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- One might still wonder why, despite not being from royalty, Snape gave himself the "Prince" moniker. As previously mentioned, the birth name of Snape's mother was Prince, so it was a tribute to her and a chance to distance himself from his father, while emphasizing his magic lineage.
www.cbr.com/harry-potter-why-snape-half-blood-prince/Harry Potter: Why Was Snape Called the Half-Blood Prince? - CBR
Sep 28, 2024 · As a half-blood wizard and, through his mother, half a Prince, Snape chose to call himself the Half-Blood Prince, writing it in his potions book for Harry to later find. Why Did 'Harry Potter...
Jul 22, 2024 · While Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix portrayed Snape as a victim, the Half-Blood Prince shows his darker side. Teenage Snape tried to associate more with his wizard mother's name and distanced himself from his father's muggle last name. What's more, Snape was tampering with the Dark Arts.
- Lord Voldemort
- January 9, 1960
- May 2, 1998
- Overview
- Biography
- Physical appearance
- Personality and traits
- Magical abilities and skills
- Relationships
- Etymology
- Behind the scenes
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the minds, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
— Professor Severus Snape's introduction of the subject
Professor Severus Snape (9 January 1960 – 2 May 1998) was an English half-blood wizard serving as Potions Master (1981-1996), Head of Slytherin House (1981-1997), Defence Against the Dark Arts professor (1996-1997), and Headmaster (1997-1998) of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as well as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and a Death Eater. His double life played an extremely important role in both of the Wizarding Wars against Voldemort.
The only child of Muggle Tobias Snape and witch Eileen Snape (née Prince), Severus was raised in the Muggle dwelling of Spinner's End, which was in close proximity to the home of the Evans family, though in a poorer area. He met Lily and Petunia Evans when he was nine. He fell deeply in love with Lily upon their meeting and became a close friend of hers.
Severus started at Hogwarts with Lily in the 1971–1972 school year, where he was sorted into Slytherin House. This put him in the same year as Lily but unfortunately for him she was sorted into Gryffindor House. Severus became the immediate enemy of James Potter and Sirius Black and was a frequent victim of their bullying. This led him to be irritable towards James's son Harry when he was a professor. Snape, when young, developed a passion for the Dark Arts, which increased as his desire for revenge against his bullies grew stronger.
Snape became involved with the bullies in Slytherin House, many of whom were pure-blood supremacists. This put his friendship with Lily, a Muggle-born, under great strain until it was eventually broken in their fifth year. In a misguided attempt to win back Lily's affections, Snape joined the Death Eaters along with a group of his fellow Slytherins.
Early life (1960–1971)
Lily Evans: "Doesn't your dad like magic?" Severus Snape: "He doesn't like anything, much." — Discussion of Snape's family and home life Severus Snape was born 9 January 1960 to Tobias Snape, an abusive Muggle, and Eileen Prince, a neglectful pure-blood witch. He began to identify with his mother's family and created a secret nickname from his mother's maiden name, calling himself the "Half-Blood Prince". His unhappy relationship with his father may have been the origin of his disdain for Muggles. It is implied that Severus was friendless and uncared for by his parents. This lack of care largely shaped Severus's bitter disposition and cruel behaviour later in his life. Severus grew up at Spinner's End, a shabby suburb of Cokeworth. This area of town was near a dirty river and full of dilapidated houses, disused factories and broken down street lamps. Through the rest of his life, Severus continued to return there when he was not at school. The young Severus is depicted as being unwashed and wearing ill-fitting clothes "that were so mismatched that it looked deliberate". As a child, Severus was neglected and his parents often fought with one another. He could not wait to leave for Hogwarts at the end of the summer. Despite this, one of his favourite foods from his childhood was Holiday Blancmange, which persisted into his adult years. Lily Evans and her family lived in the same town, close to Spinner's End. After watching her for some time, Severus noticed her evident magical abilities and began making friendly overtures. The two bonded quickly and it appears that he was very interested in Lily right from the beginning, though she only regarded him as a good friend. During this time he also developed a contempt towards her older sister, Petunia. This was most likely because she made disparaging comments about his clothes and residence but may also be because she was a Muggle. Information from Severus's own memories of his first interactions with Lily and Petunia suggests that he was an awkward child with poor social skills. Even when it was important to him to make a good impression, he always seemed to have trouble doing so.
Hogwarts years (1971–1978)
James Potter: "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad. Got a problem with that?" Severus Snape: "No. If you'd rather be brawny instead of brainy —" Sirius Black: "Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" — James, Snape, and Sirius have an unpleasant first meeting Severus attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a student from 1971-1978 and was Sorted into Slytherin House, at that time led by Potions master Horace Slughorn. On the way to Hogwarts for his first year, Severus sat with Lily Evans on the train. While on the train they met James Potter and Sirius Black. This encounter between the three of them revolved around a disagreement regarding what Hogwarts house was the best. This hostile first encounter would set the tone for the antagonism between the three of them for the rest of his life. Sorted into Slytherin House upon their arrival at the school, classmates would later state that Severus excelled in the Dark Arts from an early age. At the age of eleven, he knew more curses and hexes than most of the seventh year students, according to Sirius Black. He was credited with creating a good number of popular spells like Levicorpus, Liberacorpus, Muffliato, and curses like Langlock, the Toenail Growth Hex, and his signature curse that he invented himself, Sectumsempra. He reportedly was friends with a gang of Slytherins who later became Death Eaters, including Avery, Mulciber, Bellatrix Black, Rodolphus Lestrange, Evan Rosier and Wilkes. Severus also had contact with Lucius Malfoy, who was a prefect during his first year and greeted him kindly when he was Sorted into the Slytherin House. Most likely the two had good rapport at Hogwarts (which could also be a reason why Narcissa Malfoy trusted Severus to take care of Draco Malfoy and why he seemed to favour Draco during his later teaching years even when Draco refused it in the task to kill Dumbledore). Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were also classmates of Severus. Around the same time, he also got acquainted with another notorious troublemaker; a Fifth year student by the name of Patricia Rakepick who not only was in the same house as his new school rivals, but also actively sought to mentor her younger schoolmates in the art of mischief-making without getting caught: While popular with many of their peers for her, she was, on the other hand, strongly disliked by most of the teachers for her excessive rebellious streak, frequent rule-breaking and the bad influence she was on her younger housemates. No less discontent with her behaviour than their professors were, Severus's mistrust in Rakepick ran deeper still; she was an avid advocate for the existence of the fabled Cursed Vaults of Hogwarts. While her claims were dismissed by the faculty of the day, young Snape, however, was not so certain; seeing her as uncommonly ambitious for a Gryffindor and, he recognised, far from stupid, he eventually came to question her motives and her intentions for the vaults, eventually coming to regard her as a danger to the school and all who resided at the castle. James and his group of friends were constantly at war with Severus throughout their school years. Severus's memories, recorded in the Pensieve, suggested that he was an introverted and studious individual, whereas James was arrogant, popular and athletic. Immediately upon meeting him, James disliked Severus for expressing a desire to be in Slytherin. James's big crush on Lily, and Severus's close friendship and unrequited love for her also heightened the tension between the two. One recorded memory in the Pensieve bore witness to James bullying him in the 1975–1976 school year, turning him upside-down to reveal his underwear in front of many students, including Lily. This action was proved to be very offensive and it increased the hatred between the two adolescents. In this accident, Lily came to Severus's defence, but this only made things worse: in a subsequent lashing out at James in an attempt to recover his lost dignity, Severus inadvertently called Lily a Mudblood. Lily refused to forgive him for it, even after his repeated apologies. This would forever be Severus's worst memory. Severus noticed that Remus kept disappearing during the full moon and once followed him past the Whomping Willow (after being tipped off on how to do so by Sirius Black) to confirm his suspicions. This act could have cost Severus his life, as had it not been for James going after him to stop him when he learned of Sirius' 'prank', he might have found himself all on his own and caught off guard by a fully-fledged werewolf. As it was, however, James did reach Severus in time and managed to save him just before he got to the Shrieking Shack while Remus was in his wolf-form. Albus Dumbledore swore Severus to secrecy, but the true nature of Remus was clear to Severus. By their seventh year, James had grown out of his immaturity and arrogance to the point that Lily agreed to start dating him, even though he never grew out of his hatred for Severus — according to Sirius, Severus had always been a "special case" with James. Though it should be noted Snape's continued friendships with students who were trying to become Death Eaters did not help his relationship with the Marauders or Lily. Lily ended up marrying James, which only strengthened Severus's bitterness towards him. There was also some overlap between his school career and that of a younger student by the name of Jacob, yet another rule-breaker Snape came to severely dislike. During the later part of his magical education, the school was plagued by several dangerous curses unleashed upon the school by Jacob after he tampered with the fabled Cursed Vaults, which resulted in the death and injury of several of his peers, although he suffered no permanent injury himself.
Career at Hogwarts (1981–1995)
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." — Snape teaching Potions at Hogwarts When Severus Snape began his teaching career at Hogwarts in 1981, taking up a teaching post around the same time as the threat posed by the rampaging curses that had terrorised the castle's residents were contained and the subsequent expulsion of his former peer, Jacob, for the rules he had broken in his quest for the Cursed Vaults and the fellow students who had been endangered in the process, he initially applied for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but was rejected multiple times. Many students were under the impression that this was because Dumbledore feared Snape might return to his old ways if allowed to teach his favourite subject, but in reality it was because Dumbledore was aware by that point that the job had been jinxed by Voldemort. Knowing that no Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would last longer than a year, Dumbledore instead employed Snape in the position of Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House, following the retirement of veteran Potions Master Professor Horace Slughorn. Though it seemed rather uncommon for someone as young as Snape to be named a Head of House at Hogwarts, it is possible that Snape was the only Slytherin teacher left at the school, or that he was placed there to keep a watchful eye on the young Slytherins, who were frequently accused of (but not without reason) joining the Death Eaters. Following Voldemort's fall, Snape never attempted to find his old master, having switched sides ever since the Dark Lord had targeted Lily and this allowed him to avoid time in Azkaban as Dumbledore staunchly defended him. He fabricated the fact that he believed Voldemort to be dead as an alibi for still loyal Death Eaters, but in truth, he and Dumbledore had discussed Voldemort and knew he would inevitably return, henceforth the most important reason why he applied as a teacher: to ensure from the shadows the safety of Harry Potter, who Lily had died protecting. This would bring him into conflict with fanatical Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange later in life, but Snape was almost immediately forgiven by the reborn Voldemort, because he could provide him with thirteen years of information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. In the meantime and with Voldemort vanished, he focused on his teaching duties at Hogwarts. As a professor, Snape was a stickler for discipline, with little patience for foolishness, yet extremely effective in his job and well respected by the other professors. His deep understanding of potion brewing, as shown by his expert concoction of Wolfsbane Potion, transformed the knowledge of potions from mere chemistry to an art. He would accept students into his N.E.W.T. classes only if they had achieved an 'Outstanding' mark at their O.W.L. examination. He felt that anyone with a lower mark than that would lack the passion and the devotion to the complex and demanding subjects that would follow in the last two years of school. Though strict, Snape had an obvious bias for Slytherins, giving them undeserved rights over the others, while looking down on the other students somewhat unfairly. His interpersonal relations with students outside his own house were subpar at best. He would, on numerous occasions, bully students without any repercussions. Though, one might dispute if his disdain for Neville Longbottom was more about bullying or about the fact Voldemort had chosen to target the Potters over the Longbottoms, and if he'd picked the Longbottoms instead, Lily Potter would perhaps still be alive. He once threatened to poison Neville's pet toad, Trevor, or tell Neville how stupid he was. Once he even told Hermione Granger that her enlarged teeth were the same size as usual, neither of which were necessary behaviours. Snape's role during this entire time was extremely sensitive and required master espionage and image-control skills. As he and Dumbledore anticipated that Voldemort would return eventually, and many of Snape's actions would be reported on by Death Eater spies or gained through torture and Legilimency, even if Snape's true mentality and intentions were inaccessible to the Dark Lord, he had to consider every decision and relationship carefully. He treated Harry Potter with maximal coldness and never missed an opportunity to cause him trouble, as any variation from this would have cast suspicion on him in Voldemort's eyes. But in reality, he protected Harry on numerous occasions; he was happy enough to cause the boy, who resembled his father, Snape's hated rival from school days, humiliation and trouble, but never any actual harm or danger as he was still Lily's son. He also had to avoid becoming too aware of Voldemort's plans, so as to avoid being held responsible for allowing Harry and his friends to foil them. His actions during this period created no mistrust on the part of Voldemort, which allowed for Voldemort's ultimate downfall.
"...he most likely valued other qualities within himself."
— J. K. Rowling on why Snape was so poorly groomed
Severus Snape was a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose and yellow, uneven teeth. He usually dressed in flowing black robes which made him resemble "an overgrown bat". He had shoulder-length, greasy black hair which framed his face in curtains, curling lips and dark, penetrating eyes that resembled tunnels. As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm.
The younger Snape had a "stringy, pallid look", being "round-shouldered yet angular" and with a "twitchy walk that recalled a spider", as well as "long oily hair that jumped about his face".
"Don't push it. I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."
— Snape's infamous temper described by Ronald Weasley
A complicated, withdrawn person, Severus Snape's life was overwhelmed with many complex emotions that he never fully disclosed. At times, Snape could appear cold, cynical, malicious, bitter, and sarcastic. He had a commanding presence that exuded gravitas, authority, and control; like Professor McGonagall, he had the ability to keep a class quiet without effort. He tended to hold grudges and was extremely spiteful toward those whom he disliked. In particular, he disdained Gryffindor students, considering them to be arrogant and attention-seeking. Descriptions of his social interactions as a child suggest that he had poor interpersonal skills and that he may have suffered from depression.
"I will never forgive you for convincing me to attend this travesty."
— Severus being mad at Jacob's sibling for inviting him to a party
Snape was a repressed, solitary man with no friends. In his early life, he was insecure, vulnerable, and yearned to be part of something better. As a child, the bleak normality of working-class suburbia compounded with his neglectful Muggle father inspired in him a contempt for ordinariness. This urgent desire to be a part of something powerful and important was what drew him to Lord Voldemort's inner circle. Snape's bitterness and resentment towards the world was exacerbated even more by the relentless bullying he endured in school, causing him to shut himself in even more.
"Snape knew more curses when he arrived at Hogwarts than half the kids in seventh year."
— Snape's proficiency for the Dark Arts
Severus Snape was an extremely powerful and skilled wizard, showing proficient talent and great knowledge in many different areas of magic. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge and proficiency in potions, was incredibly talented in Legilimency and Occlumency, and was also the only Death Eater capable of producing a Patronus.
•Magical mastery: Even at a young age, Severus was a gifted wizard, having knowledge of deep secrets of the wizarding world that he would usually relay to his crush, Lily Potter. In addition, Sirius Black, a known rival of his, claimed that Severus knew more about the Dark Arts than half of the seventh years at Hogwarts, which speaks for his seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of magic. He was proficient in creating many useful spells used by the Death Eaters and even his rivals. He was also proficient in altering the formula for potions, resulting in an easier and more efficient way to produce them, which enhanced Harry Potter's proficiency in Potions to the point of easily surpassing even the results of Hermione Granger. His magical prowess was so great as a teenager that his bully and rival, James Potter would never have taken him on in a one on one fight unless he was backed up by his three other talented friends. As an adult, Snape had became an incredibly powerful and skilled wizard and acknowledged by his fellow professors and Lord Voldemort for his great prowess. He proved capable of effortlessly defeating the likes of Harry Potter and also holding his own against the extremely powerful witch Minerva McGonagall, who was capable of surviving a duel with Voldemort himself.
•Love: Severus was one of the only people in Voldemort's inner circle who was capable of feeling unconditional love. He fell deeply in love with Lily Evans as a child and maintained his devotion to her until his death. Despite their differences in beliefs about many things, Severus felt nothing but absolute love for Lily even though she never extended her reciprocity beyond friendship. Snape was devastated by Lily's death and expressed suicidal desires. However, so great was his love, he forced his way past them and spent seventeen years in constant danger in order to protect Lily's son and ensure that her sacrifice was not in vain. Indeed, Snape's Patronus was a doe, just like Lily's, showing that his love for her was far stronger than his loyalty to Lord Voldemort. Due to this, Snape was the only Death Eater who was able to cast a Patronus. Furthermore, his insight into the nature of love was evident when teaching Love Potions, as he was able to distinguish between the obsessive love caused by love potions and the genuine, unconditional love that most people felt for each other.[102]
"I highly doubt you will be able to replicate my technique. Still, I suggest you pay attention."
Parents
Lily Evans: "Doesn't your dad like magic?" Snape: "He doesn't like anything, much." — Snape regarding his father's horrible personality Snape never regarded the place where he grew up as a home. Rather like Voldemort and Harry, Hogwarts was his real home. It is likely that he suffered neglect as a child. His parents seem to have had a dysfunctional, even abusive, relationship. This troubled, lonely childhood is strongly suggested to have accounted for his severe demeanour, depression, sadness, bitterness, and bouts of rage, as seen later in his life. Despite having a father who disliked the wizarding community, Snape was quite skilled with magic before he even received his Hogwarts letter. Sirius Black would later remark that, when they first arrived at school, Snape knew more curses than many of the seventh-year students. It does seem that he had a slightly better relationship with his witch mother. During his school years, he nicknamed himself the "Half Blood Prince". In addition, it is quite likely Eileen gave her son most, if not all of his school things. His sixth-year Potions book was, according to Harry, at least fifty years old. Since at least 1996, Snape was staying in his family's home during the summers between school years. It is unknown what happened to his parents. As he was only thirty-six years old in 1996, his parents may well have been alive but moved away and left the house to him. His salary as a Hogwarts professor probably made it possible for him to afford other lodging during summers, but his childhood memories of Lily may have stopped him from abandoning the house.
Lily Evans
Severus Snape: "Hide them all then. Keep her—them—safe. Please." Albus Dumbledore: "And what will you give me in return?" Severus Snape: "In—in return? Anything." — Severus Snape's fierce desire to keep Lily safe. Snape's friendship with Lily Evans was probably the only thing that truly brought joy to his life. He first met Lily at a very young age, recognising her as a witch one day as she and her sister Petunia played in the park near his house; she had flown off the swings and made a flower grow from a sprout. Longing to escape his humiliating home life, Snape immediately sought to make her his friend. Despite the fact that Lily came from a Muggle family, he never truly saw her as being one of them because he was so smitten with her. They spend time talking about magic and the wizarding world. Lily even asked if being Muggle-born mattered in the Wizarding world. Snape responded that it did not matter at all. In 1971, the two of them were accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and continued a close friendship up until around their fifth year despite being sorted into different houses. Snape was very disappointed that they were not in the same house and forlorn because of it. James Potter: "There you go, you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —" Severus Snape: "I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Lily Evans: "Fine. I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." — The unpleasant end of Snape and Lily's friendship During this time, Snape began hanging out with people who embraced Dark Magic and pure-blood supremacy, which put a huge strain on their friendship. Lily was offended by many of the views that Snape was beginning to adopt and disliked the qualities that his new classmates were bringing out in him. Given time over again, Snape would never have done many of the things he did, but at the time he did not truly understand her aversion. He was so insecure and blinded by his attraction to the Dark side that he imagined she would find it impressive if he became a real Death Eater. Ironically, Lily might have grown to love Snape romantically (she certainly loved him as a friend) if he had not loved Dark Magic so much and been drawn to such loathsome people and acts. When Snape called Lily a "Mudblood" in a moment of humiliation, it was the last straw for Lily. When she later asked him if he still intended to become a Death Eater and he did not deny it, she severed all ties with him despite Snape's profuse apologies. When Snape overheard the Prophecy, he immediately relayed its contents to the Dark Lord, not knowing that it would have anything to do with Lily. Upon discovering that Lord Voldemort was planning on targeting the Potter family, Snape pleaded with him to spare Lily in exchange for her husband and son. He later appealed to Albus Dumbledore, asking him to do everything in his power to protect Lily and the rest of her family, if he had to. "Look...at....me...." — Snape wanting one last glimpse of Lily's eyes Snape was devastated by Lily's death to the point of sinking into a depression that seemingly lasted the rest of his life. However, at Dumbledore's behest, he became committed to protecting her son Harry and assisting him in defeating the Dark Lord. Snape never spoke of Lily to anyone again, except for Dumbledore. This was likely due to heartbreak and worry that mention of her might make others suspicious. Even though he constantly slandered James to Lily's son's face, he alienated Lily from these attacks entirely, possibly due to his inability to ever insult her again. Indeed, Snape's Patronus was a doe, just like Lily's, because he loved her throughout his entire life. As Snape died, he asked Harry to look into his eyes; his last wish in his final moments was to die looking into the same green eyes that reminded him so much of Lily. As a result of Snape's sacrifice of his own life, Lily's son Harry would name her second grandson after Snape. Coincidentally, that grandson would inherit Lily's green eyes.
The Marauders
James Potter: "How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" Sirius Black: "I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Severus Snape: "You — wait. You — wait...." Sirius Black: "Wait for what? What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" — Snape being bullied by the Marauders The Marauders were a group of four Gryffindor boys, with whom Severus began a relationship of enmity and hatred throughout their school years. The group consisted of James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Severus and the first two Marauders detested each other almost instantly upon meeting for the first time in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Throughout their times at Hogwarts, James and his friends (except for Lupin) bullied Snape ceaselessly, Pettigrew only did it though because James and Sirius did it. Lupin did not encourage the harassment, but he did not try to stop them, either. Snape, in turn, never lost an opportunity to get one up on them whenever possible. However, James Potter ended up saving his life when Sirius told Snape how to get into the Shrieking Shack. Snape caught a glimpse of Lupin transforming into a werewolf before James pulled him back through the tunnel. Snape did not think James was acting nobly. Rather, he saw it as being more of a self-serving act in order to avoid him and the rest of the Marauders being expelled from Hogwarts, and the incident only made him resent James more than ever. He also came to resent Lupin, believing that he had been in on Sirius's prank. Remus Lupin: "Well, Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?" Harry Potter: "And my mum was OK with that?" Sirius Black: "She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth, I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?" — Lupin, Harry, and Sirius Black discussing Snape's interactions with Harry's parents during their seventh year During their seventh year at Hogwarts, Lily and James began dating, which probably fuelled Snape's hatred of him even more. James always suspected that Snape had deeper feelings for Lily, which factored strongly into his behaviour towards him. Snape's continued bitterness toward the Marauders, even into adulthood, became apparent in 1993 when Remus Lupin was given the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts despite Snape and Dumbledore both knowing that he was a werewolf. Severus Snape: "I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout —" Remus Lupin: "Severus, you're making a mistake. You haven't heard everything — I can explain — Sirius is not here to kill Harry —" Severus Snape: "Two more for Azkaban tonight. I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this... He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a tame werewolf —" — Snape confronting Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in the Shrieking Shack During the time that Harry Potter attended the school, Snape delighted in comparing Harry to his father and telling him that he was not the great man he liked to believe he was. Although Snape's descriptions of James's teenage self were accurate, Snape purposefully omitted even vague descriptions of the noble person James became. Snape mostly felt bitterness and resentment towards Remus Lupin and took to dropping hints about his being a werewolf in the hopes that the students would catch on. However, it should be noted that, despite Snape's strained relationship with the Marauders, he dutifully concocted potions for Remus Lupin during his tenure at Hogwarts and attempted to save his life during the Flight From Little Whinging. Lupin was the only one of the Marauders who could interact with Snape at least on a perfunctory level when they were adults. Lupin, like everyone, believed Snape an evil, cowardly servant of Voldemort's after Snape killed Albus Dumbledore, and he died before learning the truth. Sirius Black: "I've warned you, Snivellus I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better —" Severus Snape: "Oh, but why don't you tell him so? Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?" — Snape and Sirius arguing Snape held an especially strong enmity towards Sirius. Although his hatred towards Sirius for the humiliation Sirius and James put him through in their Hogwarts years was already great, his belief that Sirius was the Marauder who betrayed Lily to Voldemort made him hate Sirius even more than he did James. He was eager to be the one to hand Sirius over to receive the Dementor's Kiss after he broke out of Azkaban, and he was furious when he managed to escape yet again. After Sirius's innocence was proven, however, Dumbledore insisted that the two of them shake hands and ally together against Voldemort. Nevertheless, they remained barely capable of civilly conversing, as both of them still resented each other and Snape, in particular, taunted him about his uselessness to the Order while confined to his mother's house, which escalated in Sirius nearly challenging Snape to a duel, which Snape was eager to and would have gladly accepted had the Weasleys not barged in. However, Sirius himself admitted he felt ashamed of his previous treatment and did not at all enjoy the reminder of the reason for Snape being humiliated due to Sirius being bored in their fifth year. Snape also, even if begrudgingly, accepted that they were fighting for the same side and was quick to check if Sirius was in fact safe after Harry reported to him that he saw Sirius tortured by Voldemort and in the Ministry to be forced to retrieve the object. "Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we? As you have clearly realised, Wormtail, we have guests." — Snape bullying Wormtail in his home Although Snape's relationship with Pettigrew in their school years was already hostile, upon knowing he was the Marauder who truly betrayed Lily, he most likely became the Marauder Snape resented the most. Although forced to keep his dislike as best as he could due to his job as a double-agent for Dumbledore, Snape seized his chance to torment Pettigrew when the Dark Lord later assigned Pettigrew to work as his assistant, treating him like a slave, forcing him to clean his house and serve food to his guests, clearly intent on making sure that Pettigrew would not experience any comfortableness while under his command. Snape also seemed to enjoy threatening Pettigrew by telling Voldemort that he desired more dangerous assignments whenever he would protest his position as Snape's servant. In an ironic twist, despite their mutual antipathy, James's second grandson would be named after Snape years after the deaths of Snape and the Marauders.
means "stern" in Latin, and is the root of the English word "severe".[109] It was a Roman cognomen, common to members of the Severan dynasty of Emperors, including one notorious for his harsh persecution of the early Christians.
J. K. Rowling has said that she took the surname Snape from an English village[110] in Suffolk. There is also a village called "Snape" in Yorkshire, which was rebuilt by the aforementioned emperor, Septimus Severus. Snape is also an English verb meaning "to be hard upon, rebuke, snub", derived from the Old Norse "sneypa", "to outrage, dishonour, disgrace".[111]
"Well, that is Snape's tragedy. Given his time over again he would not have become a Death Eater, but like many insecure, vulnerable people (like Wormtail) he craved membership of something big and powerful, something impressive. He wanted Lily and he wanted Mulciber too. He never really understood Lily's aversion; he was so blinded by his attraction to the dark side he thought she would find him impressive if he became a real Death Eater."
— J. K. Rowling 2007 Web Chat Transcript
•Snape is the only known Death Eater who could conjure a Patronus.
•Snape attended Hogwarts exactly twenty years before Harry Potter.
•Snape came very close to receiving Order of Merlin, First Class for subduing Sirius Black.[112]
•It was because of Snape that Harry Potter became aware and practical of the Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus). Snape used it in the introduction of the Duelling Club while duelling with Gilderoy Lockhart. He said that students should learn to disarm their opponents.
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Mar 26, 2015 · 1. Snape was a unpopular kid when he attended Hogwarts, and was always bullied by Harry's father. His mother also attended Hogwarts, and was a pure-blood with the last name "Prince". Snape's father was a muggle, so when Snape was born, he was a half blood.
Aug 30, 2024 · Harry discovers that Professor Severus Snape was known as "Half-Blood Prince" while he was at Hogwarts and that his mother Lily and father James were his parents.
Apr 21, 2024 · In a startling turn of events, Harry discovers later in the narrative that the Half-Blood Prince is actually none other than Snape. Given that Snape is the son of a Muggle father Tobias Snape and a witch mother Eileen Prince, the moniker ‘Half-Blood Prince’ has deep significance.
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Expert Answers. Snape calls himself the Half-Blood Prince because he is the child of a witch and a muggle. His mother, the witch, is Eileen Prince, and his father, the muggle,...
