Snape

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Severus Snape
Alias(es)	Professor Snape
Species/Race	Human wizard; half-blood 94
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hogwarts; Head of Slytherin House; formerly a core Death Eater 91 96
Occupation/Role	Potions professor and Potions master 95 96
Status	Deceased — his soul was extracted by Dementors in Azkaban, after which his body was cast into the sea 97
First Appearance	Chapter 11 (mentioned) 11

Background / History

Snape grew up in the dark alleys of Knockturn Alley and carried an inferiority complex over his half-blood heritage. As a child, he befriended Lily, a Muggle-born witch whose ability to restore withered lily petals left a lasting impression on him. Their friendship deteriorated after Lily entered Gryffindor while Snape joined Slytherin, and Snape increasingly embraced Dark magic and its followers. His use of the slur “Mudblood” against Lily ended their relationship. 94

He later became a core Death Eater, as confirmed by the Dark Mark on his arm. After the war, Dumbledore protected him from prosecution, kept him at Hogwarts as Potions professor and Slytherin Head, and relied on him for sensitive work connected to Harry Potter. 95 96

Lucius Malfoy was one of Snape's closest friends from school and the Death Eaters. Lucius supplied him with money and ancient Potion texts, while Snape became Draco Malfoy's godfather. 99

Appearance

Snape wears black robes and presents himself with an intentionally severe, intimidating demeanor. His habitual expression is one of contemptuous coldness, often marked by a sneer. 92

• Black robes 92
• Cold, arrogant expression and habitual sneer 92
• Uses silence, hostile stares, and a deliberately frigid classroom atmosphere to unsettle students 92

Personality

Snape is openly partisan toward Slytherin. He treats the House Cup as Slytherin's entitlement, awards points to Draco Malfoy for trivial reasons, and plans to erase Hufflepuff's lead through punitive deductions rather than fair competition. 91

As a teacher, he is harsh and vindictive toward non-Slytherin students. He humiliates Hufflepuffs for defending Charle Evans, deducts points over minor or invented infractions, and attacks students' intelligence and character rather than correcting them. 92 96

His confidence collapses once Charle exposes his Dark Mark and overpowers him. Snape shifts from threatening expulsion and Azkaban to pleading that his identity and position be protected. 93

Lily remains the central emotional vulnerability in Snape's memories. Charle exploits Snape's regret over losing her, his resentment of James Potter, and his repeated failures to win her affection. 94

Abilities & Skills

Potions Mastery

Snape is regarded as a renowned Potions master whose work is sought by others in the Wizarding World. His accumulated Potion knowledge is extensive enough to provide Charle with material for multiple high-level deductions after their mental confrontation. 95 98

• Possesses broad theoretical and practical Potion knowledge. 94 98
• Received funding and ancient Potion books from Lucius Malfoy for his research. 99
• His expertise was important enough that Dumbledore considered the loss of his Potion-making ability a major setback. 95

Occlumency

Snape's Occlumency is described as among the strongest in the Wizarding World. He can conceal his mind from both Dumbledore and Voldemort and can fabricate memories against indirect mental probing. 56 94

• Initially repels Charle's Legilimency with overwhelming force. 94
• His defenses fail only after Charle exploits his emotional instability and continuously strengthens his own mental magic through Deep Blue. 94
• His eventual mental collapse leaves his memories and magical knowledge accessible to Charle. 94 98

Spellcraft and Dark Magic

Snape created Levicorpus while still a student and is known for Sectumsempra, an invisible cutting curse with spell-breaking properties. 91 93

• Levicorpus — a self-created control spell used in an unsuccessful attempt to restrain Charle. 93
• Sectumsempra — an invisible magical blade that partially breaches Charle's Dragon Armor Spell. 93
• Cruciatus Curse — used against Charle after Snape's mental breakdown, leading to his arrest. 97

Relationships

• Lily — Childhood friend and lifelong emotional fixation. Their friendship ended after Snape called her “Mudblood”; his regret over this moment becomes a key weakness in his mind. 94
• Albus Dumbledore — Protector and employer. Dumbledore shields Snape's Death Eater past, retains him at Hogwarts, and attempts to save him from Azkaban after his arrest. 95 97
• Lucius Malfoy — Close school friend, fellow former Death Eater, and financial supporter of Snape's Potion research. 99
• Draco Malfoy — Godson. Draco reports to Snape about Hogwarts events and expects his godfather to enforce Slytherin dominance. 91 93
• Charle Evans — Enemy. Snape targets Charle and Hufflepuff, but Charle defeats him, exposes his Dark Mark, destroys his mental defenses, and engineers his downfall. 92 93 94 97
• Hufflepuff students — Frequent targets of his classroom humiliation and arbitrary point deductions. 92
• Harry Potter — Dumbledore intends for Snape to protect Harry, giving Snape a reason to remain invested at Hogwarts. 76

Story Role / Major Arcs

Suppression of Hufflepuff

After learning that Charle has rapidly raised Hufflepuff's standing, Snape resolves to secure the House Cup for Slytherin through favoritism. He gives Draco points for voicing concern about Slytherin and plans to strip Hufflepuff's points in Potions. 91

In his first Potions class with Hufflepuff, Snape insults the absent Charle, threatens and belittles students who defend him, and deducts 140 points from Hufflepuff. 92

Defeat by Charle Evans

Charle enters Snape's office after confronting Draco Malfoy. Snape's Shield Charm, Levicorpus, and Sectumsempra fail to stop him; Charle pins Snape to the wall, exposes the Dark Mark, and begins a Legilimency assault. 93

Snape initially resists through Occlumency, but Charle repeatedly improves his Legilimency and forces Snape through memories of Lily, his separation from her, and alternate lives shaped by his obsession with James Potter. Snape suffers a complete mental breakdown, while Charle extracts material from Snape's knowledge of Potions, Dark magic, Occlumency, Levicorpus, and Sectumsempra. 94

Exposure, Arrest, and Death

Charle publicly reveals Snape's Dark Mark and denounces Dumbledore for sheltering a former core Death Eater while overlooking his abuse of students. The revelation turns much of Hogwarts against Snape and undermines Dumbledore's defense of him. 96 97

After Charle implants a suggestion directing Snape's malice toward him, Snape uses the Cruciatus Curse on Charle. He is arrested and sent to Azkaban. There, Dementors acting under Charle's authority extract Snape's soul and dispose of his body at sea. 97

Slughorn subsequently returns to Hogwarts as the temporary Potions professor and former Slytherin Head. 110

Notable Quotes

“No one can take the House Cup from Slytherin House.” 91

“I wouldn't mind teaching him what it means to respect a professor!” 91