After just two films into the Harry Potter franchise, despite its box office success, Alan Rickman had some serious doubts about his character Severus Snape, having stressed to producers at the time that he had even contemplated leaving the wizarding series after likening his role to an unchanging costume. From what was gathered at the time of the revelation, Rickman wasnt all that happy about the lack of diversity Snape had brought to the movies and felt as if he was giving the same performance for both Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. [25] Throughout the third book, Snape suspects that Lupin may be helping Harry's godfather Sirius Black enter Hogwarts castle; Sirius had been convicted (wrongly, as it is later revealed) of murdering Peter Pettigrew and innocent bystanders, and betraying the Potter family's hiding place to Voldemort. You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment? Votes: 559,688 | Gross: $295.98M. After being. [41] The novel also reveals that Snape had covertly used his position as Headmaster to protect the students and to contain the Carrows.[41]). However, his death on . [40] (Towards the end of the book, Harry learns that this was Snape's Patronus, taking the same shape as Harry's mother Lily's Patronus, a visible sign of his lifelong love for Harry's mother, and that Dumbledore had asked Snape to ensure that Harry gained possession of the sword. [4] The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. In the movie, this was. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. He remains rather cruel, a bully, riddled with bitterness and insecurityand yet he loved, and showed loyalty to that love and, ultimately, laid down his life because of it. Towards the end of the school year, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout force Snape to flee the school. Snape interrupts the planned murder, killing the headmaster himself. 7 Answers Sorted by: 30 Snape as a person was not very friendly or social, for that matter. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. It becomes clear to fans engaging with . Snape first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, shortly after Harry arrives at Hogwarts. Snape's knowledge of the Dark Arts enabled him to slow the spread of the curse from Dumbledore's hand through his body, but he would have died within a year. As Albus is about to enter his first year at Hogwarts, he expresses concern that he will be sorted into Slytherin. And please note I'm not suggesting there is for certain any kind of law similar to this in the Wizarding world -- we have no idea about that. firelight, but Snape blocked the spell again. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? (See the felony murder info.). Snape delivered the partial prophecy to Voldemort in 1980, anxious to curry favor. Horace Slughorn, a former teacher who himself had taught Snape during his Hogwarts years, comes out of retirement and replaces him as Potions Master. They have lost part of their hearts. Rickman was 69 at the time of his passing. and if snape has killed someone why would Dumbledore let him teach at his school. I'm not counting a certain death at the end of book 6 for reasons which are obvious if you've read book 7. Snape was willing to give Harry information via the Pensieve that should have directly led to Harry's death. The snake from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was supposed to be a boa constrictor. RELATED: Daniel Radcliffe Would Love To Star In Fast And Furious But On One Condition. [43][61] He is intelligent and has a keen, analytical mind. He grew up in Spinner's End to a Muggle father and a witch mother. Over the years he did whatever he could to try to make up for his past as a Death Eater, and he followed Dumbledore - for the most part - without question. How many men and women have you watched die? She sends for Snape, demanding that he provide the magical truth serum Veritaserum in order to force Harry to reveal any information he may be hiding. cowardly Coward, did you call me, Potter? shouted Snape. Second, it makes any participant in such a felony criminally liable for any deaths that occur during or in furtherance of that felony. Thanks for all of it, Jo. Rickman never disclosed what Rowling had told him about Snape that made him want to continue with the Harry Potter movies, but regardless of what she told him, he was happy to continue playing the character right until the very end with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which entered cinemas back in 2011. [22] Snape is a sinister and malicious teacher who makes frequent snide and disparaging remarks at Harry's expense. I'd say it's a certainty. Maurice is a writer from Germany. To be clear, are you asking if he DID kill anyone during those years, or if he would have if the situation/need arose? hermionesparks, rosemina and 1 other like this . RELATED: Twitter Reacts To J.K. Rowlings Attempt To Stay Relevant Amid Transphobic Comments. The issue was given special attention in the marketing campaigns on behalf of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. [6] However, she does suggest in the books that he is generally an effective teacher. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Severus_Snape&oldid=1133116524, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles lacking reliable references from August 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using Infobox character with multiple unlabeled fields, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 09:30. In an interview with Empire, however, Rickman shared that Rowling had come forward and had a chat with him on what she planned to include in Snapes story further down the line by dropping a small clue, which were convincing enough to keep him on board and not quit the franchise. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, "Harry's Final Fantasy: Last Time's the Charm", "Web Chat with J.K. Rowling 30 July 2007 on Bloomsbury.com", "Barnes and Noble and Yahoo! sneered Snape, deflecting the curse once more. We have put together a challenging Severus Snape quiz for you to test your knowledge of his best quotes and biggest moments. [41], Rowling noted in an interview that because Snape abandoned his post before dying or officially retiring, a portrait of him does not immediately appear in the Headmaster's office following his death. I would not have it ripped apart on my account. [32] The sessions are made difficult by their mutual hostility and end prematurely when Harry uses Dumbledore's Pensieve to view one of Snape's worst childhood memories without the latter's permission. He was a double agent, so many character details were kept a secret. Snape taunts Sirius about the latter's not being able to take an active role in the Order's missions because of his fugitive status. Despite this and Harry's angry questions, Dumbledore avers his trust in Snape. Skilful in the arts of Legilimency and especially Occlumency, Snape is able to both access the minds of others and protect his own thoughtsindeed, though Snape does not care for the term himself, Harry forms the uncomfortable impression early in the series that the Potions Master is able to "read minds." Snape informs Dumbledore of this circumstance, and when Harry and Lupin are not punished, Snape retaliates by revealing to the entire school that Lupin is a werewolf, forcing the latter to resign his post. Thanks for contributing an answer to Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange! That Harry survived Avada Kedavra twice is an anomaly, not a reflection on Snape's wilingness to allow Harry to die. [66][67], The secretive attitude and gradual unfolding of Snape's character was broadly admired, with Stephen Fry, the UK audio books narrator, saying in 2003: "Most characters like Snape are hard to love but there is a sort of ambiguityyou can't quite decidesomething sad about himlonely and it's fascinating when you think he's going to be the evil one, then slowly you get this idea he's not so bad after all. The main ingredient was wolfsbane (also referred to as aconite or monkshood). $600 million: The phenomenon . J.K. Rowling, who is the author of the much-loved book series of the seven Harry Potter novels, reportedly had to get involved after hearing that Rickman was looking to quit. 16 Feb. 1997 in Leicester, Leicestershire), a housewife . "[3], The adult Snape, on the other hand, is portrayed as very self-assured and confident of his abilities, to a degree that Rickman described as "full of himself. James and Snape were in the same year as each other at Hogwarts when they were kids. [28], Snape's role in the fourth novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is not substantially different from that of the previous three books. Warner Bros. And the reason OP discounted Dumbledore's death was because he said "as a death eater" - when the murder was CLEARLY done on Dumbledore's order and wouldn NOT have hapened on Voldemort's otherwise, it can't be even remotely connected to "as Death Eater" part. But did he ever do it? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. She adds, however, that she would like to think Harry made Snape's true loyalty and heroism known in the Wizarding world, and that he lobbied to ensure that a portrait be installed in the office. Why did they change the Headmaster in Harry Potter? She believed the popularity of the character is due to the moral journey and inner conflict that Snape undergoes within the series, as it is the hero's struggle and costly redemption that really matter: "[Snape's] character ached for resolution. Did the fake Mad-Eye Moody ever use the Foe-Glass to learn Snape's true allegiance? Then after Voldemort came back in book 4, Snape would have been a Death Eater again for around 3 years. His otherwise impassive and aloof attitude seems to stem from his belief that people who cannot control their emotions are weak. Harry had a close call during his first Quidditch match when his Nimbus Two Thousand started a strange impromptu dance trying to knock him off. In the US, many states have a felony murder law, which holds a person who is associated with a murder equally as responsible as the murderer. Towards the end of the novel, Dolores Umbridge the school's politically appointed headmistress captures Harry and interrogates him about Dumbledore's whereabouts. the way things did go, snape's residual hatred of james carrying over to harry was very convenient for the purposes of maintaining the narrative that he was still loyal to voldemort because it was a good excuse for why he hated harry so much (because he killed the dark lord) and a good diversion for him loving lily which he wanted to keep a secret because if voldemort was aware of it, it would . My thoughts are with Rima and the rest of Alan's family. Admittedly one of her favorite characters to write, Rowling partly drew . Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. Snape, who maintains that he "never had the impression that [he] had been able to teach Potter anything at all", is suspicious of Harry's newfound Potions success. [60] Snape typically displays a very calm and collected demeanour, rarely at a loss for words or taken off guard. Harry survived the Killing Curse. He takes an instant dislike to Harry, which Quirrell later reveals is due to the fact that Snape and Harry's father, James, hated each other when they attended . Snape's nickname for himself was the "Half-Blood Prince", and so he signed this nickname along the bottom of the back cover of the book. Warner Bros distributed the fantasy film directed by David Yates. I have a lot of fun impersonating him. running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Fictional character in the Harry Potter series. Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed Snape and Lily into Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses, respectively. Hogwarts' infamous potions professor Severus Snape is 31 years old in the books but had an age difference of nearly 20 years from his eventual actor Alan Rickman. [13] In a 1999 interview[14] and again in 2004,[8] Rowling singled out Snape as one of her favourite characters to write. Voldemort killed James Potter because of Snape gave crucial information to Voldemort. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"; Photo: 7831/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images. Snape's memories also provide Harry with the information he needs to ensure Voldemort's final defeat, in the form of conversations Snape had with Dumbledore. That boys soul is not yet so damaged, said Dumbledore. Even with his efforts to protect her, Snape felt responsible for Lily's death at Voldemort's hands. You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? He is subsequently sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore. She defended him when no one else would, and after her death, Snape felt indebted to her memory. There are two possible scenarios (in which Snape is still on the dark side) where everything can go wrong: It was all a ruse. What is the point of Thrower's Bandolier? Snape is generally depicted as being cold, calculating, precise, sarcastic, and bitter. feet before he could complete it; "" Cruc yelled Harry for the He has a Bachelor's in Film and a Master's in Film & Communication. He is apoplectic when Harry is unexpectedly entered into the Triwizard Tournament. In talking with Scorpius, Snape had learned that Harry would name his son "Albus Severus" and would regard Snape as "probably the bravest man I ever knew" and is deeply moved. When Draco and Astoria Greengrass' son Scorpius Malfoy finds himself in an alternate timeline in which Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts, killed Harry and his allies and instituted a terrible reign of terror, he desperately searches for help in restoring history to its original course. Rickman passed away five years later, in 2016, following his battle with pancreatic cancer an illness he had only shared with close friends following his diagnosis. In an interview, Rowling adds that Snape is immensely brave,[20] and when asked if she considers Snape a hero, replied: "Yes, I do; though a very flawed hero. When Chamber of Secrets had entered cinemas, Rowling only had four of the seven novels published, so fans werent aware that Snape was going to become much more than an antagonist to Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Ronald Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Despite Sectumsempra's deadly power, Snape can also heal the wounds it causes. [47] He had conversations with Rowling about his character and is one of the few Harry Potter actors that she spoke to prior to the completion of the book series about the future direction of the character. Snape then reveals that he, together with the fugitive Ron and Hermione Granger, maintain the last remnants of Dumbledore's Army still waging hopeless resistance against the all-powerful Voldemort. With Snape no longer teaching Potions, Harry enrols in Slughorn's class and is lent an old textbook until his new one arrives. Practice was necessary. The sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, departs from that model. Slytherins cheered. Snape serves as the potions professor for most of the series and later teaches Defense Against The Dark Arts. But he is also fascinating. Though having guessed that in the other timeline he would die, Snape nevertheless willingly helps Scorpius recreate this timeline and being discovered by Dementors, Snape sacrifices himself in order to cover Scorpius' escape. "[52] Rickman was nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Snape, and in 2011, was elected the best character portrayal in all the Harry Potter films series. Despite this separation and Snape's enduring animosity toward Lily's eventual husband James Potter, Snape continued to love Lily for the rest of his life. [17] Rowling also disclosed that after the publication of Prisoner of Azkaban, there was one female fan who guessed Snape loved Lily Potter, making Rowling wonder how she had given herself away. According to the series, James bullied Snape during their time together at Hogwarts. Even after he knew Voldemort was targeting the Potters, Snape was only interested in saving Lily -- does failure to prevent a premeditated murder imply culpability? I wanted there to be redemption."[20]. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? 10. She was clearly worried about the thought of the late actor departing, prompting her to tell him a secret about Snape that had changed everything. Harry Potter franchise has made many changes from book to movie, but one specific difference made an integral character's storyline way worse. Snape is named Headmaster of Hogwarts, while Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow are appointed as Hogwarts staff. "But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. It only takes a minute to sign up. Despite his attraction to the Dark Arts and Voldemort's ideology of wizard supremacy, Snape's love for Muggle-born Lily Evans, Harry's mother, eventually compelled him to defect from the Death Eaters. Snape was able to compartmentalize his caring and companionship to Dumbledore well enough to be able to kill Dumbledore and I don't discern that as being any small feat. Snape then carries Harry's cryptic warning about Sirius' capture to the other Order members, allowing them to come to the rescue in the Department of Mysteries. It could be that he doesn't want it torn, I have to say I disagree with the way you've interpreted both Snape killing Dumbledore and. [62] Snape is shown using this spell as a teenager against Harry's father James[26] and in the aerial battle in the last novel when he accidentally hits George Weasley (acting as a Potter decoy) with it while actually aiming for a Death Eater who was trying to attack Lupin, permanently severing George's right ear. Dumbledore chided him for thinking only of himself and not of Lily's husband and child, but agreed and ensured that they were placed under the Fidelius Charm. [75] In May 2011, Snape was again voted as the No. Its follow-up with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002 pulled in another $880 million, so it was evidently clear that Warner Bros. Pictures had an enormous hit on their hands and they were only two movies into the seven-part novel (which consisted of 8 movies as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two parts).