Snape

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Severus Snape (Snape; 斯内普)
Alias(es)	Professor Snape; the Half-Blood Prince 292
Species/Race	Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hogwarts; Head of Slytherin House; covert member of Dumbledore's side and Voldemort's Death Eaters 19 108 328
Occupation/Role	Potions professor; Slytherin Head of House; double agent 8 124 328
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Background / History

Snape was a gifted but gloomy Slytherin student with an early obsession with the Dark Arts. Accounts from Helen Collins portray him as having joined a Death Eater youth program and attempting to recruit a Gryffindor girl; he was opposed by a group of Gryffindors during his school years. Dumbledore later vouched for him, enabling his appointment at Hogwarts. 8

During his student years, Snape invented spells and improved potion formulas, including work on the Elixir of Euphoria. He became Hogwarts' youngest Head of Slytherin and led his house to six consecutive House Cup victories. 124

After graduating, Snape joined the Death Eaters and gained Voldemort's attention through his advanced potion-making. Voldemort sent him to Hogwarts to monitor Dumbledore, but Snape defected after learning that Lily Potter and her family were targets. He became Dumbledore's informant against Voldemort; the transition from joining the Death Eaters to Voldemort's fall took roughly three years. 233

His commitment to opposing Voldemort is rooted primarily in Lily. After her death, protecting Harry became the purpose sustaining him, despite his enduring hostility toward Harry and resentment of James Potter. 108 388

Appearance

Snape is consistently described as gloomy and severe, usually dressed in long black robes. His hollow gaze, disheveled presentation, and intimidating demeanor make him one of Hogwarts' most feared professors. 8 54 600

• Hollow, cold-looking eyes or pupils. 54
• Habitually wears black robes. 600
• Maintains a sinister, stern expression. 8
• Has a notably poor personal image among students, fueling frequent gossip. 48 331

Personality

Snape is sarcastic, impatient, and highly intimidating in class. He openly favors Slytherin in House Cup competition and routinely deducts points from Gryffindor students, particularly Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. 54 89 212

Behind this hostility, he is meticulous, pragmatic, and deeply protective of the students he believes are in real danger. He warned Andy about Quirrell, monitored Andy's interest in Dark Arts, and repeatedly sought additional safeguards for Harry when he considered Dumbledore's plans insufficient. 40 54 502

Snape is distrustful by nature. His experiences with Voldemort, Dumbledore, Lily's death, and Harry's fate have left him unwilling to place complete faith in anyone. His suspicion of Dumbledore deepens as he re-examines the circumstances surrounding the prophecy, the Potters' safe house, and Sirius Black's imprisonment. 480 713 715

Abilities & Skills

Potions Mastery

Snape is an exceptional potioneer and a demanding but technically proficient instructor.

• Teaches potion theory in detail and supervises students closely during brewing. 19
• Improved numerous potion formulas, including the Elixir of Euphoria. 124
• Developed methods that allow less-skilled brewers to produce finished advanced potions by following his altered procedures. 297
• Conducts research on Dementors, souls, Magical Transformation, and the unstable Dark Power contained in Voldemort's arm. 479 729

Spell Creation

Snape invented and recorded multiple spells in his annotated Potions textbook.

• Muffliato — a sound-related utility spell. 292
• Obscuro — a blinding spell. 292
• Levicorpus and Liberacorpus — a levitation curse and its counter-spell. 292
• Sectumsempra and Vulnera Sanentur — a cutting curse and its healing counter-spell. 292
• Toenail-Growing Hex — a minor curse. 292

Mind Magic

Snape is skilled in both Legilimency and Occlumency.

• Can probe a target's current thoughts through eye contact. 184
• Attempted to use Legilimency on Andy, but was blocked by Andy's Occlumency. 184 327
• Uses Occlumency constantly around Andy after learning that Andy can use Legilimency. 532
• Communicated information about Voldemort's return to Dumbledore through Legilimency when direct disclosure was restricted. 322

Dark Arts Knowledge

Snape possesses extensive knowledge of Dark Arts, though he regards them as inherently corrupting.

• Specialized in Dark Arts during his youth and received instruction from Voldemort. 233
• Describes Dark Arts Transformation as a more extreme and dangerous form of Magical Transformation. 233
• Believes Dark Arts corrupt both a wizard's mind and magic. 233
• Can control Fiendfyre on a limited scale and employ it in combat. 562 563

Dueling

Snape is a formidable combatant whose fighting style combines rapid spellcasting, Transfiguration, Dark Arts, and tactical adaptation.

• Fought Andy in the Forbidden Forest and used flight to evade a combined assault from Andy and his Fat Cat Patronus. 331 332
• Used Transfiguration to turn his robes into a physical iron wall, creating defense against magical attacks. 562
• Controlled Fiendfyre while simultaneously engaging Andy's Patronus. 562 563
• Held the advantage in a duel against Mad-Eye Moody during the Ministry battle. 638
• Is recognized as having mastered Silent Casting. 433

Flight

Snape can fly without conventional support, an ability Andy had neither seen nor heard of another contemporary wizard using.

• Uses flight to rapidly evade attacks during duels. 331 332
• Refuses to teach the technique to Andy because its connection to Voldemort's magic could compromise his position. 334
• Uses flight to avoid detection during covert operations. 446

Equipment / Items

• Wand — used for potion work, dueling, Legilimency, Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.
• Annotated Potions textbook — contains Snape's potion revisions, criticisms of the original author, and several self-created spells. 292
• Resurrection Stone — temporarily held and used by Snape to summon Lily's soul. 401
• “The Truth of Death and Hell” — a book on souls, death, and the afterlife that Snape lends to Andy. 480

Relationships

• Albus Dumbledore — Former headmaster, handler, and uneasy ally. Dumbledore entrusted Snape with infiltrating Voldemort's ranks, but Snape resents Dumbledore's secrecy and increasingly questions his past decisions. 108 213 715
• Lily Potter — Snape's central emotional attachment. Her death prompted his defection from Voldemort, while his wish to see or resurrect her continues to shape his actions. 108 388 401
• Harry Potter — Lily's son and Snape's primary responsibility. Snape dislikes Harry personally but repeatedly works to keep him alive and seeks extra protection when he distrusts Dumbledore's plans. 108 266 502
• Lord Voldemort — Former master and current target of Snape's infiltration. Snape must preserve Voldemort's trust while secretly delaying his resurrection and reporting information to Dumbledore. 99 213 328
• Andy Collins — Student, rival, and confidential collaborator. Their relationship begins in mutual suspicion, develops through exchanged secrets and duels, and later becomes cooperation on protecting Harry and researching souls. 184 334 479
• Lucius Malfoy — Former associate whose divided loyalties Snape exploits to reach Voldemort and investigate his immortality. 167 193
• Sirius Black — Long-standing enemy from Snape's school years. Snape attempted to help Sirius escape Azkaban during a riot, but Sirius refused. 368
• Remus Lupin — Former school rival. Their hostility continues at Hogwarts, where Snape eagerly seeks a public duel with Lupin through the Duel Club. 431 553

Story Role / Major Arcs

Monitoring Andy Collins

Dumbledore asks Snape to monitor Andy because of Andy's unusual talent, intense curiosity about the soul, and potential interest in the Dark Arts. Snape recognizes the same temptation from his own past and becomes increasingly wary of Andy's potential. 39 40 184

Snape and Andy eventually establish an uneasy pact to keep each other's secrets. Snape attempts to investigate Andy with Legilimency, while Andy uses Occlumency and reveals awareness of Snape's covert movements. 184

Double-Agent Operations

Snape maintains cover before Voldemort by meeting him at the Mirror of Erised, offering information, and appearing willing to resume service. At the same time, he coordinates with Dumbledore to delay Voldemort's return until Harry is better prepared. 99 213

To reinforce his cover, Snape becomes implicated in the Azkaban attack and later assists in Peter Pettigrew's escape. These operations leave him exposed to public suspicion and force him to rely on Dumbledore's influence to protect his position. 209 212 446

Protecting Harry Potter

Snape's determination to protect Harry intensifies after learning that Harry is a Horcrux and may be required to face Voldemort. He objects to Dumbledore's willingness to place Harry in danger and seeks independent safeguards. 230 480

When Voldemort's resurrection plan targets Harry, Snape informs Andy that Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. intend to abduct Harry with a Portkey. He asks Andy to protect Harry in exchange for a favor and later requests that Andy create a Portkey as an emergency measure. 502 503

Cooperation with Andy

After their hostile early encounters, Snape and Andy cooperate on research into Dementors, souls, and methods of protecting Harry's soul. Snape provides research materials and divides the work according to their respective expertise. 479 480

Their cooperation remains unstable because Snape considers Andy dangerously similar to Voldemort in magical ability and obsession with knowledge. Even so, Snape entrusts Andy with sensitive information and repeatedly warns him about Voldemort's plans. 386 442 532

Final Conflict with Voldemort

Snape continues to operate among the Death Eaters during major Ministry and Diagon Alley conflicts, preserving his role while gathering intelligence. He fights openly at the Ministry, where he duels Mad-Eye Moody. 638

As Voldemort's defeat approaches, Snape can no longer easily return to Hogwarts because of his visible participation in multiple battles. He nonetheless remains focused on reaching Voldemort, protecting Harry, and destroying the remaining Horcruxes. 686 687

Trivia

• Snape pursued a seventh consecutive House Cup victory for Slytherin, considering seven a particularly significant magical number. 89
• Neville Longbottom's greatest fear is Snape. 430
• Snape's Patronus takes the form of a doe. 332
• Snape privately considers Andy's rate of magical growth alarming and at times fears that Andy may surpass him. 386 433