Severus Snape
Severus Snape (b. January 9, c. 1958) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. He first appeared in the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was published in 1997.
Snape attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from c. 1969 to c. 1976, was appointed Professor of Potions, and Head of Slytherin house, in c. 1981.
His physical appearance is that of the classic villain: thin, "hook-nosed" and having "long, greasy hair", clad in forbidding black robes "like an overgrown bat" Template:HP1. Harry Potter intensely dislikes and distrusts Snape for his chequered past and the animosity Snape displays toward him.
In the Harry Potter films, the character is played by actor Alan Rickman.
Background
Severus Snape was born to Tobias Snape, a Muggle, and Eileen Prince, a witch. The youthful Snape is described as having a "stringy, pallid look", being "round-shouldered yet angular", and having a "twitchy" walk "like a spider" and "long oily hair that jumped about his face". As a first-year student at Hogwarts, he knew more hexes and curses than most seventh-years, while his bookish demeanour and unattractive appearance made him an outsider and an object of scorn. Harry learns that Snape was extremely unpopular and isolated in his teens, perhaps resulting from - or perhaps fuelling - his fascination with the Dark Arts. Snape's classmates included James Potter and Lily Evans (Harry's parents), Sirius Black (Harry's godfather), Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
Details of his early life are incomplete, but the fact that Snape used an old Potions textbook of his mother's while in school suggests that his family was very poor. Template:HP6 Also, Harry comes to suspect that Snape suffered neglect by his parents, and may have witnessed abuse, or been abused by his father, when he sees three memories during botched lessons in Occlumency given to him by Snape. In the first and most telling of the three, a boy is crying in a corner while a hook-nosed man shouts at a cowering woman. It is presumed that this scene is that of a young Snape watching his father abuse his mother. Template:HP5
At school, Snape suffered relentless and vicious teasing and bullying at the hands of Harry's father James Potter and his godfather Sirius Black, much as Dudley Dursley and Draco Malfoy bullied Harry. While Harry began to realise that his father was not the man he believed him to be, Black tried to explain James's behaviour by saying that Snape's being a "little oddball" and his interest in the Dark Arts were in stark contrast to James's hatred for the subject. Yet in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns that Sirius attempted to lure Snape to his death, only to have James warn Snape of the danger, but Snape believed that James was involved in the plot and only intervened out of fear of expulsion from Hogwarts. Nevertheless, Snape became indebted to James for this favour, and Albus Dumbledore has suggested that Snape is still influenced, perhaps magically, by the power of that debt.
Much of Snape's disdain for Harry seems to stem from this constant strife with and hatred of Harry's father James. Snape invented a number of dark spells, one of which James learned and used against him in public during their fifth year. Snape was hung upside down in mid-air, humiliated while other students watched James taunt and possibly strip Snape of his clothing. Harry's mother Lily defended Snape when James was tormenting him, professing her detestation of the boy she was later to marry, and leaving Harry to wonder whether or not she ever loved his father. Harry witnesses these memories illicitly during Occlumency lessons, after Snape places them in the Pensieve and leaves them unattended.
Sirius tells Harry that Snape belonged to a gang of Slytherins at school, including Rabastan Lestrange and Avery, Wilkes and Evan Rosier, all of whom involved themselves in the Dark Arts and became Death Eaters. Snape himself became a Death Eater, but at some point before Voldemort's first defeat, he also became a member of the Order of the Phoenix. His motivation for joining either side is unclear; Voldemort and Dumbledore both appear to trust him entirely and believe that he is spying on the other, but few others seem certain which side he is on: even the most dedicated fans find themselves completely split on the issue.
In an interview, J. K. Rowling stated that Snape had been loved, but did not specify who this was or the nature of the love, so it could simply have been his mother. [1]
Though many believed Snape to be a pure-blood, it is proved in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that he is half-blood.
Personality and traits
Snape has a deep loathing for Harry Potter based, in part, on his experiences with Harry's father. During his time at Hogwarts, James Potter and Sirius Black were relentless in picking on Snape creating the heated friction that exists between Harry and Snape today. Snape may also harbour resentment towards the fact that James Potter potentially saved his life by preventing him from wandering into the Shrieking Shack while Remus Lupin was undergoing transformation into a werewolf.
Snape is an undoubtedly powerful and gifted wizard whose abilities include potion-making and duelling. He is also skilled in Occlumency, which may allow him to deceive Lord Voldemort and act as an agent for the Order of the Phoenix, though his true loyalty is still undetermined.
In addition to his abilities as a wizard, Snape possesses a ruthless and cunning wit. He never seems to be caught off guard by any comment or insult and often leaves his verbal combatants with little to say.
Role in the series
There is a mutual feeling of enmity between Snape and Harry from the moment that they first meet at Hogwarts. In his first year, Harry mistakenly suspects Snape of trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Snape appears to be muttering a curse to harm Harry when Harry is shaken wildly about on his broom during a Quidditch game. In fact it was Professor Quirrell (in league with Voldemort) who was working the curse on Harry, while Snape was attempting to protect Harry with a counter-curse. Harry retains lingering suspicions of Snape even after Quirrell is revealed as the real culprit, and their relationship remains fraught.
Snape relentlessly antagonises Harry, calling him "a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him" Template:HP4. He taunts Harry during lessons, ridiculing his work and giving him frequent and often unjustified detentions and other penalties. He extends some of this hard treatment to Harry's friends and- unlike the heads of most of the other Heads of Houses- appears to have a strong bias in favour of those in Slytherin. On several occasions, Snape tries to have Harry expelled from the school. Yet in spite of these attempts to sabotage Harry's school career, Snape still saves Harry's life on more than one occasion.
At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore attempts to convince the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, that Voldemort has returned and is once again a danger. Snape tries to help by showing Fudge the renewed Dark Mark on his arm, still very clearly visible from when it burnt black at Voldemort's revival. Dumbledore subsequently sends Snape on a secret mission. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince it is confirmed by Snape that this mission was to go back to Voldemort.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore assigns Snape the task of giving Harry lessons in Occlumency, the protection of one's mind from outside intrusion or influence. Snape is chosen because he is extremely skilled in both Occlumency and its companion art of Legilimency, the discerning of thoughts and feelings from another's mind, both proficiencies undoubtedly useful in his work as a spy. The classes, however, are made difficult for Harry because of the mutual hostility between them, and they end permanently when Harry discovers Snape's memories stored in the Pensieve. Snape is outraged at this intrusion and throws Harry out.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we learn that Snape lives in a dirty, ramshackle, apparently deserted Muggle village near a river, at the end of a street called Spinner's End. It is in his house there that Snape swears an Unbreakable Vow to Draco Malfoy's mother, Narcissa, that he will protect Draco, help him complete a task set by Voldemort, and complete the task himself if Draco seems likely to fail. Snape is finally appointed to his coveted post as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is seen by Hagrid arguing with Dumbledore, saying that Dumbledore took "too much for granted", and that there was something that he was no longer willing to do. Dumbledore insists that it was agreed and must be done.
During the Battle of Hogwarts along the battlements of the school, Dumbledore, who is still suffering the effects of drinking an unknown potion, sends Harry to get Snape. At that moment, Draco Malfoy arrives. Dumbledore incapacitates Harry (who is hidden in his Invisibility Cloak) with a non-verbal Freezing spell and begins to reason with Malfoy. Snape arrives and kills Dumbledore using Avada Kedavra. Snape, Malfoy, and the Death Eaters flee the castle, pursued by Harry (now released from his magical paralysis). Harry attempts to engage Snape in magical combat, to no effect; Snape easily blocks his spells and, though fiercely attacked by Buckbeak, disappears into the night with the Death Eaters.
Snape is one of the more complex characters in the series, given the amount of development he has undergone. As a result, he is both intensely loathed and adored by fans of the Harry Potter series.
The Half-Blood Prince
In the sixth book in the series, when Snape becomes Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, he is replaced as Potions Master by Horace Slughorn, who taught Potions for many years before his original retirement. Harry is lent an old Potions textbook from the Potions storeroom, which turns out to be filled with the jottings of a highly talented former student. The additional notes include a variety of hexes and jinxes seemingly invented by the student, as well as substantial improvements to the book's standard potion-making instructions, and is signed "Property of the Half-Blood Prince". Harry uses the notes in the book to bolster his performance in the subject during the year. His newfound abilities greatly impress Slughorn, who declares that he must have inherited his mother Lily's outstanding ability at Potions. Harry decides that, whoever the Prince might be, he is a better teacher than either Snape or Slughorn - an irony sadly lost on Harry when the Prince's real identity is revealed.
Hermione, who is outraged by Harry's easy success in the subject, investigates the possible identity of the Half-Blood Prince and suspects a former Hogwarts student, Eileen Prince. Harry remains ambivalent about the importance of discovering who the Prince really is, although he is convinced that the student in question is male. In a fight with Draco Malfoy, he tries one of the Prince's handwritten spells marked "For Enemies", and discovers to his horror that it causes vicious slashing wounds to Draco. Snape arrives and heals Draco's wounds with a spell muttered in an almost "singsong" fashion, and then interrogates Harry about the source of the Sectumsempra spell (from Latin, literally, "cut forever").
Harry is already aware that at least two of the spells were used by Snape and his father during their fifth year, and this is confirmed by Remus Lupin. The way the spells are written into the book, with many corrections, also convinces him that the writer had invented the spells himself. Eventually, when Harry confronts Snape during the latter's flight from Hogwarts after the death of Dumbledore, Snape confirms to Harry that he himself is the originator of the spells, and that he is the "Half-Blood Prince".
Eileen Prince, the student suspected originally by Hermione, was in fact Snape's mother. The nickname was derived from her maiden name of "Prince" and from Severus's father having been a Muggle, making Severus himself a "half-blood". This term is considered an insult by some in the wizarding world, especially among Voldemort's followers and in Snape's own Slytherin House. It is not clear how he came to receive the name, or whether it was in common usage during his studies. Remus Lupin, when questioned by Harry, knew nothing of the name despite having been a classmate of Snape's.
Loyalty
The question of Snape's ultimate loyalty is one of the most significant unresolved issues in the Harry Potter series. Apparently, both the followers and opponents of Voldemort think Snape is working as a double agent against the other, and it is unclear where his loyalties actually lie. Both Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort are described to be masters of Legilimency, which they can use to detect deceit, while Snape is accomplished at Occlumency, which allows him to lie undetectably. Dumbledore says on several occasions that he trusts Snape completely, but Voldemort also trusts him, enough so to include him in some of his most important plans.
Snape's skill at Legilimency may give an indication of his loyalty. In the chapter "The Rogue Bludger" in The Chamber of Secrets, Hermione Granger asks for a diversion so that she may steal the necessary ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's cupboard. Harry provides this diversion by throwing a firework into a cauldron, causing much mayhem. Snape's reaction is understandably furious, and he exclaims that he will expel the guilty person from Hogwarts. He stares at Harry, who later says to his friends that he felt that Snape knew it was him. Although he took no action against Harry in this instance, Snape does try on later occasions to have Harry expelled, seemingly with total sincerity.
According to Divination professor Sybill Trelawney, Snape was eavesdropping at her door at the Hog's Head during her interview with Dumbledore for a teaching job at Hogwarts. During the interview she fell into a trance, delivering a key prophecy regarding Voldemort and a foe who had the power to vanquish him. Dumbledore told Harry that there was an eavesdropper, but said that the eavesdropper only heard the first half of the prophecy, and only reported that portion of it to Voldemort. This conflicts with Trelawney's account to Harry, in which Snape is only discovered after she had delivered the whole prophecy. Voldemort identified Harry as the subject of the prophecy and, seeking to kill the infant Harry, murdered Lily and James Potter. Harry now believes that Snape bears responsibility for the death of his parents, which serves to amplify his hatred of Snape.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in the chapter "The Lost Prophecy", Dumbledore explains that Snape coordinated the rescue of Harry and his friends from the Ministry of Magic. This rescue was crucial to saving their lives during the fight there, where they were outnumbered two-to-one by Death Eaters, though this fight still resulted in Sirius's death and confirmed Snape's loyalty in the eyes of the Order. Dumbledore also says that Snape went into the Forbidden Forest to rescue Harry when he and the others failed to return after leading Umbridge there.
Snape is a respected member of the Order of the Phoenix, but he kills Dumbledore with Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses. His actions were influenced by his Unbreakable Vow sworn to Narcissa Malfoy, which requires him to ensure that Draco's task for Voldemort is completed. Draco's task (though it is never said explicitily) is assumed to have been to kill Dumbledore, but as he was unable to do so, it fell to Snape. Debate has arisen as to the exact meaning of the vow, since, as is frequently the case, its terms are not precisely clear.
In the chapter "Flight of the Prince", Snape flees Hogwarts with Draco and the Death Eaters, but is confronted by Harry. Snape blocks all of Harry's attacks, and further taunts him about his lack of skills in Occlumency and with non-verbal spells. He also prevents Death Eaters from harming Harry, blocking a Cruciatus Curse thrown at him and telling the Death Eaters that "Potter belongs to the Dark Lord." His actions towards Harry may be those of an enemy, but could also be interpreted as those of a schoolmaster or ally.
Snape's actions have given rise to intense speculation that Dumbledore might have anticipated his own death. It is clear that Dumbledore was seriously weakened by the destruction of the "Gaunt Ring" Horcrux, which burned and blackened his hand. The injury was incurable by wizarding standards, but Dumbledore credits Snape with halting the spread of damage to the rest of his body. Dumbledore was further weakened when forced to consume an unknown potion in the seaside cave. When Harry attempts to warn Dumbledore about Draco's actions, Dumbledore dismisses his worries, telling Harry that he already understands the situation much better than Harry. His ambiguous last words, "Severus... please...", may be taken as pleading with Snape not to kill him and to refuse Voldemort's orders, or as the exact opposite, a request to proceed in accordance with some plan of Dumbledore's.
Snape's taunting of Harry during his escape after killing Dumbledore may also be interpreted in two ways: At face value, where he is ridiculing Harry's attacks and failure to grasp Occlumency and non-verbal spells, or as a disguised instruction to Harry that he needs to improve at Occlumency and non-verbal spell casting to stand any chance of defeating Voldemort. Snape overmatched Harry and, if he wished, could have killed or at least maimed him, but he did not. Also, it should be noted that Snape showed knowledge that Harry was using a special Potions book. While Snape knew he had the book he did not take it from Harry. Also, why would Snape leave his book in the potions class? Is it possible that, knowing Harry was wanting to be an Auror, and knowing there would be a different potions teacher, leave his book there, knowing Harry did not get books? So that in Harry's ambition to become an auror Snape actually helped to increase his abilities at Potions?
Harry's distrust of Snape has always been in stark contrast to Dumbledore's views. Dumbledore repeatedly makes it clear that Snape has his full confidence. At Igor Karkaroff's trial, as seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve, Dumbledore testified that Snape spied on the Death Eaters "at great personal risk"Template:HP4, before Voldemort's fall from power. Interestingly, Karkaroff insisted that this was untrue. Lupin (in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: "A Very Frosty Christmas") told Harry that though he and the Maurauders had a childhood rivalry with Snape, he trusted that Snape was on the right side. He later explains (in the chapter "The Phoenix Lament") that this was only because of Dumbledore. Minerva McGonagall also reveals a distrust of Snape. She added that Dumbledore always implied that he had a very good reason to trust Snape.
Throughout the series, Snape's sinister personality and antagonism towards Harry are in stark contrast with his otherwise heroic actions in Harry's defence. Yet in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Snape claims, to Death Eaters Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, that his loyalty to Voldemort has never wavered. His history of divided loyalty to both the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix, and his actions in apparent support of both sides, make him one of the most morally complex characters in the series.
Character origins and possible influences
Rowling says that she borrowed his surname from the village of Snape in the English county of Suffolk. Severus is Latin for "strict", "harsh", or "severe", and the name may also have origins in the name of the Imperial Roman emperor Septimus Severus, who was known for ruling with both vigour and a calculated cruelty. This would be verified by the fact that Rowling said that the Snape character was inspired by a hated teacher in her childhood. Moreover, Snape's first name could be taken to mean "sever us" (as in "divide us"). This role was fulfilled not only in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but also in fandom itself, where Snape's ultimate loyalty is the subject of fierce debate.
Alan Rickman, who plays Snape in the film adaptations of the novels, is one of the few people J.K. Rowling is said to have spoken to about the future direction of his character, perhaps reflecting the importance of Snape's role in the series. [2]
Note on Dates
Snape's Year of Birth and Years of Hogwarts Attendance have been based on the Year of Birth for Bellatrix Black, with whom Snape briefly attended school. For a full explanation, please see Dates in Harry Potter.
External links
- SeverusSnape.org - The Severus Snape Fan Site
- Snape Character profile from the Harry Potter Lexicon
- Snapecast, the first and only podcast devoted to Severus Snape
- Information about Snape Severussnapepage.blogspot.com
- Collected information about Snape Half-Blood Prince.org
- Severus Snape fansite: Theories about Snape, Fanfiction and interactive threads
- Interviews in which Rowling has given information about Snape madamscoop.org
- An interview in which JK Rowling ends early fan speculation that Snape is a vampire
- Why Snape should be considered a hero Whysnape website
- Dumbledore's part in his own death Dumbledoreisnot dead website
- Snape and the events surrounding Trelawney's prophecy editorial by Mugglenet
- Snape's background, and Snapes loyalties and Dumbledore's death red hen website
- Snape and the Dark Arts from Slytherin Serpent Editorial Section.
- The Lazy Man's Guide to Defending Snape and editorial by Ravenaiya and Iris DeHana
see also