Among the many colorful characters in the Harry Potter series, one who gets a particularly interesting story arc is Severus Snape, yet his Deathly Hallows redemption was hinted at long before the final installment. Snape is first introduced as Hogwarts’ Potions professor, characterized by his greasy black hair and dark countenance. Notably, he seems to have it out for Harry, and is cruel to just about every student he meets. As the series progresses, Snape’s behavior only worsens, and the rise of Voldemort in Goblet of Fire makes him even more dangerous. Yet, his true nature eventually comes to light.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry discovers that Snape was acting as a double agent throughout the series. Although he presented himself as a Death Eater, loyal to Voldemort, he was actually working for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. More than anything, Snape’s motives had to do with his love for Lily Potter. The feelings he had for her led him to protect Harry over the years. While this twist definitely came as a surprise to Harry, and his readers, the series actually hints at Snape’s real character all the way back in the first book.
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone Told Us Snape Could Be Trusted, 9 Years Before Deathly Hallows
Snape Did A Good Job Covering His Tracks
Long before Snape’s true motives were divulged in Deathly Hallows, his goodness was revealed in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Throughout the first book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect that Snape is behind some evil plan involving the legendary Sorcerer’s Stone. After getting past Fluffy and winning a death-defying game of chess, Harry goes on to discover that Professor Quirrell is the real villain. As it turns out, Snape was not only innocent but actually made attempts to stop Quirrell throughout the novel. In this moment, Harry Potter shows audiences that Snape is someone we can trust.
Of course, Harry and most readers did not pick up on this rather large hint. Mainly, this is because Snape reverts to his nasty ways right after Sorcerer’s Stone. He continues bullying his students and displaying odd behavior. By Order of the Phoenix, it seems clear that Snape is firmly on Voldemort’s team. He even claims that his attempts to stop Quirrell were based on the fact that he didn’t know Voldemort was connected to Quirrell. Eventually, we learn that this was all a ploy, but for six books, it seems realistic.
Snape’s Harry Potter Arc Made It Hard To Trust Him Even After Book 1’s Twist
Snape Isn’t A Perfect Hero
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone basically lays out the blueprint for Snape’s character arc, yet even then, the series succeeds at keeping readers on their toes. The first book shows us that Snape is someone to trust, despite his suspicious behavior. However, Harry’s dislike of the Potions professor never ceases, and thus, readers struggle to trust him as well. Plus, as previously mentioned, Snape doesn’t really help his case. He plays the double agent role very well. Despite his attempts to stop Quirrell, his mean nature overshadows any of the good deeds he does early on.
Arguably, Snape’s personality makes him more of an antihero than a true hero. While it is true that Snape was really on Harry’s side throughout the series, that doesn’t really excuse the cruelty he enacted towards his students. Snape never truly cared for Harry, just his mother, who actually rejected his advances several times. On top of that, Snape couldn’t actually prevent Quirrell from getting the Sorcerer’s Stone; Harry did that. Therefore, Snape’s redemption arc is imperfect, despite what Sorcerer’s Stone sets up. This is what makes him a somewhat divisive character among readers.
Hermione Continuously Reminded Us Of Harry’s Bias When It Came To Draco & Snape
Draco Deserved A Redemption Like Snape’s
Another way that Harry Potter hinted at Snape’s heroism is through Hermione. The Harry Potter books are narrated through the eyes of Harry, which makes some elements of the story unreliable. For example, Harry’s hatred of Snape makes readers hate Snape too. However, Hermione is often framed as the voice of reason among the Golden Trio, and throughout the series, she reminds Harry that he is biased against characters like Snape and Draco. In particular, she points out that Snape may be an uncaring man, but Dumbledore trusts him, and that says something.
As explained above, Snape had the power to be less awful to his students, but Draco’s cruelty is more understandable because of his age and upbringing.
As we can see after Deathly Hallows, Hermione was right about Snape and Draco. Snape was a good guy all along, and Draco proved that he could change when he pretended he didn’t recognize Harry when he was being held hostage by Bellatrix. It actually would have been nice to see Draco get even more of a redemption arc, like Snape’s. As explained above, Snape had the power to be less awful to his students, but Draco’s cruelty is more understandable because of his age and upbringing. Draco deserved more of an opportunity for forgiveness in Harry Potter.
The Deathly Hallows’ Ending Was The Perfect Mirror Of Sorcerer Stone’s Snape Story
Snape Is One Of Harry Potter’s Most Complex Characters
All in all, Sorcerer’s Stone really gave audiences the key to Snape’s character several years before his official Deathly Hallows redemption arc, and that kind of subtle storytelling is quite impressive. It is moments like these, where readers can use hindsight to reevaluate characters, that make Harry Potter so fun to revisit. It will be interesting to see how HBO’s Harry Potter reworks Snape’s character; he could be just as awful as he is portrayed in the books or could perhaps appear more sympathetic. Either way, it will be nice to see the character make on-screen once again.
Snape is by far one of the most complex and interesting characters in Harry Potter, while also being the most divisive. Snape toes the line between good and evil in a way that can only be rivaled by Dumbledore. It is because of this that some readers love Snape, while others can do without him. However, regardless of personal opinions, there is no doubt that Snape is given a special story in the Harry Potter novels.
Harry Potter
- Created by
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J.K. Rowling
- First Film
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
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Harry Potter
- Cast
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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen
- TV Show(s)
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Harry Potter
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