Severus Snape Named Best Loved Harry Potter Character

Severus Snape has topped a poll to find the best loved 'Harry Potter' character.

The wizard - played by Alan Rickman - received over 500 more votes than Harry's best pal Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) who finished in second place and the titular character who placed third in the poll on Empire magazine's website.

Empire's Deputy Online Editor, Helen O'Hara, commented, "Snape is a truly great character, multi-layered and surprisingly complicated under that straggly black haircut. He's especially good in the film because of the way that Alan Rickman infuses him with malice and menace. He seems capable of anything - and indeed he is, in the end, but in a way you never expected. While Harry, Ron and Hermione may seem more heroic, Snape is definitely Jk Rowling's most important and complex character."

Harry's close pal Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and his godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) complete the top five.

The eighth and final installment of the franchise 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' based on the series of books by J.K. Rowling will be released tomorrow (15.07.11).

The 25 Best Potter Characters List:

1. Severus Snape

2. Ron Weasley

3. Harry Potter

4. Hermione Granger

5. Sirius Black

6. Remus Lupin

7. Albus Dumbledore

8. Neville Longbottom

9. Dobby The Elf

10. Luna Lovegood

11. Fred Weasley

12. Lord Voldemort

13. Rubeus Hagrid

14. Bellatrix Lestrange

15. George Weasley

16. Draco Malfoy

17. Lucius Malfoy

18. Ginny Weasley

19. Professor Minerva McGonagall

20. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody

21. Molly Weasley

22. Nymphodora Tonks

23. Gilderoy Lockhart

24. Dolores Umbridge

25. Hedwig