This is probably old news...
sapphiretragedy posted something in her journal about Snape actually being the hero of the books because without him, none of it would have happened.
He was the one who made it possible for Voldemort to go after the Potters by telling him about the prophecy, he was the one who made Voldemort consider sparing Lily and who therefore enabled Lily to sacrifice herself for her son, thus giving Harry the protection he needed.
As JKR was all about love being so important, this got me thinking. Especially in light of the interview with her that I listened to this morning, in which she claims Severus is not a hero but a mean bully.
It is actually not Lily's love for Harry that protects him, it is Snape's love for Lily; because without that Lily would have never been given a choice.
Severus tells Voldemort about Trewalney's prophecy. Then he realises Voldemort wants to attack the Potters. He doesn't care about James and Harry, obviously. He disliked James from the first and honestly, what should the baby mean to him? He's likely never seen it before, it's James' son, it's the strongest proof that Severus has lost Lily. And it's a baby. It's not even a year old. What should a stranger feel about it, really?
But he cares about Lily, and he doesn't want her to die. So he goes to Voldemort - who says he will try to spare Lily. Otherwise, why would Voldemort have given her the option to get out of the way? This says a lot about Severus' position among the Death Eaters, by the way. He must have been very close to Voldemort, or can you see Goyle or McNair asking Voldemort to spare a life?
But Severus doesn't trust Voldemort. He wants more, so he goes to Dumbledore. Who forces him to become a spy. It doesn't matter that maybe Dumbledore would have tried to save the Potters even if Severus hadn't given him anything. He asked what he'd get in return - he asked a desperate Slytherin for payment. And a desperate Slytherin would pay, even if a Gryffindor might have helped him even without, because that's not something a Slytherin would consider. It definitely isn't something Severus would consider, considering his background. He probably learnt early on that you had to give up something to get something you wanted.
Dumbledore might have tried to become the Potters' secret keeper. If he did, he failed. Maybe Lily had heard too much about his backstory from Bathilda to risk it. Maybe Dumbledore himself thought Voldemort would see him as the likely choice, and therefore suggested they chose somebody else.
Either way, James wants Sirius to do it, Sirius suggests Wormtail and the damage is done.
Voldemort comes to Godric's Hollow, kills James. Then he goes on to Lily and tells her to get out of the way.
James died for his family, but that is not the crucial sacrifice. He wasn't given the choice. Lily had the choice, but she refused to stand aside while Voldemort killed her son, and that is why her death mattered in a way that James' did not. Had Severus not loved her, she would have still been killed, but it would not have mattered.
So there is Harry now, the hero of the wizarding world, the Chosen One, the Boy-Who-Lived, and all because of Severus' love for Lily.
And nobody, not even JKR, recognises him for the hero he is. Because a hero is not somebody who does what he needs to do. A hero is somebody who has a choice. Severus had that choice. He could have let Lily die. He could have risked just begging Dumbledore and trust in his good nature and his friendship with the Potters. He could have run.
He didn't. He stayed around to protect Harry (and how come there is no more mention of the fact that he also had a life debt to pay because of James' saving him after Sirius' prank?), he returned to Voldemort as a spy once again (and that even though Dumbledore had actually failed to fulfill his side of the agreement, he had not managed to protect Lily), he killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore thought Severus' soul was not nearly as valuable as Draco's, and he enabled Harry to understand all the things Dumbledore had kept from him even while he lay dying.
Almost dying, of course. Because he didn't die. But that is another story and one best not written by JKR.
He was the one who made it possible for Voldemort to go after the Potters by telling him about the prophecy, he was the one who made Voldemort consider sparing Lily and who therefore enabled Lily to sacrifice herself for her son, thus giving Harry the protection he needed.
As JKR was all about love being so important, this got me thinking. Especially in light of the interview with her that I listened to this morning, in which she claims Severus is not a hero but a mean bully.
It is actually not Lily's love for Harry that protects him, it is Snape's love for Lily; because without that Lily would have never been given a choice.
Severus tells Voldemort about Trewalney's prophecy. Then he realises Voldemort wants to attack the Potters. He doesn't care about James and Harry, obviously. He disliked James from the first and honestly, what should the baby mean to him? He's likely never seen it before, it's James' son, it's the strongest proof that Severus has lost Lily. And it's a baby. It's not even a year old. What should a stranger feel about it, really?
But he cares about Lily, and he doesn't want her to die. So he goes to Voldemort - who says he will try to spare Lily. Otherwise, why would Voldemort have given her the option to get out of the way? This says a lot about Severus' position among the Death Eaters, by the way. He must have been very close to Voldemort, or can you see Goyle or McNair asking Voldemort to spare a life?
But Severus doesn't trust Voldemort. He wants more, so he goes to Dumbledore. Who forces him to become a spy. It doesn't matter that maybe Dumbledore would have tried to save the Potters even if Severus hadn't given him anything. He asked what he'd get in return - he asked a desperate Slytherin for payment. And a desperate Slytherin would pay, even if a Gryffindor might have helped him even without, because that's not something a Slytherin would consider. It definitely isn't something Severus would consider, considering his background. He probably learnt early on that you had to give up something to get something you wanted.
Dumbledore might have tried to become the Potters' secret keeper. If he did, he failed. Maybe Lily had heard too much about his backstory from Bathilda to risk it. Maybe Dumbledore himself thought Voldemort would see him as the likely choice, and therefore suggested they chose somebody else.
Either way, James wants Sirius to do it, Sirius suggests Wormtail and the damage is done.
Voldemort comes to Godric's Hollow, kills James. Then he goes on to Lily and tells her to get out of the way.
James died for his family, but that is not the crucial sacrifice. He wasn't given the choice. Lily had the choice, but she refused to stand aside while Voldemort killed her son, and that is why her death mattered in a way that James' did not. Had Severus not loved her, she would have still been killed, but it would not have mattered.
So there is Harry now, the hero of the wizarding world, the Chosen One, the Boy-Who-Lived, and all because of Severus' love for Lily.
And nobody, not even JKR, recognises him for the hero he is. Because a hero is not somebody who does what he needs to do. A hero is somebody who has a choice. Severus had that choice. He could have let Lily die. He could have risked just begging Dumbledore and trust in his good nature and his friendship with the Potters. He could have run.
He didn't. He stayed around to protect Harry (and how come there is no more mention of the fact that he also had a life debt to pay because of James' saving him after Sirius' prank?), he returned to Voldemort as a spy once again (and that even though Dumbledore had actually failed to fulfill his side of the agreement, he had not managed to protect Lily), he killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore thought Severus' soul was not nearly as valuable as Draco's, and he enabled Harry to understand all the things Dumbledore had kept from him even while he lay dying.
Almost dying, of course. Because he didn't die. But that is another story and one best not written by JKR.