Snape

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Severus Snape (斯内普)
Alias(es)	Professor Snape; Headmaster Snape 920
Species/Race	Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hogwarts; Order of the Phoenix; infiltrator within Voldemort's Death Eaters 958 981
Occupation/Role	Potions professor; Head of Slytherin House; later Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and Headmaster of Hogwarts 636 719 920
Status	Alive; survived Voldemort's Killing Curse through Kanna's alchemical gift. His Death Eater status was temporarily revoked after his Ministry hearing 952 965 1006
First Appearance	Chapter 31 31

Background

Early life and rise at Hogwarts

Diana, Kyle's mother and Snape's former love interest, was a Slytherin one year above him. Her name still provokes an immediate, furious reaction from Snape; Dumbledore maintains that Snape was at fault in their past conflict 31.

Snape later informed Voldemort of Sybill Trelawney's prophecy concerning a future savior. Afterward, he worked with Dumbledore to protect Harry Potter and oppose Voldemort from within the Death Eaters 964 958.

His talent earned him the position of Head of Slytherin House in his early twenties, making him Hogwarts's youngest Head of House at the time 930.

Hogwarts professor

By the time of Umbridge's inspection, Snape had taught Potions at Hogwarts for fourteen years 636. His classes emphasize exact instructions, independent brewing, and ruthless correction of mistakes; he can identify minute errors in complex potions such as the Draught of Peace 494 617.

Although notorious for favoring Slytherin and penalizing other Houses, Snape can recognize genuine effort. He awarded Hufflepuff points to a student whose irregular ingredient cuts showed diligence, despite dismissing the technique as unnecessary for a Boil-Cure Potion 43.

Kanna and the Malfoys

Kanna is Snape's niece. He moved her family's belongings into his vault and lived beside her during a summer break, demonstrating a protective concern that contrasts with his public demeanor 135 929.

Snape began directing Kanna's Occlumency practice the previous Christmas, supplying her with a detailed training plan. Her eventual success is confirmed by a Wampus Cat's Legilimency-based test 719.

He is also Draco Malfoy's godfather. Having made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy, Snape repeatedly intervenes to protect Draco from Voldemort's task and from his own reckless decisions 729 874.

Appearance

Snape is a pale, severe-looking wizard whose appearance is frequently described as gloomy and unkempt.

• Greasy black hair 757
• Pale face and deeply sunken eye sockets when exhausted 617
• Black robes and a dramatic, flaring cloak 929 969
• Often carries himself with a cold stare, sneer, or visibly hostile expression 31 520

Personality

Snape is intensely proud, sarcastic, and vindictive. He holds grudges for years, reacts violently to references to his past, and often lets irritation dictate his treatment of students—particularly Harry, Kyle, and Gryffindor as a whole 31 206 371.

He is also highly suspicious and perceptive. Snape notices unusual scents, missing ingredients, inconsistencies in alibis, and signs of concealed magic; he repeatedly suspects Kyle's involvement in events even when he lacks proof 172 230 308 874.

Beneath this hostility, Snape is capable of genuine loyalty and protective restraint. He protects Harry despite his contempt for him, risks himself for Draco and Kanna, and ultimately refrains from using Legilimency on Hermione after recalling Dumbledore's principle that professors must not read students' minds without permission 729 921 954.

Abilities & Skills

Potions Mastery

Snape is an exceptional potion-maker and a demanding instructor with extensive knowledge of rare, restricted, and advanced ingredients.

• Prepared a suppression potion for Mikel and obtained a large supply of materials for the brew 31
• Designed the potion-based logical obstacle protecting the Philosopher's Stone 223
• Identifies precise mistakes in difficult N.E.W.T.-level potions, including stirring counts, ingredient quantities, and brewing temperatures 494
• Maintains a private potion storeroom containing common, rare, and prohibited ingredients 956
• His old Potions textbook contains extensive personal annotations and original spell research 930

Spell Creation

Snape invented several spells while still a student, marking him as an unusually gifted magical innovator.

• Sectumsempra — a blade-like offensive curse later learned by Kyle from Snape's textbook 930
• Levicorpus — one of Snape's documented self-created spells 930
• Muffliato — one of Snape's documented self-created spells 930
• Langlock — one of Snape's documented self-created spells 930
• Toenail-Growth Charm — a less serious original spell 930

Mind Magic

Snape is proficient in both Legilimency and Occlumency, though his aggressive teaching style initially makes Harry's training ineffective.

• Uses Legilimency to force Harry to defend his thoughts and memories 658 662
• Teaches that emotional control and a clear mind are essential to Occlumency 662
• Created Kanna's structured Occlumency regimen, which enabled her to master the skill 719
• Cast a Memory Charm on Umbridge so that she forgot the results of her first Potions-class inspection 636
• Stops himself from invading Hermione's mind despite suspecting she knows where Harry is 921

Deception and Intelligence Work

Snape's survival as a double agent relies on careful misdirection, observation, and the controlled use of information.

• Used Dumbledore's Pensieve to preserve a memory connected to Charity Burbage's attack 308
• Misled Sirius Black during the Battle of Hogwarts by creating the false impression that he was heading for the underground classrooms 929
• Remained embedded among Voldemort's followers while passing vital information to Dumbledore and assisting in the search for Horcruxes 958 981
• Proposed to Voldemort that the Elder Wand's allegiance depended on Dumbledore's defeat, steering Voldemort toward a critical misunderstanding 931

Equipment / Items

• Wand — used for potion work, dueling, Legilimency, Memory Charms, and other advanced magic.
• Private potion storeroom — a large personal stock of ingredients, including rare and prohibited materials 956.
• Kanna's alchemical gift — an item worn by Snape that withstood a Killing Curse and saved his life 952.

Relationships

• Albus Dumbledore — Headmaster, handler, and frequent source of frustration. Dumbledore recruited Snape as a spy and later left memories intended to establish Snape's true allegiance 230 958 964.
• Kanna — Snape's niece. He is fiercely protective of her, tutors her in Occlumency, and survives Voldemort's attack because of her gift 719 929 952.
• Harry Potter — A student Snape openly despises, yet protects because of his past promises and Harry's role in defeating Voldemort 230 814 954.
• Draco Malfoy — Snape's godson. Snape made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa to protect him and repeatedly warns him against reckless actions 729 874.
• Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy — Longstanding associates who trust Snape with Draco's safety; Lucius later testifies at Snape's hearing 918 964.
• Kyle Chopper — A student Snape persistently distrusts and targets, despite acknowledging Kyle's exceptional talent. Their relationship becomes notably more civil after the final battle 230 305 956.
• Sirius Black — Bitter enemies whose hostility stems from James and Lily Potter's deaths; their confrontation continues even after Snape's hearing 520 980.
• Lily Evans — A central figure in Snape's memories and the source of his enduring guilt over Harry's parents' deaths 721 942.

Major Arcs

Conflict with Kyle and Harry

Snape repeatedly targets Kyle and Harry in Potions, deducting points for small mistakes and treating Kyle as his most disliked student 199 206 208. His suspicion of Kyle deepens after several unexplained incidents, including the apparent sighting of “two Kyles” near Charity Burbage's attack 308.

Snape's attempt to teach Harry Occlumency through direct Legilimency fails after Harry reflexively repels the intrusion and sees fragments of Snape's memories. Snape later permits Kyle to take over Harry's training, though he is irritated by Harry's rapid progress under another teacher 658 664 666.

Defence Against the Dark Arts professor

After taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts, Snape teaches students the reality of Dark magic through demonstrations of the Cruciatus and Killing Curses. He intends to prepare them for Voldemort's threat and introduces Occlumency as a defense against the Imperius Curse 719.

His methods remain frightening and authoritarian, but his instruction is practical. He finds that many students already know the basic defensive spells he tests, largely because of Dumbledore's Army training 719.

Draco's task and Hogwarts takeover

Snape confronts Draco over the cursed opal necklace, reminds him of the Unbreakable Vow, and warns him to avoid provoking Kyle 729. He continues monitoring Draco's actions while attempting to preserve the larger plan against Voldemort 730 736.

After Death Eaters pressure McGonagall into appointing him Headmaster, Snape accepts the position as a means to pursue his own plan against Voldemort and to continue protecting Harry 920. Even as Headmaster, he refuses to violate Dumbledore's rule against reading students' minds without permission 921.

Voldemort's fall and exoneration

When Voldemort is destroyed, Snape is caught in a violent magical backlash. Kanna's alchemical item protects him from the Killing Curse, leaving him alive but badly injured 950 952.

His apparent rescue of Voldemort makes him wanted by the Ministry and forces him into hiding. Dumbledore's memories later reveal his role as a double agent, his protection of Harry, and his involvement in the Horcrux investigation 956 958.

At his Ministry hearing, Snape admits that he originally delivered the prophecy to Voldemort and presents Dumbledore's memories as evidence of his later loyalty. Lucius Malfoy's testimony helps secure a majority vote revoking Snape's Death Eater status 964 965.

Notable Quotes

“I made an Unbreakable Vow, Draco...” 729

“Clear your mind, Potter. I reminded you before—cast aside all emotion. That is the key to mastering Occlumency...” 662