Foe

by Karla Aguirre

Created on: November 25, 2008   Last Updated: March 07, 2012

Before reading any further, you must be warned that if you have not read Deathly Hallows, or simply are one of the movie-only audience members that there will be spoilers. So if you don't want to have the adventure spoiled, you might want to move along. But if you know already how the story ends, you're more than welcome to continue reading. Now, Severus Snape former antagonistic force for Harry, and anti-hero. In the end he helped save Harry at the cost of his own life. But should that make him a friend to Harry? No, absolutely not.

From the very first day Harry Potter arrived to Hogwarts, Snape had nothing but a grudge toward the boy. He always made an effort to ensure potions class was miserable for him, and always seemed to favor Draco Malfoy. There were moments when Snape actually protected Harry, such as in the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone) when he was casting a counter-spell to keep him from meeting with disaster during a Quidditch game. Though initially it was thought Snape was trying to kill Harry. But that did not mean he treated Harry any better, and Harry didn't think too fondly of him in return.

But what made Snape treat Harry so poorly? If you've read Half-Blood Prince, then it's very easy to guess. Snape was bullied by James Potter and Sirius Black in his time as a student, and ironically defended by Lily Evans, the future Mrs. Potter. To make matters worse for him, he found himself in unrequited love as Lily formed a relationship with James and married. So these situations were enough to trigger a personal vendetta against James, by aiming his anger at Harry who resembles his father so much.

However, despite his strong dislike of the boy, he still went out of his way to protect him because he was Lily's son. Despite how things ended up for Snape, he still loved her and even became a double agent to protect her when the prophecy came up. It ended in tragedy because he couldn't protect Lily and he continued to hold James responsible. He was in deep inner turmoil, hating the boy and ensuring his safety.

In Half-Blood Prince, Snape murdered Dumbledore. At the same time, he spared Draco, who had nothing to do with the war other than being the product of his parents' alignment with Voldemort and bigotry, from committing murder. He was a snotty little brat, but far from being a cold-hearted killer. He had to choose between his parents, and taking someone's life. Snape made the sacrifice so Draco wouldn't have to. But whether it was planned or not, or for a noble cause, he still killed Dumbledore. Harry's lost enough, and this was the final straw. Dumbledore was not only someone Harry care about; he was a symbol of hope, strength, and courage against his worst enemy. His death took away all of that from Harry.

In the end, in Deathly Hallows, he protected Harry throughout the book and even sacrificed himself. But should that still convince Harry to see Snape as his friend? No. Snape was a great ally to have, but a terrible friend, because even years later he could not get over what James and Sirius did to him. It's basically a teacher bullying a student, because he doesn't like the parents. What kind of person does that? Is it right for someone to take their anger out on the children, when it's the parents are responsible for whatever caused the teacher to feel this way? All these years, Snape has punished Harry for something he didn't do, but for what his father did years before Harry was even a thought in his parents' mind. And that is why I believe Harry should not see Snape as a friend.

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