So, this is my very first one-shot fic that I started working on last year but for some reason or another, I didn't publish it. I was fearful of the response I might get because I'm just a novice writer. But since we are in the month of the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, I decided to publish it.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that Ron is my favourite character for many reasons but no character has even intrigued me more than Snape. Snape is a controversial character, to say the least, and even now in HP forums, Snape is one of the more popular characters that people love to debate about. So that is where my idea for this fanfic began. I should warn you that the discussion taking place in this story can be VERY confusing given that most discussions about Snape often turn into rants. So, you have been warned. Also, because its Snape, I try to stick to canon as much as possible although there may have been a few changes if you consider HP and the Cursed Child to be canon WHICH I DON'T!
After reading this one shot, please do not hesitate to give your feedback should you want to especially if your feedback is with regard to how you feel about Severus Snape. Do you like him or not? Is he a bad or good guy? Is he a hero? Is he redeemed? Does he shampoo his hair? Anything!
Other than that, THANK YOU FOR READING! and to those following my other story BIWDT, do not fret because the next chapter is almost complete and will be up either by tomorrow or the day after! Check out that story if you haven't read it yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or elements of HP. All belongs to JKR.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SNAPE
"As you all know, this month of May is a very important month for us at Hogwarts." Professor Binns said as he floated around the classroom. "For all of us, it has been twenty years since the Battle of Hogwarts and the downfall of Lord Voldemort. So, to celebrate and remember those who fought to save us from evil, I am assigning a very special assignment for all of you."
Almost the entire second-year class let out a collective groan with Rose Granger-Weasley being the only exception as she clapped her hands with glee. Even Scorpius Malfoy who loved to do assignments had already gotten bored with homework. This was probably due to the influence of a certain Albus Potter who was fast becoming well known as the Slytherin who would choose to skive off classes, especially boring ones taught by arguably the most mundane and boring professor ever to set foot in Hogwarts.
Ignoring the response his class had given, Professor Binns continued to speak. "As always, every year, my second-year class would focus on the Heroes of Hogwarts where we do an insight look into the heroes who fought in the battle of Hogwarts. Your assignment will focus on the hero's biography, his or her contributions to the Second Wizarding War and finally your overall assessment of the hero or heroine themselves. However, because it is such a popular choice, I am making a slight change to the assignment. The Golden Trio is off limits."
"Bloody hell!" Albus cried as someone at the back of the class shouted: "Come on, you can't be serious!"
"This is all your fault, Rose!" a Slytherin boy called Jeffrey Pennant screamed as Rose narrowed her eyes at her accuser.
"How is this my fault?"
"Because since you're related to two of the heroes, Binns probably feels it would be unfair for the rest of us!"
"Excuse me." cried James Finnigan, a Gryffindor boy sitting next to Rose. "Why don't you pick on Albus since he's the son of the Harry Potter?"
"Lay off Albus, James!" Scorpius said, coming to the defence of his friend. Before Albus could add his remark, Binns had interjected.
"This has nothing to do with whoever is in my class. The Golden Trio have had many essays, assignments, and words of praise written to them over the years. So, it is important for us to remember that there are other heroes who contributed to the downfall of Lord Voldemort although Professor Longbottom would like me to remind you that any students who try to interview him at inappropriate times would be spending detention having to remove Mandrakes. So, you have been warned. Now, group yourselves into groups of three with the exception of Albus Potter, Rose Granger-Weasley, and Scorpius Malfoy."
All three students stared in confusion at Professor Binns who merely held his hand up as the other students in his class started moving chairs and chattering amongst themselves. Once the noise had died down, Professor Binns cleared his throat once more as he addressed the class.
"Now if you all are wondering why I have excluded the three students from all of you, it is because I have a special assignment for you three. Albus and Rose, as mentioned briefly by some of your classmates, you have ties to the Golden Trio and therefore have a much better chance of doing well for this assignment putting a rather unfair advantage in your corner. Scorpius, for your close association with Albus, you have too suffered the same fate. Now for your special assignment, I would like all of you to turn your attention to this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. Can anyone tell me what issue the Ministry is currently wrestling as of late."
Rose had her hand raised a second faster than Scorpius. Binns nodded to Rose who grinned smugly at the Slytherin.
"The Ministry has decided that after twenty years, the time has come for a posthumous award, Order of Merlin Second Class, to be presented to one Severus Snape for his efforts in ending Voldemort's reign. Naturally, being a former Death Eater, the decision to do so has caused a public outcry with many wizards and witches believing that Severus should not be awarded the same award that has been given to other heroes such as Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and my late uncle, Fred Weasley. In fact, many believe that he is undeserving of any award due to his actions as a Death Eater. I would like to add that even with my uncle's testimony on Snape during the Death Eater trials, many do not share my uncle's sentiments on the matter."
"Excellent. Twenty points to Gryffindor." Professor Binns said as he nodded at Rose.
"Of course, he shouldn't get the award. Snape has tortured people as a Death Eater!" James Finnigan roared as Scorpius glared at the Gryffindor.
"He saved people as well. Without him, Albus's dad wouldn't have defeated the Dark Lord!"
"Just like a Slytherin to defend another Slytherin no matter what he's done!"
"Why don't you just back off, James?" Albus growled as he grind his teeth.
"How can you be okay with Snape, Albus? He made your father's life a living hell. Heck, he made all our parents' lives a living hell!" James retorted back.
"I wasn't defending Snape. I was defending Scorpius." Albus snapped as he thought of a hex to throw at James.
"ENOUGH!" Binns roared as the class became silent. "As you can see, Severus Snape continues to divide opinion even till today. Was he good or bad? Is he a hero or villain? What kind of a man is he? How important was Snape to the downfall of the war? Does he deserve the award that the Ministry is bestowing on him?"
Some of the students started to shake their head fervently while others nodded furiously in response. Albus, however, was still trying to figure the best hex he could think of to lay on James.
"This is why we study History, students. History is a subject based on facts but interpreted by opinions. I'm sure all of you have heard the phrase history is written by the winners. Thankfully, the winners are us and now we get a chance to interpret history as it is. So, for the three of you, I expect you to present to me and to the class your opinion regarding Snape. Now unlike previous assignments, I will not set any parameters to this. You can choose to present your opinion in essay form or otherwise, even a skit if you feel daring, but ultimately once you have given us your opinion on Severus Snape, you should then help us answer one question."
"Which is?" Rose asked in anticipation.
"Does Severus Snape deserve to be honoured with a posthumous Order of Merlin, Second Class?"
…
Albus yawned and stretched his arms as Scorpius and Rose poured through the numerous texts about the Second Wizarding War. Rose had managed to convince Madam Pince to allow the three to stay late in the library researching on subject matter regarding Severus Snape.
"Okay, so what have we got so far?" Albus said as he tried to stifle another yawn.
"Well, we got excerpts written by people during the war, interviews ranging from Horace Slughorn's first impression of Snape as a student to McGonagall's regarding Snape as a colleague, essays from past students regarding the war as well as newspaper articles from members of the public," Scorpius replied as Rose let out a groan of frustration.
"Look, we're never going to get anywhere with just research. I say we change tactics." Rose said as she took out a quill and a piece of parchment from her bag.
"What do you have in mind?" Albus asked.
"Well," Rose said as she stood up and addressed them in a manner that would make her mother proud. "I propose we have an informal debate. There are three of us. Albus, since you're the least committed out of the three of us..."
"Hey!" Albus cried as Scorpius snickered at him.
"I say you should be done to take notes and mediate the discussion." Rose continued to speak, ignoring Albus. "Scorpius will present the side against Snape and I will present the side supporting him."
"We need a motion," Scorpius said as he nodded in agreement to Rose's suggestion. "Why don't we use the question Binns gave to us. This House believes that Snape is deserving of this award and that award is the Order of Merlin, Second Class."
"Whose House now?" Albus asked, clearly confused.
"It's what we used when we create a motion. You see…" Scorpius said before Rose interrupted him.
"Look, we don't really have time to go into the format of debate right. This is an informal debate so I say Scorpius and I will just state our points and elaborate them from there. Albus, you listen to both sides and write down what we say. Once we've gotten everything out from the table, we can come to a conclusion to our opinion about Snape and then answer the question whether or not he was deserving of the award."
"Whatever you say, Aunt Hermione," Albus replied cheekily, earning a glare from Rose.
"So how about I just get the ball rolling?" Scorpius said as the other two nodded at him. "I don't believe that Snape deserves the award because of the atrocities he committed during the war including the most devastating one which was that Snape was responsible for the rise of Voldemort and the First Wizarding War."
"Explain." Albus quickly replied as he saw Rose ready to object.
"Severus Snape as you know is a very accomplished dark wizard. In his first year, he knew more about hexes and curses than most seventh years during his time. Snape was also responsible for creating a number of spells and curses that were most used to torture and hurt innocents during the war, namely Sectumsempra. Although we have yet to find a direct link between Snape and the murder of individuals during the war probably due to his cunning abilities, we can safely assume that his actions, namely the spread of information, led to many magical people, creatures and Muggles being intimidated, hurt and even killed. He was in Voldemort's inner circle and as you know, you don't get to be inside Voldemort's inner circle without being linked to a high body count."
"Do I have to write everything down or can I do in notes?" Albus interjected. Ignoring Albus, Rose stood up to speak.
"Yes, we all know about how Snape did some nasty things in the war and yes I'm not ignoring the fact that his support did lead to Voldemort's power but Snape was also responsible for ending the First Wizarding War. Snape 's decision to seek out Dumbledore when he realized that the prophecy was meant for Harry and would lead to the death of Lily. No, wait, scratch that, Snape's decision to ask Lord Voldemort to spare Lily's life was what led to the charm working and allowing Lily's sacrifice to destroy Voldemort and end the war. You think Voldemort would listen to Snape if the latter had not been in his good books due to his contributions to the Dark Side?"
"You know what, I'm just going to do notes," Albus said more to himself as Scorpius had an incredulous look on his face.
"Excuse me, Rose, but surely you're not suggesting that we absolve Snape of his past crimes simply because it was convenient that he was such a good Dark Wizard that Voldemort chose to listen to him? Besides, like you said it was Lily's decision to sacrifice herself that led to Voldemort's downfall!"
"Which could only work if Voldemort had chosen to spare her life! Which he wouldn't have because of Snape! Snape who told Dumbledore so that James and Lily could set up the Fidelius Charm to try to save Harry. Snape who convinced the Dark Lord to spare Lily's life allowing the protective spell that Lily cast to work! I'm not suggesting that we absolve his sins because that is not the motion but surely, we can accept the fact that his actions did lead to the end of the War and the downfall of Voldemort. Surely we can accept that" Rose retorted hotly.
"Yet he was also the reason for Lily having to cast the spell in the first place," Scorpius said as he narrowed his eyes at his opponent. "He told Voldemort about the prophecy and only decided to have a change of mind when he realises that Voldemort would target Lily. He wouldn't have cared if it was anyone else! They would have died! This is just an example of what Snape was capable of during the war. Snape's information and actions in the war have led to the deaths and destruction of people! If we're going to award an award, why not give Snape an acknowledgment? Isn't your uncle's testimony enough? But to put him in the same bracket as Remus Lupin and Luna Lovegood is an insult to the rest of the heroes and heroines in that bracket especially those that did the right thing all their lives and died for us."
"I don't feel like we're following the format of a debate here. Or are we?" Albus said more to himself as his two friends ignored him. Rose and Scorpius were standing across from each other, staring eye to eye and both refusing to budge to the other. It was Rose turn to speak.
"Why? Snape made sacrifices too. His actions and efforts kept Harry and his friends alive and allowed them to kill Voldemort once and for all. And none of us would be even be talking about awarding the Order of Merlin, Second Class to anyone, be it Lupin or Luna, if not for Snape because Snape's actions led to the end of the war. With the exception of the Golden Trio and Dumbledore, no one contributed more to the war than Snape. And if we awarded Order of Merlin, First Class to those four individuals, we can at least award the Second Class to Snape."
"Who destroyed people and did it for selfish reasons, yeah let's give the award to the bad guy who became a hero because of a selfish reason to save a girl he obsessed about for years," Scorpius said sarcastically while glaring at Rose who looked exasperated at this point. Albus shuddered at how close his two friends bear an uncanny resemblance to his uncle and aunt.
"Face it, you don't want to award the award to Snape because you don't like him. Way to be objective there, Malfoy." Rose snapped.
"Oh please. I don't want to award the award to Snape because he's a bad guy," Scorpius said while glaring at Rose.
"That's it!" Albus shouted out loud as the other two were startled by his booming voice.
"Sorry," Albus muttered sheepishly as Rose and Scorpius scowled at him. "But can we just forget the motion? I rather prefer to just have a discussion on Snape because I think Scorpius made an interesting comment."
"Which is?" Rose and Scorpius asked in unison.
"Is Snape a bad guy?"
….
The next night, Albus, Scorpius, and Rose were gathered back in the library. This time, the table was bare save for a single piece of parchment and a quill that Albus was holding in his hand.
"Okay, so to continue on our assignment, I propose we not have a debate since we agreed that it was getting too aggressive," Rose said as Scorpius nodded. Albus, however, stifled a laugh.
"Yeah, you both look like Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione arguing about past relationships. Or their jobs. Or how to raise their kids. Or anything in particular."
"Shut it, Al!" Rose and Scorpius cried in unison as Albus put his hands up in surrender.
"Look, maybe we should set our foundation for Snape first. Let's talk about what we know about him and then we can go on from there." Scorpius said.
"Yes, and this time I will take notes since Albus spend the last one doodling Quidditch images," Rose said as she glared at Albus while Scorpius decided to begin.
"Alright, so we start with what we know about his biography. Severus Snape was born to Tobias Snape, a Muggle lowlife, and Gobstones witch, Eileen Prince which he used the latter's name to create the moniker of the Half-Blood Prince. He lived at Spinner's End which was in close proximity to the Evans family and at age nine, he met Lily Evans who he fell in love with and has been until his death."
Albus snorted at Scorpius's mention of love which earned a scowl from Rose.
"You find something amusing, Albus?" Rose snapped as Scorpius looked at his friend curiously.
"It's just that you said love, Scorpius. I doubt Snape was in love with my grandmother."
"Are we really going to do this?" Rose cried out loud. "Surely you're not going to debate that Snape was in love with Lily? It's the most well- established fact about Snape. Snape's love for Lily was what made him choose to abandon Voldemort, turn spy for Dumbledore at great personal risk and helped save and protect Harry."
"But was it love? Or was it just an obsession. No, hear me out, Rose!" Albus said as he raised his hand just before Rose was about to retort. "Snape said that he loved Lily but she never loved him back in the way he did. And he made all the wrong choices to show his love, didn't he? He joined the Death Eaters because he thought it would impress her. He continued with his pureblood supremacy ideals and even called her a Mudblood when she wanted to defend him. Or did you forget when my dad told all of us about Snape's worst memory? If he truly love her, why did he make every wrong possible choice before finally deciding on the right one when it was all but too late?"
"Because she married your grandfather who together with his best friends tormented Snape all their lives. He and Lily were close friends and whenever they were young and he was around her, Snape had the opportunity to be good. But when he was placed in Slytherin and her in Gryffindor, he was seduced by the Dark Arts and by the group of friends that he was with."
"That he chose to be around! He could have left them." Albus snapped.
"And go where? To Gryffindor where James and Sirius would constantly bully him, pushing him to become eviler as he sought to seek his revenge. Making his already miserable life a living hell. Heck, Lily could have saved Snape if not for James. And before you comment that he called her a Mudblood which was the straw that broke the camel's back, Snape only called her that after James taunted her about going out with him. Can you even begin to imagine what was going through his mind? He was being bullied and right in front of him the girl who he loved dearly was being hit on by the enemy he hated the most and in that moment of embarrassment and hurt, he blurted out a response that he had regretted ever since. He tried to seek forgiveness from Lily but it was too late and with no longer any good left in his corner, Snape eventually went to the Dark Side which only became quicker once he heard that Lily and James had started dating."
"Yet he could have still made the effort? If he claimed to love my grandmother so much, couldn't he have just left the Death Eaters and continue to win her friendship back no matter what the cost? And let's not forget that he chose Slytherin."
"What?" cried the voices of Rose and Scorpius. "Mate, the Hat picked him for Slytherin." Scorpius reminded Albus who let out a sigh.
"Look, as I told you both before, the Hat allows you to make a choice. My dad chose to be in Gryffindor even though he would have made the perfect Slytherin. Since Lily Potter was sorted to Gryffindor first, seeing as how they did things alphabetically, shouldn't Snape at that moment, have chosen to go to Gryffindor to be with Lily since he loved her so much?"
"Are you kidding me? He was eleven!" Rose said indignantly. "You really expect an eleven-year-old to choose a house based on the beginning of a friendship over his own personal beliefs?"
"Didn't my father pick Gryffindor because of Uncle Ron whom he just met on the train?"
"The context is different! Snape, who came from a bad childhood and always thought the world of Salazar Slytherin, was sorted to that House because he believed in its ideals. Besides, he thought he could maintain the friendship he had with Lily even when they were in different houses."
"If he truly loved her, he would have wanted to be with her no matter what," Albus argued back.
"He did. Circumstances got in the way."
"Guys, we are definitely digressing!" Scorpius said out loud, trying to bring his friends back on track.
"Scorpius is right." Rose said as Albus and her shared a glare. "Look, no matter what he did or chose, you can't dispute that he did care for her and he did love her. Snape is the only Death Eater capable of producing a Patronus and not just any Patronus but that of your grandmother's Albus. Even after her death, Snape was still very much in love with her. Who knows, if circumstances had gone right and with a few better choices, Snape might have been your grandfather."
"No, he wouldn't. Because we all wouldn't exist." Scorpius said as Rose and Albus stopped glaring at each other and looked at him with surprise. "No matter how any one of us try to spin this, if Snape had been a good guy, the prophecy would have never occurred since Voldemort wouldn't have learned of the prophecy, Snape wouldn't be there to dissuade him from not killing Lily and Harry wouldn't have been protected. The Dark Lord would flourish with no one, not even Dumbledore capable, of stopping him. The prophecy states that Harry or Neville would be the one to stop the Dark Lord but the means of stopping him relied on a sacrifice to be made which could not have been possible unless Snape turned traitor. Chain of events and all that."
The three students sat in silence, each one contemplating the depth of Scorpius's comments. After a long while, Albus rose to speak.
"Okay, what if we took away Snape from the entire story? What happens?"
"Well, firstly, if there was no Snape, I think it's safe to assume that Voldemort would still come to power?" Scorpius said as both Albus and Rose nodded at his assessment.
"Okay so with no Snape, Voldemort doesn't hear about the prophecy. No prophecy means he doesn't hunt down Harry's parents which means that Harry gets to live with his family."
"But." Rose interjected "It also means Voldemort remains in power, unopposed. With him in power, he continues the war until he finally conquers the wizarding world and Harry and his parents most likely end up dead. If we take the other possibility that Voldemort hears the prophecy through some other means, he goes to Godric's Hollow to murder all the Potters and this time, with no Severus Snape to persuade him to let Lily live, Lily Potter is killed instantly followed soon by Harry and dooming the entire world to Voldemort. Not to mention if we did remove Snape from the story after Potter survives Voldemort, Harry would be long dead or hurt before the Battle of Hogwarts if not for Snape watching over him."
"Okay," Albus said as he fiddled with the quill. "We all agree that Snape was indeed influential in the fall of Lord Voldemort but it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't a good guy. He was willing to let the prophecy happen until he realized it would kill Lily and so in that moment of selfishness for Lily, he decided to work against Voldemort. He might have lo...cared for my grandmother but he was still an abusive bully and a bad guy."
"But he redeemed himself, didn't he?" Rose said in a sort of pleading tone. "He redeemed himself when he made the choice to betray Voldemort. He redeemed himself when he chose to save Lily only to fail and see her dead. He redeemed himself when he chose to protect Harry for all those years, guiding him to defeating Voldemort and sacrificing his own life so that Harry can save us all. He didn't need to do all that. He could have remained evil but he didn't. Surely you guys can realize that?"
"Why do you want to defend him so much?" Scorpius asked out loud. "Even when Snape was protecting Harry, he was still an abusive git and a bully which is saying something considering Snape knows, better than anyone, how much hurt a bully can cause. He made Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's lives a living hell as well as countless of others. And as for your point of redemption, redeeming yourself does not absolve you of the mistakes you made in the past. Snape's decision to support the Dark Side led to countless of deaths and mayhem we cannot just ignore. And to your point of redemption, when Snape was Harry's teacher, couldn't he have forged a better relationship with Harry if he wanted to honour Lily's memory?"
"Could you, if the person you have to protect was the child of the relationship you hated the most and all you could see is the smug face of the bully that not only tormented you your whole life but took away the person you loved the most? Besides, all of that becomes a moot point when you consider that his disdain for Harry was what allowed him to sneak back as a spy to Voldemort's inner circle once Voldemort returned. Snape isn't a bad guy, he just had to be one. Which I know sounds like I'm contradicting myself but I'm not. For Snape may have started out bad but ended up making good choices and for all the pain and sacrifice he had to endure, made him into a good guy. He's the reason why adults always tell us it's not how you start that matters but how you finish. And at the end of his life, Snape became a good person." Rose said, collapsing into a chair once she had completed her rant.
"But he still committed atrocities, Rose. Does his sacrifice really weigh heavier than the sins that he committed? Does making good choices despite selfish intentions and abusive actions really make Snape into a good person?" Scorpius asked as he too collapsed in a chair.
"Wait, so from what we have all discussed, it seems like Snape is a bad guy who chose to be good in the end but instead had to continue to bad because he couldn't be good. Because him being good initially as well as later would have been bad for us and him being or at least acting bad turned out good for all of us." Albus said as he scratched his head. "I'm just so bloody confused."
"Not to mention we still have to decide if we want to give him the award or not," Rose said with an exasperated sigh. All three students groaned in frustration.
"We just need some structure. All our points about Snape is all over the place. It's like there's no black or white." Scorpius said.
"Kinda like Snape," Albus replied as he grabbed the parchment and quill while Rose and Scorpius brought their seats closer to him.
…
"So, Mr. Potter, are you and your group mates ready to present to us about Snape and what decision you have made with regards to his award." Professor Binns said as Albus, Rose, and Scorpius dragged themselves to the front of the class. Rose passed Albus the parchment where they had spent hours writing and rewriting their opinion on Snape while Scorpius prodded him to the front, earning a scowl from Albus.
"Hi my name is Albus Potter and these are my classmates Rose Granger-Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy. This took us many hours of researching, discussing, writing and even fighting so please do excuse us if you deem it unsatisfactory."
"I'm sure all of us will be satisfied, Albus. Please continue." Binns said in a stern voice as the class stopped chattering amongst themselves.
"Our group name is called ARS which we named after our initials and not to be confused with…"
"MR POTTER!" Binns shouted as the classroom had broke out in giggles. "Stop stalling and on with it!"
"Very well," Albus sighed as he held the parchment up in the air not only to see it clearer but to block his classmates from his sight.
"Before one can give an opinion about Severus Snape, one first has to know and understand the man that he is. Severus Snape was born on the 9th of January, 1960 to Muggle Tobias Snape and witch Eileen Prince. During his life, Snape had achieved many accomplishments. He was the Potions Master as well as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts as well as in the final year of his life, the Headmaster. Severus Snape was also a prominent member of the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix as well as arguably the right-hand man of both Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. Snape was an innovative spy, Potioneer, skilled in both Legilimency and Occlumency, incredible Healer and an accomplished wizard who has been acknowledged in creating some of the most dangerous curses and hexes in the history of magic. It is undisputable by anyone that indeed, Severus Snape was a great wizard and could hold his own in any duel.
What is also indisputable is the fact that Snape had a bad childhood. From the bad parenting he received at a young age to the torment he received in his teenage years, the life of Snape could be simplified into two words. Lonely and painful. Uncannily similar to both Voldemort and Harry Potter, Snape sought Hogwarts as a sanctuary from harsh childhood past. Yet it is here where we see differences arrive. Voldemort, then known as Tom Riddle, was an orphan who took pleasure in using his powers to hurt his early childhood tormentors and continued on a path seduced by power. Harry was an orphan who hated those who had power over him and he continued on a path to fight against power, knowing full well the consequences power can bring. Yet Snape was different. For while Voldemort and Harry were alone before realizing they were wizards, Snape had a friend. A friend who soon became his only love and at the age of nine, would meet up with him and forever change the course of history. I am talking of course about Lily Evans.
You can't talk about Severus Snape without bringing up Lily Evans. Lily, the girl, whom he fell in love with from the moment he set his eyes on her to the moment Voldemort closed them. Snape fell in love with Lily all those years and even when they went on different paths which resulted in the end of their friendship, Snape still cared for Lily Evans. An irony was born as who would have thought, Severus Snape, a pureblood supremacist, Slytherin lover and Death Eater would ever fall for a Muggle-born witch which Lily was. But fall he did and even though Lily eventually married James Potter, Snape's tormenter at school, Snape still loved her so much so that some historians have said that based on excerpts from people who knew Snape that his decision to be a Death Eater was not just because he believed in Voldemort's cause but because he wanted to impress Lily Potter. Yet soon came an event that will haunt Snape for the rest of his life, the birth of Harry James Potter.
Now you all know the story at this point. Snape discovers a prophecy that a boy would defeat the Dark Lord. Snape tells Voldemort who interprets it as Lily's son. Snape, out of fear that something bad would happen to Lily, informs Dumbledore and switches his allegiance to protect her. Snape convinces Voldemort to spare Lily's life. James and Lily were then betrayed by Peter leading to Voldemort killing James and Lily but not before the latter made a powerful sacrifice that led to the first fall of Voldemort and Harry being the only living survivor of the Avada Kedavra Curse. Snape had failed to save the Potters and once again another irony is formed. Snape, a man who despised James all his life and was James's enemy, was the one who tried to save him as compared to Peter, a man who looked up to James all his life and one of his best friends, who would be the one to betray him and led James to his death.
From that moment, Snape continued to serve Dumbledore both as a member of the Order of the Phoenix as well as a member of the teaching staff at Hogwarts. Once Harry entered Hogwarts, Snape was tasked with protecting him as well as helping Harry in his quest to defeat Voldemort. Seven years later, Snape met his end at the hands of Lord Voldemort, ironically not for betraying the Dark Lord but by the latter's assumption that he had been loyal in killing Dumbledore and becoming master of the Elder Wand. And so, at the age of thirty-eight. the Snape story ends and the discussion about him begins.
Perhaps no other person in history would ever be as flawed as Snape was. To his students, Snape was a horrible professor, biased to his own house and he enjoyed tormenting students to the point many still abhor him even after everything he has done. He was particularly nasty to Harry, no doubt the product of his jealousy and anger towards James Potter. Snape, as a Death Eater, was vicious. He made sizeable contributions to Voldemort's rise to power and caused many individuals to be badly affected by what he did. Even his decision to save the Potters came at the understanding that Lily would be hurt and if not for her, he would have shown no sympathy towards Harry, James or any other family that he was willing to sacrifice in return for his master's gratitude. Snape chose to hang around with pure-blood supremacists, he chose not to follow Lily on her path or to do whatever it took to get her back, he chose to become a Death Eater, he chose to hurt, he chose to kill, he chose to destroy and he chose to let a family die to protect the Dark Lord until he realized his mistake. For his choices and his actions, Snape should be considered to be a bad guy and without question, undeserving of the Order of Merlin, Second Class.
Yet by either irony or coincidence, Snape's choices after Voldemort's interpretation of the prophecy makes him a good guy. Although one may argue that his intention was selfish, Severus Snape did still agree to Dumbledore's request to serve him in exchange for keeping the Potters safe. He chose to stick by Dumbledore even after Voldemort had fallen. He chose to protect Harry and follow all of Dumbledore's orders including returning back as a spy in the Death Eaters, watching for Harry during Harry's years at Hogwarts and even assisting in killing Dumbledore at the latter's request. In deciding to follow Dumbledore, Snape became an unwanted surrogate father for Harry if you consider the definition of a father to be someone who torments and harasses you both physically and emotionally but watches out for you all the same.
In the Potter vs Voldemort saga, Severus Snape is both a villain and a hero. A Death Eater who fell in love with Muggleborn and spend the remaining of his life making up for a mistake that he helped caused. At the end of the day, our opinion of Snape is that he is neither a good or bad individual. Perhaps an easier question to answer would be if we like him or not because emotions can exist without reasons to justify its nature. So, some of you would choose to hate Snape for his many cruel acts while some of you would choose to be in awe with his unrequited and unconditional love for Lily which spurned a life of pain and sacrifice in bringing down the Dark Lord. Whatever your reason for liking him or hating him, that is your own and your own it shall remain. But for us, the character of Severus Snape is one that embodies both good and bad within. Snape was an abusive bully that sacrificed his life to bring down Lord Voldemort. His love for Lily rivaled that of his hatred for Harry and James. Snape, a character that made the right choice to seek redemption for his mistakes for the wrong reasons. However, much you try to argue, it is quite difficult to pin down Snape in black and white. Just like the clouds that constantly hover over Spinner's End, Snape is all grey.
Now that you know our opinion of Severus Snape, it is time to answer the question. Is Snape deserving of the award, Order of Merlin Second Class. Our answer, after much deliberation, is yes. Because of why the award is given out. The Ministry has mentioned that the reason to present Snape such an award is because of the Ministry's recognition of services rendered to ending and winning the War and Snape, more so than most, has most certainly done this. Not all wars are won by heroes. Or are depending on your definition of a hero. But as Albus Dumbledore once said, it is your choices, far more than your abilities that show who you truly are and towards the end of his life, Snape chose well.
A final thing to add. My father forgave Snape almost twenty years ago. My father, who arguably suffered more under Snape than anyone else, forgave him. More so than that, my father named me after Snape as well. I often asked my father what he thought about Snape and even after twenty years, all my father does is smile and tell me how brave and strong Snape was. So, to all of you who may feel aggrieved, upset, or affected by what Snape is and what he did, I say this. Hate him all you want but forgive him if you can. After all, the quality of mercy is not strained."
Albus looked up from his parchment to see Binns staring directly at him. As Albus felt uneasy under Binn's lingering gaze, he could see a smile breaking out on the ghost professor's face as Binns started to clap loudly. One by one, the students followed suit until the entire class was hooting and breaking out in applause for the trio.
"Marvellous effort!" Binns said as Albus, Rose, and Scorpius beamed with pride. "Unfortunately for us, our time has run out and its time to end the period but does anyone wish to comment?"
Albus could see the students contemplating between giving their comment and getting to leave Binn's class as quickly as possible. Thankfully for the trio, silence prevailed.
"So, what about you three? Any questions for me?" Binns asked.
"Yes, an important one. Is that it? Are we done?" Albus asked exasperatedly.
"More important than that, did we fulfill the requirements of the assignment? Did we answer the question?" Scorpius asked worriedly.
"Most important of all, what grade do we get?" Rose asked expectantly.
…
CRACK!
Ron coughed out loud as he shook his shoes to wipe off the dirt that had flown onto him the minute he landed. The sun had begun to set as Ron walked towards a deserted playground with broken slides, a rusty see-saw and a set of swings that looked like it was about to collapse at any minute. Particularly when there was a middle-aged man with black hair and green eyes swinging on one of the swings. Deciding he rather play it safe than risk an injury, Ron walked and stood in front of Harry Potter.
"Thought you might be here," Ron said as his best friend grinned at him. "The girls are calling us back for dinner."
"Yeah, I was hoping some Daily Prophet reporter might come out from the bushes to take my picture. The Boy Who Lived misses his childhood!" Harry said as Ron chuckled at the thought.
"Thanks," Harry said as Ron nodded. Earlier in the day, the Ministry had decided to go ahead with its plans to award Severus Snape a posthumous Order of Merlin, Second Class despite the protests of the magical community. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all given their testimonies as well as pledged their support towards the Ministry's action.
"You heard about the assignment Binns gave our kids?" Ron asked as Harry got off from the swing. "Apparently, Rose is furious that Binns said the assignment would be not be graded."
"Yeah, Albus is complaining they wasted hours on it," Harry said as he and Ron walked away from the playground. Just as they were about to exit, Harry turned around to have one last look. The sun was setting at Spinner's End and with the crimson horizon in the background, the deserted playground looked surreal and melancholic.
"Can't believe this was the setting of the moment that changed the war," Harry said as Ron chuckled.
"Can you imagine if Snape had been your dad? I mean, I always knew you were a git but a greasy, smarmy git at that? Harry Snape. What a name!" Ron said as Harry gave him a playful nudge on the ribs in retaliation.
"Ron. Honest opinion?"
"Yeah?"
"So, what do you think of Snape?"
"Honestly," Ron sighed as he looked at Harry. "Snape was an abusive arse who made our lives a living hell and I could never like him but he did save the world and he's dead so he gets a pass."
"Yeah, I get what you mean. Follow me to his grave tomorrow? Gotta pay my respects." Harry said as Ron gave him a warm smile. "Of course, mate."
As Harry pulled out his wand to apparate, he looked back at the deserted playground one last time. Harry tried to picture his mom floating in the air with her crimson hair billowing in the wind while his aunt continued to berate her and hiding behind the bushes, a sallow, small and stringy boy with long black hair and mismatched clothes watching her with amazement. For some reason, Harry started to smile.
"We better go, mate before my wife realizes that I didn't degnome the garden as I promised I would," Ron said as he removed his wand from his pocket.
"Yeah. One last question though." Harry said as he smirked at his best friend.
"What?"
"What would you get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry asked as Ron snorted in response.
"Still trying to figure that one out?"
"Always."
THE END
Thanks for reading!