A girl in my Physics class saw me reading Harry Potter. She, herself, had never read the books, but she has seen all of the movies. She asked me which character had the biggest impact on me, personally. I guess she was thinking I’d say Harry, Ron, or Hermione, but I told her it was Snape. She looked at me for a few seconds, and asked how I could ever like such an evil man. I put my book down, and I told her these words: Severus Snape is the bravest man I’ve ever known. All through his life, he dealt with trials and suffering that no one should endure. He was constantly terrorized at school by his peers, and eventually shunned, not only by his one real friend, but the love of his life. Yes, he went down the wrong path, but haven’t we all? He risked his life to turn back to the side of good when he found out his master would murder the girl he loved since his days as a boy. He risked his life to save hers. After she died, he made it his mission to protect her only son, the only reminder he ever had of her. Until his dying day, he helped, guided, and protected that boy, so that his love wouldn’t have died in vain. Severus Snape was constantly manipulated, not only by Voldemort, but also by Dumbledore, a wizard of far more popularity than Snape himself. He put himself in constant danger, playing double agent for Dumbledore, just so that he could protect one boy. He had to live his life full of regret for making one silly, teenage mistake. Yeah, at times he could be a real bastard, but isn’t that just part of the human condition? Severus Snape died to protect the son of the only woman he ever loved. So please, before you judge a character solely based on a few scenes in a couple of movies, read the books first.