Harry Potter: 24 Crazy Revelations About Snape And Lily’s Relationship

From shared interests to their surprisingly awful behavior toward one another, Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter had a complicated relationship.

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“Always.” It’s a word that fans of Harry Potter love to invoke as a romantic refrain, remembering their favorite anti-hero with fondness and respect for his many years of servitude to the Order of the Phoenix, pivotal role in the Order’s success, and of course, his devotion to one Lily Evans Potter.

Some fans remained skeptical about Severus Snape, even after learning that he’s essentially a double agent. His “love” for Lily may be easily perceived as an unhealthy obsession, and even worse, he unfairly projects the resentment and jealousy he feels towards Lily and James onto Harry. For the first six installments of the series, it’s hard to believe that Snape is trying to protect Harry because he loved his mother, but when Harry learns the truth, a lot of interesting revelations come to light.

Updated on March 18th, 2021 by Svetlana Sterlin: Even after the release of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, doubt remains for those who found Snape’s pursuit of Lily less than romantic. He chose the Dark Arts over his friendship with Lily after she made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with that path. Yet he continued to care for her and even protected her son long after he lost her. “It’s complicated” doesn’t even begin to cover the relationship between Lily and Severus. Between their shared interests and their surprisingly awful behavior toward one another, a lot can be learned about their bond.

24 Harry’s Presence Tortures Snape

From the moment Harry meets Snape in the films, it’s clear that the Potions Master doesn’t like him. Harry doesn’t understand why Snape is so awful to him, and viewers can only sympathize with the innocent First Year. It’s not until the final moments of the last movie that everything becomes clear.

Snape was in love with Lily and can’t move on because of his guilt. Through his memories, it’s revealed that he was worried about Harry’s future when Lily and James died and that he was afraid of seeing Harry when he’s old enough to attend Hogwarts. He can hardly bear to see Harry every day, being reminded of Lily and everything he lost. Still, it’s no excuse for how he treats the young boy, who has also lost so much.

23 Snape Is Unable To Move On From The Past

Perhaps it’s just guilt, but Snape really struggles to let go of the past. Grief and mourning are normal and healthy, but even Dumbledore is surprised to learn that Snape still loves Lily “after all this time”.

If Lily could speak to Snape, she probably would have wanted him to be happy, and if that meant moving on, then she would have advised him to try. Instead, Snape harbors his feelings for her and tends to his guilt and grudges in a very unhealthy manner.

22 Snape Chose The Double Life Because Of Lily’s Death

Throughout the series, it’s unclear who Snape really supports – Voldemort and the Death Eaters, or Dumbledore and the light. He spreads his devotion between both, but after he kills Dumbledore, it’s revealed that this was all arranged.

Snape was protecting both Harry and Draco, but for different reasons. After Lily’s death, Snape firmly makes up his mind that he won’t support Voldemort, and that he wants to help take him down. He goes to Dumbledore and the two work together to ensure that Snape isn’t discovered to be a spy.

21 Snape’s Redemption Isn’t Entirely Admirable

No matter what reasons Snape has for behaving the way he does, it doesn’t excuse his behavior. Not only does he bully Harry and try to make his time at Hogwarts miserable, but he also tries to turn Harry against his own father.

He often badmouths James because he got everything he wished for himself. Perhaps there’s truth to Snape’s words, but James must have had redeeming qualities for Lily to love him.

20 Snape And Lily Were Neighbors

Lily and Snape were best friends at Hogwarts, but they met before that. The two were originally neighbors, with Snape hailing from the wrong side of the tracks. As per his memories, he obviously had a crush on Lily long before they formally met.

Petunia even accused him of spying on them when the sisters played together. When Lily found herself accidentally practicing magic, Snape emerged and the two soon became friends.

19 Lily Only Ever Saw Him as a Friend

As much as people romanticize Snape’s infatuation with Lily, the fact that she did not love him back, at least in a romantic fashion, seems to go ignored by many fans of the series. The fact that Lily only ever saw Snape as a friend reveals a lot about his refusal to respect her boundaries.

In retrospect, it seems that his love was really an ongoing obsession with her that lasted long after her death. This is supported by his sullen insistence that James was to blame for everything wrong in the world. Had he mourned Lily and moved on without holding on to his grudges, it would be much more palatable.

18 Snape Taught Lily About Magic Before Hogwarts

Lily hails from a family of muggles and never knew that the wizarding existed world until Snape explained things to her. This means that Snape was Lily’s Hagrid.

He was her first wizarding friend and her introduction into the magical world that became her home. Like Harry, she entered the world with no knowledge about magic, believing it to be pure fantasy, and Snape educated her about the ins and outs of what it means to be a witch. Lily is often hailed as one of the brightest witches of her age, and some of that may be due to knowledge she received from the bright, if sullen, half-blood prince.

17 Snape Never Insulted Harry About His Mother, Only His Father

As Harry’s professor, Snape takes merciless enjoyment in tormenting the Boy Who Lived, mocking everything from his fame to his scar. One of Snape’s favorite jabs to make, which obviously hurt Harry the most, was regarding the arrogance and insufferable nature of Harry’s father, James.

Harry has no way of knowing that his father was a rival of the Potions Master, and even if he had known, it wouldn’t have made it any more bearable on a young boy who barely even knew his parents. Snape never insulted Lily in front of Harry, which was a huge clue to foreshadow why he bothered to ever help the boy in the first place.

16 Snape Only Cradles Lily’s Body In The Movie

Film fans may not know that Snape did not arrive at the Potters’ home in Godric’s Hollow in the book, which means that the scene where he cradles Lily’s body is only included in the film, making Snape appear more sympathetic. However, it also calls into question what he did with Harry, who watched the scene unfold.

He doesn’t raise him or deliver him to the Dursleys, although it’s possible that he helped in some other way. While the scene focuses on his guilt and regret, it also uses Lily’s death to further develop his character. It adds a level of affection that book Snape doesn’t seem capable of.

15 Snape Called Lily A Slur

Usually, loving someone means putting their happiness first. However, this isn’t always the case, as seen in Lily and Snape’s tumultuous relationship.

Being a Slytherin may be why Snape feels compelled to call her a Mudblood, but it’s no excuse for the awful slur. She, too, wasn’t always on his side, which may be why the two ultimately fell out, and why Snape feels so guilty.

14 Lily Is A Part Of Snape’s Worst Memory

Though she may be the love of Snape’s life, Lily also remains a big part of Snape’s worst memory. When he recalls being bullied by James and the other Marauders, Lily is right there in the background.

She’s either defending James or awkwardly asking Snape not to blame him for it. However, there are times when she defends Snape, which may be even more humiliating for the young Slytherin.

13 Lily Was The Reason Snape Protected Harry

For years, Snape spends endless amounts of time secretly protecting The Boy Who Lived while also despising him, going as far as bullying him in class and grading him poorly. For Harry to name his child after Snape, he had to really admire the man, and much of that admiration comes from the realization that Snape was protecting Harry all along.

From counter-cursing Quirrell to feeding Voldemort false information, Snape worked hard every day to ensure Harry’s safety, perhaps more than any other individual. Even as Voldemort seemed to be winning and Dumbledore passed on, Snape maintained his secrecy and devotion to the child he’d helped become a target, compromising his own safety to ensure Harry’s.

12 Dumbledore Used Lily’s Eyes To Manipulate Snape

Every character in the Harry Potter universe is flawed like real people are. Dumbledore is not immune to this, no matter how high and mighty he might seem. In fact, some argue that he’s actually not a very responsible teacher or Headmaster at all.

Dumbledore manipulates Snape after Lily dies, hoping it will convince Snape to protect Harry and support the fight against darkness. Harry, who later realizes that all people make mistakes, names his child after both Severus and Albus, opting to recognize their goodness.

11 They Stayed Best Friends Until 5th Year

Lily and Snape were inseparable friends who only parted ways in 5th year when he took a turn down a dark path, opting to pursue the Dark Arts against her wishes. That may also be the year Lily responded favorably to James’s advances.

That’s a long friendship to discard after so much time invested in one another, which points to not only how seriously Snape must have taken the Dark Arts, but also how strongly Lily objected to them. Friends typically don’t give each other ultimatums, but in the case of good versus evil, one might see why Lily cut off someone who was once so dear to her.

10 Snape Tried To Get Voldemort To Spare Lily

As soon as Snape discovers that the information he passed on to his beloved Dark Lord led to the woman he loved, he begged his master to spare her life. This is the moment that saved Harry’s life, where Lily chose instead to sacrifice herself to protect her infant.

Snape’s request, although ultimately ignored by Voldemort, is important not only because it points to how much he cares about Lily, but that in those few seconds, he also inadvertently helps to save Harry’s life.

9 Lily Married Her Best Friend’s Bully

When Harry discovers that James was as arrogant and mean as Snape claims, it’s a little startling, to say the least. Hogwarts is, after all, a high school, but after only seeing James as a seemingly responsible adult, it’s jarring to see him as a silly teenager.

Perhaps Lily eventually knocked some sense into her future husband, it doesn’t change the fact that she married the person who bullied her best friend. It also seems that Snape never let go of his bitterness about high school.

8 Snape And Lily Were Both Aces At Potions

If fans wonder why Snape and Lily were friends at all, especially given her kindness and his cruelty, they can look beyond the proximity of being neighbors and recall that both Hogwarts students were fantastic at Potions.

Snape, the famous Half-Blood Prince, created many amazing potions of his own, in addition to tweaking existing potions to improve them. Horace Slughorn, who adored Harry’s mother, frequently and fondly recalled Lily’s extraordinary potion-brewing abilities. Perhaps they had Potions together, and maybe they even helped one another in their shared interest.

7 Snape Wouldn’t Take No For An Answer

Not only did Snape ignore that Lily didn’t return his feelings and resent her choice after he was emotionally abusive to her, but he also blamed James for his own behavior. This lack of personal responsibility is an unfortunate cliché and may be why Lily didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

Perhaps because of incidents in his final years – from being coerced by Dumbledore to obviously living a miserable double agent life – he was still miserable that he’d never “gotten” Lily, whom he mourned even after he sold her out.

6 Petunia Knows About Lily’s Relationship With Snape

Though it’s a quick moment, there’s a shot of young Petunia in Snape’s memories that he gives to Harry. She’s wary of him, perhaps knowing that he’s of magical descent, but she’s also jealous that Lily is going away to become a witch.

In any case, Petunia warns Snape away and wants him to stop spending so much time with Lily. Perhaps Petunia is upset to lose her sister, and she’s upset that her already limited time with her is being taken up by Snape’s visits.

5 Snape Chose The Dark Arts Over Lily

No matter how much Snape has done for Lily, from protecting her child (whom he helped render motherless) to sacrificing his life to serve the Order, he still ultimately chose the Dark Arts over the woman he loved. This is a point of division among fans, but the reality is that he’s a complicated and flawed man who reflects true humanity.

However, one can’t deny the fact that he chose darkness in spite of Lily’s warnings. When he’s still young, he follows the path of many Slytherins, becoming a Death Eater and supporting Voldemort, furthering his divide from Lily.

4 Dumbledore Only Trusted Snape Because Of Lily

Over and over again, Harry questions Dumbledore’s trust for Snape, but it was actually because of Harry’s own mother that Dumbledore fully trusted his spy. Dumbledore, a character just as flawed and human as Snape, used his love for Lily to make Snape a ready double agent for the Order of the Phoenix.

Had Harry known why Dumbledore trusted Snape so completely, however, it likely would have made him hate the man even more – at least, until he became fully aware of the professor’s sacrifice.

3 Snape Hated Lily’s Family

While it’s clear that Petunia doesn’t like Snape, it’s not quite as clear how he feels about her. Likely a result of her own jealousy, Petunia would taunt Lily and Snape, demanding that Lily not be Snape’s friend.

Snape, who found Petunia and presumably other muggles (and squibs) repugnant, given his propensity for the Dark Arts, despised her and advised Lily to not care about what her sister thought.

2 They Have The Same Patronus

In the wizarding world, sharing someone’s Patronus is as sure a sign of love as anything. Though Lupin’s Patronus is unknown, Tonks’ was a wolf, which says something about their bond. The same is true of Snape and Lily, who are does.

James’ Patronus is a deer, which he shares with Harry. Thus, all four of them – Harry, James, Lily, and Snape – almost share the same Patronus. This is ironic since it also means that Snape’s Patronus was not only the same as his bully’s but Harry’s as well.

1 Snape Is The Reason Lily Passed Away

When it all comes down to it, no matter what he’s done to atone for his mistakes and how many times he’s bailed Harry out of trouble, Snape remains one of the reasons why Lily is no longer alive, and why Harry is an orphan.

Had Snape not eavesdropped and reported to Voldemort about the prophecy regarding the Potters, Voldemort would never have gone after them and used the Unforgivable Curse on all three members of the Potter family. While Snape obviously regretted it and begged Voldemort to spare Lily, he still spied and passed on the prophecy to begin with. Snape’s loyalty to the Dark Arts ultimately won over his loyalty to the woman he loved, and he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-snape-lily-couple-relationship/