Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we’re covering every time that Severus Snape SAVED Harry Potter.
While, of course, it is true that Snape had little love for “The Boy Who Lived”, the fact remains that he had A LOT of love for Harry’s deceased mum, Lily Potter. As anyone who has read or watched the final movie of the Harry Potter series will know, the whole reason Severus abandoned his allegiance to the Dark Lord in favour of being a double agent for Albus Dumbledore and The Order of the Phoenix was indeed his feelings for Lily – a devotion that seemed to only deepen with her murder, committed by Voldemort himself.
In any case, in the wake of Lily’s death, the only part of her that lived on was, of course, her son, Harry. Unfortunately, for Harry and Snape both, the boy was also a constant reminder to Severus that Lily had chosen a life and partner who wasn’t him. That partner was, of course, James Potter, who had been a peer of both Severus and Lily at Hogwarts, and who had spent years tormenting Snape.
So, what does this leave us with? We know that Snape likely felt incredibly torn over his feelings for the young Harry Potter when he finally arrived at Hogwarts, 11 years after his beloved Lily had been murdered alongside her husband – whom he loathed – at the hands of his former master, who he had betrayed in an attempt to save Lily, only to have her die and Voldemort disappear.