Around the time that my daughter turned 7, she started reading Harry Potter. One of my favorite things about Ella is that when I have her, I get to read books with her. And now, after over a year of jinxes and charms, potions and patronuses, we say good-bye. And it’s not Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore or even Harry that I miss. I miss Snape. Yes, his hair was greasy. He was unadorable. No one liked him.
But still, he kept on showing up. My favorite thing about Snape was that you never knew what was going to happen around him. He kept the story going – until the very end. When I was Ellas’ age, I read obsessively. Long books in which somebody dies or leaves forever. Adults at the times all said the same thing: it’s just a story. And I even said that to Ella during sad and scary parts. What was I thinking? Just a story? As opposed to what? Stories are everything. Stories let us feel the big feelings and then get to the other side of them. We get scared, we get abandoned, we walk through fire with Harry and his friends, and then we see, much to our relief, we haven’t burnt to a crisp after all. When I was a kid, I wept, I brooded, I daydreamed. And that’s why I guess I love Snape.
Some might call his silences anti-social behavior, but think about it. They let you in. They let you breathe. They let you wonder. Does he? Can he? ‘Is he bad or good,’ Ella asked, countless times. Not bad or good or black or white. There is so much in between in Snape. In between is where the magic is. There is more to him than meets the eye – which makes him the most realistic wizard I have ever met. He’s the hero behind the hero. One could imagine a whole set of books just about him, but I don’t think I would probably wouldn’t enjoy it. Go team Snape! Over the course of the last few days I spent with Ella, bonding and clashing with her, I begin to realise that my daughter has indeed grown up. She can do most of the daily activities themselves but by the time we got home, she was dead tired. Sure, there are times she becomes really disobedient and ignorant on my instructions. But then we would play and lose control of our sillyness. End result? We laughed and giggled non stop.
Having said that, I do also enjoy preparing dinner for her, driving her around to different playgrounds and op-shopping etc. I would like to say a special thank you to my princess.
From the 2 year old days, I thoroughly and truly treasure the times with her. I just wish the time will go slower. My girl, like me, simply loves to draw. Whenever she is with me and is not reading or finger knitting, she would request a paper to draw. At times, she would draw for me or her mummy. Her drawing may not be well drawn but the picture reflects her true feelings. I used to keep the drawings and place it at my work desk. These drawings are a source of motivation to me. When I am down in office or stress, I will smile when I lift my head and see the drawings. What I love most about the drawings are the heart shape and the family members. Ella often tells me that the heart shape represents her love for me and the people are her mother, her grandmother, her aunties and cousins etc. From the colorful pictures, it reveals how happy she is being with us.I always believe that kid’s drawing can reveal his / her true feelings. In my girl’s case, her drawings can cheer me and warm my heart.
Campbell Craig 