Severus Snape is one of the most secretive characters in the “Harry Potter” franchise. It wasn’t until the end that we saw whom his true allegiance lay with. We can’t deny that it was hard to look beyond his reserved, cold, and condescending demeanour most of the time. But in truth, he was one of the strongest and most loyal wizards in the universe. He was realistic and cared more about Hogwarts and its students than relish in heroic glory. Severus protected Harry and helped him overcome his obstacles from behind the stage through and through. Unlike others, Snape was the hardest characters to study and understand because of his layered personality. So, here are the 10 small details about Severus Snape that you missed in the movies.
Wise Teacher
Snape had been a good professor since the beginning of the series. It was naturally hard to see it that way considering how he made it difficult for Harry to survive in his Potions class. But it was later revealed in the seventh part in “Deathly Hallows” that Snape was a spy who had to earn the Death Eaters’ trust. He and Dumbledore had already anticipated Voldemort’s rise and being good to Gryffindor, especially Harry Potter wouldn’t have won the Death Eaters’ children.
Keeping aside his issues with Harry, Snape was an excellent teacher who knew his subject well. He was always targeting for his dream job as Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher but never contributed any lesser to his potions class. If we pay a little more attention to the small details, we can see how he always volunteered for night duties at the castle to protect the students.
Snape’s Patronus
A wizard’s Patronus is often the manifestation of their soul animal or of someone they truly love. For instance, Tonks’ Patronus had changed after she fell in love with Lupin in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. Similarly, we learnt at the end of the series that Snape’s Patronus was a doe, the same as Lily’s. Just as Harry said, “He loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children”. It was his doe that guided Harry to the frozen lake where he had hidden Godric Gryffindor’s Sword. In spite of his differences with Sirius, Snape used his doe to communicate with him at Grimmauld Place after Harry warned him about “Padfoot” at Umbridge’s office.
Constant Style
Every Potterhead is well-versed with how the characters’ appearances changed over the subsequent instalments. Harry and Ron grew their hair longer while Hermione got hers straightened and more elegant. The art and costume department had clearly put a lot of efforts into the wardrobe and styling. Professor Flitwick is the winner, as he went through the most bizarre transformation.
But it was only Severus Snape who looked constant throughout the franchise. It turns out that the costume department kept his signature long hair and black shoes and robes unchanged intentionally.
He Was Relatable
It was hard to comprehend Snape’s bitterness at the beginning of the series. But as we moved forward, he turned out to be the most relatable character. His depth was revealed layer by layer with every series until the end where we were exposed to his vulnerability. Unlike other fictional characters that are broken or messed up after a tragic event, Snape’s evolution was realistic. All the bully and heartbreak made him raw but composed and sharp.
Respectable Professor
There were plenty of characters at Hogwarts that we absolutely despised. Even Harry, Hermione, and Ron never shied away from showing their dislike towards characters like Draco Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge. In fact, the boys rebelled against Lockhart and Hermione was constantly mean towards Professor Trelawney. However, they never messed up with Snape, even though he always portrayed himself as a supporter of Voldemort. There was something about Snape’s personality that commanded respect.
Petunia Knew Snape
The woman we all disliked was Harry’s aunt, Petunia who treated her nephew miserably. She once mentions that Lily had befriended a boy as a kid who was a freak like her witch sister. Fans who have read the books and watched the movies thousand times know that Petunia wasn’t talking about James Potter but Snape. He had met both the sisters and almost spoke ill of her to Lily on the Hogwarts train in the books.
Extremely Introvert And Selective
Snape had never been great with socializing or expressing feelings, be it physically or verbally. It’s hard to imagine him as a touchy man who holds hands or hugs his friends. But if you notice carefully, he seemed more at ease and open whenever he was near Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall. Evidently, he only sat or stood closer to the people he trusted.
He Can Be Fun Sometimes
Everyone in the Wizarding world had their own ways of amusing themselves. Some cast playful magic spells and some play pranks on others. Clearly, a stoic man like Snape didn’t relish those things, but he did enjoy himself in different ways. Severus was pretty good at making cold and snarky remarks such as bowing to Dolores when she asked him to do something. He also enjoyed bullying Harry and making things hard for him in the potions class. It wasn’t a happy moment for Harry but Snape seemed to enjoy it.
His Most Difficult Times
The year of “Half-Blood Prince” was the most difficult year for Snape. He had to bury so many secrets in his heart and let his friends hate him. Dumbledore only trusted Snape with their plan to infiltrate Voldemort’s army, but that didn’t earn Snape anything. He was constantly trying to win the Death Eaters’ trust and at the same time endured hatred from Harry and everyone else even though he was trying to protect them. On top of all that, he had to kill Dumbledore and risk his life while staying close to Voldemort and protecting Harry. Harry may have named his son after Snape but the man deserved more recognition for his heroism.
Snape’s Tough Love For Harry
At the beginning of the series, all of us were convinced that Snape felt strong animosity towards Harry. But rewatching the movies after learning his truth showed us how he cared for the boy behind all those snide remarks. He legit covered Harry and his friends like a shield when Lupin’s animagus was about to attack them. And let’s not forget how he was trying to protect Harry against Quirrell’s spell at the Quidditch.
