Snapes Doe Patronus In Harry Potter Had A Deeper Meaning Than You Think

April 2024 · 6 minute read

At first glance, Snape's doe Patronus in Harry Potter proved that he had been in love with Lily, but under further scrutiny, it reveals so much more.

Summary

Severus Snape's doe Patronus in Harry Potter revealed that he had been in love with Lily Potter and was the one who helped Harry find the Sword of Gryffindor, but its meaning went far deeper than that. The moment the professor showed Albus Dumbledore the form of his spectral guardian is among the most iconic scenes of the Harry Potter series, especially paired with actor Alan Rickman's emotional delivery of the simple line "always." However, the context of the books reveals how the scene of Snape's Patronus reveal contained several layers of symbolism and heavily impacted Harry's story.

Harry first learned about Patronuses in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but the movies simplified the explanation of how this spell worked. Only truly talented wizards could produce a fully corporeal Patronus—most could only emit a silvery mist from their wands. Moreover, a wizard could not choose the form their Patronus would take, but the animal would always have deep ties with that wizard's soul. This meant that a Patronus could change as a person's emotional state changed—an essential detail that the Harry Potter movies left out.

Watch on Max

Snape’s Patronus Was Definitive Proof That He Was On Dumbledore’s Side

The fact that a person's Patronus could change is important to Severus Snape's story and is precisely why the emotional impact of the doe reveal in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was lessened in the movies. Even the most powerful wizard cannot control what form their Patronus will take, and the silvery guardians are, in their nature, anti-darkness devices. This is why Dumbledore had the Order of the Phoenix members use their Patronuses to communicate—they always knew precisely who their messages were coming from and that they hadn't been tampered with by Death Eaters.

Therefore, when Snape cast his Patronus after Dumbledore questioned why he cared that Harry would have to sacrifice his life to stop Voldemort, it was a definitive way of proving that he was entirely on the side of good. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore explained to Harry that his dead loved ones never really left him and that when he cast his stag Patronus, it was, in a way, his father appearing to protect him. If this same logic is applied to Snape, his Patronus changing into the same form that Lily's used to take was proof that she was still with him—and that could only be true if he were genuinely determined to protect her son.

Related
Harry Potter: Snape’s Last Line Revealed His Real Lily Problem
Throughout the Harry Potter story, Professor Snape carries a heartbreaking secret - something revealed in the character's very last line.

The Form Of Snape’s Patronus Proved He Accepted Lily’s Choices

Snape's Patronus was a doe, the same as Lily Potter's. However, it's never clear if this had always been the case or if her silvery guardian had changed when she fell in love. Given that in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Tonks' Patronus was revealed to have changed into a wolf when she fell in love with Remus Lupin, it's a reasonably safe assumption that something similar happened to Lily. Since James' Patronus and Animagus form was a stag, Lily's became a doe to complement it—very romantic.

Of course, it is ironic that Snape's Patronus would also take the form that complimented that of his oldest enemy. The Harry Potter series makes it clear that the Potions Master despised James Potter so much that he could never bring himself to treat Harry with kindness. However, the fact that his Patronus changed into a doe indicates some level of acceptance. It's unclear when this change happened, but since Dumbledore was surprised by the doe, this could mean that it was only recently.

Snape never got over his hatred of James, but if his Patronus changed into the form that Lily's had taken only when she fell in love, it would mean that he had come to accept the choices that she had made. By this point, he knew that he had been wrong to choose Dark magic over his love for her, and Snape regretted the role his worst mistake played in her death until the day he himself was killed. His hatred for James was still there, but his doe Patronus was saying to Lily, "I accept that you didn't choose me, and I am going to protect your son anyway."

Snape, Lily, & James’ Patronuses Mirror Their Roles In Harry’s Lives

The fact that James, Lily, and Snape all had variations of the same Patronus was no coincidence. Patronuses are guardians and protectors, and that's precisely the role each of these characters played in Harry's life. Then, Harry's own Patronus took on this form. Because he had been protected by these three, he could protect the rest of the wizarding world.

Related
Everything Lily’s Sacrifice Saved In Harry Potter
Lily Potter died before the events of Harry Potter, but her sacrifice still resonated throughout the series and saved many witches and wizards.

This becomes even more impactful when remembering, for better or worse, Voldemort would have never been defeated if it wasn't for James, Lily, and Snape. Though no one could have known it, the Dark Lord's downfall began the day that Snape and Lily met when they were children and took several steps forward when the duo met James Potter on the Hogwarts Express. Snape's hate for James drove him to become a Death Eater, but his love for Lily brought him back again. Then, the sacrifices of all three allowed Harry to defeat Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter—and their Patronuses perfectly reflected this.

Related Topics About The Authors

ncG1vNJzZmirk6eyprrRmqWtZpOkunC0wKupsmWgpMG1sdFmqqeZoJp6pbvEZqearKKku7a%2FjKacmqaZo7Rusdepo5qhnpqxcA%3D%3D