MovieChat Forums > Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) Discussion > birth father

birth father

posted 6 years ago by moogie (194)
16 replies | jump to latest

I have not seen anyone else address this. From the movie Deathly Hallows Part II, I've always detected a feeling that Harry's real birth father is Severus. He and Lilly seemed connected and close and with his deep true love and concerns for her, at one point along the way I feel they got together.

From Snape's tear, Snape is crying holding dead Lilly - then skips to Snape and Dumbledore where Snape releases the doe patronus. Dumbledore says "Lilly ... after all this time"

Then at Kings Cross, Harry says to Dumbledore "my mother's partronus was a doe, same as Snape. I find that curious" and Dumbledore says "come to think of it, there's nothing curious about it"

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

No. Severus's whole life has been shaped by the fact that he loved Lily Evans, and lost her to a man he hated, and was partly responsible for her death. He's spent his entire adult life incapable of happiness because of that, willing to give his life to a cause because he had nothing to live for.

And his feelings towards Harry are absolutely formed by the fact that he failed to be Harry's father. He feels a duty to protect Harry because he's Lily's child, and also resents him for resembling the loathed James Potter, and he wanted to be the father of Lily's children and wasn't.

[–] moogie (194) 6 years ago

Your viewpoint is perfect and well received. Not having read the books, I needed to hear this. Thanks Otter.

[–] wilson24 (62) 6 years ago

They literally say over and over Harry looks exactly like James. How would that be if Snape was actually Harry's father.

[–] moogie (194) 6 years ago

True. I think I enjoyed toying with the Snape possibility because I felt sorry for the way he was treated.

[–] TexasJack (12515) 6 years ago

I'm a huge Snape fan but I do not think he and Lily were ever together in that way.

[–] moogie (194) 6 years ago

The idea to me was intriguing so I tried to piece things together. The thought still does not seem to be improbable.

[–] moogie (194) 6 years ago

... and if it did turn out to be true, I thought it would throw a really cool twist into the story. Something so unexpected. And it's not that I don't like James but only for the fact that he was the perfect choice. It probably boils down to just feeling sorry for Snape, his tears and deep feelings for Lily really got to me.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Likewise, I'm a sucker for stories of tragic unrequited love, and that's Snape! God knows the Harry Potter books aren't perfect, most of the romantic relationships are entirely unbelievable, but Snape's dramatically revealed backstory is absolutely perfect.

Lily dumped him when they were so young and innocent that they called each other "best friends", and dumped him for legitimate reasons - he was getting into the dark arts and becoming quite the Junior Deatheater. But his loss both broke him and made him, left him incapable of happiness but a totally bonafide incredibly brave and clever HERO. Rowling isn't a great writer, but damn, Snape is a great character!

[–] wilson24 (62) 6 years ago

Snape was never a hero. He did some good things, but he never was a full hero. He did far too much bad to be labeled a hero.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Okay, then! When you infiltrate the organization of an evil wizard who can kill anyone who crosses him instantly, and fool him even though he can read your mind, and give someone else enough information to kill him and end his terrible threat to humanity...

I won't be impressed.

[–] wilson24 (62) 6 years ago

Too bad during that time he mercilessly bullied and harassed children and even attempted to have the kid he was supposed to protect expelled numerous times.

I guess we just disagree on what makes someone a hero. To me, it's not just the stuff you do, it's the type of person you are. And overall, Snape was a pretty bad person.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I do say he's a hero, I don't say he's a good teacher!

No, he's a terrible teacher, an expert in his subject but dreadful at actually getting children to understand the art of potion-making, and a bully and a Slytherin partisan. But then Dumbledore didn't hire him because he's a good teacher, he kept Snape in staff so they could fight Voldemort together. He also kept Hagrid and Trawny on staff for similar reasons, even though they were both terrible teachers as well.

Which, I suppose, makes Dumbledore like Snape - a bona fide hero in the fight against evil wizards, and pretty sucky at his day job

[–] wilson24 (62) 6 years ago

It's not just that he's a bad teacher. He's a pretty bad person. Hagrid was a bad teacher, but a great person.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

IMHO there's a difference between a good person and a hero. A good person is someone who is kind and admirable, a hero is someone who accomplishes something wonderful, extraordinary, and beyond the power of most people. A hero can be a good person, or not.

And the fact is there, are certain kinds of heroic deeds that require someone who's not a good person. If you have cancer you don't go to the nicest surgeon, you go to the arrogant SOB who is willing to cut away what's needed. If your country is invaded by barbarians, you don't send a general who's a good person, you send one who'll sacrifice his own fighters and pull any nasty trick he can think of to win. And if you want to send a double agent into Voldemort's camp, you send the most ruthless asshole you'll have, because only an asshole could fit in with the deatheaters!

And hopefully you find a better cover for him than teaching high school. But then, Dumbledore was also a hero.. who wasn't necessarily a nice person.

[–] wilson24 (62) 6 years ago

I'm sorry but how was he treated? What is there to feel sorry about? If you're talking about how James and Sirius treated Snape in his worst memory, that was one single incident, and Dumbleodore compares Snape and James to Harry and Malfoy, meaning they both went after each other.

And even if James did full out bully Snape, Snape turned out to be a much worse bully himself. He made Hogwarts hell for kids. He was so bad to Neville, Neville truly feared him. And he held what James did to him against an 11 year old boy who couldn't even remember his father.

Also, Snape was obsessed with the dark arts. He loved them. He even joined Voldemort, and would have served forever had Voldemort gone after any baby besides Harry. Snape would have been happy to let Neville die. Snape had racist, horrible views, and while bullying isn't ever okay, I sympathize more with Neville, a good kid who was bullied, than Snape who eagerly joined a mass murderer.

Snape is an outstanding character, but can we stop the nonsense with acting like he's some innocent victim?