Snape is a complicated man. He’s bitter. He’s … spiteful. He’s a bully. All these things are still true of Snape, even at the end of this book. But was he brave? Yes, immensely.
Was he capable of love? Very definitely. So he’s— he’s a very— he was a flawed human being, like all of us.
Harry forgives him—- as we know, from the epilogue, Harry— Harry really sees the good in Snape ultimately. I wanted there to be redemption and I wanted there to be forgiveness. And Harry forgives, even knowing that until the end Snape loathed him unjustifiably. it’s totally, totally unfair that he loathes him so much but anyway.
JK Rowling, Today Show
There are always two sides within us, the good and the unlikely. As JKR stated, he was a flawed individual just like us. But what he differs from Voldemort is that even when he started with the wrong decision he acted on doing on what he seem is right to correct it, and what he chose to act upon is humanely beneficial to Harry(which was motivated by his selfish and possessive love for Lily). People say that “A hero lies in the eye of the beholder”, we have our own definitions and standards of our ideal hero.
At first Snape’s loyalty is towards Voldemort but after learning that the prophecy that he shared to Voldemort resulted to Lily Potter’s danger, it made him realize the consequences of his actions. He confessed to Dumbledore the danger the Potters are about to face after being denied by Voldemort when he pleaded that only Lily be spared. So we see he is not that good of a hero to be looked up for, his motives are self-motivated. We learned that Snape was a double agent for both the Order and the Death Eaters, and his brilliance and skills are enough to keep his allegiances intact. People until the very end question Snape’s loyalty to both parties and here are some proofs to Snape’s good side:
Snape’s loyalty to Dumbledore & Dumbledore’s unwavering trust to Snape:
