Character Sketch: Severus Snape

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 12139

Okay folks, finally, heres the Snape sketch.  I call it a sketch, but it
covers three yards of parchment.

Its hard to sum up this oft-discussed character without (a) filling
bandwidth, (b) repeating things we already know; but, hey, we couldnt leave
him out.  The first bit is general; the second a year by year account.

To mark the occasion, Ive also posted a picture of myself, Snapified by
the magic of e-surgery.  I know it makes me look more like a Backstreet Boy,
but give me a break: I actually look nothing like him.  View that here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/Group%20Members/NeilAsSnap
e.jpg

Neil
____________________________________

Flying-Ford-Anglia
Mechanimagus Moderator (engine off)


THE NAKED SNAPE

Severus Snape, the Potions Master, is a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked
nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair.  His joyless lips sneer and,
when he does flash a wicked smile, it reveals uneven, discoloured teeth. He
is odious and irascible; vindictive sarcasm personified.  In short, this isn
t a have a nice day: missing you already kind of teacher.

Snapes lessons are held in a draughty dungeon and the walls of his office
are lined with shelves of glass jars containing all manner of revolting
things.  This netherworld retreat seems appropriate to someone who looms up
behind people and glides, sweeps and swoops around the school like a
malevolent bat.

Snape isnt too keen on people in general, but he reserves a very special
kind of hatred for Harry Potter.  There is clearly something painful to him
about having superhero Harry right under his big hooked nose.  In GoF he
says, To me, Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers
rules to be beneath him, but there has to be more to it than that.  My pet
theory is that he resents Harry, because, as Dumbledore's protg, Harry has
pushed him into a lesser role and taken away his chance to prove himself.
Away from Dumbledore, Snape bursts with resentment towards Harry and anyone
and anything associated with him.

There is also the theory that Snape was in love with Lily Potter and tried
to persuade Voldemort to spare her life.  Since Harry has his mothers eyes,
he would be a constant reminder of Snapes unrequieted love.  However, this
theory is shaken by the fact that Snape was revealed as a double agent
before Lily was killed.  We are still left with the lesser possibility that
he was simply insanely jealous of James and that Harry has inherited that
resentment.

Snape is Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favours [the
Slytherins], says Ron, in PS/SS, we'll be able to see if it's true."  It
is true alright, and he is hardly subtle about it: he picks on the
Gryffindors mercilessly, whilst idly allowing the Slytherins get away with
murder.  His mild treatment of Draco Malfoy may indicate a desire to keep
Lucius sweet, but it could be simply loyalty to his House that leads him to
favour the Slytherin students.  Also, he knows that Draco is Harrys
nemesis, so it may be just one more way of getting at Potter.

Snape demonstrates great expertise in Potions, creating the Wolfsbane Potion
and Veritaserum, both of which are rare and difficult mixtures (not to
mention handy to the respective plotlines). In PS/SS, Percy Weasley says, of
him: He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after
Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."  After that
it becomes common knowledge that he always wanted the DADA job, but beyond
his assertion that only he knows how DADA should really be taught, there is
no solid evidence of it.  Snape thinks he knows best about most things, it
seems.


MY HEART BELONGS TO DADA

Year 1

"I've heard Snape can turn very nasty," Ron tells Harry, before their very
first Potions lesson. Snapes reputation precedes him and he more than lives
up to it, but not before making a cracking opening speech to the first year
Potions students:

I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly
simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids
that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the
 senses... he says, before declaring virtually all his past students
dunderheads.

By the end of that first lesson Harry has decided that Snape doesnt just
dislike him, he hates him.   Hagrid scoffs, unconvincingly, at this
suggestion - a clear confirmation that Snape does have reason to hate Harry.
Later still, Hagrid springs to Snapes defence again: Snape wouldn' try an'
kill a student! he asserts.  I repeat, Hagrid is hardly the yardstick of
common sense in such things.

Snape is prime suspect for most of PS/SS, but when Quirrell-Voldemort is
revealed as the real villain, and we all say a- haaaaah! were still left
with him as an embittered, nasty piece of work who detests Harry Potter.
Could we have we misjudged him?

Year 2

In Chamber of Secrets, Snape has a sporadic involvement in the plot.  He
comes up against the vainglorious Gilderoy Lockhart in the DADA post and
doesnt bother to hide his contempt for him.  He keeps a dutiful and
murderous eye on him, presumably under Dumbledores instructions.   He
seems surprised by the discovery, in the duelling scenes, that Harry speaks
Parseltongue, and appears to reappraise him, perhaps sensing that he has
some good Slytherin potential after all.

It seems we didnt misjudge him: he remains wholly unattractive and appears
to abhor almost everyone and tolerate most of the rest.   As usual, he is
critical of Dumbledore, but does his bidding with bad grace.  He spars with
McGonagall, mostly over Quidditch, but there seems to be mutual respect
between them as House Heads and they gang up on Lockhart to great effect.
In any crisis, Snape and McGonagall are usually first on the scene, like a
pet devil and angel on each of Dumbledores shoulders.

Year 3

Despite his misgivings about the appointment of Remus Lupin to the allegedly
coveted DADA position, Snape once again does exactly what Dumbledore tells
him.  He concocts the Wolfsbane Potion for Lupin and makes sure he takes it.
We find out that when they were at Hogwarts together, the Marauders -
including Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter - played a trick on him, for
which he has never forgiven them. In his werewolf form, Lupin could have
killed Snape and Sirius had tricked him into following Lupin into the
Shrieking Shack.  James had stopped him from walking to his death, but, as
he tells Harry, viciously, he sees nothing heroic in getting cold feet.

Although Lupin was not in on this childhood joke, Snape thinks he has good
reason to bear a grudge against Lupin.  Lupin also makes a fool of him
during his first lesson on Boggarts, so, when Lupin is ill, he takes his
DADA class and seizes the chance for revenge, criticising every aspect of
Lupins work and making a transparent attempt to expose his secret.   Then
theres that wonderful scene with the Marauders Map: "Moony presents his
compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep
his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

Towards the end of PoA, Snape is obsessed with the desire to catch Sirius
Black.  He becomes unhinged and blind to reason when he finally confronts
Black, Lupin and our heroes; that is, until Harry, Ron and Hermione knock
him out with the power of three.  Later, he becomes hysterical when Harry
and Hermione rescue Buckbeak under everyones noses and get away with it.
(Foiled again! said Dick Dastardly).   By the close, his hatred of Harry
has reached new heights.

Year 4

In GoF, Snape comes across Alastor Moody, another old foe, in the DADA
position.  For once, the tables are turned: unlike the previous DADA
professors, who were the object of his contempt, Moody (actually Crouch)
takes the wind out of his sails. "Dumbledore happens to trust me, he
informs Moody, tartly.  Moody agrees that Dumbledore believes in giving
people second chances, but indicates that both he and Dumbledore are very
interested in anyone whos got it in for Harry.  Snape drops his superior
attitude and slides off.

Sirius tells Harry, Ron and Hermione: "Ever since I found out Snape was
teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been
fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school.  Slimy, oily,
greasy-haired kid, he was[he] knew more curses when he arrived at school
than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins
who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."

Despite this unpromising curriculum vita, Dumbledore clearly trusts Snape,
and he appears to do Dumbledores will, to the point that he accepts an
uncomfortable truce with Sirius Black, the person who nearly got him killed
years before: Very slowly - but still glaring at each other as though each
wished the other nothing but ill - Sirius and Snape moved toward each other
and shook hands.  They let go extremely quickly.

Later, when it becomes clear that Voldemort has risen again, Dumbledore says
to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do.  If you are ready . . . if
you are prepared ..."

I am, he says.


QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

(1) How does Snape really feel about Igor Karkaroff?  He seems to pity him,
but he is also angry at him (he did betray him in the courtroom  did Snape
know this?) .

(2) Does Lucius Malfoy have Snapes ear or another part of his body?

(3) What is Snapes task and why does Dumbledore have such a hold on him?

(4) How far can we stretch the Harry point of view thing?  Lets face it
Snape really is nasty and he really does have it in for Harry, but why was
Hagrid so convinced Snape would not harm a student?

(5) The old chestnut: Was Snape in love with Lily?  Are his feelings against
Harry rooted in jealousy of or rivalry with his father?  Was Snape Malfoy
to James Potters Harry?

(6) As Harry puts it: "I just want to know what Snape did with his first
chance, if hes on his second one."

(7) Is Snape a vampire or does JKR just use bat-like references to give
Severus a dank, dark aura?

(8) Does Sevvy want the DADA job?  Will he ever get it?  Why does Dumbledore
tolerate him? How does he feel about teaching? [already in discussion!]

(9) What else is in store for Snape in Book 5  anyone care to predict?