From their first meeting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape showed his dislike for Harry Potter with the foul way he treated him. According to J.K. Rowling, Snape’s affection for Lily never extended to Harry.
During Harry’s stay at Hogwarts, Snape often mocked him, punished him and even tried to get him expelled.
Snape was a bitter and malicious teacher who often favoured Slytherin and was quicker to punish students from other houses. However, some fans agree that Snape treated Harry worse than he did other students because of his hatred for him.
While Snape’s treatment of Harry was unfair, he had quite a few reasons for hating Harry, and here are some of them.
Why does Snape hate Harry?
Here are five reasons Snape Hated harry:
- Harry reminded him of James Potter, Snape’s Childhood Bully
- Harry’s Indifferent Approach to School Annoyed Snape
- Harry was a walking representation of Lily’s rejection
- Snape blamed Harry for Lily’s death
- Harry Helped Sirius Black Escape
- Snape was jealous of Harry
#1. Harry Reminded Snape of James Potter
The most noticeable thing about Harry was his resemblance to his father, James Potter. Snape and James were bitter rivals during their time at Hogwarts. James and his friends, the Marauders, bullied Snape, using spells to humiliate him and calling him names like Snivellus and Snivelly.
Snape ultimately transferred the hatred and resentment he felt for James to Harry.
In Harry’s first Potions class, Snape mocked and humiliated him, perhaps as a form of payback for the way he was humiliated by Harry’s father. To Albus Dumbledore, Snape describes Harry as proud, below average and ill-mannered. He adds that these are traits that his father also possessed.
Snape’s hatred for James ran deep, and he took jabs at Harry by insulting his father time and time again. J.K. Rowling confirms this in a Twitter thread discussing Snape’s character.
#2. Harry’s Recklessness Annoyed Snape
Harry’s attitude towards school rules was much like his father’s, and Snape found that quite irritating. Much like the Marauders, Harry and his friends Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley often disobeyed school rules. Sometimes to the extent of endangering their lives and the lives of other students.
Snape was a rule-abiding student during his time at Hogwarts, and so was Harry’s mother, Lily. Harry was the opposite, wandering through the halls, drugging and locking up his classmates, and even entering the Forbidden Forest. Harry was often on the erring side of school rules.
Snape’s love for discipline and Harry’s recklessness caused them to clash quite often, resulting in Snape repeatedly punishing him and even trying to get him expelled.
Snape also believed that Harry did not deserve to be as popular. His performance as a student was average, and Harry hardly studied. Instead, he relied on other people’s work as he did with the Half-blood Prince’s notes.
#3. Harry was a walking representation of Lily’s rejection
Harry had his Father’s face and his mother’s eyes, which were a present reminder to Snape of what he lost— Lily. Harry’s appearance was a physical reminder that Lily chose James over him.
Snape’s memories in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II showed that he and Lily Evans were friends before they were at Hogwarts and that they stayed friends until Snape joined the Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts.
Snape was in love with Lily and saw her as more than a friend. Lily instead falls for James and marries him after leaving Hogwarts. Snape’s Patronus charm, the same as Lily’s, a silver doe, suggests that Snape never got over his affection for her. Snape hated Harry because he was the product of the union that came from Lily choosing his nemesis over him.
You can find out more about why a Patronus is so hard to cast here.
#4. Snape blamed Harry for Lily’s death
Even though Snape felt responsible for putting Lily’s life in danger (having revealed the prophecy to Voldemort), he still blamed Harry for Lily’s death. Harry lived because Lily threw herself in front of the Killing Curse Voldemort directed at him.
After overhearing Trelawny’s prophecy, Snape, a young Death Eater and member of Voldemort’s inner circle, reported what he heard. Voldemort decided that the prophecy was about Harry and went after him and, by extension, Lily and James.
Snape tries to make up for his mistake by begging Voldemort to spare her. Voldemort agrees and asks Lily to step aside during the attack on Godric’s Hollow. However, as Voldemort curses Harry, Lily throws herself in front of his wand and dies in Harry’s place.
Snape mourned her death and possibly holding a grudge toward Harry. After all, Lily would be alive if she had just listened to the Dark Lord.
#5. Harry Helped Sirius Black Escape
Snape’s hatred for James Potter also extended to James’ best friend, Sirius Black. Sirius was a member of the Marauders who bullied him, and he endangered Snape’s life by explaining how to get into the Shrieking Shack and exposing him to Remus Lupin, a werewolf.
Snape hated Sirius even more after Lily’s death because of his conviction for exposing the Potters’ hiding place to Voldemort. After finding Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, Snape tries to get revenge for Lily. However, Harry disarms and knocks him out.
While Snape did not know of Sirius’ innocence, he considered Harry’s actions a betrayal.
Conclusion
Professor Snape had a few personal reasons for hating Harry, some of which were no fault of Harry himself but a result of his history with Harry’s parents. His hatred for James, unrequited love for Lily, and the loss he felt in her absence.
Eventually, he made amends in his dying moments, by giving his tears to Harry to explain what had happened!
Conversely, you can find out why Harry hated Snape here.
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