Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Severus Snape

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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Severus Snape
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Black
Related Family	Details follow spoiler warning
Loyalty	Details follow spoiler warning

Contents 1 Overview 2 Role in the Books 2.1 Philosopher's Stone 2.2 Chamber of Secrets 2.3 Prisoner of Azkaban 2.4 Goblet of Fire 2.5 Order of the Phoenix 2.6 Half-Blood Prince 2.7 Deathly Hallows 3 Strengths 4 Weaknesses 5 Relationships with Other Characters 6 Analysis 6.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (The Prince's Tale) 7 Questions 8 Greater Picture 8.1 First Five Books 8.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 8.3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[edit] Overview

Severus Snape is the Potions teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is also the Head of Slytherin House. Although Snape is a former Death Eater, Professor Dumbledore places his utmost faith in Snape's loyalty, although exactly why he trusts him so implicitly is not initially revealed. Snape also joins the Order of the Phoenix to combat Lord Voldemort, apparently acting as a double agent, though it is uncertain where his loyalties lie.

According to the author, Severus Snape's birthday is 9 January.

[edit] Role in the Books

[edit] Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter's first interaction with Professor Snape is minor, but telling; as Snape looks at him across the Great Hall, Harry's scar pains him. Because the scar is a link between Harry and Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who gave it to him, this may indicate a connection between Snape and Voldemort. Harry has a dream that night involving Professor Quirrell's turban, and Draco Malfoy turning into Snape.

During his first Potions class, Snape humiliates Harry by asking questions he does not (and could not) know the answers to, although the implication is that he ought to. When Neville manages to melt his cauldron, Snape holds Harry responsible, and penalizes Gryffindor house a point because of it.

At Hallowe'en, a giant troll is discovered in the dungeons. Rather than heading below with the other staff, Snape is seen going upstairs, possibly to a second-floor (US: third-floor) corridor which Professor Dumbledore declared off-limits. Subsequently, Snape seems to have sustained a leg injury: Hermione, Ron, and Harry are standing in the courtyard around a blue fire which Hermione has conjured, when Snape walks by, and, seeing that Harry has a library book (Quidditch Through the Ages), confiscates it on the grounds that library books are not to be taken outside the school. As he walks away, the Trio notice that he is limping. Later, Harry, going to the staff room to request the return of his book, sees that Snape is having a bad leg wound tended by Filch, and hears Snape talking about having trouble with the three heads on something. Snape, seeing Harry, angrily sends him away. The Trio speculate among themselves that Snape's wound may have been inflicted by the giant three-headed dog that Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville had earlier discovered guarding a trap door in the forbidden corridor.

During a Quidditch match against Slytherin, Snape appears to be jinxing Harry's broom, although it is interrupted when Hermione sets his robes on fire. The Trio talk this over later with Hagrid. Hagrid expresses disbelief, first that Snape would be Jinxing Harry's broom, and second that Fluffy would have hurt him. To the Trio's surprise, it turns out that the three-headed dog is one of Hagrid's pets, and Hagrid considers him quite tame.

In a later match, Snape takes on refereeing duties, normally the job of Madam Hooch; Harry, believing this is a cover for another attempt on his life, catches the Snitch almost immediately, ending the game.

Harry, immediately after that match, sees Snape headed for the Forbidden Forest. Following on his broom, Harry overhears Snape in a heated discussion with Professor Quirrell about where his loyalties lie. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, discussing this later, come to the conclusion that it is the Philosopher's Stone that Snape is after, and that only Quirrell stands between Snape and the Stone. The Trio are even more concerned to discover from Hagrid that Snape is one of the wizards who has provided protection for the Stone.

When Harry and Hermione return from serving detention in the Forbidden Forest, Harry feels that Voldemort is simply waiting for Snape to retrieve the Stone, and then he will appear and try once again to kill Harry. As exams end, Harry concludes that Snape is about to try for the Stone, but their attempts to tail him fail. Harry decides that he must venture through the trap door under Fluffy, to try and retrieve the Stone before Snape does.

In the climactic scene between Professor Quirrell and Harry, Quirrell informs Harry that it was he (Quirrell) who has been seeking the Stone for Voldemort; Snape had actually been thwarting Quirrell's efforts to harm Harry (it was Quirrell who was jinxing Harry's broom during the Quidditch game, and Snape had been countering it). At this point we find out that Harry's scar paining him at the feast at the beginning of the year was because of the link between Quirrell and Voldemort, rather than having anything to do with Snape.

[edit] Chamber of Secrets

After Harry and Ron crash into the Whomping Willow in the flying car, Snape arrives on the scene and takes them to his office for discipline. Apparently the Evening Prophet has reported sightings of a flying car by Muggles. Hearing their story, he goes off to fetch Professor McGonagall, who asks to hear their story again; and finally Professor Dumbledore arrives and also asks to hear their explanation. While Snape is determined to have Harry and Ron expelled, Dumbledore simply warns them that if they break any more rules, they will be expelled, then takes Snape back to the Arrival Feast, leaving McGonagall to mete out their punishment.

Although the Gryffindor Quidditch team has already begun their practice, Snape grants use of the pitch to Slytherin, "in order that they may train their new Seeker," Draco Malfoy, whose father donated new broomsticks to the team. A confrontation between the Trio and Malfoy ensues, although Ron's attempt to curse Malfoy fails when his damaged wand backfires and he curses himself instead.

When Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, is petrified, Snape wonders why Harry, Ron, and Hermione had not been at the Hallowe'en Feast. Told that they had been at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, Snape points out that food at Deathday parties is very seldom edible, and wonders why they had not come back to the Feast after the party. Skeptical about Ron's claim that they were not hungry, Snape suggests that Harry may be involved. He recommends banning Harry from playing Quidditch but is overruled by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, who remind Snape that Harry is innocent until proven guilty.

To obtain the ingredients Hermione needs to brew Polyjuice potion, which are not in the student supplies cabinet, Hermione must raid Snape's office, so Harry creates a diversion. He tosses a firecracker into Goyle's cauldron during Potions class, and Hermione raids Snape's supply cupboard in the ensuing confusion. Although Snape suspects Harry, he is unable to prove anything, and Harry avoids punishment.

In the Dueling Club, Gilderoy Lockhart uses Snape as his sparring partner, although Snape easily defeats him. When Lockhart sets up partners for individual practice, it is Snape who halts the ensuing mayhem when the students try to jinx each other and Lockhart's efforts are ineffective. Later, when Lockhart suggests putting a student pair on the stage, Snape chooses Malfoy and Harry. Malfoy's jinx produces a snake. Lockhart, trying to dispose of the snake, manages to toss it into the air; when it lands, it seems ready to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley. Harry tries to call it off; Snape casts a spell that disposes of the snake, but then looks at Harry very oddly. Harry is quickly taken away by Ron and Hermione.

When Ginny is taken into the Chamber of Secrets, Snape is among the teachers who echo Lockhart's recent boasts about the Chamber back to him, as part of convincing him to go deal with the Monster. Lockhart instead returns to his office and starts packing.

[edit] Prisoner of Azkaban

At the Arrival Feast, Harry notes that Snape casts a look of loathing at the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.

Draco Malfoy, claiming that the injury he received from Buckbeak is still paining him, returns to classes halfway through Potions class. Snape orders Ron to assist Draco with his potion ingredients. Harry thinks that this is very different from what would have happened if a Gryffindor student had been half an hour late.

Professor Lupin takes his class to the staff room, where they find Snape. Snape cautions Lupin that Longbottom causes havoc with every wand stroke; Lupin counters that, saying he had hoped that Longbottom would lead off the demonstration. Snape sweeps out, and Lupin explains that they have trapped a Boggart in the wardrobe, and that the Boggart will take the shape of what its opponent most greatly fears. He asks Neville's greatest fear, and Neville replies that it is Snape. Lupin then asks what his grandmother usually wears, and goes on to explain that what destroys a Boggart is actually laughter. The charm they are learning, Riddikulus, will force the Boggart into whatever funny guise the caster is imagining, and suggests that Neville should imagine the Boggart-Snape that will appear from the wardrobe dressed as his grandmother. Neville succeeds in this transformation twice during the next few minutes.

Neville's transformation of the Boggart-Snape apparently gets repeated, because Snape becomes worse than ever in Potions class, bullying Neville mercilessly.

As Harry does not have permission to visit Hogsmeade with the other third-years, he wanders around the school aimlessly until Professor Lupin asks him to drop in. While he is there, Professor Snape arrives with a smoking goblet of some sort of potion. After Snape has left, and despite Harry's warning that Snape would likely do anything to get Lupin's job, Lupin drinks the contents of the goblet. At dinner, Harry does note that Snape appears to be watching Lupin more intently than usual, but Lupin does not seem to have taken any particular ill-effect from the potion, apart from seeming tired.

Following Sirius Black's break-in into the castle, Professor Dumbledore orders all students to spend the night in the Great Hall. Prefects stand guard while the teachers search the castle. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still awake when Professor Dumbledore receives the all clear from Professor Snape. Snape reminds Dumbledore that he had expressed concerns over an appointment Dumbledore made. Dumbledore interrupts, saying he is certain that nobody in the castle would have helped Black.

Delayed by Oliver Wood, Harry is ten minutes late for Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He is dismayed to realize that it is being taught by Professor Snape, who says that Professor Lupin is ill and gives Harry a House points penalty for his lateness. Dismissing Lupin's work in the class so far, Snape says they should be further along, and turning to the end of the text, sets an essay on Werewolves, their recognition and means of fighting them.

When Professor Lupin returns to teaching the class on Monday, he cancels the assignment, to the dismay of Hermione who had apparently already completed it.

Professor Snape is one of the teachers at the school at Christmas. He remains looking sour through all the Christmas dinner merriment. Professor Dumbledore does check with him that Professor Lupin has been receiving his potion.

In late April, there is a Hogsmeade weekend; Harry, of course, is not allowed to go, but making use of the Marauder's Map, he plans to travel through the secret passage to Honeyduke's. On his way to the secret passage, however, he is caught by Snape, who sends him back to Gryffindor tower. As Harry leaves, he notes that Snape is inspecting the status of the hump-backed witch, as if he had been able to read from Harry's mind that a secret passage started there. Harry is later able to return to the statue, and travel through it to Hogsmeade. He is nearly caught in Hogsmeade, and returns to the school at a run; he is caught almost immediately after leaving the secret passage by Snape, and taken to Snape's study. There, Snape has him clean out his pockets, and finding the Marauders Map, commands that it show what it is. The map, writing as Messrs. Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs, insults Snape. Snape then summons Professor Lupin and asks him if he knows something about the map. Lupin, saying it looks to him like a standard Zonko's Joke Shop insult scroll, collects Harry, and Ron who has come in to support Harry's story, as well as the map, and takes them all out of the now clearly livid Snape's office.

We next see Snape in Harry's final Potions exam. Harry's work is not going at all well, and Snape writes something on his notepad that looks suspiciously like a zero before walking away.

Snape, hiding under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, is present in the Shrieking Shack as Lupin and Sirius tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione about their days as students at Hogwarts, and how Snape had almost been killed by a transformed Lupin, except that Harry's father, James, had saved him. Revealing himself, Snape says that on his way to bring Lupin some of the potion, he had found a very interesting map on Lupin's desk and had noticed Sirius' name on it. He refuses to listen to Remus' explanations, instead binding both Sirius and Lupin, and saying that they are going to go up to the castle and talk to the Dementors. Harry, Ron and Hermione all Disarm him simultaneously, throwing him against a wall and leaving him unconscious.

Snape remains unconscious until after Peter Pettigrew's reappearance and escape. When he recovers, he collects the unconscious bodies of Sirius, Harry, and Hermione, who had been disabled by Dementors, and Ron, who had been jinxed by Pettigrew, and brings all of them to the castle. With Sirius captive, and the Trio in the Hospital Wing, he apparently summons Cornelius Fudge to report his recapture of the wanted murderer Black. When Harry awakens in the Hospital Wing, he hears Snape telling his version of the story to Fudge. Apparently, Snape has Fudge convinced that Lupin had assisted Sirius in getting into Hogwarts, and that whatever Harry and Hermione might say could be discounted because they were clearly Confunded. Snape is quite clearly pleased at the possibility of receiving an Order of Merlin, which Fudge describes as a distinct possibility. When Dumbledore arrives, wanting to talk to Harry and Hermione, Snape and Fudge depart, to go up to Professor Flitwick's office and witness the Dementor's Kiss being administered to Sirius.

When they arrive there, however, they find Sirius gone. Snape, now raging mad, is convinced Harry had something to do with it, despite the clear statement of Madam Pomfrey that he and Hermione had been in the infirmary all the time. As he stalks off, thwarted by Madam Pomfrey and the returned Professor Dumbledore, Fudge comments that Snape seems unhinged.

In his anger, Snape reveals the next day that Professor Lupin is a werewolf, causing Lupin to resign as the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor.

During the course of the conversation in the Shrieking Shack, we learn that Snape was concocting the Wolfsbane potion Lupin had been drinking to control himself during full moons. The potion, the same one which Harry had been concerned about when he saw Snape bring it to Lupin, does not prevent Lupin from turning into a werewolf, but does allow him to retain his intelligence, making him harmless. Snape is one of the few who can actually brew the potion; a recent discovery, it is very complicated.

[edit] Goblet of Fire

When Draco Malfoy attempts to Jinx Harry in the entrance hall, and is turned into a white ferret for this by Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall reminds Moody that Transfiguration is not used for punishment at Hogwarts. Instead, Moody should be taking Draco to speak with his Head of House. Moody, a retired Auror, confirms that would be Snape, then departs with Draco in tow, saying Snape is an "old friend" of his.

Possibly as a result of this confrontation, Snape is even harsher than usual on his Potions students. It seems that, apart from his feeling that he should have gotten the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, he fears Moody and is taking it out on the students.

It is mentioned in passing that Snape has Harry's class researching antidotes, and Harry is worried that there will be a practical test – someone will be poisoned, and Harry is beginning to suspect it will be himself.

When Harry's name is ejected from the Goblet of Fire, he is directed to proceed to the room where the other Champions are waiting. Snape is among the teachers and judges who join them. In the debate that follows, Igor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime are adamant that Harry must have somehow arranged to cross the Age Line that Professor Dumbledore had drawn to keep underage wizards out of the competition. Snape's contribution to the argument is the snide observation that Harry had been crossing lines ever since he arrived at Hogwarts.

When Draco Malfoy starts distributing buttons that insult Harry, it proves too much for Harry and he ends up dueling with Draco as they wait for Potions class. Their spells meet in mid-air and deflect onto Goyle and Hermione. Snape, appearing at the dungeon door, sends Goyle off to the Hospital Wing for treatment of his boils, but professes to see nothing wrong with Hermione whose front teeth have grown to below her collar. Hermione departs, crying. When Harry and Ron have stopped protesting what they see as a miscarriage of justice, Snape says that it is lucky that he could not understand most of what they were saying, because of the echoes, then penalizes Gryffindor house 50 points and gives Harry and Ron detention. The lecture that day concerns antidotes, and Snape says that they will be trying one out at the end of class. Harry is relieved when Colin Creevey arrives to take Harry to the Wand Weighing ceremony; but this is offset at Snape's clear dislike of the increased publicity that Harry seems to be receiving.

Snape schedules a test on antidotes for the last day of the term; Harry, by now in something of a panic about finding a partner for the Yule Ball, forgets the vital ingredient, a Bezoar, and fails the test.

At the Yule Ball, Harry and Ron end up in the rose garden outside the Entrance Hall. They see Snape walking there with Karkaroff, blasting apart the rose bushes and penalizing any students he finds hiding within them. Harry and Ron also overhear Karkaroff talking about something that is becoming more distinct, and Snape saying that Karkaroff may run if he chooses to. Ron wonders exactly how Snape and Karkaroff got to be on a first-name basis.

Taking Cedric Diggory's advice, Harry takes his Golden Egg, which is a necessary clue for the Second Task, to the Prefect's Bathroom. As he leaves the bathroom, he checks the Marauder's Map to see if it is safe to travel the halls. He sees that Bartemius Crouch is in Snape's office, and curious, goes to investigate. On the way, he steps through one of the trick steps and is trapped; he drops the map and the Egg, which starts to wail. The noise summons Filch, Snape, and eventually Professor Moody. Moody, with his magical eye, can see Harry under his Invisibility Cloak, while Snape and Filch cannot. Filch believes that Peeves is responsible for the theft of the Egg; Snape is more concerned that someone has been rummaging around in his office. Moody, when he arrives, points out that it is part of his job to look through Snape's office, but he is also interested to hear that someone has been going through it. As Snape leaves, Moody points out the map, saying Snape had dropped some parchment; Harry gesticulates wildly to indicate it is his, and Moody Summons it, snatching it out of Snape's fingers. Snape has recognized the Map, and concludes that Harry is close by under his Invisibility Cloak. Moody tells him there's nobody there and says it's curious how quickly Snape's mind jumped to Harry. Snape, having almost touched Harry, departs before Moody can draw any other conclusions. Moody sends Filch away also, and rescues Harry from the step in which he has been trapped.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive at Potions class a few weeks after the Second Task, the Slytherins are huddled around something and sniggering. Pansy Parkinson throws something to Hermione. It is a copy of Witch Weekly. Hermione riffles through it and finds an article, Harry Potter's Secret Heartache, by Rita Skeeter. The article suggests that Hermione is Harry's girlfriend and is abandoning him for Viktor Krum, who has invited her to visit him during the summer. Hermione is unimpressed, even by Pansy Parkinson's quote that insinuates Hermione might be using love potions. She wonders how Skeeter knew about Krum's invitation. Ron is interested in hearing how she answered, but she ignores this. Professor Snape comes up behind them and penalizes Gryffindor ten points for Hermione's talking and ten more for having Witch Weekly in class. He reads Rita Skeeter's article aloud to gales of laughter from the Slytherins. Snape now separates the three, placing Hermione with Pansy, leaving Ron where he is, and placing Harry at the table immediately facing his desk.

Snape says in a soft undertone that he knows Harry was in his office. Harry insists he was not, Snape says Boomslang skin and Gillyweed are missing from his stores, and he knows who took them. Harry remembers that Hermione stole Boomslang skin during their second year to make the Polyjuice potion and that Dobby swiped the Gillyweed, but he lies and says he has no idea what Snape is talking about. Snape produces a vial containing Veritaserum. Just three drops and Harry would babble his innermost secrets. Snape suggests that his hand might just slip over Harry's pumpkin juice.

Igor Karkaroff enters the dungeon wanting to speak to Snape, who says they can talk after class. Karkaroff claims Snape has been avoiding him and stays until the class ends. Harry knocks over his armadillo bile, crouching down behind his cauldron. He sees Karkaroff show Snape something on his left forearm and saying, "It has never been that clear, not since . . . ." Snape tells him to put it away, they can discuss it later. Spotting Harry, he asks what he is doing there. Harry replies innocently that he is cleaning up his armadillo bile. Karkaroff leaves, and Harry decides it would be a good idea to do likewise.

That Saturday, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Sirius, who is hiding in a cave outside Hogsmeade. Sirius says that it is curious that Snape and Karkaroff would have been talking. Karkaroff was a Death Eater, and Snape had certainly associated with known Dark wizards, but that he had never been accused of being a Death Eater.

When Bartemius Crouch appears at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Harry runs to find Professor Dumbledore. At the stone gargoyle guarding the lower end of the stairs to the Headmaster's office, Harry finds his way blocked by Snape, who refuses to allow Harry to pass. Luckily, Dumbledore then appears behind Snape, and Harry is able to give Dumbledore his message. Shortly after Dumbledore and Harry arrive at the scene, Moody arrives, saying Snape had told him where they would be.

In Dumbledore's Pensieve, Harry experiences Dumbledore's memories of some Wizengamot trials of Death Eaters. He sees Karkaroff attempting to lighten his sentence by naming other Death Eaters; one of the ones he names is Severus Snape, but Dumbledore replies that Snape was a double agent who was working against Voldemort before his defeat. Later, as Dumbledore talks with Harry about the function of the Pensieve, Harry's face appears in it, smoothly changing into Snape's, who says "It's coming back, Karkaroff's too". As he is leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry asks why Dumbledore trusts Snape, but Dumbledore says that is between him and Snape.

On Harry's return from the graveyard in Little Hangleton, he is taken aside by Moody, who reveals that he is a Death Eater, and that he plans to kill Harry to improve his position in Voldemort's new organization. As he is about to do so, the door behind him blows open, Moody falls Stunned, and Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape enter. Dumbledore sends Snape for truth serum, and to fetch Winky from the kitchens. When Snape returns with Winky, she immediately recognizes the Stunned man, who has transformed as his Polyjuice Potion wore off, as her master Barty Crouch, Bartemius' son. In the course of his confession, Barty admits that he had fetched ingredients for more Polyjuice Potion out of Snape's office, under the guise of searching it for Dark materials.

Dumbledore then asks Snape to bring the real Alastor Moody to the Hospital Wing, and takes Harry to his office. There, after meeting with Sirius, Harry repeats his story. Dumbledore then takes Harry to the Hospital Wing.

Some time later, Harry awakens and hears Cornelius Fudge and Dumbledore arguing over whether Voldemort has returned. Snape, who is present, shows Fudge something on his left forearm, saying that the Dark Mark is the means by which Voldemort communicated with his Death Eaters, and that it has been growing stronger, until some hours back when it burned black as a summons to attend Voldemort. Refusing to believe, Fudge departs. Dumbledore then sends most of the others away, and has Sirius reveal himself. He demands that, as they have the same goal, Sirius and Snape should get along together. After much prompting by Dumbledore, and most unwillingly, they eventually shake hands; Dumbledore then tells Snape that he knows the mission Dumbledore has for him. Snape agrees, and departs.

At the Leaving Feast, Snape is present, apparently having returned from his mission; Harry seems to think he is looking more sour than usual.

[edit] Order of the Phoenix

We hear little of Snape for the first section of the book, though when Harry arrives at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, he finds out to his displeasure that Snape is present for a meeting. Snape, however, leaves even before Fred and George can put their Extendable Ears into play.

Immediately before Potions class, Draco Malfoy, inspired perhaps by the continuing depiction of Harry in the Daily Prophet, makes remarks about mentally deficient people and how they should be locked up in St. Mungo's. Pushed to his limit by this, Neville attacks Draco; Harry and Ron restrain him. It is at this moment that Snape opens the door to the dungeon, and promptly penalizes Gryffindor 10 points for fighting. Ron asks Harry why Neville had reacted that way; Harry, knowing about Neville's parents, still follows Dumbledore's instructions and says nothing. Snape's class today is monitored by Professor Umbridge, acting as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. After observing his teaching for a while, she asks him how long he has been teaching at Hogwarts ("fourteen years"), and asks about his application for the post of teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He replies that Dumbledore had repeatedly turned him down for that post, and that she would have to ask Dumbledore for the reason. Straining to hear Snape's answers, Harry ruins his potion and receives a zero.

Snape is working as a double agent for the Order. Although Snape continues to try and get Harry expelled, he saves his life by informing the Order that Harry and the other students have fallen into a trap set by Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic in London.

At Christmas, back at Grimmauld Place, Snape arrives and says that Dumbledore has asked Harry to study Occlumency, the art of closing one's mind from another's intrusion. Harry agrees, but then discovers that Snape is teaching him. Sirius asks why Dumbledore cannot teach him; Snape responds that it was Dumbledore's decision. The verbal battle escalates until Sirius and Snape are at wands drawn, with Harry standing between them trying to prevent a duel, when Mr. Weasley enters with the entire Weasley family and Hermione. Mr. Weasley is fully healed and has returned from St. Mungo's. Sirius and Snape, brought to their senses by having so many witnesses, separate. Snape leaves, saying he expects Harry in his office at 6 o'clock Monday evening. Harry discusses the Occlumency lessons with Ron and Hermione. Hermione says Harry will be happy to stop the nightmares. Ron says that he would rather have the nightmares himself.

Back at the school, Harry begins his first Occlumency lesson with Snape, although he still distrusts him. Snape explains that Legilimency is the ability to read other's thoughts and memories. Voldemort is an expert in Legilimency, and Occlumency will help Harry block his mind. Snape removes some of his memories and deposits them into what Harry recognizes as Dumbledore's Pensieve. He tells Harry to try and prevent him from penetrating Harry's mind. Harry's first attempts fail miserably. However, Harry does now recognize the hallway he has dreamt about so frequently; it is the hall in the Ministry of Magic leading to the Department of Mysteries. He and Mr. Weasley ran down it last summer to his hearing; it is the same hallway where Mr. Weasley was attacked by the snake. Snape dismisses him, saying he will have to come back on Wednesday. As Harry leaves, he sees Snape removing the memories from the Pensieve and reinserting them into his head.

Harry's Occlumency lessons over the next several months do not proceed well. He is still unable to block Snape's probes. His scar is now prickling almost continually, and he sees small flashes of Voldemort's emotions. He can date this increased sensitivity to when Snape's lessons started. He discusses this with Ron and Hermione. Ron's opinion is that Snape is making it easier for Voldemort by deliberately not helping Harry. Hermione reminds him that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and if Dumbledore is untrustworthy, who can they trust? As late as early April, Harry's hatred for Snape prevents him from clearing his mind. Although he is making little progress, on one occasion, he briefly enters Snape's mind using a Shield Charm. The next attempt, Harry again experiences his corridors dream, but when he reaches the door, it is open for the first time. Snape breaks him from the vision, seeming concerned at what is appearing in Harry's mind. Their session is interrupted, by someone frantically screaming in the entrance hall: it is Professor Trelawney, who has just been fired by Umbridge.

Just before Easter break, an Occlumency session is interrupted when Malfoy arrives with a message that Umbridge needs to see Snape – Montague, who the Twins had earlier stuffed into an old, broken Vanishing Cabinet, has reappeared, jammed inside a toilet. Snape departs, and before leaving, Harry sees a shimmering light reminiscent of his dream about the Ministry coming from a Pensieve. What memories has Snape been hiding? Is it something about the Ministry? Looking inside, Harry sees a young James Potter and Sirius Black at Hogwarts. They are cruelly tormenting their classmate, Severus Snape, by suspending him upside down in mid-air, exposing his dingy underwear. Lily Evans intervenes and berates James and Sirius for their deplorable behavior. James offers a deal—if she goes out with him, he will never hurt Snape again—to which she angrily declines. The humiliated Snape resents Lily's help and insultingly calls her a "Mudblood". Harry is appalled by his father's bullying, but before he can consider it further, the present-day Snape yanks him from the Pensieve. Furious, Snape demands that he never reveal what he has seen to anyone, and orders him to leave.

Unwilling to reveal, even to Hermione, what he had seen about his father, Harry parries her questions about why Occlumency lessons have ended by telling her that Snape says he is good enough. Luckily, Hermione guesses that his being upset is due to troubles with Cho, and does not pursue the question further.

It is mentioned that Harry performs creditably in his Potions O.W.L., perhaps because Snape is not present.

Harry, believing Sirius Black has been trapped at the Ministry and is being tortured, tries to contact him via the Floo network. When Harry is trapped in Umbridge's fireplace, Umbridge summons Snape to her office and demands that he provide her some truth serum that she can use on Harry. Snape responds coldly that he had earlier given Umbridge all the Veritaserum he had, and reminds her that she had only needed three drops. To her demand that he make some more, he responds that it will take several weeks. She tells him that he is on probation and dismisses him. Harry, suddenly remembering that Snape is a member of the Order, tries to pass a message about Sirius to Snape. Snape appears to dismiss it as simple babbling, and leaves.

Later, Dumbledore says that Snape had contacted Sirius and confirmed that he was all right. He had then watched Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge go into the Forbidden Forest. When they did not return, Snape had alerted the Order. Dumbledore further says that he had wanted Harry to learn Occlumency to block the sendings that Voldemort had been putting into Harry's mind, in order to lure him to the Ministry. Dumbledore had believed that old animosities could be forgotten; but he admits that he was wrong. He would have taught Harry Occlumency himself, but he was afraid that if Voldemort had any idea that their relationship was any deeper than that of headmaster to student, he would have been leaving both himself and Harry open to attack.

Harry almost gets into a duel with Draco Malfoy, but is stopped by Snape. Snape is about to penalize Gryffindor House points, but realizes Gryffindor has no points left. Professor McGonagall, also arriving at that point, grants a number of House points to Gryffindor for the students who had been fighting Death Eaters at the Ministry, then sends Harry and Draco on their respective ways.

[edit] Half-Blood Prince

Severus Snape is at his home during the school break when Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy visit him. Narcissa is worried about some task that the Dark Lord has set for her son Draco; Bellatrix is trying to prevent her visiting Snape as she feels he is not trustworthy. Snape has Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew) serve them drinks, and then dismisses him; Wormtail complains bitterly about being made to do menial work. Before either Narcissa or Bellatrix can get too far into the reason for their visit, Snape fires a jinx at the bookcase; behind it, we hear Wormtail yelp and retreat up a hidden staircase. Bellatrix now asks Snape a long list of questions, which seem to point to possible disloyalty. Snape says that he will answer her questions, but points out that the Dark Lord had already asked them, and had received satisfactory answers. Snape further asks if Bellatrix thinks that Snape could have hidden anything from possibly the greatest Legilimens the world has ever known.

While she is hesitating, Snape answers. Where was he when the Dark Lord fell? At Hogwarts, where Voldemort had ordered him to spy on Dumbledore. Why did he not go looking for the Dark Lord after he had fallen? For the same reason many other Death Eaters did not: he thought the Dark Lord was finished. Bellatrix retorts that she had looked for him. Snape sarcastically comments about how "useful" she was while imprisoned in Azkaban, while he had collected sixteen years' worth of information on Dumbledore for Voldemort. Snape continues: Why did he stand between the Dark Lord and the Philosopher's Stone? Because the Dark Lord believed Snape had deserted him for Dumbledore, Snape was not informed that it was Voldemort that looking for the Stone. He thought Quirrell was searching for it and, of course, he acted to prevent that. Why did he not respond to the Dark Lord's summons when Voldemort returned? He returned two hours later, at Dumbledore's orders. That way, Dumbledore would continue to believe that Snape was spying on Voldemort for him, rather than the other way around. Bellatrix says she is unaware of any information Snape passed to Voldemort, although she should know: Voldemort says she is his most trusted lieutenant. Snape asks if she still is after the fiasco at the Ministry. And where was he at that battle? On the Dark Lord's orders, he stayed out of it. Did Bellatrix think Dumbledore would not notice if Snape had joined the Death Eaters in that battle? In any event, the information Snape supplied made Emmeline Vance and Sirius Black's deaths possible, and the Dark Lord was satisfied with his information. Why did Snape not kill Harry Potter? Because it was only Dumbledore who was keeping Snape effective as a spy and out of Azkaban. If he killed Potter, he would lose that protection and would be unable to help Voldemort. And that has been what has made him useful to the Dark Lord: Dumbledore's trust in him.

With Bellatrix's worries overridden, Narcissa explains why she has come. Voldemort has assigned her son, Draco, a difficult and probably deadly task. Narcissa asks Snape to protect him. Snape replies that it is folly for her to talk to him about it because that is breaking the Dark Lord's wish. Death Eaters seldom know what tasks their colleagues have been assigned. Luckily for Narcissa, however, Snape already knows about this task, but even as the Dark Lord's most trusted confidante, he cannot convince him to change his mind, nor will he try. Narcissa says assigning Draco this task is revenge for her husband, Lucius, having failed at the Ministry. Snape admits that the Dark Lord is angry at Lucius. Finally, though, Snape agrees to swear an 'Unbreakable Vow' that he will protect Draco, and if Draco is unable to complete his assigned task, Snape will do it for him. Bellatrix is stunned by this, but agrees to act as their Bonder, though apparently half-expecting that Snape will invalidate the Vow somehow.

Harry is spotted by Draco Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express, as Harry tries to eavesdrop on Draco to see if he has become a Death Eater. Rescued from petrification by Tonks, Harry arrives at the school late. Tonks sends a message to have a teacher come and unlock the gates, and Harry is appalled to find that the teacher who arrives is Snape. Snape insults Tonks' Patronus, saying that he thought the old one was stronger; then, refusing to allow Harry to change or clean himself up, takes him directly into the Great Hall, where the Entrance Feast is just ending. Harry is shocked again when, at the announcement of the teachers for the new term, it is revealed that Snape is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; he had thought that the teacher he had helped Dumbledore recruit, Horace Slughorn, had been intended for that position.

Harry finds Snape's class on the Dark Arts is both illuminating, and alarming, as Snape is seemingly entranced by the Dark Arts. The relish with which he shows the spells and enemies which the Dark Lord has on his side seems almost unhealthy. After giving them a quick overview of what they will be fighting now that Voldemort has returned to power, Snape sets the students to learn the ability to cast wordless spells. Seeing that they are having difficulty with this, Snape squares off against Harry as a demonstration; Harry, fearing the effects of any spell Snape would cast against him, uses a verbal shield spell, earning himself a detention. The detention is postponed by one of Harry's private lessons with Dumbledore. The new detention date conflicts with one of Slughorn's "little soirées", and while Slughorn does try to prevail upon Snape to change the detention date again, Snape refuses. Harry is uncertain which would be worse, Slughorn's party or Snape's detention.

Harry finds a non-verbal spell, Levicorpus, in the Half-Blood Prince's Potions book, which he is using. Accidentally hitting Ron with it, Harry notices it seems to be the same spell that his father had used on Snape many years before.

When Katie Bell is jinxed by touching a necklace, Harry brings the necklace back to the school, where Professor McGonagall passes it to Filch to be taken to Professor Snape. Later, Professor Dumbledore tells Harry that Professor Snape had done all he could to help Katie. Harry asks why Snape and not Madam Pomfrey; Dumbledore responds that Snape has much more experience with Dark magic.

In part because of prompting from Hermione, and in part because he can't see any way out of it, Harry finally attends one of Slughorn's parties. This one, a Christmas party, has a number of famous people attending. Snape is there, and Slughorn mentions to him that Harry seems to be a natural at Potions, like his mother had been. Snape comments that he had not seen that when Harry was his student. Argus Filch appears, dragging Draco Malfoy, who had been "skulking" in the halls. Slughorn immediately assumes, as Filch had, that he had been trying to gatecrash the party. Draco does not seem to be cheered by Slughorn's decision to invite him in. Shortly, Harry sees Draco and Snape leaving together; following under his Invisibility Cloak, he overhears their discussion in a classroom. Snape, apparently using Legilimency, probes Draco for details about what happened to Katie Bell, but Draco blocks him; apparently, he has been learning Occlumency from Bellatrix Lestrange. Snape says that he is aware of Draco's mission and has taken an Unbreakable Vow to help him. Draco is angered at the thought that he could need help, and storms out.

In discussions later with Ron, Ron's father, Remus Lupin, and Hermione, Harry finds that his belief that Snape and Draco are working together for Voldemort is discounted; with absolute faith in Dumbledore and his trust for Snape, everyone he talks to believes that Snape is trying to determine Draco's mission so that he can report on it to Dumbledore. Lupin also says that he doesn't particularly dislike Snape. Yes, Snape had revealed that he was a werewolf, costing him his job at Hogwarts, but he had always done a perfect job with the potion, and he could have done far more damage by simply making a small error in its preparation. Harry also reports this conversation to Dumbledore in their next lesson. Dumbledore thanks him for bringing this to his attention, but says that it does not concern Harry. Pressed, he somewhat testily responds that he trusts Snape absolutely for reasons he will not divulge.

Snape is mentioned in passing in Harry's Potions class. Given the job of creating an antidote for a mixture of several different poisons, Harry finds that there is nothing in the Half-Blood Prince's textbook about them, except the note "Just shove a Bezoar down their throat." Remembering Snape's comment in his first-ever Potions class, Harry grabs a bezoar out of the supply closet, and shows that as his finished potion.

As Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid leave Ron's bedside after his near-poisoning, Hagrid happens to mention that he had heard angry-sounding words being exchanged between Snape and Professor Dumbledore near the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid says that Snape seemed to be having second thoughts about something he had promised Dumbledore he would do. Hagrid also mentions that there was something about Snape's investigations in Slytherin house, which Hagrid had assumed was to do with the necklace that had Cursed Katie Bell. Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Filch, who is angry that Harry and Hermione are out of bed and out Gryffindor Tower at midnight.

Harry determines that whatever Draco is doing, it is happening in the Room of Requirement. During a free period the next day, Harry again attempts to enter the Room of Requirement, but he is unable to make the door appear. His efforts make him late for Defence Against the Dark Arts class, causing Snape to penalize Gryffindor ten points. Seamus Finnigan asks about the difference between ghosts and Inferi, as a story in the Daily Prophet mentioned Inferi; Professor Snape says the story actually was about one Mundungus Fletcher, who was arrested for impersonating an Inferius. Ron also gets taunted and given detention by Snape. When Lavender, with whom Ron is involved, starts abusing Snape after class, Ron is irritated rather than amused, and he and Harry duck into a bathroom so Ron can avoid her.

When Harry retrieves Slughorn's memory of Tom Riddle, and Harry and Dumbledore have viewed it, Dumbledore reveals that his hand had been injured while he was destroying one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. He says that only his own reflexes, and Snape's timely intervention, had prevented the damage from being much worse.

Harry, making his now-usual pass by the Room of Requirement, sees on the Marauder's Map that Draco is in a bathroom one floor below with Moaning Myrtle, and goes to investigate. Malfoy sees him and attempts to cast a Cruciatus curse; Harry, defending himself, uses the Sectumsempra spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, not knowing its effects. The spell slashes Draco, spilling his blood everywhere. Moaning Myrtle flies off, screaming; Professor Snape responds swiftly and saves Draco's life, rushing him to the Hospital Wing. Returning, Snape demands to know whence Harry learned the spell, and despite Harry's attempts at occlumency, Snape apparently gleans some information that Harry's potions book is the source. Snape demands to see his textbooks. Harry runs to the Common room and borrows Ron's books including the Potions textbook, and asks the Room of Requirement for a place to hide something. Leaving the half-Blood Prince's book there, Harry returns to where Snape awaits.

Snape seems unconvinced that these textbooks, especially the Potions book, are actually Harry's, particularly since the Potions book is signed "Roonil Wazlib". Having used Dark Magic to cause serious harm (albeit unknowingly), Snape gives Harry detention (with Professor McGonagall's concurrence) every Saturday for the rest of the year. That Saturday, as ordered, Harry reports to Snape's office for detention and is assigned copying over old detention files for Filch. Snape suggests Harry start with the boxes detailing his father's misbehaviour.

It is mentioned that Harry does not recover his Potions textbook from the Room of Requirement because he fears that Snape would find out that he had it, and would confiscate it. His Potions work suffers, but Slughorn attributes that to his new romantic interest in Ginny.

Harry finds Professor Trelawney sprawled on the floor, where someone in the Room of Requirement had ejected her. As she and Harry head for Dumbledore's office to report this, Trelawney mentions that it was Snape who had overheard the first prophecy, the one foretelling Voldemort's nemesis, and so had been the one who had carried it to Voldemort. Leaving Trelawney in the hall, Harry angrily confronts Dumbledore with this information. Dumbledore says that despite Snape's skills at Occlumency, he still trusts Snape completely. He seems briefly to be on the verge of explaining why he trusts Snape, but then distracts Harry by saying he believes he has located one of the remaining Horcruxes.

On his return from recovering the Horcrux, Dumbledore is greatly weakened, and asks Harry's help in getting to the school. Overriding Harry's suggestion that Madam Pomfrey will help him, Dumbledore says he must see Severus.

Returning to the school, Harry and Dumbledore land on the Astronomy tower. There, Dumbledore is disarmed by Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore has nearly convinced Draco to switch sides, but is interrupted by the arrival of four Death Eaters. Snape bursts onto the scene, and Dumbledore almost seems to plead with him: "Severus." Snape kills Dumbledore, and with the Death Eaters following, departs. Harry, petrified by Dumbledore under his Invisibility Cloak, witnesses the scene in horror. Freed by Dumbledore's death, Harry Stuns one of the Death Eaters and gives chase. He finds himself within range as Snape nears the front gate, but every spell he casts is blocked with ease by Snape, who tells him that his skills at Occlumency are sadly lacking. Snape also reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince who had owned Harry's Potions book. When the other Death Eaters, coming up behind Harry, attack him, Snape stops them, saying that the Dark Lord wants Harry for himself. Leaving Harry wandless on the ground, Snape and the other Death Eaters depart the school.

When Harry is talking with the other teachers in the Hospital Wing later, we learn that Professor McGonagall had sent Professor Flitwick to fetch Snape when the attack had started. Hermione and Luna had been watching Snape's office. When Flitwick had gone in, they had heard confused noises, then Snape, as he left, had told them that Flitwick had fallen and that they should help him. At the battle, the members of the Order did not hinder Snape as he passed through and up into the tower. When he came back down, with Draco following, again they did not stop him, as they did not know that Snape had killed Dumbledore, and had thought that he was simply leading Draco to safety. Harry reveals that he knew why Dumbledore had trusted Snape. Snape, he said, had carried word of the prophecy to Voldemort, but then had returned to Dumbledore and claimed remorse for having done so.

Hermione later discovers that Snape's mother, a witch, had been Eileen Prince; his father, Tobias Snape, was a Muggle, hence Snape's nickname for himself, the Half-Blood Prince. Harry is upset that he had been getting Snape's unwitting help, through his old Potions book, all year. He wonders also at the similarity between Snape's half-blood ancestry and Voldemort's, and wonders how Dumbledore could have missed it.

[edit] Deathly Hallows

We first see Snape as he enters Malfoy Manor, along with another man later identified as the Death Eater Yaxley. We find that the Manor has become Voldemort's headquarters. Voldemort places Snape at his right hand and leaves Yaxley a place halfway down the council table. Yaxley reports that his contacts in the Ministry of Magic say that Harry Potter will be moved to a safe house of the Order on Harry's birthday, 31 July, as his current protection ends. Snape says that his information, "from the same place as before", indicates that the move will actually happen some days earlier, and will be handled by members of the Order, as it seems that the Order does not entirely trust the Ministry any more. Voldemort looks deeply into Snape's eyes; Snape does not flinch, though many of the Death Eaters gathered around the table do. Voldemort decides that the attack on Harry will take place according to Snape's understanding.

In the escape from Privet Drive, George Weasley, disguised as Harry, loses his ear. Remus Lupin, who had been traveling as his protector, reports that it was Snape who had done it, using the Sectumsempra spell.

Looking over a copy of the Daily Prophet that had been brought to Grimmauld Place by Lupin, Harry, Ron, and Hermione read that Snape had been appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts. It occurs to Hermione that the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black hanging in an upstairs room is now a conduit to Snape, as another portrait is hanging in the Headmaster's office, so to prevent Phineas from spying on them, she takes his portrait and stuffs it into the small beaded bag in which she keeps all their traveling gear.

As they travel about the countryside, Harry, Ron, and Hermione at one point overhear another group's conversation. There, they hear that three students, including Ginny Weasley, had broken into the Headmaster's office and attempted to steal the Sword of Gryffindor. Shortly afterward, the Sword had been transferred to Gringotts Bank for safekeeping, but that one had been a fake. The three students involved had evidently been "cruelly punished." Harry and Hermione consult the portrait of Phineas Nigellus as to what happened and what punishment the students had received. Phineas reports that they had been sent to "that big half-breed oaf, Hagrid," who set them to work in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry, re-entering the school, makes his way to the Ravenclaw common room to see a sculpture of the lost Diadem. While there, he is spotted by Alecto Carrow, who touches her Dark Mark, informing Voldemort that Harry has been found. Professor McGonagall, who has assisted his escape, meets Snape in the hall. Snape asks if she has seen Harry, as evidently he has been found in the school. It seems that Snape is trying to use Legilimency to locate Harry. McGonagall and Snape duel. As the other Heads of House arrive, Snape runs into a disused classroom and leaps out the window. Harry believes that he will have fallen to his death, but McGonagall says he seems to have been taking lessons from his master. Harry sees a large, bat-like shape flying over the wall of the school — Snape has escaped.

Learning that Voldemort is using the Shrieking Shack as a command post, Harry, Hermione, and Ron travel through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shack. There, they witness a confrontation between Snape and Voldemort. Snape asks to be allowed to go into Hogwarts and bring Harry out. Voldemort overrides him, saying that he is disappointed in the performance of the Elder Wand. He says that he believes the Wand has not yet accepted him as owner, because it was Snape who killed Dumbledore, the Wand's previous owner. Ignoring Snape's repeated request to allow him to fetch Harry out of Hogwarts, Voldemort says he regrets the necessity, and has Nagini kill Snape, then leaves.

Harry, watching, goes to Snape's side as soon as Voldemort has left. Snape offers Harry his memories, which Harry collects in a crystal vial provided by Hermione, and looking into Harry's eyes, so much like his mother's, dies.

Returning to the school, Harry enters the headmaster's office and finds the Pensieve. Putting Snape's memories in the Pensieve, Harry enters and relives parts of Snape's life.

In Snape's memories, we watch as Snape sees Lily Evans, at about ten years old, experimenting with magic, and as he tells her that she is a witch, and that he is a wizard. Lily's sister, Petunia, is clearly scared by the magic her sister is doing, and Lily seems affronted that Snape has called her a witch. We watch again as Snape tells Lily things about the Wizarding world, about the Wizard prison, Azkaban, and about the Dementors that guard it. Later still, we see Snape watching Lily and her family as they put Lily on board the Hogwarts Express for her first term at Hogwarts. Petunia is telling Lily that she's a freak, that Lily and that Snape boy are being sent to a school for freaks. Lily says that she had seen Dumbledore's reply to Lily's letter, and that he had been very kind. When Petunia demands to know how she had seen that letter, it was private, Lily indicates that Snape had helped. Petunia flounces off to join her parents. We then see Severus on board the train, looking for Lily. He finds her in a compartment with James Potter and some other first-year students, including Sirius Black. Snape says he hopes Lily will be placed in Slytherin; James is adamant that he wants to go to Gryffindor. When James insults Snape, Lily leaves to find a different compartment, and Snape follows; James tries to trip Severus as he passes.

At the Sorting, we see Lily Sorted into Gryffindor, along with Sirius, James, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Snape is sorted into Slytherin, where he is greeted by Lucius Malfoy.

We see Snape and Lily walking across a courtyard, quarreling. Snape wonders what has happened to their friendship, and Lily says that they are still friends, but that she detests the people Snape hangs out with, most notably Avery and Mulciber. Snape reminds Lily of the trouble that James and his friends get into, and is heartened when Lily dismisses James as an "arrogant toe-rag."

Harry now again witnesses the scene that he had seen some years earlier, when James, along with Sirius, had tormented Snape. Not wishing to revisit this scene, Harry keeps his distance. The memory ends with Snape calling Lily a Mudblood, and reforms in front of the Fat Lady. Lily says that she had heard that Snape would stay outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room all night, unless she came out to speak with him. Despite his obvious remorse, and his heartfelt apologies, Lily will not forgive Snape the insult, and tells him that he should go to his Death Eater friends.

We now see Snape meeting in secret with Dumbledore. Snape says he does not carry a message from Voldemort, but is there to plead on his own behalf. He had carried Trelawney's prediction to Voldemort, and Voldemort, having decided that the prophecy referred to Harry Potter, was now planning to kill not only Harry, but also Lily and James. Snape pleads with Dumbledore to save Lily from Voldemort. Dumbledore is disgusted that Snape only wants Lily saved, not caring about her husband or child. Taken aback, Snape pleads for them as well, saying that in return for their safety he would do anything.

We next see Snape in Dumbledore's office, plainly grief-stricken. Snape demands of Dumbledore why he had not kept Lily and her family safe. Dumbledore tells him that they had put their trust in the wrong man, just as Snape had in trusting Voldemort to spare Lily's life. Dumbledore reveals that Harry had survived, and that if Snape had truly loved Lily, he would help Dumbledore protect her son when Voldemort returns. Snape reluctantly agrees, but says that Dumbledore must never tell anyone that he is protecting James Potter's son.

We see Snape, apparently in Harry's first year at Hogwarts, complaining fircely to Dumbledore about Harry, and how he is a troublemaker ilke his father. Dumbledore says mildly that no other teacher is complaining, and asks Snape to keep an eye on Quirrell.

As the students leave the Yule Ball, we see Snape telling Dumbledore that the Dark Mark on his arm is growing darker, as is Karkaroff's, and that Karkaroff plans on fleeing if the Mark burns. Dumbledore asks if Snape has similar plans, and Snape angrily replies that he is no coward. Dumbledore remarks, almost off-handedly, that perhaps the students are Sorted into their Houses too early; Snape seems quite taken aback by this.

We now see Snape in Dumbledore's office again. Dumbledore is semiconscious, his blackened right hand dangling over the edge of his desk. Snape, pointing his wand at Dumbledore's wrist, is muttering incantations while pouring a golden liquid down Dumbledore's throat. When Dumbledore returns to himself, Snape asks why Dumbledore had even tried on the ring, and Dumbledore says he was a fool. We see Marvolo Gaunt's ring on the table, broken, beside the Sword of Gryffindor. Snape tells Dumbledore that the curse was extraordinarily powerful, and that while he has contained it for the moment, it will eventually kill Dumbledore; he says that Dumbledore has, at most, another year of life. Dumbledore says that this makes things much easier to decide, and starts discussing Voldemort's apparent plan to have the Malfoy boy kill him, Dumbledore. Snape says that the attempt is not expected to succeed, but instead to further punish and disgrace the Malfoy family. Dumbledore correctly guesses that Snape has been given the job of killing Dumbledore should Draco fail, as Voldemort expects that Hogwarts will be fully under his control and he will no longer need a spy there. Dumbledore asks that Snape agree to waitch over his school, and be the one to kill him, both to spare Draco's soul and to grant Dumbledore some dignity in death, sparing him from the malicious pleasures of Fenrir Greyback and Belatrix Lestrange. Snape reluctantly agrees.

In the scene that Hagrid had partially overheard the year before, we now see Snape and Dumbledore walking in the castle grounds. Challenged as to what he is doing with Harry, Dumbledore says he is giving Harry information he will need, while he sill can. Snape asks why he is not privy to that information as well, to which Dumbledore says he does not like to keep all his secrets in one basket. Snape appears to be angered by this, saying that his job as double agent is extremely dangerous, and he is at least as trustworthy as Harry. When Dumbledore tries to explain the next steps of his plan, Snape threatens a change of heart about killing Dumbledore when the time comes. Dumbledore reminds him of his word, and suggests that he keep an eye on Draco. When Snape still seems rebellious, Dumbledore wearily makes an appointment for later that night in his office.

Dumbledore, later, explains that Harry must not know what he has to do until the final moment. That moment will be the time when Voldemort, instead of letting his snake, Nagini, run free, he keeps her confined within a protective spell. At that time, Snape must tell Harry that Harry is an accidental seventh Horcrux, inadvertently created at his mother's death, and that he must die in order that Voldemort would be vulnerable to death. Snape feels tricked, as he had worked so har to protect Lily's son, only to have him destined to die at Voldemort's hand. Asked if Snape has grown to care for Harry after all, Snape casts his Patronus. It is in the shape of a silver-white doe, indicating to Dumbledore that Snape is still in love with Lily, fifteen years after her death.

We now learn that it is at the orders of Dumbledore's portrait that Snape had given Voldemort the correct time for Harry's departure from Privet Drive. Dumbledore suggests the ruse of having seven Harry Potters headed for seven safe houses, and gives Snape instructions to plant that idea in Mundungus Fletcher's mind to pass to the Order of the Phoenix. During the actual departure from Privet Drive, we see that Snape had been attempting to jinx the Death Eater drawing a bead on Remus Lupin, and air currents had caused them both to miss, resulting in Snape's spell severing George's ear.

We now see Snape in Sirius' old room at Grimmauld Place. He takes the first page of a letter of Lily's, and the portion of a picture that contains the image of Lily, and leaves with them.

Finally we see Snape speaking with the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. Phineas reports that Harry is in the Forest of Dean, and Snape retrieves the Sword of Gryffindor from behind Dumbledore's portrait, and departs with it.

We do not see any more of Snape, but in the epilogue, we learn that Harry has named his second son Albus Severus, after two Headmasters, and one of them was not only a Slytherin but possibly the bravest man Harry had ever known. In post-publication interviews, the author has revealed that Snape's portrait did not appear in the Headmaster's office at his death, as he had abandoned his post; but that Harry had successfully campaigned to have it placed there.

[edit] Strengths

One of Snape's great strengths is his ability as an Occlumens, which would make him a valuable ally and a worse enemy. His expertise in Occlumency makes him the ideal wizard to work as a Dumbledore's spy in the group of Death Eaters, as Voldemort cannot read Snape's mind; however, it also ideally suits him as a double agent in the other direction, as likely Dumbledore could not read his mind either. Snape's persuasive ability, including Occlumency and Legilimency, have allowed him to play both sides up to end of Book 6. Snape is a powerful and intelligent wizard. As a student, he excelled in potions, revising standard formulas that made brewing them easier and faster. He also invented many spells and jinxes. His robes always seem to be billowing behind him dramatically.

[edit] Weaknesses

He has a dark, moody personality, and rarely takes the initiative to create friendships or establish personal alliances. Snape is described by others as unattractive, mainly with regard to his hair, which is described as very oily. As an instructor, he favors Slytherin students, while punishing others, particularly Harry, for minor infractions. Snape cannot forget or let go of past wounds or grudges. Mistreated by James Potter (and Sirius Black) during their Hogwarts years, Snape has transferred his resentment and hatred onto James' son, Harry. Snape becomes particularly incensed when Harry calls him a coward as he is taking flight from Hogwarts.

[edit] Relationships with Other Characters

Snape apparently is a complete loner. He seems to keep to himself, he has no close friends. Throughout the first six books of the series, and up to nearly the end of the seventh, he seems uniformly bitter; while he has allies, and can work together, as we see, both with those who serve Voldemort and those who oppose him, Snape seems incapable of caring about anyone. Every interaction Snape has with Harry, other students, and other Hogwarts staff members seems to be infused with venom, with the exceptions of Argus Filch, who he trusts to help him bind up the wound that he received from Fluffy in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Draco Malfoy, who he treats with marked leniency in class, and Albus Dumbledore. Most of his dealings with Voldemort's supporters, with the possible exceptions of Narcissa Malfoy and Voldemort himself, seem similarly poisonous. While we could speculate that Snape's consideration for Narcissa springs from a hidden liking for her son Draco, that must remain uncertain. The tone of Snape's interactions with Dumbledore and Voldemort, however, seems to come from recognition of the power each of them has over him.

Our understanding of Snape's relationships with other characters is greatly expanded by events late in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but as that understanding would constitute a spoiler, discussion of that expansion is in the Greater Picture section of this article.

[edit] Analysis

Snape's actions throughout the series have shown service to both sides. Throughout the entire series, both Dumbledore and Voldemort believe that he is on their side. This allows him continue his work as a double agent. For most of the series, not only is it unknown which side he is really on, but there is no concrete evidence that he has chosen one. He has made strong claims, which Dumbledore trusts, to oppose the cruelty of Lord Voldemort (Tom Marvolo Riddle), but there is also hatred between himself and many Order members. Though seemingly fearful of a world in which Voldemort is victorious, he would appear to have little place in one where the Order is victorious. There is little reason to believe he has an interest in either side winning, and he may even prefer being able to exert influence on, and gain favors from, both.

Snape exhibits both good and evil qualities, thus being the series' only anti-hero. Snape has a nasty demeanor, especially to those who have hurt him (James, Sirius, Snape Sr.) However, Snape's seeming cruelty may be the result of a terrible life. When Harry delved into Snape's memories, there was nothing good to be seen, only an abusive father, mocking classmates, and a cruel James Potter. While the series does not emphasize Snape's good qualities, it is implied that he would protect the members of the Order (at least until the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) with his life. He has saved Harry's life on more than one occasion.

Throughout the series, we see these contradictions in Snape's actions. Throughout the series, he seems to be acting out of hatred of Harry and, to some extent, of Dumbledore. We find it very easy to believe, like Harry, that Snape is attempting to eliminate Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosophers' Stone. We see a consistent pattern of Snape sabotaging Harry's Potions coursework throughout the year. Yet we find out at the end of that book that Snape had, in fact, acted to save Harry's life in his first Quidditch match. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we are as aware as Harry that Snape had wanted the post that Remus Lupin had been given, and we know that Snape distrusts Lupin; yet, we also will find out that Snape had repeatedly brewed a very tricky potion, flawlessly, fully aware that a single slip of a single ingredient would have eliminated Lupin from the school forever, without provable intent on Snape's part – "Anyone can make a mistake, Headmaster, surely you don't think I would have deliberately done anything to cause that student's death from werewolf bite?" And as late as the middle of the final book, when we hear that Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom had been "punished cruelly" by being sent to help Hagrid, when Snape knows as well as we do exactly where Hagrid's sympathies lie, we are left wondering whether Snape was deliberately minimizing the punishment he was meting out.

As mentioned in the information box, Snape's related family is a possible spoiler. The fact that his mother was surnamed Prince, and that he is a half-blood himself, between them hint very broadly at the identity of the title character in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As Harry spends much of the book trying to determine who this character is, premature revelation of his identity is something of a plot spoiler.

[edit] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (The Prince's Tale)

The memories that Snape reveals to Harry seem to serve two purposes. The first set of memories, up to Harry's parents' deaths, seem to be there to explain Snape's feelings, and give a basis for his later actions. We learn that Snape had first met Lily Evans at the age of 9 or 10, had revealed to her that she was a witch and he was a wizard, and had introduced her to the Wizarding world. He had also defended her against her Muggle sister, Petunia, as Lily prepared for her first year at Hogwarts. They had become close friends, a friendship that had been strained to destruction by Snape's choice of associates within Slytherin house. Despite the end of the friendship, Snape had loved Lily, and had promised to do anything in return for Dumbledore's promise to save Lily in particular, and her family as well. It is because of this promise, which Snape had kept for eleven years when the story opens, and continued to keep throughout the story, even past the death of the one he had made the promise to, that Snape had first turned informant against Voldemort, and later had protected Harry against Voldemort and his allies.

After the death of James and Lily, Snape's memories, while still reinforcing our understanding of Snape's unrequited love for Lily, also show us Dumbledore and Snape working together to protect Harry and shape him into the weapon that would eventually destroy Voldemort. We learn that Dumbledore had planned his own death at Snape's hands, telling Snape that this was to prevent Draco's soul from being damaged, and to allow Dumbledore to retain some dignity in death. We also learn that Harry has become an unexpected seventh Horcrux, and that Snape must manage to have Voldemort kill Harry in order to destroy it. We learn, in particular, that Dumbledore has set large plans in motion, and that Snape, much to his own dismay, was merely a cog in Dumbledore's machinations. Snape in particular is dismayed that, having worked so long and so diligently to protect Harry, they must now arrange for him to be killed in order to manage the final defeat of Voldemort.

Later in the book, we will find that, despite the large role that Dumbledore had planned for Snape, and the large amount of trust he placed in Snape, he did not tell Snape the whole story. Some pieces of the story, notably the role of the Elder Wand, he reserved, perhaps feeling them to be too dangerous, or perhaps worrying that too complete knowledge of the plan would cause Snape to become over-zealous and unwittingly allow Voldemort to escape.

[edit] Questions

1. What are we to think of Snape now? Was Harry right, and Dumbledore wrong?
2. Why did Snape counter Quirrell's curse to keep Harry on his broomstick? Could he have left it to Flitwick, or would Dumbledore have known that only Severus knew enough about the Dark Arts to protect him?
3. Was Snape trying to get Harry expelled because he felt Harry would be safer with the Dursleys?
4. Why did he hesitate before making an Unbreakable Vow to kill Dumbledore if Draco failed? Was he merely goading Bella, to make her think he couldn't promise this, or was he steeling himself to obey Dumbledore's orders to do whatever the Death Eaters asked him, in order to be able to continue his work among them?
5. When they were discussing the horcruxes, Dumbledore told Harry that after destroying the Gaunt ring Horcrux, "had it not been ... for my own prodigious skill, and for Professor Snape's timely action when I returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured, I might not have lived to tell the tale." What did Snape do, and why?
6. What were Dumbledore and Snape arguing about? Had Dumbledore at last become suspicious, although nothing later would confirm this; or was Dumbledore forbidding him to break the Vow and die, in order to save him?
7. Why was Dumbledore so anxious to get to Snape when he saw the Dark Mark? Did he want Snape, rather than Draco, to kill him? What difference would it make?
8. Dumbledore told Harry, "I am a sufficiently accomplished Legilimens myself to know when I am being lied to ...". If Snape had voluntarily opened his mind to Dumbledore, this could have provided sufficient proof that he was truly opposed to Voldemort. Before presenting himself to Voldemort for similar testing, he could have left all thoughts of a change of heart in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Of course he might have left something in Voldemort's Pensieve before applying to Dumbledore, instead. We just don't know yet, do we?
9. Did Snape lie to Bellatrix and Narcissa?
10. Given that pureblood family names are known among wizards, surely other Slytherins would have noticed that Snape's blood status is not pure, including those who became Death Eaters in later life. Why is this never brought up? Did Snape denounce his Muggle father (presumably with ease, given the memory he has of him)?
11. Did Snape's seemingly abusive Muggle father contribute to his joining the Death Eaters in a similar way to how Voldemort became anti-Muggle?
12. Was Snape's love for Lily romantic in nature, or was it of a friendly nature, perhaps strengthened by guilt after her death?
13. Why didn't Snape wash or otherwise tend to his greasy hair? Was it an outward manifestation of the fact that he didn't attempt to please people, that he sought out no personal connection to others?

[edit] Greater Picture

[edit] First Five Books

While we don't yet understand completely, it becomes apparent that Snape absolutely hates Harry in particular, and Gryffindor in general. The realization of the depth of this hatred is a gradual thing; initially, Snape's malice seems rather impersonal, although it is certain that it is directed at Harry more than at anyone else in Gryffindor. Neville and Hermione also receive insults and slights from Snape, though not to the same degree as Harry. Neville perhaps deserves some of this maltreatment as he does not seem to be particularly able at Potions, but it is equally true that, as we find out in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Neville's worst fear is Professor Snape. Because of that fear, and with his already notoriously poor memory, Neville is utterly incompetent in Potions, making horrible messes and melting cauldrons. It is possible that with a more forgiving teacher, Neville might have excelled in Potions, as Harry appears to do later under Slughorn.

It is also in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that we discover the core, apparently, of Snape's dislike of Harry. We already know that Harry looks "most extraordinarily like" James Potter, and we learn also that James had been involved in a prank that would have left Snape facing a werewolf. While James had saved Snape's life, Snape for some reason never forgave him. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we also learn that the Marauders, James, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, apparently made a hobby of tormenting Snape, a practice they continued at least until their fifth year at Hogwarts. Harry's appearance would remind Snape repeatedly of this dark and painful time in his life, and this would quite possibly explain some of his maltreatment of Harry.

We can, however, already see some ambivalence on Snape's part concerning Harry. As early as the first book, we see that Snape has been protecting Harry, notably in the first Quidditch match Harry plays. When Harry's broom is Jinxed by Professor Quirrell, Snape is found to be countering that jinx. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we also find that Snape is willing to try to teach Occlumency to Harry, to attempt to shield him from Voldemort's sendings. When Dolores Umbridge requests Veritaserum from Snape, in order to interrogate Harry, from its lack of effect (she apparently had used the entire phial, such that even the slightest sip on Harry's part would have probably constituted the necessary three drops), one must wonder if Snape had provided a false potion. Snape's refusal to provide additional Veritaserum on demand, when Umbridge had trapped Harry in her fireplace, could also be seen as a way of defending Harry. And again, at the end of that book it appears that Snape had been willing to accept Harry's word as to Sirius' status, at least enough to investigate and to keep an eye on Harry's whereabouts, and to notify the Order when Harry did not reappear after leading Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest.

[edit] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Snape plays little direct part in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince despite lending his nickname to the title. Equally, the book is to a large extent all about him. Throughout the book, he is seen in flash-backs and stories about other characters which illuminate his character, as Harry and company try to discover who the Half Blood Prince really is. He is constantly distrusted by Harry, yet Dumbledore expresses absolute faith in him.

Towards the start of the book, as mentioned above, Snape finally gets the appointment as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher which he has sought for many years. As a result, a new Potions teacher is needed and Professor Slughorn, a former head of Slytherin house, is brought out of retirement. Slughorn allows Harry to take Potions despite his less than excellent grades, which Snape would not have done. Harry is lent an old textbook as he has none (since he did not expect to be taking the class), and discovers it has many useful tips written into the margins. As the year progresses, we discover that the textbook is old enough to have belonged to one Eileen Prince, finally identified as Snape's mother. She married a Muggle. We already know (from the Pensieve episode in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) that Snape was most probably in the same class as Lily Evans (who married James Potter, Harry's father), and from Slughorn's recollections we find that Lily, rather than Snape, was the outstanding natural potions student. The textbook notes are all in the same handwriting and the book is inscribed 'property of the Half Blood Prince'. It also includes descriptions of some spells which Snape admits he created. The implication here is that he recorded all of this information in the book; yet if he had been as skilled at Potions as Harry became thanks to the book, it would have been Snape who was remembered as the natural, rather than Lily. All this suggests that in some way the book was a collaboration between Snape and Lily.

The new information adds understanding to the Pensieve scene. In that scene, James was seen bullying Snape, using a curse on him which we now believe Snape invented. The scene took place during or immediately after Severus Snape's and James Potter's OWLs, which would be their year 5, before the year in which this textbook would have been used in class. Lily is seen reacting to the injustice, and Snape abusing her out of proportion to what has occurred, as she seems only to have wanted to help him. Together these scenes add credence to the existence of a longstanding relationship between Snape and Lily. She is described as always seeing the good in people others would shun. He is friendless and from a doubtful Muggle background, more similar to hers than most of their classmates. Additionally, there is the fact that Snape has not once mentioned Harry's mother, though they apparently were in the same Potions class, almost as if he cannot bear to have her name mentioned. Ordinarily, it would have been so easy to compare Harry against Lily: "Your mother could have whipped that potion up with her eyes closed..." And it is certainly true that he has similarly mentioned Harry's father in that sort of context. All together this has given rise to speculation that Snape was in love with her, even if this was not reciprocated.

Snape is also, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, identified as the person who informed Lord Voldemort about the prophecy foretelling his nemesis. This inevitably led to Voldemort seeking out Harry to eliminate him, and in the process killing James and Lily. It makes Snape unwittingly but directly responsible for the deaths of two people who were certainly his classmates, one of whom may have been his rival but the other of whom may have been (secretly) the great love of his life. It may be this which explains Dumbledore's unshakable belief that Snape has irrevocably turned away from Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

[edit] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Snape's loyalty is not made clear to us until very late in the final book. It is here that we learn that Snape had in fact been secretly in love with Lily Evans, and had chosen to side with Dumbledore in order to attempt to protect Lily from Voldemort.

With this one revelation, much of what had been confusing about Snape is laid clear. Snape had hated James Potter for many reasons, including James' ongoing tormenting of Snape, his rescuing Snape from death at the jaws of the werewolf Lupin (resulting in a debt that Snape not only could never repay, but that he would never want to repay), and finally Potter's spiriting away the one love of his life, Lily Evans, and daring to have a child with her. In order to protect Lily, Snape had agreed to an open-ended promise with Dumbledore ("Anything!"). Dumbledore, knowing Snape's skill in Occlumency, had Snape become a spy against Voldemort, and after Lily's death, had required him to agree to protect Lily's son, Harry.

This, of course, sets up a major conflict in Snape's life. Every interaction with Harry carries emotional baggage, the more so as Harry, except for his eyes, is the image of his father. Snape cannot help but be reminded of the hated James every time he sees Harry. In Snape's memories, we see him railing about Harry to Dumbledore; interestingly, every trait he attributes to Harry is one that we have seen, to some extent, in James, rather than Harry. Yet, he is sworn to protect Harry, who is the only child of his lost love. In such an untenable situation, is it any surprise that he is bitter? Desperately unhappy himself, he gets what relief he can by making others unhappy also. About the only person Snape does not savage is Dumbledore, who initially exacted the promise from him, and who did do everything he was allowed to do to prevent Lily's death. It is perhaps because of this that Dumbledore dismisses Harry's belief that Snape had been prepared to duel with Sirius; Dumbledore has not experienced directly the depth of Snape's bitterness, and so discounts it. In discussing his reasons for assigning the task of teaching Harry Occlumency to Snape, Dumbledore does admit to having believed that Snape's dislike of Harry could be dealt with.

It is because of this internal conflict, and its final resolution, that the much-despised Snape is one of the most moving, and best-rendered, characters in the entire series. Several readers have been moved to tears by the revelations in chapter 33 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

One thing that is not, however, made certain is exactly why Dumbledore kept his belief in Snape's loyalty. At first reading, it seems that he expected Snape to remain loyal because he saw Snape's regret after Lily Evans' death. But strictly speaking, it could have been that Snape's love for Lily had faded over the years, and so he could have turned to Voldemort again. Until the scene with the doe Patronus in Dumbledore's office, which took place in the sixth year, we have no information that Dumbledore could have gotten which unarguably would have proven that Snape was still loyal after fifteen years. What we do know is that once Dumbledore grants someone his trust, he doesn't revoke it lightly. We see evidence that Snape is quite frequently in Dumbledore's company, both in the memories of the Prince and in Harry's direct experience. And while it is never said outright, we believe that Dumbledore has some ability at Legilimency. Dumbledore clearly expected Snape's love for Lily to fade, as shown by his reaction to Snape's Patronus; however, he would not expect Snape's loyalty to fall away, and back towards Voldemort, until Voldemort returned. It is quite possible that Dumbledore had inspected Snape quite thoroughly after the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but we would not see that in the Prince's memories, because that would have been one of the more humiliating experiences in Snape's recent life, and would not have been germane to Harry in any event.