What is the meaning of “Always” in Harry Potter? It might have been well over a decade since the credits rolled on the final Harry Potter movie, but that hasn’t stopped us remaining devoted to the Wizarding World and those who dwell in it. Always.
That one word has huge importance to what happens in the final Harry Potter movie, and it helped to transform one of the best Harry Potter villains, Severus Snape, into a hugely important part of the fight against Voldemort and his Horcruxes. Context is everything, and that has never been truer than in Snape’s actions throughout some of the best fantasy movies of the 2000s.
So what is the meaning of “Always” in Harry Potter, and why has it become one of the enduring hallmarks of one of the best Harry Potter characters? Let’s dust off our copy of Hogwarts: A History and dive into why that single word is so important in the Harry Potter story.
What is the meaning of Always in Harry Potter?
“Always” is the single word Snape uses in a conversation with Dumbledore to explain his lifelong love for Lily Potter.
Throughout the series, we learned that the young Severus Snape became friends with Lily when they were children, and helped to teach her about her magical abilities. It’s fair to say that teenage Snape had a pretty intense crush on her, though his love was seemingly unrequited.
They went to Hogwarts as friends, but their relationship soured when Snape began to pal around with future Death Eaters obsessed with dark magic and ultimately called Lily a Mudblood during a heated argument caused by James Potter. We’re on her side, to be honest.
In one of the most memorable scenes of the final Potter movie, helped by the virtuoso acting talent of Alan Rickman, we took a journey through Snape’s memories. There, we learned that Harry was the final Horcrux and that he would have to face death in order for Voldemort to become mortal.
Snape was unhappy to learn this information from Dumbledore and revealed that, although he was at best irritated by Harry, he had never forgotten his love for Lily. That’s why his Patronus took the shape of a doe, just as hers had done. “Lily, after all these years?” asked Dumbledore, to which Snape simply replied: “Always”.
The evocative line is among the most famous moments in one of the franchise’s best movies, and it’s a key factor in Snape’s position among the most beloved characters.
So that’s what “Always” is all about. For more from the world of Potter, find out why the movies almost ruined Snape’s death and how Prisoner of Azkaban was inspired by one of the best movies ever.
We’ve also got guides to potential new movies and TV series in the franchise, including the Harry Potter TV series release date and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child release date. If you’re new to all this magic malarky and want to know where to begin, then you need to give our article explaining how to watch the Harry Potter movies in order a read.