I am a new fan of the Harry Potter series. In fact, I just finished the books this previous summer, so I never had to endure the endless waiting for the next book like many 12-year-olds. I was never left hanging at the end of one book, because I could immediately start reading the next. I was lucky that way.

The reason it took so long for me to read the books was because of the amount of them in the series. Seven books, each between 300 and 800 pages, filled with names I couldn't pronounce, incantations that were half latin and half made up, and plots that were surrounded by magic and wizards. It all seemed...overwhelming to say the least.

However, last November, almost a year ago, I accepted the challenged and read a series of books that changed my life.

The depth of these books was amazing. I saw the issue of racism and segregation in a whole new light. I was reminded of the importance and influence of friendship. And I realized the complexity and profundity fictional characters can have.

But there was one character that stood out to me the most: Severus Snape.

Recently, I came across an Instagram post from a Harry Potter fan page that talked about Snape. The post was there to remind people that Snape was not the only "good" Slytherin, and then went on to mention other characters and their noble deeds. At the end of the post, it asked for other people's opinions of Snape.

I'm here now, to give you mine.

Most people's opinions on the post were negative, mostly stating that he was unnecessarily mean to Harry. However, because Snape is my favorite character and because people were bad-mouthing him, I had to speak up.

If we thought about the books through Snape's eyes, we can gain a little perspective into why he is the way he is.

First of all, he came from a poor family and was neglected by his parents. We also know that his parents fought a lot. The only things he found solace in was spending time with Lily, and the idea of leaving home.

Then, once he finally leaves his troubled home and has a sense of freedom, he is bullied before even arriving at Hogwarts. James and Sirius become his personal nightmares for the next seven years, publicly humiliating him without any remorse. Snape was already insecure and isolated from his home life, and this only made it worse. Anyone who has been bullied before can probably relate.

At least he has Lily though, right? WRONG! After a few years at school, Lily and Snape drifted apart. This was understandable since they were placed in different houses. However, becasue Snape didn't have Lily's insightful and moral guidance to help him through the crazy time of adolescence, Snape found friends within his own house. Unfortunately, those friends were not the best of the bunch. Snape became misguided, finding friendship any place he could find it. But can you blame him? His childhood friend, his only friend, was around less and less, and he was constantly bullied. Obviously, Snape was a very lonely child.

If we looked at Snape's behavior from a psychological point of view, we can probably assume that he had an ambivalent /anxious attachment style. Based on the information we're given about his home life, we can assume that during his early childhood, his parents were unpredictable, inconsistent, and heavily lacking in their care for little Sev. As a result, Snape grew up acting clingy and desperate of some people (Lily) and suspicious and distrustful of others (pretty much everyone else). He learned to rely on himself, to distant himself from his emotions.

So, as you can imagine, Snape was livid and heart broken when he found out that the one person he loved above anyone else fell for his greatest enemy. The amount of betrayal and loss he must have felt.

But, just like everyone else, Snape had to get over it. Except he never did. He just kept his distance, closed himself off, and became emotionally isolated, hostile, and aggressive. He decided to become a bad guy. One of the worst guys, actually. Not the best way to deal with a broken heart, sure. But I try to give Sev the benefit of the doubt.

Despite the unreciprocated love, Snape still wanted Lily safe. So when he found out that Voldemort, the man he worked for, had gone and killed her just because, he again was filled with loss and loathing.

Are you keeping up? Loveless childhood led to passionate admiration for a woman that would not only marry another man, but also end up dead never loving Snape the way he always wanted her to. Not many people would be envious of Snape right now. And it gets worse.

After turning to Dumbledore, who ultimately could no nothing to stop Lily's death, Snape was given a task. Look after Harry, Lily's son. How could he not? Harry was the closest thing Snape would ever get to Lily. And let's not forget, he had her eyes. But that was it. Every of feature of Harry's was almost identical to James, Snape's personal tormenter.

So, now we come to his career. Snape was the potions professor, a job he was overqualified for and a job he didn't want. He wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but was passed over for the position every year. Not only that, but he had to see James'...I mean, Harry's face every day in class and around school, and lets not forget that Harry wasn't the brightest student. He constantly cheated off of another student (Hermione), he blatantly and publicly disrespected Snape every chance he got, and he was always breaking school rules. As a man with Snape's history, you can imagine he would feel a little bitter and cold toward the boy.

Lastly, Snape's personal life as an adult was arguably worse than when he was a child. Since becoming a double agent for Dumbledore, no one trusts him anymore. The Death Eaters constantly question where his loyalties lie, and his fellow professors are always suspicious of his actions, despite Dumbledore's numerous approval of him. Snape risks his life every day and no one appreciates his efforts except Dumbledore, who takes that gratitude and secret to his grave. Snape has no friends and no family.

Unfortunately, it isn't until his death that anyone finally understands him.

Anyone who has every felt mistreated, misunderstood, or misjudged can relate to Snape. I think if the books were written from his point of view (hint hint J.K. Rowling), we would all be a little more compassionate towards my guy, Sev.