Lucy J. M.

Ettawageshik I’m not trying to do MLA format

Wednesday, May 23 Don’t rip it or anything please

I wrote this from 5:36 p.m. - 9:16 p.m.

(p.s. I’m not joking I actually did)

Why Severus Snape Wasn’t a Hero

First of all, I’d like to start off with the fact that J.K. Rowling made excellent books, but
she needs to sort out her priorities. (haha I love quoting movies) She adores Snape, but is
oblivious to the character she created. Severus Snape had many, many faults, and that doesn’t
mean he didn’t do anything good. But, it just so happens that if you do so many unspeakably
terrible things, it doesn’t matter that you “protected” a child.
Many will claim that Snape protected Harry, but how much good did he do? Let’s see if
he did anything. 1st year: He saved Harry from falling to his death at a Quidditch match. Not too
shabby. I’m sure there’s more, but I’m not here to discuss how brilliant some think he was. If you
pay attention during the books, he progressively takes off house points from every Gryffindor for
the smallest reasons. For example, in 3rd year, he threatens to kill a child’s pet. He orders the
class to brew a potion, and since Neville just so happens to be dreadful at Potions, he decides
that he will feed his pet toad,Trevor the potion. Now, Snape knows that whatever Neville makes
will probably poison his toad, but he goes through with it anyway. Hermione however, helps him.
When Snape feeds Trevor the potion, and he doesn’t die, Snape takes off house points from
Hermione. He did some decent things for Harry, but the truth is that the real reason he protected
him was because he was feeling guilty about Lily. Now, you may think, oh, he was just keeping
up an act of being mean so that everyone doesn’t suspect he’s a double agent or whatever, but
that’s where you’re wrong.
Keeping up an act, you claim? For who? Dumbledore? Dumbledore never, not once,
said, “Hey, torture kids for 15 years because you had an obsession with a married woman. Also,
feel free to think that you’re entitled to her because she showed you friendship.” If you doubt
me, you can go check the books if you’d like. He doesn’t keep up an act. He doesn’t
purposefully act mean so that he won’t be suspected. He was always like that, even in his
school days. He wasn’t a double agent in school. If you’ll pay attention in The Order of the
Phoenix, it shows a flashback to fifth year in his days. James Potter is hanging him upside
down, and I’m not glorifying James’ actions, but when Snape was at his weakest, it showed his
true nature, and saved Lily from his obsession with her. James let him down when Lily said to,
but Snape says that he doesn’t need Lily’s help, and calls her a disgusting slur. Now, would you
call someone you supposedly “loved” (read: obsession) a slur? No, you wouldn’t, so you may
understand why Lily didn’t forgive him. In The Deathly Hallows, it shows a flashback to fifth year
again, but Snape is apologizing. She tells him to save his breath. You may say, ‘oh it’s a heat of
the moment thing, to insult someone you’ve known for 6 years’, but no. He voices that, and she
chews him out. The thing is, why wouldn’t he call her that? Everyone, that is to say,
muggleborns, are called that by his terrorist group that he joined when he was fifteen. He did
this to supposedly win back Lily’s affections, but I wouldn’t see why joining a genocidal group
that kills specifically your kind would make anyone swoon. You may say that things would be
different if Lily hadn’t died, but once you get in with Voldemort, there is no getting out. Snape
wouldn’t have been able to be there for Lily and Voldemort, and she would have hated him even
more for killing the Longbottoms. You can’t escape from Voldemort. This is proven in The
Deathly Hallows once again, when Kreacher tells Ron, Harry, and Hermione about Regulus
Black. How he joined the Death Eaters at sixteen, pressured by his mother, and when he
wanted out, he stole a Horcrux from Voldemort, and willingly drank an excruciating potion to
save his house-elf. He knew that eventually, the Death Eaters would come for him, so he died
on his own terms. So, whether Lily lives or not, Snape will always be an abusive bully that
doesn’t deserve Lily’s friendship.
On the subject of Lily, Snape was obsessed with her. Love is what many will call it, but
they, and you if you’re deluded enough to think that he was ever in love with her, are wrong.
Now, James Potter, on the other hand, he loved her. They had a relationship based on love, and
they got married and had Harry. It is undoubtable that they were in love, and their patronuses
showed it. Lily had a doe, and James had a stag. Two animals that complement each other.
However, what is Snape’s patronus? A doe. Imitation is not love. And when Snape shows
Dumbledore his patronus, he says ‘Always’. As in, he had always been infatuated with Lily, ever
since he met her. Lily’s death though, that is extremely sorrowful for him. That is, if he hadn’t
killed her, along with Peter Pettigrew. You see, he passed information to Voldemort about her
son, knowing that whoever was involved with the prophecy would die. There were only two
possibilities as to who would die, The Potters, or the Longbottoms. Still, Snape was willing to let
an innocent family die because of his obsession with a married woman. He knew the risk and I
bet he crossed his fingers that the Longbottoms would be murdered instead. However, in, you
guessed it, The Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore and Snape are discussing the Potters’ situation
shortly after Snape realizes that putting Lily at risk was just that, risky. Dumbledore asks Snape
if he had requested that Lily be spared, but her husband and son be left to die by Voldemort.
Snape actually asked for this. He asked to let a woman who had loved her husband and son
endlessly, to be spared by the darkest wizard imaginable. To let her family die because a
creepy, abusive, bully wanted her all to himself. ‘But he was protecting her!’ you claim. No. He
wouldn’t have protected her. He would have gotten an earful from Lily and she would be broken
beyond belief without the last people that she had left. Her parents had already died, otherwise,
Harry would have lived with them, and Petunia hated her. Voldemort’s supporters would have
killed her eventually, and Voldemort would probably still be in power if she hadn’t protected her
son. It is shown in another of Snape’s flashbacks before he dies that on the night the James and
Lily Potter died, he goes to their house, walks across the room, and ignores Harry’s tortured
screaming in his crib to clutch Lily’s lifeless body. This is most certainly a sign of obsession,
unhelpful, and creepy. Also, in The Deathly Hallows (I know, I know) Snape is shown rifling
through Sirius’ room, looking for something. He happens upon a letter written to Sirius , from
Lily, and at the bottom of the page, he ripped off her signature and love and pretended that love
was for him. He also ripped off the picture of her happy family to show just her and pretended
her laughter was his too. This entirely creepy gesture is shown how deep his obsession goes.
He plays pretend and thinks that he deserved her, but he didn’t. So no, Snape didn’t love Lily,
and even if he did, he has never shown that he would deserve her love or friendship.
My last reason proving how vile this ‘Slytherin hero’ is, is about Remus Lupin. A
constantly overlooked, shabby werewolf, and the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher
Harry ever had. We’ll focus on Remus’ werewolf aspect, and show just how Snape ruined his
life. Let’s start in their school days, shall we? Bullied by Snape in 5th year and up, Remus was
just a quiet, bookish boy that had a terrible secret. Snape had never liked Remus, but the
werewolf side of him inspired a deep loathing. The night Sirius revealed Remus’ identity to
Snape at the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack was the start of many feuds, and how Snape came
to owe James Potter for his life. Many years later, in Harry’s third year, Remus Lupin is hired for
the DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts, it’s getting tedious to type that so DADA will work for
now) job at Hogwarts. Remus’ new position infuriates Snape, and reminds him of his school
days. In the beginning of the year, the class focuses on boggarts. He tells them that they should
think of their greatest fear, and imagine it in a funny situation. Neville is up first, and Remus is
probably worried. He knows how Neville’s parents were tortured to insanity, and he knows that
there is no way to make torture funny. But, can you imagine his rage when instead of Frank and
Alice Longbottom, Severus Snape steps out of that closet? Severus Snape is supposed to be
responsible for these thirteen year old children, not be their greatest fear. The next part of
Remus’ tale starts the day after the full moon. Remus is incredibly ill and has Snape teach the
class. Snape purposefully makes the 3rd year students write on how to kill a werewolf. Imagine
coming back from a painful transformation to teach class next day and grading papers on how
you would be killed. Snape had made them write these so that someone would find out Remus’
identity and expose him. Remus is distraught, but Hermione, appropriately named the brightest
witch of her age in The Half-Blood Prince, discovers his secret, but keeps quiet. Fast forward a
few months, and after Peter and Sirius escape, respectively, Snape announces at the Great Hall
that Remus is a werewolf. Remus resigns, knowing that parents wouldn’t want a werewolf
teaching their children. But, something wasn’t taken account the day Hogwarts learned what he
was. When Snape told the school, he told the entire world. And in that world, there is a Dolores
Umbridge. In The Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Sirius in a cave in
Hogsmeade. He updates them about what he’s experienced in his life on the run, and tells them
about Remus. Remus is unable to find work because of a law passed two years ago. ‘What
happened two years ago?’ you might ask. Oh, well, Dolores Umbridge passed a law stating that
no werewolf would be allowed paid work. Why, pray tell, did she do that? Because Severus
Snape decided to tell the Wizarding World that Remus was a werewolf. When he told about
Remus and got him unemployed, he made sure every single werewolf in the Wizarding World
was unable to find work. All because Sirius wasn’t caught and kissed by a dementor like Snape
wanted.
In conclusion, Snape only protected Harry because he felt guilty, threatened to kill a
child’s pet, joined a genocidal terrorist group, was abusive towards children, was obsessed with
a married woman, was willing to kill a child and his father in the name of ”love”, plays pretend
and thinks he deserves Lily’s affection after calling her a slur, is a child’s greatest fear, makes
thirteen year olds write on how to kill their own teacher, and makes Remus Lupin unemployed
because of a law Snape inspired when he exposed him to the entire world as a werewolf. And
this paper is precisely why Snivellus is not a hero.

Amen sister!! -Ellie