This isn't a story, purely an opinion piece where I analyse the character of Severus Snape and explain my opinion of him. I wrote it because I find I've written quite a few pieces about him, despite the fact I don't like him. I also just wanted to explain my view of him. It may come across as a bit of a rant, but whether or not you like the character, I hope you read it and comment your own opinions. I look forward to seeing how people may agree or disagree. I may analyse other characters in the future but I thought Snape was an obvious place to start given how complex and controversial his character is. I am not personally a fan, as anyone who reads my fics would know, but that does not mean I don't find the character fascinating.

Introduced to us in book one, he was initially a character "we love to hate". He was described as cruel, unfair and intimidating, to the point that he even seemed to be the villain trying to steal the philosopher's stone. However, as early as book one, we got a hint that all may not be as it seems when it came to the potions professor; far from wishing to steal the stone, he was in fact, working to save Harry, despite his hatred for him. The explanation we are given for his actions by Dumbledore is that Snape and James Potter were enemies in school, much like Harry and Malfoy, yet James saved Snapes life, indebting Snape to him, and Snape therefore only saved Harry so that this debt could be repaid and he could go back to hating the memory of his adversary in peace. Of course, we later find out the truth is much more complicated than this, but at the time of reading this it allows us to, in a similar fashion of what we believe Snape is doing, happily return to hating this character in peace, for his actions, though noble, came from a selfish place. This allowed us to embark on the journey of book two, though with a broader understanding of Snape's character, once again free to hate him. Before moving on however, I would like to adress an interesting point in Dumbledore explaintion; his description of James and Snape's relationship being similar to Harry and Malfoys. We take this to mean that James was like Harry and Snape was like Malfoy, Malfoy having been the clear antagonist and bully, we assumed Snape was the same, and that James was the 'good guy'. As we later discover, this may not have been the case, in fact, the roles seemed to have been the opposite, James the antagonist, but perhaps the term victim is not necessarily correct to apply to Snape; we see evidence throughout that he is no angel.

Keeping with this point, allow me to adress the James-Snape antagonistic relationship, which I believe, is one of the biggest points of conflict in the entire Harry Potter fandom. It begins, as we know, with their first meeting on the Hogwarts express, and though it could be looked at from either characters point of view, objectively the conflict goes both ways.

(Interesting aside: Snape tells Lily he wishes her to be in Slytherin but Snape is surely aware at this time that as a muggleborn, Slytherin is known for its beliefs of blood purity would not be a welcoming place for her. I'm not sure if there are canonical mentions of muggleborns being placed in Slytherin, but even if it has happened, its surely not common. I'm afraid my dislike of Snape may begin to show as I make this next point; he tells his friend that she "better be in Slytherin". This comment suggests to me that he has chosen the house he wants to be in, most likely with the influence of his pureblood mother, and he wants Lily to follow him, rather than her making her own decision on which house she would like to be in.)

So, the James-Snape rivalry begins and continues throughout their day's at Hogwarts. I feel it is important at this point that we only ever witness this from Snape's pov, meaning it is unlikely to be wholey objective. Snape's hatred for James seems clear enough; James regularly picks on Snape, teasing and hecing him, often without any provocation. This is where things get messy however; Snape is often portrayed as the victim, which leads many fans to pity him and hate James. I disagree, James' behaviour is undoubtedly wrong, but Snape is not innocent. As seen in their very first meeting, the conflict goes both ways. Sirius also explains to Harry that many of James actions stem from his absolute hatred for anything associated with the dark arts, which is proven with the way he refuses to say the word 'mudblood' in OoTP Snapes worst memory, aswell as the fact he joined the order of the Phoenix and defied Voldemort 3 times. Snape on the other hand, is overly found of the dark arts, as we see from his creation of the spell Sectomsempra and the fact that he was at one point in his life, a dedicated death eater, and we are told he showed this while in school. So while we can say that Snape may not have directly provoked James, his actions relating to the dark arts seem to be the reason James targeted him. It's also likely that Lily, being friends with Snape and who both boys had romantic feelings for, was another cause of conflict between them.

(Another aside - in defence of James Potter: Though this is an analysis of Snapes character and I did not intend to deleve into any others, I think this may be a good point to mention James. Again, for those who have read my other fics it is clear that I am a Jily fan, and James Potter is in fact one of my favourite characters. I won't deny that he wasn't the best person while in school, he was arrogant and conceited, but as I've mentioned above, we cannot say for sure that his 'bullying' was unprovoked. His dislike of the dark arts clearly stems from a good place, his refusal to say the word 'mudblood' shows not only that he himself is not prejudice but that he disagrees with anyone who is. He shows huge loyalty to his friends, becoming an animagus for Remus, for one. He also must have matured hugely to be made head boy, despite the fact he wasn't a prefect, and I find it unfortunate that we never got to see that side of him. Then there's the fact he joined the order, went into hiding to protect his son and sacrificed his life to buy his wife and son time to escape. There's a piece of fanart that comes to mind, I can't remember the artist or where I saw it, but it was titled "Things people forget (ignore) about James Potter", followed by a number of images, such as him befriending Sirius and taking him in when his parents kicked him out, becoming an animagus for Remus, saving Snape from werewolf Remus, helping Peter study, supporting Remus when he couldn't get a job, telling Lily to take Harry and run... I can't really remember any others, but below that was another image titled "Things people remember about James Potter" and the scene from Snapes worst memory. My point is, there's more to this character and if someone can excuse Snapes actions... Well to me, James is a saint compared to him. I didn't mean to make this about James, so that's all I'll say for now and get back to Snape.)

There are many other factors to Snape's character that cause people to pity him, and as a result admire him for his actions. I don't. Let's look at his childhood; it was lonely, troubled and loveless. When he met Lily he seemed to cling desperately to her because she was the first, and only, person who ever showed him real love and affection. But even before Hogwarts and the influence of the Slytherins he showed darkness when he attempted to hurt Petunia by dropping a branch on her. Now, we can defend this by acknowledging that even children who turn out to be the best of people have moments where they cannot control their emotions and they act out, but Snape's hatred of Petunia also seemed to stem from the fact she was a muggle and therefore below him. Of course, we can attribute this attitude to the way his mother raised him, Sirius himself used the term mudblood on his first train to Hogwarts because that's what his parents had taught him to do, so, although his attitude is questionable, lets, for the sake of this discussion, excuse him from it on the grounds of being a child. However, one could argue that there are a number of other characters who had less than perfect upbringings, including Harry himself, who were not as cruel as Snape, but still, for the sake of this, let's say it wasn't his fault.

However, that excuse only lasts so long. I don't believe its appropriate when he's a couple years older and his best friend is still a muggleborn, yet he still keeps the company, the friendship, of blood purists, which incidentally is what begins to fracture his friendship with Lily. He is friends with Lily, even loves her, yet he sees all those of her birth as below him. This is a clear double standard, one I cannot find an excuse for. We can no longer say its as a result of his upbringing or the influence of those around him, because surely Lily's own influence would cancel that out. Perhaps, having never felt like he belonged anywhere, he feels that sharing these views allows him to belong with the Slytherins, but if this is true, I personally don't find this acceptable; he is knowingly befriending people who would gladly hurt his best friend, he should have the loyalty to Lily to, if not stand against them, at least not become them. Yet he does. Furthermore, he goes on to call her a mudblood. Of course, we can understand that at the time he is being bullied and humiliated, his friendship with Lily is already fracturing and he is under pressure from the crowd around him. It is not uncommon for people to act out and say things they regret in these situations, but I want to express my belief just how serious it was that he said that word, and how it was not something Lily could forgive. First of all, it is not a common insult, it is considered an extremely insulting, racist slur, to the point that many refuse to even say it when talking about the term. It's a horrible word, I'm sure many people could draw a parallel to certain disgusting phrases used in real life. Furthermore, Lily is already concerned that he is friends with people who see her as dirt, as a lesser being than them, but Snape has denied he feels this way. By calling her that word, one which must have already been on his subconscious for him to say it accidentally, he is confirming her worries; regardless of if he denies it or not, and regardless of if he thinks of her in the same way, he does think muggleborns are less than him. I can't blame Lily for cutting ties with him, she can see he has become someone she can no longer relate to, their views are too different and his go against her morals.

So, that brings us to Snape having befriended people who he knew were death eaters in the making, people it seems he shared views with, and being overly fond of the dark arts. Then, he becomes a death eater. For a fact so often mentioned in the books, I find its one that is rarely focused on in fanfiction. I'm about to make a few assumptions now that are not necessarily canon but which, given what we do know, I think these events must have taken place. Regardless of how he redeemed himself later in life, at the age of around seventeen, which is old enough to know right from wrong, he willingly chose to become a death eater, knowing what that meant; that he would be serving Voldemort to help bring about this dark wizards vision of making muggles and muggleborns his inferiors. He and Lily may not have been friends at this stage, but given what we know about his decisions later on, he still cared about her, yet even so, he actively chose to help someone who would make her kind, and her, suffer. Now, we don't know exactly how long he was a death eater for, but given he probably joined after school and remained one until after he realised the prophecy meant Voldemort was going to kill Lily. So, at least a few years. Now, I find it difficult to believe that in that time, as a death eater, he did not personally kill or torture anyone. Im sure many who like his character would argue that there is no canonical proof of this, and they're right, but let's look at what we do know; Voldemort and his followers are dark wizards and witches whose tyrany leaves behind countless bodies. He is so cruel that not even his followers are safe from his wrath. Is it really possible then, that someone who ended up in his inner circle, did not partake in these acts? And in the unlikely scenario that he didn't, he was definitely aware of them. So at this point in time we are discussing someone who seemingly fully embraced the dark arts and the beliefs of Voldemort and his followers, someone who at the very least was aware of the deeds going on around him and unbothered by them enough that he continued to serve Voldemort, yet was more likely a murderer and torturer himself. Furthermore, he was now fighting on opposite sides of a war to the woman he 'loved'.

Then, he overhears the prophecy and tells it to Voldemort, as any of the other death eaters would've done, informing their master of information they believe useful, uncaring of the fact it will make an innocent person a target of the dark lord. That is until he realises that the target is Lily's son. So now he once again shows his selfishness and his disregard for others' lives except when it suits him by not caring if an innocent toddler dies, or if his school rivalry who once saved his own life dies, but only about Lily, the only person whose ever really shown him love. He intends for Voldemort to kill her husband and son, but spare her. I wonder what he expects to happen, did he think she'd gladly stand aside and let her family die? That she'd be okay with their deaths then happily run back into his open arms, not caring that he caused their deaths? Or maybe he didn't expect her to ever forgive him but he just couldn't bear the thought of the only person who ever cared about him dying, probably the most likely. Regardless, when she did what he should've expected, giving her life to save that of her sons, he finally decided to change sides. Guilt? Love for her? Regret? Some emotional process that ultimately left him deciding to honour her sacrifice and protect her son.

Using the term "love" when describing his feelings for her, I'll be honest, makes me somewhat uncomfortable. I can't see how all these previous events, how he could've become a death eater, if he really did love her. I just don't understand it. If you love someone you want them to be safe and happy, you don't join a maniac who wants to kill them and everyone like them. I know many people find it romantic, his 'devotion' to her even years after her death, but I just don't. To me his actions seem more like an obsession, he's clinging to the only person who ever showed him love and despite the fact she no longer seems to, that she's moved on with a life that doesn't include him, and then despite the fact she's no longer alive, he clings to her. Even from the snippets we see of their interactions while friends, he seems to me to come across as possessive and controlling, thinking of her more as his friend than as her own person. I won't deny I'm biased in my dislike of him, which is undoubtedly colouring my views, but nonetheless I don't think these points are baseless.

I would also like to add that in a different scenario, one where he hadn't called her a mudblood, I don't think things would've had any different results. We learn from his memories that their friendship is already becoming strained because of Snape's involvement with students who it is clear will end up as death eaters, and from what we learn about Lily she is no weak pushover, I find it hard to imagine she would remain friends with him once he continues to explore the dark arts and sets himself on the path to becoming a death eater. I also haven't mentioned how in his memories it often comes across like he 'plays the victim' to her. I just want to point this out, something I find manipulative and under handed, and adds to my dislike of the character.

Anyways, Lily is dead, Voldemort is gone and Snape has changed sides. Now, with Dumbledores encouragement, he vows to protect her son to honour her memory. Maybe, just maybe, we could almost call this noble, except that my above point still stands; I believe he did this more from the guilt of knowing he caused the death of the only person who ever showed him love and kindness than for any altruistic reasons. So we move on, years pass and once he finally meets Harry, he's cruel, treating him even worse than he does other students. Instead of showing kindness for the son of the woman he 'loved' he treats him even worse because he's the son of his school rival, and possibly he thinks its because of Harry that Lily is dead.

Now, however one might decide to excuse this behaviour, to argue it was difficult for him to see Harry who so resembled his father, who bullied Snape, but had the eyes of the "love of his life" (sarcasm), there is no excuse anyone can make that I will accept for an adult bullying an eleven year old child. Harry aside, what about his attitude to the rest of them? He was literally Nevilles worst fear. Just stop and think about that for a moment, a boy whose parents were literally tortured into madness by a death eaters worst fear was his teacher. That's actually sickening. He threatened to poison Nevilles toad if he didn't make a potion right, he made Hermione cry, insulted her looks (tooth lengthening thing during book 4) and did so many other cruel things, showing blatant favouritism to students in his own house. There is nothing, no tragic backstory, no redemption arc, that will ever make me change my opinion of someone who is so cruel to children, someone who takes a perverse pleasure in upsetting them, who uses his position of power to emotionally abuse vulnerable students in his care. It's disgusting.

That's my view on him, but let's move on. Harry progresses through school, Snape continues to be horrible and cruel. PoA when Sirius is captured Snape refuses to entertain the idea that he may be innocent, despite Dumbledore and Harry's insistence because he's so cruel, holds such a grudge against a childhood rival that he'd prefer for an innocent man to loose his soul than allow Sirius to walk free. When Snape is teaching Harry occlumency, instead of reaching deep inside himself and trying to show a hint of compassion or empathy for Harry while he goes through traumatic childhood memories of the Dursleys mistreating him (you would think he might be able to relate and show a hint of kindness) Snape remains as cruel as ever. We do however get our first hint at his past here, making us wonder about his actions, though I still don't find them justified. Even if James was a completely cruel bully without any reason and Snape was pure and innocent, the actions of his father are no reason for Snape to mistreat Harry. As an adult he should've had the emotional maturity to treat Harry as any other student and he should have had the human decency to treat all his students fairly.

Then Snape kills Dumbledore, we think he's a traitor, events go on, eventually we learn the truth; Snape's love for Lily, the prophecy, etc. This, I think, is where many come to think differently of him; the bravery it took him to turn against Voldemort, how difficult it must have been to act as a spy, how hard and traumatic it was to kill Dumbledore, how honourable and romantic it was to still love Lily decades after they'd stopped being friends, and these are all true, but I dont feel as if they redeem him. Yes, he risked his life, and yes he gave it for the 'greater good', as did many others. But at the end of the day, whatever respect he garnered for his actions, he still wasnt a nice person. I often say that people shouldn't be praised for doing the bare minimum, and that applies here, he shouldn't be made a hero just for doing what any decent character would have. He righted many of his wrongs yes, but if anything that only left him on even ground, not on a raised pedestal.

So that's what I think of him and why. There's no arguing he's an interesting and complex character, but at the end of the day, as I've said, anybody who can be as cruel as he was to children will never have my respect.

One last thing I want to adress is this; the parallels we can draw between Snape's character and Regulus Black. Now, we don't know a whole pile about Regulus, other than he was the younger brother of Sirius, he became a death eater and he died giving his life to try and weaken Voldemort.

Both Snape and Regulus had childhoods I do not envy, it seems both were fed beliefs of blood purity and were somewhat pushed into that life. From what I can gather, they both had cold, possibly cruel, upbringings. They were both probably lonely, especially when Snape's relationship with Lily and Regulus' relationship with Sirius respectively, dissolved seemingly leaving them with no other friends or support besides their fellow Slytherins, where pressure to support Voldemort was probably rife. We've discussed Snape's path to joining then abandoning Voldemort, we don't know much about Regulus'. Perhaps as Sirius thought he got in too far with Voldemort, got scared and wanted out, but this doesn't seem to fit with what we know about him stealing the locket. Perhaps he realised it was wrong, perhaps he'd only joined from fear and pressure and truly didn't want to hurt anyone, perhaps he didn't want to fight on the opposite side of a war to his brother. Regardless, he sacrificed himself to help take down Voldemort, he gave his life, without any glory because no one at the time knew about his sacrifice. Though we don't really know about the cause of his actions, he is a character I actually admire. So why do I like Regulus but hate Snape, despite the fact that they share so much of their story? I think, as I mentioned above, it comes down to a) his treatment of his students and b) the fact that Snape only changed sides for what I consider selfish reasons as I explained above.

In the end, I'm not sure if there's any argument anyone could make that would make me admire him, but if you're a fan of his feel free to try!

Please share your opinions in the reviews, I'm curios to see how people will agree or disagree with my views. I hope you found this interesting.