Harry Potter turned 42 years old last July 31 and fans of the Wizarding World celebrated the long-lasting legacy of the boy who lived. Harry's journey to defeat Lord Voldemort marked many childhoods, but none of it would have been possible without the help of his main protectors, Severus Snape, and James and Lily Potter.
In an unexpected turn of events, fans learned that Snape had watched over Harry ever since Lily died and that James tormented Severus for years. Snape's hatred against James was evident throughout all the books and movies, however, there are some hilarious memes that sum it up perfectly.
Both Loved Lily
James Potter severely bullied Snape when they were both students at Hogwarts, which gave the Half-Blood Prince a good enough reason to hate him for the rest of his life. However, James did not only do that, but he also fell in love with the woman Snape adored since childhood, Lily Potter. Unfortunately for Severus, James won her heart. Both loved Lily deeply, which would only intensify their rivalry, or at least, Snape's resentment towards Potter. Given their enmity, it's unlikely that they would have ever held hands, but when it came to their affection for Lily, they could have probably agreed that both wanted what was best for the woman they loved.
Snape Insulted Lily And Blamed James
Snape and Lily Potter had a strong bond when they were children, but after entering Hogwarts and being placed in Slytherin and Gryffindor, they gradually went separate ways. Salazar's House inevitably had a strong influence on Snape's ideas of blood purism, and he called Lily a mudblood.
He then started to hang out more with aspiring Death Eaters, and reasonably so, Lily stopped talking to him. However, Snape thought Potter was the main reason behind Lily's withdrawal as if he hadn't done very questionable things to Lily that caused their separation. If he would have dated Lily, a muggle-born witch, when he was friends with soon-to-be Death Eaters, it for sure would have been one of Harry Potter's most awkward relationships.
The Marauders Bullied Snape
James and his fellow Griffyndor friends severely bullied Snape for years, and later on, Snape bullied Gryffindor students, which proves Griffyndor and Slytherin are not that different. Many fans couldn't forgive James for bullying Snape, however, some other Potterheads point out that despite their past, the Marauders grew up and became outstanding adults.
The same thing cannot be said about Snape, who became a bully himself. While the Marauders seemed to learn from their errors, Snape was a full-grown adult that bullied children.
Snape Finding James' Body
After Voldemort heard the prophecy that pointed out Harry Potter could defeat him, he decided to go to Godric's Hollow to murder the boy. Snape pleaded to the Dark Lord to forgive Lily's life, but given that she refused to step aside and protected Harry, Voldemort killed her anyway.
When Snape went to Godric's Hollow, he saw James' body on the floor, but just like Loki in the meme, he seemed to not be moved by James' death and went straight to what he was looking for, Lily. Snape must have felt pretty lucky when he saw James' body but soon proved once again he is one of the unluckiest Harry Potter characters when he found Lily murdered by his patron.
Snape Became Bitter
All this bad luck with his beloved Lily and his nemesis made Snape really bitter toward life. He didn't think it was fair and seemed to not be able to see any positive aspect in it. His terrible life experiences could perhaps explain his grim facial expressions, and many other traits that Snape is known for, so it is hilarious to imagine what he could have looked like if he had ended up with Lily and had a happy life, which would probably be like fresh-looking Keanu Reeves, as this meme claims.
James' Grave
Snape is one of Harry Potter's meanest characters so it is not difficult to imagine that after everything James Potter did to him in his childhood, he would pose happily next to Potter's grave for a picture.
When Voldemort heard the prophecy that would lead him to try to murder Harry, Snape asked him to spare Lily's life only and showed no concern about James or his son. He didn't even try to stop the Dark Lord from killing James. He probably may have felt a sense of satisfaction when he realized Voldemort was going to kill him, just like the man in the meme.
Snape Had A Complex Relationship With Harry
Snape had a very complex relationship with Harry. He loved him dearly and tried to protect him at all costs because he was Lily's son. However, he couldn't help mistreating him sometimes because he reminded him of James Potter.
Snape was never afraid to tell Harry how his father was a swine and terrible wizard, which was true when James was a young student at Hogwarts. Still, his love for Lily was so strong that he was willing to put that aside and save Harry in the name of Lily. His actions of hatred and love were perfectly balanced, just as Thanos would say.
Snape Was In Denial
Harry Potter looked exactly like his dad, which was especially troubling for Snape. Nevertheless, as everybody reminded Harry, he had his mother's eyes. In his last moment in the book, Severus asked Potter to look at him, so he could see Lily's eyes one last time. Despite the importance of Harry and Lily's eye resemblance, in the movies, young Lily has brown eyes, while Daniel Radcliff has blue ones. In the film adaptation, this would have made Snape's life a lie, and would also mean that Harry's eyes could come from his father's side of the family.
Albus Severus Is Named After Snape
Harry was able to see Snape's memories through the Pensieve after he collected Snape's tears, and after years of thinking his potions teacher was a horrendous villain, he changed his mind and saw him as a formidable and brave man. Consequently, he named his son after him and Dumbledore.
Snape risked his life to protect Harry and his love for Lily was truly extraordinary. Nevertheless, some fans don't think that justifies his previous behavior. If Hermione and Ron had felt the same way, they would have said the same thing the picture shows.
What If
Fans constantly debate if Lily should have ended up with Snape or if James was the correct choice. Within those discussions, a lot of people try to imagine what Harry would have looked like if Snape was his father. Fortunately for those individuals, Daniel Radcliffe starred in Viktor Frankenstein and there he had a hairstyle that resembled Snape's.
It's up to personal taste whether Harry would be better looking as a Snape or a Potter, but the fact that there are fans out there wondering about the possible outcomes in Lily's love life if had married Snape proves how strong their rivalry will always be and how divided fans are because of them.