Severus Snape in Harry Potter
At first, I despised this cold, unpleasant character, who spent his time putting spokes in the wheels of Harry and his friends. And above all, he was a Slytherin, and even their boss!
And my dislike for him only grew when he murdered Dumbledore and openly joined Voldemort’s side. However, as we learn in the final installment of the series, Snape was far from being the traitor we thought he was. He was actually on the side of the heroes all along.
Dumbledore’s murder by Snape’s hand was just a ploy they had both set up to allow Snape to gain Voldemort’s trust in order to infiltrate his camp. In any case, Dumbledore was doomed to die since the Gaunt’s horcrux ring had burned his hand.
We also learn that Snape had done everything to protect Harry from the start because he represents the only thing left of Lily Potter, Harry’s mother, whom Snape loved.
It is no coincidence that, at the end of the saga, Harry himself says that Snape is the bravest man he has ever known in his life.
Despite his apparent coldness and contempt, he was actually a sensitive and caring character. Which goes to show that, once again, we must be wary of appearances. This is what makes this character so interesting.
And I salute the performance of Alan Rickman, who was able to brilliantly embody this complex character on screen.