Let's talk about the boy who could have been The Chosen One, Neville Longbottom.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Neville had a tough childhood. His parents were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and other death eaters, causing him to be raised by his strict grandmother. Aside from this, he suffered six years of Snape's merciless bullying.
Snape bullied Neville from the start, from making fun of his intelligence to threatening to feed his pet toad poison. When Neville faces a boggart in POA, it is Professor Snape who appears as his worst fear.
Snape apologists like to say that he bullied Harry to protect him, but we can't use this argument for Neville.
Snape apologists therefore often say that he is cruel to Neville because if Neville had been the Chosen One, Lily would not have died. But how is this is any way redeeming for Snape? His childhood crush died so he mercilessly bullies a young boy who had the nerve to survive instead of her?
Let's make this very clear: Neville could have been the Chosen One, and if that had been the case, Snape would not have cared about Voldemort murdering him and his parents. He would not have given a shit about an innocent child's murder. The only thing that caused Snape to intervene were his own selfish needs.
THE BOGGART
This is where I think the final nail in the coffin should be put in regards to Snape's character. It speaks volumes that to a young boy whose parents were tortured mercilessly and Voldemort exists, his worst fear is his Potions teacher.
