Severus Snape: The Third Best Ever?

I caught some of the Deathly Hallows Part II movie on HBO the other day and the brief fight scene between Snape and McGonagall got me thinking back to a conversation I had with my roommate last year. During our talk, I claimed that Snape would easily beat any of the other professors in a fight. My roommate, who shall not be named, insisted that McGonagall could best him (absolute malarkey). The McGonagall claim can be easily dismissed, but that conversation got me thinking about a legitimate question: is Snape the third strongest wizard in the Harry Potter universe? I believe so, and I discuss the reasons why below. Right of the bat I will acknowledge that Dumbledore and Voldemort are the two most powerful wizards we come across in the series. I will not include Grindelwald because we dont actually see him at his peak. With that said, here are the reasons: 1. HE CAN FLY! Flying is the embodiment of magic. Ignore the Harry Potter series for a second. Whenever you think of a superhero, or magic, or magical powers, the first two things that come to your mind are superhuman strength and the ability to fly. Strength is irrelevant in the Harry Potter series. However, the ability to fly is magical even in the world of wizards. There are only two wizards that can flyone is the most powerful dark wizard of all time, the other is Snape. Im sure Dumbledore probably could have learned to fly if he wanted, but he is never shown in the books to do so. The fact that Snape can fly automatically puts him in ultra-elite company. In the Deathly Hallows, members of the Order were in awe of the fact that Voldemort could fly. They all knew how powerful Voldemort was, yet the fact that he could fly still impressed them. It is important to note that flying is not dark magic (Superman flies and he is good). Unlike some of Voldemorts dark magic that normal wizards simply refuse to perform, flying is strictly limited to those two because of its difficulty. 2. Snapes extraordinary talent while at Hogwarts Again, Snape finds himself in elite company because of his exploits at Hogwarts. We know that both Dumbledore and Voldemort did amazing things while they were students. Dumbledore was performing magic never before seen, winning gold medals, and corresponding with the brightest minds of the day. Voldemort had discovered the Chamber of Secrets, had murdered without detection, and was making horcruxes. Those are lofty precedents but Snape was no slouch. Snape was rewriting his potions book with much more effective methods. He was inventing powerful spells (sectumsempra). He was smart enough to figure out that Lupin was a werewolf.

I dont think it was a coincidence that the three strongest wizards that we are exposed to had prodigious talent at young ages. 3. Snapes dueling skills Snape manhandled Gilderoy Lockhart in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry couldnt get a spell off against him at the end of the Half-Blood Prince. He dueled McGonagall briefly in the Deathly Hallows and gave her all she could handle without trying to harm her. While Lockhart and Harry are not the greatest competition, both were completely overmatched against Snape. Remember, Harry had been able to duel Voldemort on multiple occasions and had survived duels with many death eaters (with luck, admittedly, playing a large part). However, Snape made Harry look like a complete weakling. Harry spent more time on his back and knees in that battle than an adult-film star. As for his duel against McGonagall, remember that Snape was the only one who was holding back. He didnt want to actually hurt her, while she had no such reservations. Sprout and Flitwick then joined McGonagall, and Snape could have easily taken on all three if he wanted. However, he decided to escapeby flying away. 4. Snapes potions skills The best in the world. Before you call the art of potions stupid or useless, remember the critical role that potions played throughout the whole series. 5. Snapes occlumency skills Again, I would argue he is the best in the world. He lied to Voldemort throughout the series and never got caught. 6. Dumbledores trust in Snape While part of the reason for this was the circumstances that led to the death of the Potters, and Snapes role in it, the main reason Dumbledore trusted Snape was his capability as a wizard. When Dumbledore was injured after destroying Marvolos ring, he wanted to see only Snape. Not McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey, only Snape. He mentions to Harry that it is only Snapes skill which allowed him to live for a full year after being exposed to the curse. Even Voldemort acknowledges that Snape is a powerful wizard before he sets Nagini on him (a bitch move).

In conclusion, the biggest regret I have from the series is the method of Snapes death. I wish we could have seen him duel Voldemort, because I believe he would have held his own.