Bits of this are taken from a previous post I prepared at the beginning of 2013 and I'm dropping it here, to express my love for Severus and why I think he's Harry's perfect man :D
Severus Snape: The Byronic Hero of the Potterverse
J.K. Rowling has expressed her mock displeasure at the love her fans have for the ‘bad boys’ of the Potterverse, including Severus Snape. Rowling hinted at something more to Snape’s character long before canon drew to a close, yet she has never indicated that he is a particularly good man. To the contrary, Rowling has suggested that he is an amalgamation of numerous teachers she recalls from her own school days who used to frighten the children under their tutelage – the worst sort of bully, who attacks those weaker than him, when as an adult in a position of authority, he should know better.
Despite Rowling's protestations, in Severus Snape she has created a character full of complexity and rich with contradiction. He is a hero and a villain, a bully and a perpetrator of bullying, the “bravest man” of the Potterverse and an emotional coward. He terrifies children in his care to the point that he appears alongside spiders, mummies and Dementors when Neville is forced to face his own personal Boggart. He is feared by students and appears to live in relative isolation, his relationship with future Hogwarts staff members (Lupin, Moody) tainted by past animosity. Dumbledore is consistent with his insistence that he trusts Snape, yet still Dumbledore does not trust him with the full truth of Harry's survival.
The parallels between Snape and Harry run deep. Both were seemingly raised in unhappy homes where magic was not welcome. Throughout canon, parallels continue to be drawn until the end when each character meets death head on. Both have been instructed by Dumbledore to carry out missions and yet neither have the full details about one another’s role, which might have led to a modicum of understanding between the two. Each must fight the Dark Lord without the full arsenal of knowledge. While Harry’s battles are public and carried out under constant scrutiny from the press and those around him, Snape’s battles are private and conducted in the shadows of secrecy.
When it comes to Harry, there too, Snape is full of contradictions. He appears to hate the boy, yet his final request is that Harry look into his eyes and his actions are instrumental to Harry’s victory in the war - there is no doubt in my mind that Harry could not have been victorious with Severus Snape, anymore than he could have succeeded without Hermione or Ron.
The connection between the two characters is cemented from the first Potions class. Although his teaching methods are questionable, Harry gleans vital information from Snape such as the moment when Severus teaches Harry Expelliarmus, which go on to protect Harry and his friends in battle. Unwittingly, the Half Blood Prince also teaches Harry about the usefulness of certain antidotes, such as the bezoar (“just shove a bezoar down their throats”), and inadvertently Severus leads Harry to one of his more morally grey moments, through the Sectumsempra spell.
Severus understands Harry’s connection with Voldemort, something that is hinted at in the Chamber of Secrets, when Snape further appears to understand something of the connection when Harry speaks Parseltongue – ”Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: it was a shrewd and calculating look.” Snape and Dumbledore are alone in their understanding of the intrinsic connection between Harry and Voldemort.
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timeasmymeasure
Severus Snape: The Byronic Hero of the Potterverse - Part I
Date: 2014-02-09 02:45 pm (UTC)Severus Snape: The Byronic Hero of the Potterverse
J.K. Rowling has expressed her mock displeasure at the love her fans have for the ‘bad boys’ of the Potterverse, including Severus Snape. Rowling hinted at something more to Snape’s character long before canon drew to a close, yet she has never indicated that he is a particularly good man. To the contrary, Rowling has suggested that he is an amalgamation of numerous teachers she recalls from her own school days who used to frighten the children under their tutelage – the worst sort of bully, who attacks those weaker than him, when as an adult in a position of authority, he should know better.
Despite Rowling's protestations, in Severus Snape she has created a character full of complexity and rich with contradiction. He is a hero and a villain, a bully and a perpetrator of bullying, the “bravest man” of the Potterverse and an emotional coward. He terrifies children in his care to the point that he appears alongside spiders, mummies and Dementors when Neville is forced to face his own personal Boggart. He is feared by students and appears to live in relative isolation, his relationship with future Hogwarts staff members (Lupin, Moody) tainted by past animosity. Dumbledore is consistent with his insistence that he trusts Snape, yet still Dumbledore does not trust him with the full truth of Harry's survival.
The parallels between Snape and Harry run deep. Both were seemingly raised in unhappy homes where magic was not welcome. Throughout canon, parallels continue to be drawn until the end when each character meets death head on. Both have been instructed by Dumbledore to carry out missions and yet neither have the full details about one another’s role, which might have led to a modicum of understanding between the two. Each must fight the Dark Lord without the full arsenal of knowledge. While Harry’s battles are public and carried out under constant scrutiny from the press and those around him, Snape’s battles are private and conducted in the shadows of secrecy.
When it comes to Harry, there too, Snape is full of contradictions. He appears to hate the boy, yet his final request is that Harry look into his eyes and his actions are instrumental to Harry’s victory in the war - there is no doubt in my mind that Harry could not have been victorious with Severus Snape, anymore than he could have succeeded without Hermione or Ron.
The connection between the two characters is cemented from the first Potions class. Although his teaching methods are questionable, Harry gleans vital information from Snape such as the moment when Severus teaches Harry Expelliarmus, which go on to protect Harry and his friends in battle. Unwittingly, the Half Blood Prince also teaches Harry about the usefulness of certain antidotes, such as the bezoar (“just shove a bezoar down their throats”), and inadvertently Severus leads Harry to one of his more morally grey moments, through the Sectumsempra spell.
Severus understands Harry’s connection with Voldemort, something that is hinted at in the Chamber of Secrets, when Snape further appears to understand something of the connection when Harry speaks Parseltongue – ”Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: it was a shrewd and calculating look.” Snape and Dumbledore are alone in their understanding of the intrinsic connection between Harry and Voldemort.