s not nice or likable, but because of his unconditional love he made a noble sacrifice. My friend Molly said that the end of the Deathly Hallows “turns him from a villain into a human.” 

From Harry’s first day at Hogwarts, he takes a dislike to Snape. This is only reinforced by Snape being especially unpleasant towards him. But by the end of book one we see glimpses of the fact that there is something more to Snape than a mean spirited teacher. Although Harry believed Snape was trying to steal the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone and aid Voldemort, he was in fact trying to keep it and Harry safe. 

Harry has plenty of reasons not to like Snape, which seem to overshadow his discoveries about him at the end of book one. Snape favors students from his own house, and seems to go out of his way to make Harry’s time with him unenjoyable. He singles out individual students in his classes to humiliate them.  

Throughout the series we slowly learn more information about Snape’s past. That he was bitter enemies with Harry’s father and Sirius Black, that he was devoted to trying to expose Remus Lupin’s werewolf status, and that he is a former Death Eater who in the words of Dumbledore abandoned them “At great personal risk.”  Despite Harry’s constant misgivings, Dumbledore constantly assures him that he trusts Severus Snape.  

Near the end of the Half Blood prince Harry learns that it was Snape who overheard professor Trelawney’s prophecy about a boy born at the end of July. (Of course this was the prophecy that prompted Voldemort to attempt to kill Harry.) This further deepens Harry’s mistrust of Snape. 

All Harry’s suspicions about Snape seem to be confirmed when at the end of book six, Snape does what even Draco Malfoy couldn’t bring himself to do and kills Albus Dumbledore on top of the Astronomy tower. Harry is determined to chase him down and avenge the death of his beloved headmaster, but Snape will not fight him. He only deflects Harry’s curses and prevents other Death Eaters from harming him.

 “Kill me then,” panted Harry, who felt no fear at all but only rage and contempt. “Kill me like you killed him, you coward–”

“DON’T –” screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them – “CALL ME COWARD!”

-Half Blood Prince ch. 28

In book seven, Harry’s hatred of Snape is at an all time high. Although Harry has dropped out of school to find and destroy the remaining horcruxes, he is still disgusted to learn that Snape has been made headmaster.

Although Voldemort stole the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, he believes that since Snape killed Dumbledore, he must kill Snape in order to truly master the wand. (Of course he does not realize that Harry, not Snape, is the true master of the wand.) Harry happens to be present when this unfortunate event occurs. Before Snape dies he directs Harry to collect his memories and put them in the pensive.

“When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Harry’s robes slackened.

“Look… at… me….” he whispered.

The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.”

-Deathly Hallows ch. 32

When Harry enters into Snape’s memory, he discovers a shocking truth. Snape had been friends with Lily Potter since before they even went to Hogwarts, but they parted ways after Snape started hanging out with Death Eaters. Snape still loved Lily (probably more than anyone else in the world), even after she married his worst enemy, James Potter. When he overheard Professor Trelawany’s prophecy he reported it to Voldemort, but once he learned that Voldemort intended to go after Lily Potter’s family, his entire allegiances were changed. He told the whole story to Dumbledore, and after the family was betrayed and only Harry survived, Snape dedicated the rest of his life to keeping Lily Potter’s son safe. When Dumbledore informs Snape that Harry is a seventh, unexpected horcrux and that in order to fully defeat Voldemort “the boy must die”, Snape is shocked. 

“I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter—”

“But this is touching, Sevrus, “ said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy after all?”

“For him?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!”

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.

“After all this time?”

“Always,” said Snape.”

-Deathly Hallows ch. 33

For those of you who have read the book, you will know what happens. Harry does submit himself to Voldemort’s killing curse, and the Horcrux is destroyed, but as the true master of the Hallows Harry does not stay dead.The wizarding world is able to enjoy a new Voldemort free reality.

Harry’s character arc is that of him becoming the “perfected hero”, of rising above virtually everyone else in the wizarding world to become worthy to unite the Hallows. Snape however, is very different.  He is not kind or likable, and all the people who take issue with him are fully justified. He actively sought out a way to expose Remus Lupin’s werewolf status, and he attempted to highlight Neville Longbottom’s academic struggles, for example.  He was even nasty to both Harry and Lily Potter, the two people he was most loyal to. 

But in spite of his many flaws, Snape is highly selfless. More so, I would say, than anyone else in the series. (Perhaps with the exception of Harry.) Snape’s entire plan throughout the last couple of books was the most selfless of all, killing Dumbledore to save him from humiliation, pretending to openly rejoin the Death Eaters, setting up Harry’s escape from privet drive,  sending him the White Doe and the sword of Gryffindor, all of this while appearing to be fully supporting Voldemort. He was prepared for all the people he was sacrificing his life trying to help, to go to their graves believing he was Voldemort’s faithful servant. 

That night at the end of the Half Blood Prince when Harry called Snape a coward, was in fact one of his bravest and most selfless moments. As my friend Molly pointed out, “He had just killed the only guy who actually understood him as a person.” I think that by killing Dumbledore, Snape was personally taking on the consequences for Dumbledore’s bad choices. (An unhealthy desire for Hallows.) Dumbledore got to die with his honor intact, but Snape was thrust even deeper into his life as a double agent, not having the dignity of being respected or acknowledged by those he was working so hard to help. 

If Harry had not happened to be under the Shrieking Shack when Snape was killed, he would never have known the truth. As my friend Molly put it, “Snape died a double agent.” He never lived to see Harry or anyone else forgive him. 

All of this, seventeen years of unrecognized self sacrifice and ultimate death, for a boy he never really liked and who was the son of his worst enemy. It shows just how deep his love for Lily Potter was. He put her interests in front of his own. Snape doesn’t like Harry, but he protects him because that’s what Lily would have wanted.  My friend Molly observed, “Snape resents Harry for existing, but is also loyal to him.” 

Snape is also an excellent illustration of Voldemort’s greatest weakness; his inability to feel or understand love. Snape has a lot of personality traits well suited to the Death Eater crowd, but because he still loved one person it was enough to make him completely switch sides.  

There is something very telling about the difference in Snape and Dumbledore’s reactions to the fact that Harry is an unplanned horcrux. Dumbledore is shockingly matter of fact. He seems to view the necessity of Harry’s death as just another part of the plan to defeat Voldemort. Snape however responds differently. He accuses Dumbledore of raising Harry “like a pig for slaughter.” What this interaction shows us is that while Dumbledore may be more kind to Harry, Snape is ultimately more loyal. 

In the epilogue (set 19 years later), Harry’s young son expresses concern over the possibility of being sorted into Slytherin. His response gives us a glimpse of the beautiful reconciliation Harry has come to with both Snape and Slytherin house. It contrasts perfectly with calling Snape a coward at the end of Half blood Prince.

“Albus Severus,” Harry said quietly,… “you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably one of the bravest men I ever knew.” – Deathly Hallows epilogue

And that is why Snape is such an interesting character. Although every outwardly visible trait is mean and nasty, when you finally understand the secret driving force of his life, he becomes one of the most loving and selfless characters in the entire book.