The purpose of an anti-hero is to give the readers or audience another reason to side with the hero. The anti-hero of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is considered by most of the public to be Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape. Voldemort is a well-defined villain due to his evil actions against Harry and his obsessive desire to kill him. The second anti-hero is the character known as Snape, the professor who always seems to have something for Harry to do. It appears to the audience that they do not believe Harry is worthy of the special attention and care that comes with being the Boy Who Lived. Severus Snape constantly scolds, coldly feeds or criticizes Harry. Snape is the common and dominant anti-hero as he seems to be the opposite of Harry, always deconstructing and berating.