Since Snape seems to be such a controversial character, we thought he deserved his own page.

In book 1 Snape seems a very evil character. The main "baddie", everybody hates him. He's nasty to Harry for no obvious reason, biased towards the Slytherins - a generally bad house - and just a nasty person.

Then we discover that he's not, in fact, public enemy number 1. He saves Harry from Quirrel when playing Quidditch, and is trying to stop Quirrell's evil doings. He still, however, continues to hate Harry and get in the way of whatever he, Hermione and Ron are up to. In book three, we discover the real reson behind his hatred of Harry - he sees his father as both the person who saved his life and the one responsible for risking it in the first place.

Maybe Snape wants Harry out of Hogwarts for his own safety? Hardly likely, as he's generally nasty to him all the time. We then find, in book four, that he was on Voldemort's side before he became a spy for the "good guys". Is he still with Voldemort? Probably not. If people know what he did, he wouldn't be able to go back, unless he's going to double-cross Dumbledore and spy for Voldemort this time. Yet that doesn't seem that likely, as it would prove our original assumptions right, and this doesn't seem to be in line with J K Rowling's fondness for the ironic twist. Is he the coward that Voldemort has decided to kill, or is that someone else?

Hopefully, we'll find more out about Snape's motivations, and what the task is that Dumbledore has set him at the end of book four. Is he to try and resume his old role as a spy? If so, will Voldemort know? If Harry had to save him, it would provide an interesting plot for the next book. Or maybe he'll be one of the leaders in the fight against Voldemort, and will save Harry's life. If Harry gains some respect for him, the reverse might happen too (though probably not until the last book - their conflict's just too much fun!).

Whatever Snape does next, I must say that as the books have gone on I have begun to warm to his character. From the stereotypical baddie, he has become a very complex character with subtly complex motivations. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of him in the next few books. But for now, let's just have a look at the lovely Mr Rickman. mmmmmmmm..................