Snape:Good or Evil?

[Scellanis]

I doubt Snape would have removed them while Volde was there, that was why he wanted to go look for Harry so desperately, to find him and give him the memories because the snake was in the protective cage like Dumbledore said but Volde killed him, was luck Harry was there to see Snape die...wonder what would have happened to the thoughts if Harry hadn't been there and Volde had still killed Snape....nobody would have been able to tell Harry he had to sacrifice himself...

[Run Away!!!]

Yeah things would have turned out a lot differently wouldn't they. Snape was definately worried that he wouldn't get the memories to Harry. And not only was Snape good but Harry even names his kid after him! A lot of us always suspected that Snape was in love with Lily too.

[Simatra]

JKR usually doesn't leave theories about love. It's mostly straight foreward. I kindof hoped we would have seen Luna with Nevill at the end.

But Snape's whole two way thing was great, I really wasn't expesting LV to kill Snape though, that was really ackward. I wanted to know if he was good or bad, I didn't know whether to hate him and be all, " Take that, you!" Or be, " Oh my goodness, no person should die like that!"

[Snow_Crystal]

yeah - good point. I still think there could have been more info on Snape - he wasn't in the book enough for me. Also there could have been more about how Harry was feeling after seeing Snape's memories.

[DucksRMagical]

I found myself feeling sorry for Snape after reading the memories. Up until that point, I really did think he was evil and I disliked him. But now I like him, and think he was very courageous for what he did.

Yeah, Snape probably wouldn't have removed memories with Voldy present. If he did, Voldy probably would have suspected something and killed Snape.

I had no idea Snape was in love with Lily!

[GodrictheGriffon]

I told you Severus had a crush! It was something about how he looked into Harry's eyes that gave it away and how he never insulted Lily. Always James.

[Athena Appleton]

One of my favorite lines in the entire series is when Sirius tells Harry that the world isn't split up into good people and Death Eaters.

Snape is neither good nor evil.

He's an example of a bad man who is capable of doing a very good thing. He was mean, spiteful, jealous, rude... he held grudges against a child because of who his father was (although it does save him a little that he didn't let his grudge against James overpower his love for Lily). There were even times when he allowed Harry to get into danger, and didn't act.

However, even though he was definately not nice, and not exactly "good" (like Dumbledore, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, etc.), he did a very very good thing in the end, even though it was extremely hard for him to do it.

[Fantasy girl]

i don't know, i think snape might have a good guy that had bto do a wrong thng to survive

[GodrictheGriffon]

He couldn't have been all bad. He had love. Of Lily.

[Athena Appleton]

i don't know, i think snape might have a good guy that had bto do a wrong thng to survive

He made the conscious decision to turn to the dark side, when at one point, he had himself a GREAT role model and friend in Lily.

If all members of the house of Slytherin "had to" become Death Eaters, that would mean roughly 25% of the witches and wizards in Britain would be Death Eaters.

He could absolutely have chosen another path, and still survived.

He made his choice. Even though he made a horrible choice, he had ONE redeeming factor: he loved Lily.

But it was only when Dumbledore made him step up to the plate that he was willing to do ANYTHING other than save her. He would have gladly let James and Harry be killed or tortured, as long as Lily wasn't. That's not morals and it's not "being a good person". It's not a case of really being a good guy who became a killer because that's the only way he could survive.

Snape is a very very flawed character who made all the wrong decisions, but he was motivated to do the right thing in ONE instance, and was guilted/bribed into devoting the rest of his life, in a way, avenging the death of the one person he ever truly loved.

[GodrictheGriffon]

That's not morals and it's not "being a good person". It's not a case of really being a good guy who became a killer because that's the only way he could survive.
Snape is a very very flawed character who made all the wrong decisions, but he was motivated to do the right thing in ONE instance, and was guilted/bribed into devoting the rest of his life, in a way, avenging the death of the one person he ever truly loved.

Was he really a killer thought? Wasn't it more like assistant suicide, or something. Does that count?
I wonder if he loved any member of his family or if Lily was the only one that he ever really loved.

[Athena Appleton]

That's not morals and it's not "being a good person". It's not a case of really being a good guy who became a killer because that's the only way he could survive.
Snape is a very very flawed character who made all the wrong decisions, but he was motivated to do the right thing in ONE instance, and was guilted/bribed into devoting the rest of his life, in a way, avenging the death of the one person he ever truly loved.

Was he really a killer thought? Wasn't it more like assistant suicide, or something. Does that count?
I wonder if he loved any member of his family or if Lily was the only one that he ever really loved.

With Dumbledore, no, I don't consider it murder.

As a Death Eater, though, even if he didn't kill, he wasn't exactly making everyone pancakes now, was he?

I think he definately never loved another person... I think he built up his mother to some degree (otherwise, why would he have referred to himself as the "half-blood Prince?) but as far as truly caring, I think she was the only person who ever cared about him, and I think she was the only person he ever loved.

In OotP, when Harry gets a glimpse into Snape's memory, you see this poor sad kid who is mistreated and/or ignored by his parents.

[Liz1989]

Snape is good. I was one of the people who thought he was evil at first, but if he was then he would have killed Harry the first chance he got.

[*Bertie Bott]

Yeah, meaning he wouldn't have prevented Quirell from killing Harry back at Philosopher's stone, when Harry's on the broom and Quirrell's cursing home. Snape was a good guy.

[FawkesthePhoenix]

yes, but he had no reason to kill harry in most of the books. and he wanted to make it up to james for saving him, remember? those instances didn't prove that he was good.

i personally thought he was bad because of dumbledores trust in him. i mean, he can't get everything right.