We were all very young when we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time. We didn’t comprehend much of it, but we sure did start hating the character of Severus Snape. First of all the black robe he wore was symbolic to the dark and mysterious nature of the character. To top it all he spoke to Harry in such hateful manner that we couldn’t stop detesting him. Over the years as more movies released, we watched them too and decided that Snape was indeed a dark character. Linking his robes, his behavior and persona to that of an evil character, we blindly loathed him.
Till the fifth installment of the movie ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ we continued to despise Snape blindly. What could we do, how could we know? We were only kids who couldn’t see what impulses drove the character. When the sixth installment of Harry Potter released, we realized suddenly when Snape died in the end that he wasn’t really wicked. He was actually a nice man, trying to protect Harry Potter the whole time.
A lot of people might find a lot of things enthralling about Snape, but what fascinates one the most is his character. He wasn’t a completely dark or a white character, he was a grey character. We witness a transition in him from the very beginning to the end. We discover that the only reason he resented Harry, but still made sure that Harry was alive was because he was deeply in love with Harry’s mother who married someone else. Harry’s eyes reminded him of Lilly. A man who was capable of loving so truly and purely could never be the villain.
He made a few wrong choices in life when he became a death eater, but once Voldemort killed Lilly Potter, he chose to leave. While Dumbledore knew the history behind Snape, Harry spent his first six years in Hogwarts hating Snape because of his demeanor. Nobody ever tried to clarify to Harry that Snape was trying to help him stay alive, not even Snape went up to him and mention anything about the good deeds that he had done.
Snape was not exactly living a satisfactory life being detested by everyone, but he never tried to change people’s perception of him. He knew that in the end, he would somehow or the other get his vengeance. He became a fake death eater when Voldemort was resurrected only to pass on information about Voldemort’s plans to Dumbledore. Voldemort thought Snape was the most loyal of all his followers, yet he killed Snape when Snape’s use for him had ended. Snape lived a life serving love and vengeance alike.
Snape was able to deceive everyone till his last breath. Only when he died did Harry and all the viewers find out that Snape was playing for the good side since Lilly’s death. He was neither a very good character, nor was he a bad character. He was right in between the both, making him a grey character. He wasn’t displayed as the epitome of virtues, but neither was he wickedness personified; he was right in the middle of the line. Snape was brave and extremely knowledgeable; no wonder Harry named his son after him. Even though the character of Snape was mysterious and dreadful in the beginning, he played it all to the benefit of Harry and Hogwarts together. All these qualities made him one of the best head masters and professors that Hogwarts had ever had.