Severus Snape's mysterious sex appeal

Article by: Sara Andrea Vera
Published on July 4th, 2002

Until recently there was a big question mark in my mind "Am I insane?", I wondered. I felt absolutely alone and I thought that nobody could ever understand me. I wouldn't admit it then, but I thought that Severus Snape was terribly sexy. I couldn't help it, I loved the Potion Master. And when I saw Alan Rickman playing the part in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" I went completely mad about him. Though I was sure I was the only one I felt that way.

Some days ago -after a long time without doing it- I visited several Harry Potter message boards and I got very surprised. Tens of messages written by J.K. Rowling's books' fans said that they shared my feelings. Girls from different ages didn't hesitate to confess that they were almost in love with Severus (nicknamed Sev or Sevvie). And when somebody asked why, they were ready to give a long list of reasons. And I agree with all of them!.

Through the four published books Snape has emerged as one of the most complex and interesting characters. He is passionate and brave, risking his own life to save Harry's, even when he doesn't like the boy. In the other side, even thought he can be cruel sometimes, honesty is one of his best qualities. And because look is important, his penetrating eyes have certainly melted some witches. And men always look elegant in black!.

Bad boys are the best
It's well know that women feel enormously attracted to mysterious and rebellious men. Severus Snape is the perfect example: a former Death Eater, very little is know about his life. However, something very important must have happened to make him leave Voldemort at the peak of his power. What happened? Professor Dumbledore refused to tell Harry in Book IV. But Hogwarts' headmaster is positive about the fidelity of his Potions Master, so it must be something really important.

Besides being mysterious, Severus is an incredibly intelligent wizard and that's something hard not to feel attracted to. Professor Remus Lupin himself admitted so in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". As many of you surely remember, Professor Lupin needed to drink a potion he said it was "particularly complex". He also admitted that just a few wizards and witches were up to making it. And if you think that Snape is still very young (36 years old in Book IV according to Rowling), you can conclude that he really has a superior mind.

Another Snape's appealing characteristic is that he looks like he has suffered a lot in his life. Just to begin, it's a fact that he had a hard time when he was a Hogwarts student. His classmates -the Marauders among them- used to mock him. Reading between lines of what Lupin and Sirius Blak said we can learn that Severus was an introvert boy and some of his fans assume he was neglected or battered by his parents. And even when there is no evidence in the book, a lot of us believe that he lost the woman he loved and his heart is still broken.

Snape Vs. Harry
It's true, for those who love Harry, Ron, and Hermione (myself included) is very annoying to see the way they are treated by Snape. It can't be denied, he hates them. Wht?He seems to project his old rivalry with James Potter on his son, but Rowling is full of surprises so maybe there is something more. By the way, if we were in Sanpe's shoes for a moment we could see how annoying three students constantly braking the rules can be.

Another interesting angle of the problems between Harry and Snape -the latter is hated by many for this reason- is that we only read Harry's point of view in the books. He and his friend have a slight tendency to always think the worst about the Potion Master. Don't they? They have been wrong several times. And if you add all the rumors going around Hogwarts, it's very easy to be confused. After all, is there any proof that Snape really wants to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?. None. That rumor is part of the mystery surrounding Severus Snape... mystery that makes him even more attractive.

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