After the big reveal that Snape was a double agent, fans started debating whether he was a hero or a villain. But as some fans — and even Rowling herself — were quick to point out, he's neither good nor bad. Rowling described him in one 2015 tweet as "grey," with both saint-like and devil-like tendencies.
He said, "According to Victorian flower language, asphodel is a type of lily meaning 'my regrets follow you to the grave' and wormwood means 'absence' and also typically symbolizes bitter sorrow." If you combined that, Snape's words mean "I bitterly regret Lily's death."
In the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape asked Albus Dumbledore to keep it a secret that he was helping Harry, in order to protect himself, Harry and also the Order of Phoenix.
Snape naturally removed the exact same memories that he finally gave to Harry in Deathly Hallows: none other than his most valuable and secret memories. They were the “ironclad reason” behind his loyalty to Dumbledore.
While through most of the series Snape seems to be horrible to Harry and possibly trying to get him into Voldemort's hands, it's revealed at the end of the series that Snape was actually helping watch out for Harry.
Still, Dumbledore convinced Snape to protect Harry when he would arrive at Hogwarts. He makes Dumbledore promise not to tell anyone that he was helping Harry. He refused to acknowledge the fact that Harry had the nature of his mother, simply because Harry looked just like his father.
As Rowling explained in a series of tweets, Snape loved Harry's mother, Lily, and his unrequited affection drove him to resent Harry's father, James — and by extension, Harry himself.
Snape tells Harry that he, Snape, is the Half-Blood Prince, and that Harry should not use his own spells on him, as Harry's father did. Harry dares Snape to kill him and calls him a coward once more.
Snape didn't necessarily mean for Harry to see those other memories, they just slipped out as Snape passed away, reflecting on his life. He specifically asks Harry to look into his eyes, so perhaps seeing Lily's eyes brought up his memories of her.
Severus Snape: Doe
In the memories he gives Harry before his death, Snape shows Dumbledore his patronus, using the form to prove his love of Lily Potter, Harry's mother. This indicates that Lily also had a doe patronus.
When Snape used his Patronus to lead Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor. But of course, it was not just Harry whose Patronus saved the day.
Snape tells Voldemort that Harry Potter is to be moved from his place of safety on the next Saturday at nightfall.
Artemis's sacred animal was a deer. In Potter, Snape's Patronus, a soul-guarding magic spell, takes the form of a deer—more specifically, a doe—as a symbol of his love for Lily, because hers was a doe as well.
Severus Snape was on his own side, really. That meant he allied with Dumbledore because he was planning to do what Snape deemed right and proper. It may look like Dumbledore is controlling Severus, but he was way too brilliant of a wizard to allow anyone to control him.
In the first movie the the scene of the troll you can see that snape has a bleeding leg, why? Snape was bitten by Fluffy the three headed dog. When Troll was released, he went to make sure that no one was after the stone as everyone was distracted by the troll.
Harry Potter named his son after the character Professor Severus Snape in tribute to him dying for “for Harry out of love for Lily [Potter],”JK Rowling revealed on Friday.
They were close friends, she saw in him someone special that she could care about. But she couldn't be with him. So, it seems like it was very unlikely that Lily ever found out Snape loved her.
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.
Snape's last words imply his urgent desire to get a glimpse of Lily Potter's eyes, a woman he had loved his entire life and for whose death he felt largely responsible. Harry is constantly reminded throughout the series that he has his mother's eyes.
Would he have ever worked for Dumbledore? Snape did eventually turn away from Voldemort – but it wasn't for any noble reason. As soon as he found out that Voldemort was planning to kill Harry and his parents, he met with Dumbledore and begged him to save Lily.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
At one point, Snape is named as a Death Eater by Igor Karkaroff, but Dumbledore comes to Snape's defence, claiming that although Snape had indeed been a Death Eater, he changed sides before Voldemort's downfall and turned spy against him.
Draco Malfoy's mother Narcissa was cold, cunning and devoted to the Dark Lord. But she was also a mother, which meant she was willing to risk everything to make sure her son was safe. When Harry survived Voldemort's Killing Curse for the second time, Narcissa pretended he was dead so she could get to Draco.
The reader knows more than the characters. Lily didn't agree to date until after Snape had already ruined any chances with Lily by calling her a mudblood and made it clear that his sympathies lay with the death eaters. Quite obviously Lily married James because she loved him. It's that simple.
A doe. And in his final battle with Lord Voldemort, Harry explained the significance of this to his adversary, and to us: 'Snape's Patronus was a doe,' said Harry, 'the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children'.