10 Quotes that Commemorate Harry Potter Better Than "Always"

We examine some alternatives to Severus Snape’s “Always” that better capture the spirit of the Harry Potter series.

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Wherever there’s Harry Potter, there’s an Always not far behind. And I, for one, have had enough. Nothing stops me from splurging on more Harry Potter merch quite like the word “Always” printed, stamped, or engraved on the item in question. There’s some sort of poetic injustice that this particular quote is always around.

Severus Snape went from one of the most despised characters to one of the most beloved, lauded, and quoted. It’s a testament to the popularity of unrequited love in literature that the word “Always” has evolved from a rather underwhelming descriptor to the cultural phenomenon it is today. (This may be due in part to Alan Rickman’s celebrated use of the word. I hate to break it to anyone who doesn’t yet know, but no matter how often the meme is shared, Rickman never actually referenced this famous line as such.)

Now, I was never a fan of the quote to begin with. So Snape’s big secret was that he never got over his high school crush—I just never quite saw the tragedy in the thing. It’s certainly sad in a way, but more in a “What a pity Snape’s emotional capacity seems to have peaked at such a young age that he could never move on from the events of his adolescence” sort of way. Harsh as that may be, the man once mocked fourteen-year-old Hermione Granger’s teeth, so he’s due to be knocked down a peg or two. And so here we are.

No matter how Harry came to forgive Snape (or at least memorialize him when no one else would have), the series shouldn’t be honored with words uttered by the man who tormented Harry for so many years. While “Always” works on a level relevant to Potterheads in regards to our love for the series, there are quotes more profound and all-encompassing. Perhaps the following selections don’t have the same marketability as “Always.” Most of them certainly wouldn’t fit on a rubber bracelet or suit a T-shirt, but they encapsulate so much more than one man’s solitary mission for redemption.

Into the Chamber of Quotes we go!

Next: Cross Country McGonagall

10. “CHARGE!”

"“Get back!” shouted Ron, and he, Harry and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of thundering desks galloped past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall. She appeared not to notice them: her hair had come down and there was a gash on her cheek. As she turned the corner, they heard her scream: “CHARGE!”–Deathly Hallows"

If we’re going to quote a professor, who better than Momma McG? Admittedly, her war cry may not be particularly memorable the way “Always” has proven to be. But this scene manages to incorporate a lot of Harry Potter in a short space. There’s magic, there’s fighting and frenzy, humor and whimsy. All of it converges in what reads like a pleasantly off-the-cuff moment in the midst of war.

Not only does the scene tie so many narrative elements together, but it further enriches McGonagall’s character. For seven books, fans knew her as staid, stern, and self-possessed. There was the occasional crack in her resolve, but overall she kept cool and collected. But when her school and her students are threatened, McGonagall lets her hair down in more ways than one. She is by no means a young woman, but she spearheads the Battle of Hogwarts with such gusto that you know this isn’t her first rodeo. I don’t know about my fellow Potterheads, but it’s moments like this that make me want Rita Skeeter’s unauthorized biography of Minerva McGonagall. Unreliable as Rita is, you know she would milk the details for all they’re worth.

It may not tug at the heartstrings the way “Always” does, but it nevertheless tugs. McGonagall has been a constant in the series, someone fans grew to know, respect, and love as assuredly as Harry does. To see her charge into the fray is something of an inspiration. Her fearless defense of the place and people she loves is the stuff that Harry Potter is made of.

Next: Up To No Good

9. “I don’t go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me.”

–Harry Potter, Prisoner of Azkaban

It’s not the most honest thing Harry’s ever said, but this quote has its merits all the same. As much as Harry does indeed go looking for trouble, his fate as the Chosen One ensures he would have had to face some trouble regardless. If he wasn’t always trying to crack another case, he still would have had to deal with the repercussions of those mysteries. Most of them involved Voldemort’s resurrection and ultimate defeat, and therefore Harry was a key component. So in the end, they all came back to him. In some ways, the world really did revolve around Harry for a time. Whether or not he was tracking down another Death Eater, they would have come looking for him eventually.

Dozens of quotes throughout the series highlight the burden of destiny. But this one does so in a way significantly less poetic than Dumbledore’s oft-spoken words of wisdom. While Harry’s hero complex prevents him from shrugging off his responsibilities, his humility compels him to downplay his own importance. He’s aware of his destiny, and yet he doesn’t let it define him.

This instance is a flippantly stated reminder that Harry’s fate can’t be denied, and he’ll deal with it when it comes calling. Harry and trouble have a regular flirtation because they were destined for each other in a way Snape was never destined for Lily. (Whomp, there it is.)

Next: All For One and One For All

8. “You said to us once before […] that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We’ve had time, haven’t we?”

–Hermione Granger, Half-Blood Prince

Here’s a quote to rival the warm fuzzies that “Always” inspires in many fans. It’s not a reference to romantic love, but platonic. Friendship, loyalty, selflessness, dedication—these are the cornerstones of Harry Potter more than any romance the series coughs up. While these defining traits of the series build a solid foundation for any romance, Harry Potter explores friendship more than any sort of relationship.

Hermione is alluding to the specifics of the trio’s adventures in first year, when they went after the Sorcerer’s Stone:

"A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor—and the door was already ajar. […]Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.“If you want to go back, I won’t blame you,” he said. “You can take the cloak, I won’t need it now.”“Don’t be stupid,” said Ron.“We’re coming,” said Hermione.Harry pushed the door open."

Now, five years later, Hermione cites this as the moment that she and Ron dedicated themselves wholly to Harry, cementing the bond between the three. In the intervening years, the trio has faced injury and death, betrayals and fights and falling-out—all the pitfalls of friendship with the occasional enemy’s homicidal intent. But none of it was enough to stop Ron and Hermione from turning their backs on Harry for good. He’s Harry Potter—the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One—and his friends have known what that meant all along, even when Harry didn’t know himself.

This is the essence of an everlasting love. Hermione offers Harry evidence of her and Ron’s faith in him. And no matter what happens to test that faith, the trio always comes back together in the end.

Next: Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst

7. “What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.”

–Rubeus Hagrid, Goblet of Fire

With the return of Voldemort the topic at hand, Hagrid is left with nothing but this resignation. As he says, he always knew Voldemort would be back. There is an inevitability to evil that Hagrid understands, but nevertheless his faith lies in the opposing good:

"“Knew he was goin’ ter come back,” said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. “Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin’ his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an’ we’ll jus’ have ter get on with it. We’ll fight. Migh’ be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That’s Dumbledore’s plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. ’S long as we’ve got him, I’m not too worried. […] No good sittin’ worryin’ abou’ it.”"

Like any survivor of the First Wizarding War, Hagrid has seen both sides prevail, and he knows that his side has more to fight fosr than the Death Eaters’ reign of destruction.

There are some challenges that can’t be avoided or altered. Whatever happens, happens, and you have to do what you can to face it. Considering that the majority of the Wizarding world will be at odds with Harry for the following year, Hagrid’s acceptance of the truth is something of a relief. Where there is denial, there is a lack of preparation. There is nothing to gain from the Ministry’s smear campaign, and indeed it only gives Voldemort a leg up on his opposition. Not only does Cornelius Fudge’s blind eye give Voldemort the clearance to run free, to build his army and leave chaos in his wake, the debate over Harry’s sanity splits the Wizarding world in two. Voldemort’s foes and victims are divided, weakening them while the Death Eaters grow in numbers and victories.

There is a silver lining in Hagrid’s reassurance. Sometimes a silver lining is all you have, but it can make all the difference. Where there’s hope, there’s still something left to fight for. That’s what separates Harry’s side from Voldemort’s—something worth living and dying for in equal measure.

Next: The So-Called Purity of Blood

6. “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”

–Albus Dumbledore, Goblet of Fire

Fate plays a big hand in Harry Potter, but there’s more to it than an unstoppable force. Harry is a hero who never asked for the status, but he takes on the role, anyway. Hermione is a Muggle-born who proves herself to be the “cleverest witch of [her] age.” Ron lives in the shadows of his brothers and friends, but he continually battles his insecurities to come into his own. Neville is a disappointment to nearly all who meet him, and then he leads a revolution. Malfoy is a blood purist whose eventual realization of what those ideals truly mean forces him to reexamine and evolve.

Nature and nurture both contribute to who these characters are, who they become, and what they do in between. Whatever privileges each character boasts or disadvantages they face, ultimately they choose how those define them. There is a need for all of them to break free from their shells, and we see them do so.

Whatever your opinion on destiny is, it’s not the destination that matters, but how we get there. We pave our own way, we’re responsible for what we do and how we do it. No matter where you’ve been in the past, it’s up to you to decide what you’ll take with you into the future. This sentiment is integral to Snape’s character, but we don’t see him evolve as the aforementioned characters do. His “Always” is the peak of his development—he always held to the same love and the basic ideals which kept him from that love in the first place.

Next: Growing Up with Fred and George

5. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”

–Ginny Weasley, Order of the Phoenix

Spoken like a true Gryffindor. Ginny’s encouragement here is a major characteristic of the Harry Potter series as a whole. We see countless times through the novels that no matter how prepared they are, eventually Harry & Co. just have to grit their teeth and do the impossible. A trio of prepubescent first-year wizards have to stop the bad guy from gaining immortality, all without adult supervision? No problem. Take down an ancient and inherently murderous snake? You got it. Assemble a ragtag group of teenagers to ignite the rebellion? Puh-lease. Embark on a potential worldwide trek in efforts to destroy the greatest force of evil your world has ever seen? Child’s play.

No matter any snags in judgment or other flaws in their plans, the trio accomplishes all they set out to do. Much of their success can be attributed to the fact that they can’t afford not to succeed. Their endgame is generally to postpone Voldemort’s return, and later to destroy him entirely. Following Dumbledore’s death, they’re at a loss for much of Deathly Hallows, but they press on. There’s nothing else for it. They have to believe they can find and vanquish the Horcruxes.

Once again hope rears its bright-eyed head. From small to big, shows of courage and perseverance drive this series. It’s eleven-year-old Neville standing up to the trio to stop them from breaking more rules, and fifteen-year-old Harry facing down the likes of Dolores Umbridge in a time of political upheaval. We see it when seventeen-year-old Cedric defends Harry when he’s made the fourth Triwizard champion. It’s thirteen-year-old Ron talking back to Snape on Hermione’s behalf. It’s seventeen-year-old Hermione calling out Rufus Scrimgeour’s unlawful behavior. This courage manifests in everyone from Professor McGonagall to Ginny Weasley, who took up arms against Voldemort and lived to tell the tale. It’s in the likes of Dumbledore and Colin Creevey both, who defied Voldemort and died for it. It’s everyone who knows what a fine line it is between the two and fighting, anyway.

Harry Potter is made up of brave characters who hardly have a thing between themselves and death but their nerve to steady them. However throwaway her comment might have been, Ginny’s words honor her fellows, whereas Snape’s “Always” serves only as an explanation for himself.

Next: TROLL In the Dungeon

4. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

—Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone

What a way for the Golden Trio to really kick off their friendship. The quote itself may be a bit wordy for a T-shirt, but I’d sure like to silk screen one, anyway.

This first adventure is a definite indication of what the group has in store for their unusual adolescence. Collaboration, playing to each of their personal strengths, saving each other’s necks… all the while being wholly irresponsible. Harry, Ron, and Hermione alike have a tendency towards hot-headedness, and their tango with the troll offers some insight into that as well as their differences. The encounter sets the stage for the entirety of the trio’s relationship. Harry and Ron run to the rescue without a plan, so they’re forced to improvise. There’s some skill, some stupidity, and some dumb luck involved, and Hermione’s quick thinking keeps them all out of trouble when the teachers arrive on the scene.

As it turns out, Snape’s role is more essential than the part of the horrible teacher/suspect. That fact doesn’t, however, switch the story’s focus from Harry’s mission to Snape’s unrequited love. Snape’s “Always” is a mere plot point in the grand scheme of things. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship is the central cog that keeps this series together. There’s nothing like the above summary of their origins to commemorate that.

Next: It's the Thrill of the Fight

3. It was important, Dumbledore said, to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting.

—Half-Blood Prince

We’re back to the art of perseverance. Not to mention, this quote in its full glory certainly packs a bigger emotional punch than Snape’s admission of love:

"And Harry saw very clearly as he sat there under the hot sun how people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all determined to protect him; but now that was over. He could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandon forever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one, that the shelter of a parent’s arms meant that nothing could hurt him. There was no waking from his nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark that he was safe really, that it was all in his imagination; the last and greatest of his protectors had died, and he was more alone than he had ever been before."

“…the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one” is the stuff heartbreak is made of. Harry hardly remembers his parents at all, yet he expects himself to shake the sense of security they surely once gave him. But truly, Harry has been fighting his entire life. He survived the first attack made on him, but there was no one to save him from the Dursleys’ abuse and neglect. He endured Snape’s ridicule, Malfoy’s taunts, and the Ministry’s ire. Harry learned the truth of his parents’ death and still found it in himself to grant Peter Pettigrew mercy. He faced Voldemort in varying forms and won the years-long battle between them.

Through seven books and surely beyond, Harry kept fighting any which way he had to. We don’t see the aftereffects of Harry’s battles following Voldemort’s fall, but it’s safe to say that Harry’s demons were far from eradicated. Up to that point, he’d spent virtually his entire life on the run from Voldemort and his followers, and now add to that Harry’s involvement in a fully-fledged war. By the age of seventeen, Harry had fought for himself and sacrificed his life for everyone else’s. He came to the conclusion that everything must end, and some things before their time. He was willing to give up his life if it meant Voldemort too could die. Even in what seemed to be his final moments in Deathly Hallows, Harry went out fighting for the sake of the greater good.

Next: I'm Going On an Adventure!

2. “Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

–Albus Dumbledore, Half-Blood Prince

Dumbledore’s wisdom, advice, and one-liners are some of the most quoted sentiments from Harry Potter, but this is one we don’t see nearly enough of. This speaks to the reader as much, if not more so, than it does to the narrative. The series walks down so many avenues and explores so much—friendship, love, loyalty, destiny, prejudice, war—but in the end, it all collides to make one big adventure.

We were with Harry when he was inundated with the “Letters From No One.” A half-giant knocked down his door and we joined them both in Diagon Alley. We crashed onto Platform 9¾ and boarded the train to Hogwarts. Readers met dragons and centaurs and a three-headed dog, we snuck out of the dormitory in the middle of the night and stumbled across a magic mirror. We explored and learned and fought, and this series has stayed with us for the richness of its characters and experiences. Fans found adventure in the pages of these books, and we can pursue it all over again whenever we like.

Above all else, adventure is what we were looking for when we first picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. And for all seven books, that’s what we found. The series may be over, but Harry Potter has encouraged fans to do so much—why not create our own adventures as well? Pursue her as Dumbledore says, and surely you’ll find something along the way.

Next: Father Knows Best

1. “Until the very end.”

–James Potter, Deathly Hallows

The quick version of this analysis is as follows: There is more emotional resonance in James reassuring Harry than there is in Snape’s inability to move on from his one-sided love for Lily. Harry is an orphan of war who has a profound moment with the parents he never knew. That takes precedence over a romantic love that never came to fruition.

Moving on to the nitty-gritty… An overarching theme in Harry Potter is the inevitability of death and the acceptance of it as such. It’s the moral of “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” as we learn in Deathly Hallows.

"But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.—Tales of Beedle the Bard"

This is what Harry comes to learn: that we all die, that everything comes to an end. It’s this acceptance that saves him and the Wizarding world alike. The saving grace isn’t eternity, it’s not anything everlasting, nor is it the promise of “always”—but the acceptance of what is, and the courage it takes to embrace that. Harry went to meet Death alongside those who had done the same. James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus all died for the same purpose as Harry. Their strength becomes his own, and James’ words are a comfort and a promise that they’ll be there as long as Harry has need of them. Harry’s sacrifice, his love, is selfless.

Meanwhile, everything that had motivated Snape was wholly self-interested, even his arguable redemption in light of his grief and guilt over Lily’s death. Snape refused to let so much go—his blood purist ideals (his treatment of Hermione is evidence enough of that), an obsessive love that consumed nearly all his life, schoolboy grudges that affected his treatment of the children in his care. Perhaps he, like Harry, was prepared to die when the time came, but there was never a time when Snape could accept the end of anything else.

Next: Potter Productions: A Very Potter Musical vs. Cursed Child

Which Harry Potter quote has stayed with you through the years? Sound off in the comments!

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10 Quotes that Commemorate Harry Potter Better Than “Always”

By Katie Majka | Aug 30, 2016