A couple of weeks ago, I had just woken up and made my way to the living room where my dad was sitting and drinking his morning coffee. My mom had left for work earlier that morning, so it was just my dad, my dog, and me. Just like every other morning, the first thing I did was take my medication. I went to the fridge and pulled out a water bottle, right on schedule, and headed back to the living room where I choked down my pills. It was then that my dad started talking.

“I’ve got some bad news,” he’d said.

My immediate reaction was to spit out my water and my first thought was something had happened to my mom because I hadn’t seen her since the night before. My mind always went to the worse possibility, I was quite the anxious person.

“Alan Rickman died last night.” My dad had finally told me the news and it took a moment for it to sink in.

“What? Are you serious?” At first I was confused, so I sat down and started scrolling through Twitter. That was when I saw everyone tweeting about the late Alan Rickman. Some Harry Potter accounts I follow even tweeted about raising their wands for him in a tribute to the unforgettable role of Severus Snape. Up until that point, I thought I was going to be okay, but that feeling was short lived. I immediately began to cry and my dog tried to comfort me as I did.

But who can blame me?

The world lost a wonderful man and a talented actor. Without Alan Rickman, there would be no perfect person to portray the mysterious Professor Snape. However, Rickman also wowed us with his many other roles in films.

In the movie Galaxy Quest (a must see), he plays an actor starring in a science fiction television show that has a huge cult following. Not only can Alan Rickman play a serious role, but he can make the audience laugh as well. In addition to the wonderful acting, Alan Rickman has also won several prestigious awards: a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy just to name a few. He was also nominated for a Tony award for his roles in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Private Lives.

Nonetheless, Alan Rickman will always be Professor Snape in the eyes of every Harry Potter fan out there. Hogwarts lost a great teacher and the world lost a great person. He warmed the hearts of each fan, even if his character wasn’t all that likeable to begin with. However, Professor Snape turned out to be one of the most complex characters in the entire Harry Potter series, which is why he is so memorable and loved by many.

We will remember Alan Rickman for years and years after his death. Some might ask (just like Dumbledore), “after all this time?”

And we will say (just like Snape), “always.”

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman, you will forever be in our hearts.