stopper death

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 114257

> > > Beatnik24601 wrote:
> > > > I've heard a lot of people referencing this quote from Snape 
> > > > (about wizards ability to 'brew fame, bottle glory, even 
> > > > stopper death" from PS/SS), and seeming to interpret it as 
> > > > meaning 'stopping death'.  However, I always thought that 
> > > > Snape meant 'stopper' the bottle of death (i.e. put a cork 
in the flask which contains 'death').  In other words, he was 
>  talking about ability to brew poisons (which brings up a whole 
> > > > other myriad of issues, but, anyway...), rather than brew 
some  sort of cure for death, or elixir of life (altho, this would 
> > > > be relevant to the plot of PS/SS).

Zinaya replied:
> > I have a friend in the UK and we were discussing this same topic 
> > when she tactfully pointed out that the US version of the book 
> > differs from the UK in this case. While the US says "stopper 
> > death" the UK version says "even put a stopper in death". This 
is a reference to a cork basically, boring as that is...

> Dungrollin added:
> My UK paperback version doesn't, it says 'even stopper death'.  
> Anyone else...?
> I've been through this every which way, and now I think he was 
> talking through his hat, trying to intimidate the ickle firsties, 
> and JKR wasn't paying attention to all the possible 
interpretations of her words... 

Hannah now: I've always thought the same as Beatnik, that Snape is 
referring to sticking a cork in your freshly brewed bottle of lethal 
poison.  He is talking very poetically here (I bet he gives an 
identical speech to his first years every year) and it just sounds 
better than saying 'oh and if you're really good you'll be able to 
make poison too.'  Snape has a fondness for these start-the-year 
speeches - I'm sure he makes that OWL speech to the fifth years in 
the first lesson every year as well.

My UK paperback, hardback, and special edition all say 'even stopper 
death' (I have a lot of copies because they keep falling apart).  I 
think (though this is just from memory now) that Alan Rickman 
says 'even put a stopper in death' in the Forbidden Media. Maybe 
this is where the different phrasing came from?

Hannah