The life of Snape. In his childhood, he was a scrawny boy with black hair that was too long and dirty, clothes that fit him poorly — jeans that were too short, a shirt that was some oddly styled smock, a tattered coat that was obviously an adult’s. His face was sallow, and he was short and frail. Just from appearances alone, he was not a likable child, and coupled with his cowardice, timidity, and oddity, even fewer people liked him. (—Of course, being unhealthy-looking and poorly dressed wasn’t his fault; it only showed that his misfortune began in childhood.)
Since he was young, his parents’ endless quarrels were his nightmare, his shadow. This kind of quarreling generally leads to two outcomes: either the child grows up not believing in love and rejecting marriage, or he desperately craves love. Poor as he was, he was clearly the latter. Of his roughly forty years of life, nearly three-quarters were entangled in his love for Lily.
In his heart, he believed pure wizard blood was noble, yet he himself was a half-blood of Muggle and wizard, which left him unable to find his place. Eventually, under extreme self-loathing, he adopted the seemingly arrogant way of calling himself the “Half-Blood Prince” to assert himself. He was extraordinarily gifted in Potions and had a deep interest in the Dark Arts, in which he was also quite accomplished. Voldemort was his idol, and this could be seen as his pursuit and commitment in his career. But because of this, he offended the woman he loved, causing her to break with him and ultimately turn to the Potter he hated most. From then on, he turned his grief into strength, wanting to accomplish something great, and so he devoted himself loyally to Voldemort to realize his ideals and ambitions. Therefore, when he heard Professor Trelawney’s prophecy about his idol, he immediately told his Lord Voldemort — never imagining that he would thereby lose the woman he loved forever, and afterward bear the shackles of his soul, spending his whole life in remorse and self-blame.
Perhaps to atone, perhaps for revenge, he was forced to play the “villain,” to be a spy, and later even to kill Dumbledore, letting everyone misunderstand him.
In his self-blame, he chose to unconditionally and forever protect Lily’s child — the boy with Lily’s eyes. Perhaps being able to look into Lily’s eyes was a kind of happiness for him, but those eyes were on his nightmare, “Potter,” tormenting him endlessly.
Most outrageous of all (the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore) —
“I spied for you, I lied for you, I put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything I did was to protect Lily Potter’s son. And now you tell me you’ve been raising him to slaughter him like a pig—“
In love, Snape had a secret crush on that little girl from the age of nine or ten. The two had originally become best friends (see Chapter 33, “The Prince’s Tale,” in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows —), but they diverged because of differences in friendships, careers, and their sense of right and wrong. In a moment of carelessness, Snape called Lily a “Mudblood,” and the heartbroken Lily realized the irreconcilable conflict between herself and her best friend, and chose to stand on the side of her own house. But no matter how Lily saw him, he regarded Lily as his true love.
For Lily he betrayed his career and his beliefs; for her he endured humiliation, willingly bore infamy, and went almost his entire life misunderstood by everyone; for her he protected that detestable child, Potter.
Snape shouted: “Expecto Patronum!”
From the tip of his wand burst a silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded, he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. Snape held Lily’s body and wept bitterly, with little Harry on the left. “After all this time?” “Always.”
……
“Snape folded the page signed by Lily and tucked it into his robes, then tore the photograph he was holding in two, keeping the half with Lily’s smile and throwing the half with James and Harry back onto the floor beneath the cupboard…” (—a childish gesture)
Even his last words before death turned out to be: look…at…me — only because of those eyes like Lily’s, fulfilling his “always,” forever.
Even his death seemed utterly meaningless — Voldemort mistakenly believed that only by killing him could he truly use the Elder Wand —
“The last trace of color drained from his face, and at the same time his black eyes widened abruptly. The snake’s fangs pierced his neck. He struggled in vain to break free of the magical cage around him, then his knees buckled and he fell to the floor.”
— Dying so miserably, so silently?!
“Besides blood, something else was leaking from Snape. Silvery-blue, neither gas nor liquid, it poured from his mouth, his ears, and his eyes” (tragic and heroic)
With the last bit of strength before death, he left the truth behind. Those memories surged out from everywhere — not only because his life was ending, but also because this was the only chance in his entire life to speak the truth and his innermost feelings.
- The above is excerpted from Baidu Baike
I excerpt this article solely to commemorate the conclusion of many years of HP. Last night I went to see the final film. And so everything has come to a full stop, leaving behind the legend of Severus Snape.