This morning, January 14, I got to campus in my mom's car, which was enough of a pain in the butt because I like my car and it's acting up, but she lent me her car and that's nice. Then I got water in my shoes. I thought my morning couldn't get any worse. All these stupid things were getting under my skin but in two weeks, they'll mean nothing to me and I won't remember most of today at all.

I walked out of the Success Center and was heading to my first class when I got two text messages from my sister. "Oh, Erika. I am so sorry" was the first, followed immediately by, "I heard about Alan Rickman."

See, I hadn't heard anything that morning except for the horrible sound my car has been making for the last two days. I stopped walking at the top of the staircase, my eyes on my phone. I could not believe it. Not Alan Rickman, not Snape. I know a lot of people look to Alan Rickman for a lot of his other roles in a lot of other things but for years I saw Severus Snape. Even while reading the "Harry Potter" books, I saw Alan Rickman's face in my head. An inspirational actor, incredible person and it's devastating to know that he's gone.

Over the winter break, I watched the last two "Harry Potter" films, the Part 1 and 2 of Deathly Hallows and I'll say that seeing those final scenes of Severus Snape, even knowing they were coming, I sobbed. I, like a lot of people I spoke with today, had no idea Alan Rickman was battling cancer so today's news was shocking.

I grew up watching Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Those films put faces to the characters I read in J.K. Rowling's books. He was, and forever will be, Snape to me. He was an incredible actor. I thought that he was the most incredible, intimidating and fascinating part of some of those early scenes. I loved him, always, just because I knew that Snape was an interesting character and when I found that Alan Rickman had an expansive acting history, I was overjoyed.

That's what we should take away from this horrible news. Although he's gone, Alan Rickman did a lot in his lifetime. There are incredible works out there for us to watch and enjoy so curl up with the eight "Harry Potter" films, cry a little then watch "Love Actually." We get to see Alan Rickman play a character named Harry alongside Emma Thompson, his character's wife, and Professor Sybill Trelawney in "Harry Potter."

Although today really sucks, remember that we've got these films (plus those I didn't mention) and interviews like one he did with Jimmy Fallon that involves helium. In the end, Professor Snape said it best