SEVERUS SNAPE:THE GREATEST CHARACTER IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES

This blog post is dedicated to Severus Snape, who, in my opinion, is the greatest character in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  There are few books that can actually suck you in and bring out emotions using only words. In my younger years, I would read Dean Koontz and I would feel fear and have dreams about some of the villains from the story coming to get me. As I grew older, I read less and less for pleasure. It was only school books and church books (not to say that wasn’t a pleasure reading them, but they were learning books, not ones that would take me out of the real world). After the Twilight phenomenon, I FINALLY got sucked into the craze. While reading them I laughed, cried, got nervous and had dreams about the characters. I soon realized what I had been missing all those years of not reading for pleasure.

After I finished the Twilight series, Brandon was reading Harry Potter and he wanted to watch the first 5 movies when he was finished. After watching the Harry Potter movies again in order, I wanted to read 6 and 7. From the very first movie, I had a special love for Severus. I wasn’t sure why but I just new that I liked him.

The books immediately sucked me into the the wizarding world. I remember one night being so sad that I could never experience Hogwarts or that I could never pull out my wand on anyone. A book that brings out those emotions in you shows the talent of the author and will go down as one of the best books I have ever read.

After finishing the 6th book, I was so distraught that I pretended to not believe that the valiant man I loved actually killed the magnificent Dumbledore. I tried everything not to believe it happened, then came to the conclusion that it was for a purpose, and it was not because Snape was evil.

Imagine my surprise when I finally found out that I was right. How could I have doubted my feelings! Of course Severus was good all along…I knew it from the moment I was first interested in his character. Anything bad that Snape was involved in didn’t matter to me. I brushed it aside because I knew in my heart that he was not evil.

I know everyone thought I was crazy because of my love of Snape, and especially after reading book six, I thought that everyone was against me for liking the man who killed Dumbledore. Come to find out they were probably glad that I never doubted him and couldn’t wait for me to read on and have my dream scenario come to play.

Severus Snape was the greatest character in this book because, besides Harry’s parents, I feel that he truly loved Harry and knew how important he was. No one else in the books were courageous enough to play both sides yet remain loyal to the “good side.” Snape had the bravery to actually stand at Voldemort’s side and give him whatever he needed of him.

One of my FAVORITE lines from Snape is when he said to Dumbledore “…you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter-” It truly showed how much Snape cared for Harry and how he wasn’t approving of the fact that he had to die and that Dumbledore knew it. No I don’t think Snape really loved all of Harry, since he was like his father who Snape despised, but his love for Lily was so immense and I think that some of that trickled down to Harry.

Even up until Snape’s dying breath, he was doing Dumbledore’s bidding and protecting the person he had been for the past 17 + years.  No one showed as much courage as Severus Snape. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much as I did had it not have been this line from Harry (in the Epilogue)

“Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew”.

I am glad that Harry came to realize the importance of Severus and his fearlessness. Now, I am a little perturbed that Severus wasn’t his first name, but I will have to live with that.

So Severus was the greatest character in the series, followed by Sirus and Luna. I know you are probably thinking what about Harry, Ron and Hermione? Well, they made the book what it was, but without the help of the previous three people mentioned, their journey would have not been successful.

I heart The Half-Blood Prince. End of story.

First things first: Marriage is hard. But it is not the hard that makes you want to quit, or makes you wish for the end to be near (like school), it is the kind of hard that when trials come up you must now try and get through them with another person. And that other person did not grow up as you did and may have different way to solve problems. It is diffucult to find middle grounds when both parties think they are right. But compromise is something Brandon and I have been practicing since we have been together. Case in point: I don’t like watching South Park…in fact, I HATE watching South Park. But I watch it with Brandon because I know he enjoys it and wants to share that enjoyment with me. And in turn Brandon will watch Big Brother with me and laugh at all the comments I make (as if the house guests could hear me).

Other hard issues that we had to get through were: getting insurance, finding a full time job with benefits,  getting my name changed and his name added to bills, consolidate credit cards, find time for each other and become adults. Luckily for me Brandon has been an adult for longer than I have so it was easier for me to jump into it with someone who knew what he was doing. And I think it is kinda fun to get cards in the mail with your new name on them.

So other than little road blocks that stress us out a little bit, marriage is everything I hoped it would be. Which is saying a lot since I have always been a hopeless romantic. I have not went through the list with Brandon that I am about to share with you. So if it is embarrassing, I hope he will be okay with it. So here it is, a list of things I love about Brandon:

Brandon knows I hate falling asleep with no one by my side, so he will bring his Nintendo DS and sit in bed with me and play it all night until he gets tired just so I don’t feel alone. (sometimes for HOURS)

If I am sleeping and he can’t, he will shine his insulin pump in my face, and when I wake up and look at him, he says: “Oh! You’re awake!!” (with a HUGE smile on his face)

He will always make me dinner when I am too tired to cook. (which has been a lot lately)

He always takes out the trash, and when he sees me doing it he makes me stop. (oh, shucks)

He is very clean and anal…two characteristics that I needed in a husband. (we are two neat freaks)

Always cleans out Lily’s cat box so that I don’t have to. (and believe me, it is not fun)

Likes watching movies with me (we have become somewhat obsessed with movies).

Makes the BEST curry in the whole wide world.

He works SO hard from early morning all the way until late at night. ( and NEVER complains about it)

He does an awesome job handling our finances and we should be able to have money when we retire.

Buy bags of Reeses and puts them in the freezer.

Does dishes when I don’t get to them.

Always wanting to teach me math, or share cool concepts that he learns each day (mostly coming from Atlas Shrugged)

He places 8 post its around that house that say “I love you”.

Always has me pick out his church clothes.

He texts me all day long, even if he is busy.

He will rub my back after a long day at work. (everyday)

So there are just a few reasons why I am so happy in my life right now. There is so much more that Brandon does to make me happy. I am so glad that we found each other and decided to get married for time and all eternity. I am so excited to have him me my eternal companion and to live happily ever after for… forever.

Okay, so now on to my new job. I am now working for Kelly Hawkins Physical Therapy on Charleston and Valley View. I work full time (9-6 M-F) and get benefits). I am a technician there and I put heat or cold pack on patients, do ultra sound or electric stimulation on problems areas and them massage them. It is a fun job because I get to meet so many different people and help them on their road to recovery. The comments I get from the patients are what gets me through the day. They are all so sweet and it makes my job easy. The only down side to this new job is that my body doesn’t seem to be keeping up with me. My RA is flaring up and it is getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning and get ready. I enjoy the days when Brandon is home because he can help me get ready. I haven’t a clue what else I can do to get better, but I hope to see my doctor again soon so that I can continue working at my job with no pain.

So there is my new update. My new job consumes my life and there isn’t much time for fun. But whenever we get a spare moment, Brandon and I make sure we spend time together, and thats how a marriage should be. I love my new job and I love being married. My life is going great right now and I hope it only gets better.