The first time we see Snape, he is the potions master at Hogwarts, but also rumored to want the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He makes comments at the expense of students, especially Harry, and quickly becomes the antagonist of the first book/movie. Harry suspects him to be after the philosopher’s stone, and also suspects him of wanting Harry dead, later it is revealed that both these things were wrong. What we get to know, is that Snape was suspicious of professor Quirrel, who was in fact, the bad guy who was after Harry. Snape also looks after Harry, which Dumbledore suggests might be because James Potter had saved Snape’s life earlier, and that he might feel responsible for Harry in return.

Later, in book/movie 2 he has a minor role, where he is helping out current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, with the duelling club. However in the third book, he proved his skill in potions, by brewing the wolfsbane potion for the same person he was very suspicious of, Remus Lupin, the new professor in Defence Against the Dark Arts. He thought that Lupin was helping Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, escape Azkaban and enter Hogwarts. Black had been convicted of murdering Peter Pettigrew along with innocent bystanders, as well as revealing the hiding place of the Potters to Voldemort. Which was later proved to be wrong. Snape attempts to apprehend Black, who escapes with Harry’s aid. When Snape reveals this to Dumbledore, and Harry and Lupin aren’t punished, he reveals to Hogwarts that Lupin is a werewolf, forcing him to resign.

In book 4, Harry sees memories from several Death Eater trials, and at one point, Snape was mentioned as one by Igor Karkaroff. However, Dumbledore comes to Snape’s aid, and tells Harry that Snape was in fact a Death Eater, but that he switched sides and acted as a double-agent. Dumbledore later assures Harry that Snape’s reformation is genuine, but he refuses to tell him how he knows it. In the end of the book, Dumbledore tries convincing Cornelius Fudge that Voldemort has returned, and Snape reveals the restored Death Mark on his arm as proof. He was sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore, that later is revealed to be going back to Voldemort to spy on him, while pretending to spy on Dumbledore.

In book 5 Snape has a bigger role, since Voldemort is back, and he has started working as a double agent again. Dumbledore makes Snape try to teach Harry occlumency, which is ended before it was done since Harry went to the pensieve and watched one of Snape’s worst childhood memories, without permission. The memory he sees is Snape being bullied by James Potter and Sirius Black. Towards the end of the book, Dolores Umbridge asks Snape to get him veritaserum when she had captured Harry to interrogate him. Snape however claims that his supplies were depleted after he had supplied Umbridge with it before, when she was asking Cho Chang about Dumbledore’s Army. Snape then carries Harry’s message about Sirius’ capture to the Order of the Phoenix, so that they can rescue him in the Department of Mysteries. Harry still holds Snape partly responsible for Sirius' death, believing Snape's goading spurred Sirius into joining the battle.

In book 6 Snape makes an unbreakable vow, swearing that he will protect Draco Malfoy, and make sure that he completes his mission, and finish it if Malfoy can’t do it himself. When Bellatrix Lestrange questioned his loyalty, he said that he had been working for Voldemort ever since his return, and that gaining Dumbledore’s trust and protection kept him out of Azkaban, and made him able to operate for Voldemort. At the start of the semester, Snape is announced as the new DADA teacher, and Horace Slughorn starts working as potions master. Harry gets a book in potions from a previous student, going by the name of the Half-Blood Prince, and there he finds different spells, and improvements in the recipe. Later in a fight with Malfoy, he uses one of the spells in the book, and Snape comes to aid Malfoy after he got severly injured, and recognises the spell used. When Harry and Dumbledore comes back from finding a horcrux, Malfoy comes to kill Dumbledore, and is followed by several Death Eaters, including Snape. Then he interupts the assasination Malfoy was supposed to complete, and kills Dumbledore himself, blocking Harry’s attacks when he is chasing them.

In the final book, Snape is the headmaster, and he was forced to flee from Hogwarts by McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout. He is summoned to the Shrieking shack by Voldemort, who believes that Snape is the master of the Elder Wand. He then kills Snape by having his snake Nagini bite him, and then Snape releases many memories, and tells Harry to watch the memories. When Harry does this he sees Snape’s true loyalties, and why he was acting like he was.

I don’t know where I would put Snape, he did a lot of bad things, but he also did a lot of good things, but in the end he could seem good. We would like to hear what you think of Snape, and who you would like us to talk about next time.

Kind regards, Bob Higginbotham and the Social Media Team.