Ladies and gentlemen, pure-blood and muggle-born alike, it's our honor to present to you the winner of the Harry Potter World Cup: none other than Severus Snape!
The longtime Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the grand champion of our month-long World Cup tournament, taking home the hefty trophy after six epic rounds of one-on-one duels. There were many tough calls and close votes over the course of the competition — Neville versus McGonagall, Sirius versus Ron, for instance — but Snape was never in jeopardy, not once. The Half-Blood Prince made this thing look easy from the very beginning, breaking out with big early leads and never looking back once. The victory was well fought and well earned.
But what is it that makes Severus Snape the greatest "Harry Potter" character of all time? We want to know what you think in the comments section and on Twitter, but first, we'll give you a few of the reasons we think Snape more than earned the title.
Mad Wizarding Skills
You can’t become a teacher at Hogwarts without a) gaining Dumbledore’s trust and b) having a seriously impressive resume. Although we see plenty of his magical prowess in the movies, those of us who’ve read the books know that Snape’s skill in the art of potions is particularly unparalleled – the details and depths of which we learn in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
That Spellbinding Arc
Excuse the pun – actually, don’t. If ever there were an appropriate and double use of the word, it is in reference to Severus Snape. Yes, almost all of the characters in Rowling’s world are wonderfully interesting, but the consistently intriguing, intricate, surprising and, in the end, heartbreaking journey that Snape embarks upon is unlike any other in the series. Is he good? Is he bad? Rowling kept us guessing the entire time and then swept us off our feet in the end.
Unrequited Love Hurts
To half quote the great Meatloaf (which we're sure you didn't expect to see/read in this post), “I would do anything for love,” was, shockingly, Snape’s mantre. He absolutely would do that, thus the reason I said “half quote Meatloaf.” Snape’s love for Lily Potter was the motivation for everything he did and ultimately, his downfall. As a rule, unrequited love is one of the most agonizing of all human emotional storms to weather. Severus Snape’s case should go down in history as one of the most tragic and touching.
Tournament Domination
Would you be seeing this post if Snape hadn’t worked his magic to dominate all the competition in the Harry Potter World Cup? Probably not. Against most odds and predictions, Snape defeated all three major characters: Harry, Hermione and Ron. Everyone loves an underdog. Especially one that essentially gives up his existence for the love of another (see: unrequited love).
Alan Rickman FTW
Yes, J.K. Rowling absolutely killed it with her creation and development of Snape, but without the brilliance of award-winning actor Alan Rickman, we might not have seen all the subtleties of Snape’s character executed so wonderfully. Really there are no words, Rickman is just too good in the role. Plus, one of the most fun facts I’ve ever learned from the cast throughout the course of chatting with them over the years is that Rowling always kept Rickman in the loop about Snape’s character arc and eventual plot twist. He always knew, way before anyone else, which makes his work even more fun and impressive.
Tell us what you think of the Harry Potter World Cup winner in the comments section and on Twitter!
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