Snape

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Severus Snape
Alias(es)	Professor Snape
Species/Race	Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Slytherin House
Occupation/Role	Potions professor; Slytherin Head of House; Eli Hall's private Potions instructor
First Appearance	11

Background / History

Snape's hostility toward Gryffindor is rooted in his earlier life: James Potter and other Gryffindors publicly humiliated him, while Lily Potter—the woman he loved—ultimately became involved with James. Eli recognizes this history as the source of Snape's particular resentment toward Harry, who has James's face and Lily's eyes. 17

At Hogwarts, Snape serves as Slytherin's fiercely partisan Head of House and teaches Potions with an intimidating reputation. Eli initially fears that his close resemblance to Lily will draw unwanted attention, but Snape instead recognizes his unusual talent and begins giving him private Saturday lessons. 17 18

Appearance

Snape presents an imposing, gloomy figure in the Potions classroom, dressed entirely in black.

• Long black cloak that drags along the ground. 17
• Greasy black hair. 19 20
• Hollow, “dead-fish” eyes. 17
• A magnetic but emotionless voice. 17

Personality

Snape is harsh, sarcastic, and demanding. He humiliates Harry with deliberately difficult questions, dismisses Hermione's attempts to answer, and frequently insults Eli during private instruction. 17 20 His favoritism toward Slytherin is overt: he deducts points from Gryffindor while awarding Eli points for taking notes he had not actually written. 17

Beneath his hostility, Snape values genuine talent, precision, and independent thought. Eli's improved method for adding flobberworm mucus earns immediate praise, and Snape becomes noticeably more patient with the class afterward. 17 His concern is usually expressed indirectly, such as providing Eli with a powerful restorative potion after the troll battle. 23

Abilities & Skills

Potion-Making Mastery

Snape is an exceptionally advanced potion-maker whose practical skill far exceeds standard textbook methods.

• Identifies Eli's refined flobberworm-mucus technique and endorses independent experimentation over blindly following instructions. 17
• Processes ingredients and brews Bone-Dissolving Water entirely in midair, without a cauldron or conventional equipment. 18
• Uses potion-making to demonstrate the importance of magical control, ingredient knowledge, and intuition. 18
• Brews restorative medicine capable of returning the weakened Eli to normal mobility after his magical exhaustion. 23

Magical Instruction and Control

Snape's private lessons rapidly improve Eli's magical control and theoretical understanding.

• Requires Eli to memorize extensive potion formulas and ingredient properties. 20
• Refuses to teach advanced effortless brewing until Eli has sufficient ingredient knowledge and magical control. 20
• Trains Eli in controlling his excessive magical power, accelerating progress that had previously taken Eli much longer to achieve alone. 20

Spellcraft

• Created and taught Eli Sectumsempra, an extremely dangerous cutting curse. 29 30
• Displays precise wand control while summoning, processing, and combining potion ingredients in the air. 18

Relationships

• Eli Hall — Student and private apprentice. Snape is unsettled by Eli's resemblance to Lily, recognizes his talent in Potions, and gives him intensive one-on-one instruction. 17 18 20
• Harry Potter — Target of Snape's resentment because Harry resembles James Potter while possessing Lily's eyes. Despite this, Snape gives Harry practical advice in class when Eli's work puts him in a better mood. 17
• Lily Potter — The woman Snape loved; Eli's close resemblance to her strongly affects Snape's attention toward him. 17
• James Potter — A former Gryffindor who publicly humiliated Snape and became the focus of Snape's lasting resentment. 17
• Quirinus Quirrell — Snape confronts Quirrell over working against him, indicating that Snape was opposing Quirrell's plot surrounding the Philosopher's Stone. 24 36
• Slytherin students — Their Head of House and a conspicuous supporter of Slytherin interests, regularly awarding House points and favoring Eli in class. 17
• Filius Flitwick — Flitwick's interest in recruiting Eli to Ravenclaw creates tension with Snape, who wants Eli to remain associated with Slytherin. 24

Story Role / Major Arcs

First Potions Lessons

Snape immediately establishes himself as Harry's hostile Potions professor, deducting ten Gryffindor points after questioning Harry on difficult ingredients. In contrast, he recognizes Eli's exceptional boil-cure potion and awards Slytherin twenty points. 17

Private Instruction of Eli Hall

After testing Eli's theoretical knowledge and demonstrating midair potion-making, Snape orders him to attend weekly private lessons. His punishing instruction substantially improves Eli's control, though the training also strains Eli's soul power. 18 20

Troll Attack Aftermath

Snape reacts with visible alarm when Eli collapses after killing the troll and supplies restorative medicine during Eli's recovery. 22 23

Philosopher's Stone Suspicion

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Eli initially suspect Snape of seeking the Philosopher's Stone. Snape's confrontation with Quirrell later reveals that he had been resisting, rather than assisting, the plot. 24 36

Second-Year Discipline

At the start of the following school year, Snape fiercely reprimands Harry and Ron for their rule-breaking but praises Eli's supposed thoughtfulness and awards Slytherin twenty points. 48

Notable Quotes

“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making.” 17

“True potions turn decay into something miraculous.” 18