"Always"

The ending of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is perhaps the most controversial portion of the series as a whole. I’m personally a fan of the ending and am particularly fond of “The Prince’s Tale,” which is my favorite chapter of any of the books. I love Snape as a character, and I always wondered if Rowling was concealing information about him that may or may not change readers’ perceptions of him. His history with Lily Evans and consequential protection of Harry adds an entirely new facet to his character — one that makes sense and enhances Snape as a character.

In this chapter, we see how much Snape truly loves Lily; upon learning about Lily’s death, Snape wishes he himself were dead, and his patronus still takes the form of a doe. “From the tip of his wand bust the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window” (687).

We had an interesting conversation in class about whether or not Snape loves Harry, and I see this chapter in particular as proof that he does — if for no other reason than the fact he is Lily’s son. “‘ I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter — ’” (687). Throughout the series, Rowling has been shaping Snape as a particularly multifaceted character, and the ending of the series reveals just how much depth Snape carries with him in both his past and present.