Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Tobias Snape

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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Tobias Snape
Gender Male
Hair color Unknown
Eye color Unknown
Related Family Severus Snape, Eileen Snape
Loyalty Unknown

Overview[edit | edit source]

Tobias Snape was a Muggle man who married pure-blood witch Eileen Prince. He is the father of Severus Snape, and in general seems to be rather abusive and unpleasant.

Role in the Books[edit | edit source]

Order of the Phoenix[edit | edit source]

We first see Tobias briefly during Harry's occlumency lessons with Snape. We get a brief look into some of Severus's memories, one of which we see a man shouting at a frightened looking woman while young Severus cries in the corner of the room. Though we don't learn their names, it is implied that these are Snape's parents.

Half-Blood Prince[edit | edit source]

At the end of the book we learn his name for the first time when Hermione shows Harry and Ron some old Daily Prophet articles talking about his marriage to Eileen Prince, and later the birth of their son Severus Snape.

Deathly Hallows[edit | edit source]

We hear a bit more about Tobias in Severus's memories. In one we see Severus telling Lily offhandedly that his father doesn't like magic, or anything, very much.

Strengths[edit | edit source]

Weaknesses[edit | edit source]

Relationships with Other Characters[edit | edit source]

Tobias seemed to be abusive towards his wife and possibly his son as well. It is implied that Severus dislikes his father as evidenced by his comments to Lily Evans.

Analysis[edit | edit source]

Questions[edit | edit source]

Study questions are meant to be left for each student to answer; please don't answer them here.

Greater Picture[edit | edit source]

Most of what we see or hear about shows Tobias as abusive and disliking magic.

Tobias also provides us with another similarity between Severus and Lord Voldemort. Of course, both are half-blood wizards born to a Muggle father and a pure-blood mother. Both Tobias and Tom Riddle Sr. were shown to have disliked magic and mistreated their wives (though in different ways). Both fathers seem to have been the primary sources for their sons' hatred of Muggles.

Intermediate warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level.