Character Profiles: Severus Snape

“The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal.”

Since my family and I are in the midst of our annual Harry Potter marathon, I thought it would be fitting to revisit this series.

And today, we take a closer look at one of the most misunderstood characters of the series.

He’s enormously complex and I can see why Rowling enjoyed writing him so much. He’s the sort of character that really makes an impact.

Severus Snape hasn’t always had the easiest life. Teased incessantly as a young boy, like many of us, myself included, he struggled to fit in. Not that it bothered him, really, he always managed to find his own way. He’s nothing if not resourceful. Still, it wasn’t without its aches and pains. It’s never easy being that kid.

And then he met Lily Evans. Lily was like a breath of fresh air in Severus’ dark world. With her, came hope and new light. Where the others teased and ostracized him, Lily was kind. Lily saw past all of his outer shell to the inside. And he fell…hard.

But, when life took a turn for Severus, the two began to go their separate ways. And soon, Lily’s heart was won by another, James Potter.

As Severus drifted apart, becoming more involved in the dark arts, he found himself consumed by its offer of power, something he had struggled to regain since he was a child. And the deeper he went, the higher the stakes became, eventually making his mark as one of Voldemort’s death eaters.

But even that loyalty had a price. A plot was concocted to kill the newborn Harry Potter, and with him, his parents. There were a lot of things Severus could stand for, but the death of the woman he loved was not one of them. That was the last straw.

But try as he might, he was too late to save her. And her loss dug a hole within him so deep his heart would never recover. Now, all that was left of Lily was her infant son. And it was there, a task was set upon him. To look after Harry when he comes to Hogwarts.

Though everything within him fought such a notion, he persevered. Not for Harry, or even himself, but for her. For everything he did after her death was for her. And everything he would do up until the moment he took his last breath would be in her honor.

He always regretted letting her go. But that’s the funny thing about real love. Sometimes it means making tough choices for another’s happiness. At the same time, that’s how you know it’s real.

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