Throughout reading the Harry Potter series I have always been intrigued by the character of Severus Snape. JK Rowling has revealed very little about him when you compare it to how much we know about other characters. Snape is still shrouded in mystery which makes his character a great source of debate.
I have always believed Snape to really be on Dumbledore's side. Snape has committed so many ambiguous acts it is easy to think that he is really a cunning triple agent for the dark side. Most notably, he is the one that killed Albus Dumbledore and it is very difficult to believe in his goodness.
There is one argument I will concede to the 'Snape's evil' side and that is that he is nasty. Snape's treatment of the students of Hogwarts would have gotten him thrown out of the profession of teaching in any place but the magic world. As a teacher myself I know that humiliation is a tactic that should never be applied to your students. However, despite the fact that this makes Snape an unpleasant human being it does not prove he's evil.
My theory about Snape is that he is hateful and cruel because he has been embittered by the fact that he has sacrificed his entire life for a cause bigger than himself. He has been a double agent for more than a decade. He was never able to let his guard down which is one of the reasons he is so alone. The biggest key to any successful relationship is trust and honesty and these are things that Snape has not had the luxury of enjoying. In his position you cannot afford to have anyone you care about because they could be used against you.
Voldemort is known to be a powerful legillimens and for Snape to sustain himself all these years it must mean that he too is an excellent legillimens. The effort it must take to hide everything you really think and feel is probably extremely draining never mind doing that for almost twenty years!
I believe that Dumbledore was the only one in the world Snape that knew who Snape really was and what he's done for the good side. The hardest thing Snape has had to do in his life would be killing Dumbledore. Not only did he have to kill him he had to pretend to be happy about it. Snape has no refuge. In the presence of the Death Eaters and Voldemort he must play the part and therefore never has the luxury to mourn the death of a mentor and friend.
Snape, if my theory is correct will come out being the ultimate hero of this story. He has lived a life that is not his own in order to make the world better for everyone else. He has made the biggest sacrifice of all.
Harry will succeed in saving the world from Voldemort and he will go on to have a life of his choosing. I don't believe Snape will ever have that luxury. Sadly, I think his reward for his sacrifice will be that he loses his life and Harry will probably get all the credit and Snape will be seen as the ultimate traitor. If Harry learns anything from this experience I hope it is that he gives Snape the credit he deserves for his sacrifice.
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