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Summary
The Snape and Lily twist was one of the greatest shocks that theHarry Potterseries had to offer , but young knowledge of that relationship gleans further insights . Snape ’s hatred of Harry is an essential element of the overall story and Snape ’s character . It fostered confusion among audience and reader about Snape ’s true loyalty and made his silent heroism all the more surprising . Only Alan Rickman knew of this twist before the finalHarry Potterbook hit the viewpoint , leading to some challenging represent choices .
While manythings do n’t make sense about Snape , legion secret were conclude when it was revealed Snape was Lily ’s childhood friend , was deep in beloved with her , unknowingly orchestrated her death , and turn undercover agent for the Order of the Phoenix as penance for his law-breaking . The films do n’t provide a lot of information about Snape and Lily , and some of the finer points about their friendly relationship come through subtextual information . There ’s more behind the iconic phrase"Always,“and even more masses did n’t live about Snape and Lily .
The timeline of Severus Snape ’s life is full of disaster , and though he was never fully good or bad , his story provides the foot of Harry Potter .
Harry’s Presence Tortures Snape
Harry Potter Reminds Snape Of Lily
From the moment Harry meet Snape at only 11 year old , it’sabundantly clear that the potion schoolmaster does n’t care him . Harry does n’t understand why Snape is so awful to him , and this unearned anger make viewer to sympathise with the innocent first - year student without questioning if there ’s something else going on beneath the surface . It ’s not until the final moments of the last movie that everything becomes clean .
Though Snape and Lily were only admirer , Snape was in dearest withLily and could n’t move on because of his guiltiness . Through his memories , it ’s revealed that he was upset about Harry ’s future when Lily and James died and that he was afraid of seeing Harry when he was onetime enough to attend Hogwarts . He can hardly bear to see Harry daily , being remind of Lily and everything he suffer , specially regard that Harry had the same eye as his mother . Still , it ’s no alibi for how he treats the new son who has also lost so much .
Snape Is Unable To Move On From The Past
Snape Can’t Forgive Himself
Something thatHarry Potter lover do it about Severus Snapefrom the books is that he is constantly last in the past times . Snape shin to let go of the yesteryear , which is obvious in Snape ’s constant comparisons between Harry and his father , his unmitigated hatred toward Lupin , and his mistreatment of Sirius when the two are operate in the rules of order together . Grief and mourning are normal and healthy , but even Dumbledore is surprised to memorise that Snape still loves Lily " after all this sentence . "
While it ’s truly unknown how a late in life Snape and Lily conversation would ’ve played out , if Lily could verbalize to Snape , she probably would have desire him to be happy , and , if that meant moving on , then she would have advised him to try . Instead , Snape harbors his feelings for her and tend to his guilt and grudges in a very unhealthy manner .
Snape Chose The Double Life Because Of Lily’s Death
Snape’s Love For Lily Led His Decisions
Throughout the series , it ’s unclear who Snape underpin — Voldemort and the Death Eatersor Dumbledore and the rescript of the Phoenix . The rationality Snape and Lily ended their friendship was his moving to the dark side . He spreads his devotedness between both visible radiation and dark , but , after he bolt down Dumbledore , it ’s revealed this was all arranged . After Lily ’s death , Snape firmlymakes up his idea that he wo n’t fend for Voldemort , and he want to stop him . He goes to Dumbledore , and Snape becomes a spy .
Snape’s Redemption Isn’t Entirely Admirable
Snape Isn’t A Pure Hero
No matter what understanding Snape has for behave the agency he does , it does n’t excuse his behavior . Not only does he bully Harry and judge to make his meter at Hogwarts miserable , but he also attempt to turn Harry against his founder . He often bad - mouths James because he catch everything he wished for himself . There ’s no denying — not even Harry could deny it — that James and Sirius mercilessly bullied the potions sea captain at Hogwarts .
Perhaps there ’s truth to Snape ’s complaints , but James must have had redeem qualities for Lily to love him . Still , his redemption electric arc does n’t excuse or explain his appalling treatment of Harry .
Snape & Lily Were Neighbors
This Is How Their Friendship Developed
Snape and Lily were best friendsat Hogwarts , but they fulfil before that . As shown inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 , the two were originally neighbors , with Snape hailing from the haywire side of the tracks . As per his memory board , he had a crush on Lily long before they officially run into .
This is even more apparent in the book , but nonetheless , it adds another bed of dynamic and suggests that they see one another more often than what ’s draw . Petunia even accused him of spying on them when the sister played together . When Lily found herself by chance practicing magic , Snape emerged , and the two presently became protagonist .
Lily Only Ever Saw Snape As A Friend
The Attraction Was Always One Sided
As much as people romanticize Snape ’s infatuation with Lily , the fact she did not bonk him back romantically is ignore . The fact Snape and Lily were only friends , and she only saw it as such , break a lot about his refusal to observe her bounds . It seems his love was an ongoing compulsion with her that lasted long after her death . This is endure by his sullen insistence that James was to charge for everything wrong . Had he mourn Lily and moved on without declare on to his grudges , it would have been much more toothsome .
Snape Taught Lily About Magic Before Hogwarts
Snape Was Instrumental In Lily’s Skills
One of the most interesting matter about the Snape and Lily relationship was that Snape was to Lily as Hagrid was to Harry , asit was Snape who teach Lily all about Hogwarts and the Wizarding World . Lily hails from a family of muggles and never get laid that the Wizarding World existed until Snape explained things to her . He was her first wizarding friend and her origination into the magical world that became her home .
Severus Snape turned out to not be the villain everyone believed , and there were clues to this throughout the Harry Potter saga .
Like Harry , she entered the humanity with no knowledge about thaumaturgy , think it to be pure fantasy , and Snape civilize her about the IN and outs of what it imply to be a witch . Lily was often hail as one of the brightest hag of her eld , and some of that may be due to the noesis she received from the bright yet sullen half - line prince .
Snape Never Insulted Harry About His Mother, Only His Father
Snape Only Ever Hated James Potter
As Harry ’s professor , Snape takes merciless delectation in tormenting the son Who Lived , mocking everything from his fame to his scar . One of Snape ’s favorite jab to make was regarding the arrogance and insufferable nature of Harry ’s father , James — and that Harry was just like him . Harry had no way of knowing his father was a contender of his first - twelvemonth potions master , and , even if he had know , it would n’t have made it any more bearable for a untried boy who barely even lie with his parent .
Upon a rewatch or a reread of theHarry Potterseries , audience immediately point out that Snape only ever targets Harry ’s father , never say a word about Lily . Snape never insulted Lily in front of Harry , which is a huge clew to the Snape and Lily family relationship , and foreshadows why he annoy to ever help the boy in the first place .
Snape Only Cradles Lily’s Body In The Movie
Snape Only Cared About Lily’s Death
Audiences may not know thatSnape did not arrive at the Potters ' homeinGodric ’s Hollow in the book , which means the Snape and Lily scene where he cradles Lily ’s body is only in the flick , making Snape seem appealing . It also name into query what he did with Harry . He does n’t lift him or deliver him to the Dursleys . It ’s possible he aid in some other path . While the time focuses on his regret , it uses Lily ’s death to produce his character . It impart a level of heart the book version of Snape does n’t have .
Lily Is A Part Of Snape’s Worst Memory
Lily Still Haunts Snape
While it ’s never expressly stated , the Snape and Lily relationship is key to understanding why the retentiveness Harry view in the pensieve inOrder of the Phoenixearned themoniker of Snape ’s " worst retentiveness . “Though she may be the love of Snape ’s lifespan , Lily also stay a self-aggrandizing part of Snape ’s worst retentivity , though her part in it was cut from the feature flick . When he recalls being bullied by James and the other Marauders , Lily is right there in the background and comes to his refutation .
Throughout their relationship , she ’s either fight back James or awkwardly involve Snape not to charge him for it . However , there are times when she defends Snape , which may be even more demeaning for the young Slytherin . Toward the end of the retentivity , Lily comes to Snape ’s defense , and he rebuffs her and calls her a Mudblood . This is efficaciously what finish their friendship for good , as divulge in the books , which is why it ’s Snape ’s bad memory , not that he was being bullied .
Lily Was The Reason Snape Protected Harry
Snape Felt He Owed Lily After Her Death
For years , Snape spends endless amount oftime on the Q.T. protecting The male child Who Livedwhile also despising him , going as far as swagger him in socio-economic class and grading him poorly . For Harry to name his child after Snape , he had to look up to the man , and much of that wonderment comes from the realization that Snape was protecting Harry all along .
From counter - cursing Quirrell to feed Voldemort false data , Snape worked intemperately every mean solar day to ensure Harry ’s safety , perhaps more than any other somebody . Even as Voldemort seemed to be advance and Dumbledore die on , Snape exert his secrecy and devotion to the nestling he ’d helped become a objective , compromise his prophylactic to assure Harry ’s , something that never would ’ve happened without the tragic Snape and Lily relationship .
Snape & Lily Stayed Best Friends Until Fifth Year
Snape & Lily Never Broke Until Late In Their School Careers
Snape and Lily were inseparable Friend who only part ways in their 5th year when he took a turn down a coloured path , choose topursue the Dark Arts against her wishes , calling her a Mudblood in front of everyone when she come to his aid , and in effect aligning himself with the raise crowd of young Death Eaters . Though Lily and James did n’t protrude dating until seventh year , that may also be the year Lily responded favorably to James ’s advance .
That ’s a farsighted friendly relationship to fling after so much meter place in one another , which points not only to how earnestly Snape must have claim the Dark Arts but also how powerfully Lily objected to them . Friend typically do n’t give each other ultimatum , but , in the case of trade good versus evil , one might see why Lily cut off someone who was once so dear to her .
Snape Tried To Get Voldemort To Spare Lily
Snape Wanted To Save Lily From His Dark Master
As soon as Snape discovers that the information he passed on to his beloved Dark Lord led to the woman he loved , he begs his master to spare her biography . This , ironically , is the moment that saved Harry ’s life , where Lily chose instead to give herself to protect her infant . It does tramp a darker shade on the Snape and Lily dynamic , however , that Snape was willing to see her married man and nipper dead if it think of he could have her .
The Harry Potter movies changed several details about Snape ’s destruction , and one of these insidious differences completely contradicted the conniption ’s determination .
Snape ’s request , although ultimately ignore by Voldemort , is important not only because it point to how much he cares about Lily , but that , in those few seconds , he also unknowingly helps to save Harry ’s life , because if Lily was n’t given the option to save herself , the swearword would n’t have rebounded . It technically would n’t count as a " sacrifice " if Voldemort was already planning to shoot down her anyway , so Lily ’s choice to go bad made all the difference .
Lily Married Her Best Friend’s Bully
James Potter Was Always A Bully To Snape
When Harry discovers that James is just as chesty and signify as Snape had claim , it ’s a footling startling , to say the least . This revealing is something that Harry wrestles with inOrder of the Phoenix , but is n’t research in the pic . Throughout the Holy Scripture , the differences between James and Snapes ' upbringings are blunt and made wholly absolved . James grow up in an affluent and loving home , whereas Snape populate surrounded by poverty and abuse .
Hogwarts is fundamentally a eminent school populated by adolescent , but , after only find James as a seemingly responsible adult , it ’s jar to see him as a silly teenager . Perhaps Lily eventually knocked some sense into her future husband , but it does n’t commute the fact that she wed the person who bullied her best booster . It also seems that Snape never let go of his thorniness about his youthfulness , and his inability to move on is a key element in the Snape and Lily relationship .
Snape & Lily Were Both Aces At Potions
Snape & Lily Had A Lot In Common
If audiences wonder why Snape and Lily were friends at all , especially given her kindness and his cruelty , they can see beyond the law of proximity of being neighbors and echo that both Hogwarts students were fantastic at Potions . Snape , the famous Half - Blood Prince , created many amazing potions of his own , in accession to tweaking existing potions to improve them .
Horace Slughorn , who adore Harry ’s mother , ofttimes and fondlyrecalled Lily ’s extraordinary potion - brewing abilitiesas she , too , was an honorary member of the Slug Club . Perhaps they had Potions together , and maybe they even serve one another in their shared pastime .
Snape Wouldn’t Take No For An Answer
Snape Was Obsessed With Lily
More distressful expression of the Snape and Lily kinship come from Snape ’s unmortgaged feelings of ownership toward her . Not only did Snape ignore that Lily did n’t return his feelings and begrudge her selection after he was emotionally scurrilous to her , but he also blamed James for his behavior . This want of personal obligation is an inauspicious cliché that may have been a factor in Lily ’s unwillingness to reciprocate Snape ’s betterment .
There are more cardinal conversations betweenSnape and Lily in the Word that are n’t in the filmsthat support this . For example , in one memory Harry view , Snape and Lily are talking , and he bring up that James " fancy " her , butSnape wo n’t " countenance her " before Lily truly cuts him off . Perhaps because of incidents in his concluding years — from being borderline coerced by Dumbledore to plain living a miserable dual agent animation — he was still miserable that he ’d never " mother " Lily , whom he mourned even after he sold her out .
Petunia Knows About Lily’s Relationship With Snape
Snape’s Obsession Was No Secret
Though it ’s a quick moment , there’sa shot of young Petunia in Snape ’s memoriesthat he gives to Harry . She ’s suspicious of him , perhaps knowing he ’s of magical ancestry , but she ’s also jealous Lily is run away to become a beldame . In any case , Petunia warns Snape off and want him to stop pass so much time with Lily . Perhaps Petunia is disquieted about lose her sister , and she ’s worried that her already limited time with her is being taken up by Snape ’s visit . The Snape and Lily relationship get more attention in the books .
The Harry Potter film dealership changed the ages of many of its characters , including Severus Snape , whose age makes him that much harder to ransom .
Petunia ’s a much prominent part of it . After the three sports meeting , Petunia later confront Snape and Lily in the woodland which ends with Snape " accidentally " using his magic to cause a tree branch to fall on her . One key thing even book fans may have missed is that when Petunia explained what Dementors were to Harry inOrder of the Phoenix , she take she get wind Lily and " that awesome son " talking about them . Many assumed Petunia meant James , but she was talking about Snape .
Snape Chose The Dark Arts Over Lily
Snape Turned Dark Because Of Lily’s Rejections
No matter how much love there was in the Snape and Lily friendly relationship and all he did for her , from protecting her minor to sacrificing his lifespan to serve the ordering , he stillultimately choose the Dark Arts over the cleaning woman he loved . This is a spot of division among fans , but the world is that he ’s a complicated and blemished man who reflects dead on target humankind . However , one ca n’t deny the fact that he chose dark despite Lily ’s warnings .
When he ’s still young , he followsthe convoluted path of many Slytherinsby becoming a Death Eater and supporting Voldemort , furthering his watershed from Lily .
Dumbledore Only Trusted Snape Because Of Lily
Dumbledore Used Snape’s Grief
Harry questions Dumbledore ’s trust in Snape , but it is actually because of the Snape and Lily relationship that Dumbledore fully trusts his undercover agent . Dumbledore , a role just as flawed and human as Snape , used his love for Lily to make Snape a ready double agentfor the Order of the Phoenix . However , this secrecy was all at Snape ’s request , as Dumbledore was even discombobulate as to why Snape did n’t want the great unwashed to see the " good of him . "
Had Harry known why Dumbledore trusted Snape so completely , it in all probability would have made him detest the man even more — at least , until he became full aware of the prof ’s sacrifice .
Snape Hated Lily’s Family
Petunia Hated Snape
While it ’s clear that Petunia does n’t like Snape , it ’s not quite as clear how he feels about her in the films . Likely a result of her jealousy , Petunia would taunt Snape and Lily , demand that Lily not be Snape ’s ally . Snape , who found Petunia and presumably other Muggles ( and Squibs ) repugnant , given his propensity for the Dark Arts , despise her and advised Lily to not wish about what her sister thought .
Whilethe films cut Petunia ’s self-aggrandising Wizarding World secret , the books excuse that she was desperately jealous of the pair . Snape ’s hatred toward Muggles credibly also stemmed from his moral force with his father , which was abusive .
Snape & Lily Have The Same Patronus
Snape & Lily Share Magical Signs
In the Wizarding World , sharing someone ’s Patronus is as sure a sign of love as anything . Though Lupin ’s Patronus is unknown , Tonks ' was a wolf , which say something about their bond . The same is true of Snape and Lily , who are does . James ' Patronus is a hart , which he shares with Harry . Thus , all four of them — Harry , James , Lily , and Snape — share the same Patronus . This is ironic , as it also means that Snape ’s Patronus was not only the same as his bully ’s , but it was the same as Harry ’s , as well .
The Last Thing Snape Saw Was Lily’s Eyes
Snape Saw Lily In His Death
TheSnape and Lily relationship is a tragic one , and Snape ’s dying words to Harry only highlight his ruefulness . As Snape lies dying from Nagini ’s calamitous bites , he throw Harry his last memories and enjoin his terminal words:“Look at me . “It may be mix up at first , but consultation have to remember one very crucial particular — Harry had Lily ’s eyes .
Everything about Harry ’s appearance came from James , except his green middle , which were read by everyone Harry run into to be the same as Lily ’s . In essence , Snape ’s give way wish was to take care into Lily ’s eyesone final time before he passed on inHarry Potter .
