Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. An exceptionally skilful wizard, his coldly sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Snape is hostile to the series' protagonist, Harry, the moment he sets foot in Snape's classroom; this hostility is rooted in Harry's resemblance to Harry's father James, who bullied and harassed Snape during their time at Hogwarts. Though philosophically attracted to the Dark Arts and Lord Voldemort's ideology of wizard supremacy, Snape's love for Muggle-born Lily Evans, Harry's mother, eventually compels him to defect from the Death Eaters. Snape becomes a double agent on behalf of Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, and protects Harry throughout the series.
A central mystery of the series concerns Snape's loyalties. For much of the series, Snape's actions seem to serve Harry's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, although Harry's mentor, Dumbledore, insists that he trusts Snape. Snape dies at the hands of Voldemort in the final chapters of the seventh book, at which time his back story is revealed: as a teenager, Snape was a close friend of Harry's mother Lily, and he turned on Voldemort after the latter sought to kill Lily and her family.
Snape's character, which becomes more layered and enigmatic as the series progresses, was widely acclaimed by readers and critics. Rowling described him as "a gift of a character"[1] whose story she had known since the first book, and Elizabeth Hand of The Washington Post opined that Snape's life "is the most heartbreaking, surprising and satisfying of all of Rowling's achievements".[2]Actor Alan Rickman portrayed Snape in all eight Harry Potter films, released between 2001 and 2011.
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