[HPforGrownups] Re: Still Life with Memory Charm, Magic

[Amanda]

No: HPFGUIDX 36936

Finwitch said

> Also.. *why* is Snape's hair so dirty? Does it have something to do
> with the un-paid life-debt? Would he melt like Evil Witch of the East
> (or was it West) in the Wizard of Oz if he was exposed to *pure*
> water?

Snape's hair is oily or greasy. It has never, to my recollection, been
identified as dirty. And I have a few less far-fetched reasons it might be
oily or greasy:

--Snape is someone who naturally has oily hair. I've known a few, including
a guy who had to shower twice a day to keep from looking like he'd run a
marathon.
--As someone who (every so often) cooks, one's hair gets icky if one has
been hanging over a pot all day. In my case, it's a normal pot making
grease-laden steam. In Snape's case, God only knows what is rising in the
fumes, but I'm betting it's *way* more than enough to grease up his hair.

I will also point out that while his teeth are crooked and not the whitest,
even when he was right in Harry's face, there was no mention of bad breath.
I defy anyone to dig up a canon reference to Snape having bad hygiene. He's
not the nicest dude on the planet, but he's not dirty.

--Amanda