Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"; Photo: 7831/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images. Snape hated Harry's father but loved his mother, and because of Lily, he didn't want Harry to die. Even with his efforts to protect her, Snape felt responsible for Lily's death at Voldemort's hands. [3] Snape is a talented duellist, able to hold off by himself (if only briefly) a group of three Hogwarts professors that included former duelling champion Filius Flitwick. Domestic box office: $296.13 million. ", The final revelation of Snape's loyalty in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was viewed positively by fans and critics alike. Snape's memories also provide Harry with the information he needs to ensure Voldemort's final defeat, in the form of conversations Snape had with Dumbledore. Later in the book, Dumbledore has Snape teach Harry Occlumency, the protection of the mind from outside intrusion or influence. And Then He Lost Her Some people might consider Snape's relationship with Lily obsessive , but he did step back as she went on with her own life, even if it meant Lily marrying a man who used to bully Snape. Snape taunts Sirius about the latter's not being able to take an active role in the Order's missions because of his fugitive status. nose-bleed. "[53] Rickman also noted fans' reactions; in an interview, he said he found "that people in general adore Snape. Dumbledore agreed and kept the secret throughout his life, although questioning Snape's request to "never reveal the best of you". Snape passes through the school gates and Disapparates with Draco in tow at the book's end. Rickman passed away five years later, in 2016, following his battle with pancreatic cancer an illness he had only shared with close friends following his diagnosis. In the final chapter, Dumbledore suggests that because Harry's father James had saved Snape's life when they were both students, even though the two detested each other, Snape felt responsible for Harry in return. It's well known that Severus Snape was, in one way or another, a Death Eater since he was at Hogwarts. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers), How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner. Snape was able to compartmentalize his caring and companionship to Dumbledore well enough to be able to kill Dumbledore and I don't discern that as being any small feat. However, in his time as a Death Eater did he ever kill anyone? Snape's nickname for himself was the "Half-Blood Prince", and so he signed this nickname along the bottom of the back cover of the book. [9][10][11] Rowling based Snape's given name on "Severus Road" in Clapham,[12] and his surname is borrowed from the name of a village in England. As Albus is about to enter his first year at Hogwarts, he expresses concern that he will be sorted into Slytherin. Fictional character in the Harry Potter series. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. He has a Bachelor's in Film and a Master's in Film & Communication. Replacing broken pins/legs on a DIP IC package. As the series progresses, it is revealed that his treatment of Harry stems from Snape's bitter rivalry with James when they were in school together. Why was Slughorn so surprised that someone he taught was a murderer? He was a halfblood, had parental issues and was thoroughly bullied by James and Sirius at Hogwarts. Compared to some of Snape's other actions, this is rather tame, but his childish habit of favouring students in his own house is still pretty pathetic . Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. The movie was released on July the 7th, 2009, in London and grossed over $900 million at the box office in the first year of release. Death would be so much easier, but that release would not, could not be given to him. smiling; if Snape had been looking at him like that hed have been Horace Slughorn, a former teacher who himself had taught Snape during his Hogwarts years, comes out of retirement and replaces him as Potions Master. [18], After the completion of the series, Rowling began to speak openly about Snape, discussing the contrast between his character arc and that of Albus Dumbledore. [65] As part of the Waldenbooks marketing campaign, two free stickers, one that said "Trust Snape" and another that stated "Snape Is A Very Bad Man" were available with the book. The novel focuses largely on Harry and his friends and events outside the school; therefore Snape plays a limited role at the start. [6] However, she does suggest in the books that he is generally an effective teacher. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, "Harry's Final Fantasy: Last Time's the Charm", "Web Chat with J.K. Rowling 30 July 2007 on Bloomsbury.com", "Barnes and Noble and Yahoo! It becomes clear to fans engaging with . [59] The youthful Snape had a "stringy, pallid look", being "round-shouldered yet angular", having a "twitchy" walk "that recalled a spider" and "long oily hair that jumped about his face".[26]. In a sketch comedy named "Cooking With" on Australian TV series The Wedge, Snape is played by Anthony Ahern, and catches Harry and Hermione making love. rev2023.3.3.43278. I had to plot that through the books because at the point where you see what was really going on, it would have been an absolute cheat on the reader at that point just to show a bunch of stuff you've never seen before. They have lost part of their hearts. Rickman was 69 at the time of his passing. No one really mingled with anyone outside houses, but Lily and Severus did. [37] Rowling maintains this impression through the early chapters of the seventh novel. (See the felony murder info.). She believed the popularity of the character is due to the moral journey and inner conflict that Snape undergoes within the series, as it is the hero's struggle and costly redemption that really matter: "[Snape's] character ached for resolution. Snape loved Harry's mother Lily, so that is why he figures himself as. was one of the questions in Scholastic Inc.'s seven-question series, part of its marketing campaign for the book. Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed Snape and Lily into Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses, respectively. It could be accidental or premeditated, or perhaps even assisted suicide might technically qualify, but clinically, murder is simply the act of taking another's life. WIKIPEDIA: FELONY MURDER. Snape informs Dumbledore of this circumstance, and when Harry and Lupin are not punished, Snape retaliates by revealing to the entire school that Lupin is a werewolf, forcing the latter to resign his post. Also as a student, Snape shows a rare gift for discovering new spells. The 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince was one of the Harry Potter movie series seasons. If Peter Pettigrew is the most obvious choice for a list of the most evil Gryffindors, Dumbledore is the best disguised one. Voldemort has marked Harry as his equal, but he has a power that Voldemort knows not: the Sacrificial Protection. [21] Snape himself confirms the rumour in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And does not address the sole legitimate criticism of that answer either. His anger had a lot to do with his troubled childhood. 6 Dec. 1911 in Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Walesd. Snape then carries Harry's cryptic warning about Sirius' capture to the other Order members, allowing them to come to the rescue in the Department of Mysteries. This doesn't say whether his soul is fully intact, however. Why are Suriname, Belize, and Guinea-Bissau classified as "Small Island Developing States"? [34] According to Rowling, Snape is the only Death Eater capable of producing a full Patronus, which, like Lily's, is a doe. The memories also show that as a Death Eater, Snape had revealed to Voldemort a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney, causing Voldemort to attempt to prevent it by killing Harry and his parents. [64], Snape's true loyalty was one of the most significant questions in the series up until the end of the final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So, naturally being the actor that he was, Rickman felt his role as Snape wasnt going to progress by any means: He didnt want to play the same character for the duration of the franchise and not see some sort of character development. The text is inscribed as being "the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". Snape probably participated in fights and most likely had a few victims under his belt. Not that I'm aware of (As always, please let me know if I'm wrong.). Despite this and Harry's angry questions, Dumbledore avers his trust in Snape. He is subsequently sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore. Death would be easier. I couldn't believe that Dumbledore would trust him blindly without reason, even if we couldn't know that reason. Snape has never liked any Gryffindor students and hates Harry in particular, as he still holds a grudge against Harry's father, James, for a joke James played on him when they were at school together. [73] Shortly after the release of the final film, MTV held a public poll for fans to vote for the best character in the series, and Snape was voted #1. I would say that, yes, Snape had likely murdered before his killing of Dumbledore. This means that during Potions lessons, Snape openly favors Slytherin students while tormenting Gryffindor students. Snape serves as the potions professor for most of the series and later teaches Defense Against The Dark Arts. When Draco and Astoria Greengrass' son Scorpius Malfoy finds himself in an alternate timeline in which Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts, killed Harry and his allies and instituted a terrible reign of terror, he desperately searches for help in restoring history to its original course. So, in either of these periods, did Snape commit murder as part of his job as Death Eater? This is a pretty clear evidence that his soul WAS (by Snape) considered in danger of being ripped apart from the murder, and therefore was a thing that he did not yet experience, else he would not be worried. What is the point of Thrower's Bandolier? He allowed people to be killed while he sat by and did nothing. Professor Snape is the Potions teacher at Hogwarts and Head of Slytherin House. Harry feels later that this taunting contributed to Sirius' willingness to take unsafe risks. Snape then reveals that he, together with the fugitive Ron and Hermione Granger, maintain the last remnants of Dumbledore's Army still waging hopeless resistance against the all-powerful Voldemort. Very unlikely that Voldemort would have left such an asset at home when he and his death eaters left on missions to terrorise London. You have used me., Deathly Hallows - pages 551 - Bloomsbury - chapter 33, The Prince's Tale. There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted James realised the danger and stopped Snape, saving his life; this is the incident Dumbledore referred to at the end of the first book. Although Harry Potter was an expansive series, fans have come up with several outrageous theories about Dumbledore, Snape, Harry, and secondary characters on Reddit.. RELATED: 10 Best Fantasy Movie Tropes It's hard to pinpoint whether these Harry Potter . In the US, many states have a felony murder law, which holds a person who is associated with a murder equally as responsible as the murderer. He is the school's Potions Master, though he is widely rumoured to covet the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Severus Snape was born on January 9th, 1960 and was aged almost 57 years old when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book and movie were released. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Dumbledore, aware that Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him, had asked Snape to kill him instead as a way of sparing the boy's soul and of preventing his own otherwise slow, painful death. [37] Harry, who is paralysed under his invisibility cloak by Dumbledore for his own protection, witnesses the kill, and is released upon Dumbledore's death. Snape interrupts the planned murder, killing the headmaster himself. Snape house and clothes are clearly more ragged and disheveled than hers and Snape had a rocky relationship with his father. Did the fake Mad-Eye Moody ever use the Foe-Glass to learn Snape's true allegiance? [55], In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifteen-year-old Snape (portrayed by Alec Hopkins) makes a brief appearance in a flashback to Snape's youth. The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder in two ways. Snape first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, shortly after Harry arrives at Hogwarts.