Even Snape Haters Admit This Harry Potter Easter Egg Redeems Him
Severus Snape is a complex character – some Harry Potter fans love him with all their hearts, and others hate his guts with passion.
On the one hand, Snape is the teacher who makes Harry’s life a living hell (and not just Harry’s, other Gryffindors suffer plenty as well). He is a bitter and unprofessional bully who hates children and himself, not wanting to change ever.
On the other hand, Snape is also the person who watches over Harry when he can, changes sides during the war, becomes a double agent, and has one of the most heartbreaking love stories in the entire Harry Potter saga.
Readers learn all the good stuff about this character in the final book – and that’s one of the biggest plot twists in the novels. There is, however, one Easter egg in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that hints at the Snape-is-not-a-villain revelation right then and there (as one Reddit user has promptly pointed out).
In the fifth book, Dumbledore forces Harry to study Occlumency with the Potions Master, who of course uses every lesson as an opportunity to make the poor guy’s bad life worse (apparently, the fact that Voldemort is taunting him is not enough).
In chapter 28, the time comes for the worst Occlumency lesson yet – the one where Harry accidentally goes inside Snape’s mind and sees a few of his own disturbing memories, namely the one with James and the Marauders playing a prank on Snape and the one with Lily and Snape’s friendship getting ruined.
Harry leaves the class, convinced that he has been lied to all his life by the people who have told him that his father was a good man. Have you ever paid attention to the title of the chapter?
It’s called Snape’s Worst Memory. Potterheads have probably assumed for years that the title is a reference to the memory when Snape is being tormented by James and the other Marauders. That’s not exactly true.
Readers have been told throughout the book series that James “bullied” Snape all the time during their school years, so why would this particular occasion be considered Severus’ worst memory?
No, this chapter is called like that because of the memory with Lily. When Snape calls her a mudblood, this is the end of their friendship and any other potential relationship they might have had in the future. That’s the moment he loses the woman he loves and her companionship. That’s when Snape makes the biggest mistake of his life.
The chapter’s title is a hint that Snape regrets choosing power over love, therefore, effectively foreshadowing Snape’s redemption arc in the final book.
Source: Reddit