In light of the sadness we feel from losing the extraordinarily talented Alan Rickman, I would like to pay tribute to one of our favorite characters of all time – Professor Severus Snape. The sheerly sublime characterization of maybe the best love/hate characters to ever hit the silver screen will not soon be forgotten. The everlasting love that the Harry Potter world embraces for Alan Rickman can only be described in one word, “Always”.
With that in mind, I’d like to take this chance and reflect on just how marvelous of a teacher, friend, guardian, and (let’s face it) life coach Professor Snape was and will always be. Here’s why every 20-something needs some serious Snape in their life.
1. He never tolerated procrastination.
Severus was a powerful wizard himself, which only came from long years of practice. He knew that if the group was going to come together and defeat Lord Voldemort they would have to be the best. He continuously accused Harry of being lazy in order to motivate him to do better in his studies. That, and the fact that they were actually lazy teenagers. No doubt, it took infinite determination to keep Harry and Ron in line.
2. His love was stronger than anyone understood.
Snape fell in love with Lily Potter when they were just kids at Hogwarts. She accepted him even when the others teased him. She befriended him when they both felt like misfits, but no one could have predicted that Snape would still be in love with her for the rest of his life. He loved her so much that he was even able to mask his patronus charm into a doe, the same patronus formation as Lily, and guide Harry to the sword of Gryffindor. Everyone deserves that kind of love.
3. He did the difficult things that no one else would.
This man looked after Harry who was the son of the love of his life. Not by him mind you, Lily had Harry with James, a man that Severus despised for picking on him in school. He didn’t have to do this, but he did it because he loved Lily so deeply and he knew Harry was the key to destroying the most evil being in the world, Voldemort. Not to mention he knew that Dumbledore was sick and was going to be killed one way or another. So, he decided to take on the burden and in the process get a little closer to destroying Voldemort. That’s ultimate dedication if you ask me.
4. He didn’t care about other’s opinions.
Snape was unabashedly his own person 100% of the time. He would punish young wizards that were deserving and reward good ones when he felt like it. He absolutely knew that he was not the most liked staff member at Hogwarts, but he didn’t care. In fact, he went out of his way to let everyone know what a bad mamajam he was. If you weren’t scared of Snape at some point there is something seriously wrong with you.
5. He didn’t stray from his path.
Although Snape was forced to do some very diabolical acts, he still maintained his head on his shoulders and always kept the end goal in sight. He was not corrupted by the malice of Voldemort and his disgusting crew. He played all of them like a flute and not one of them, even the Dark Lord himself, was the wiser in the end.
6. He didn’t let anyone take advantage of him.
Of course, he helped those in need when it meant most, but he didn’t go out of his way to do things that weren’t beneficial. He didn’t coddle the students because he knew they were meant for bigger and better things and unfortunately, it was time for them to grow up. He also only showed up to meetings with the Dark lord when he knew he had to prove his allegiance. He never let anyone intimidate him…ever.
7. He kept his cool…most of the time.
Yeah, there were a few moments when he lost it, but when he did it was for a good reason. For the most part he was just kind of hanging out in the background or on the sidelines. He was saving people’s lives and didn’t even brag about it. No one ever knew what he was thinking or what he was feeling. Except that he had a burning hatred for Harry Potter, but I mean c’mon that’s a given.
8. He was the Half Blood Prince.
Harry stumbled across an Advanced Potion Making book that had the name Half-Blood Prince written inside. It also had quite a lot of helpful tips in it that helped Harry throughout the year. Turns out that was actually Snape’s book. Severus covered up the fact that his mother, Eileen Prince, was married to Tobias Snape who was actually a muggle – hence the half-blood. He refused to be treated like anything less than the commanding wizard that he was.
What are your favorite Severus Snape moments from the Harry Potter series? Tell us below!
