Severus Snape

Severus Snape is Headmaster, Acting Head of Slytherin House & Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He married Elizabeth Granger, August 2011 (RW). He has four children, Myfanwy Carlyle-Lovegood, Sophia Snape, Bellatrix "Bella" Snape, and Charles Snape. He is the stepfather to Hermione Granger. Snape used to serve The Dark Lord Voldemort as one of his Death Eaters, and has been a member on and off throughout the years.

Biography
"...probably the bravest man I ever knew." —Harry Potter telling his son about Severus Snape

Official Canon Story (from the Harry Potter Wikia)


Severus Snape was born 9 January, 1960 to Eileen Prince, a pure-blood witch, and Tobias Snape, a Muggle, making him a half-blood wizard. Severus, whose father was neglectful and possibly even violent, began to identify with his mother's family and created a secret nickname from his mother's maiden name, calling himself "the Half-Blood Prince." His unhappy relationship with his father may have been the origin of his disdain for Muggles. It is implied that Severus was friendless and uncared for by his parents. This lack of care largely shaped Severus' bitter disposition and cruel behaviour later in his life.

Early Life
Severus grew up at Spinner's End, a shabby suburb of Cokeworth. This area of town was located nearby a dirty river and full of dilapidated houses, disused factories and broken down street lamps. Throughout the rest of his life, Severus continued to return there when he wasn't at school. The young Severus is depicted as being unwashed and wearing ill-fitting clothes "that were so mismatched that it looked deliberate". As a child, Severus was apparently neglected and his parents often fought with one another. He could not wait to leave for Hogwarts at the end of the summer.

Lily Evans and her family likely lived in the same town, close to Spinner's End. After watching her for some time, Severus noticed her evident magical abilities and began making friendly overtures. The two bonded quickly and it appears that he was very interested in Lily right from the beginning, though she only regarded him as a good friend. During this time he also developed a contempt towards her older sister, Petunia. This was most likely because she made disparaging comments about his clothes and residence, but may also be because she was a Muggle.

Information from Severus' own memories of his first interactions with Lily and Petunia suggests that he was an awkward child with poor social skills. Even when it was important to him to make a good impression, he always seemed to have trouble doing so. The memories show that both he and Lily had powerful talents for magic before attending Hogwarts.

School Years
Severus attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a student from 1971 to 1978, and was sorted into Slytherin, at that time led by Potions professor, Horace Slughorn. On the way to Hogwarts for his first year, Severus sat with Lily on the train, where they met James Potter and Sirius Black. This hostile first encounter would set the tone for the antagonism between the three of them for the rest of his life.

Severus was made a member of the Slug Club, presumably because of his brilliance at potion-making, and Horace kept a picture of him as a student, clutching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. Despite this, Horace did not have many hopes for Severus' future, as his photograph was kept behind many others.

According to Sirius, Severus excelled at the Dark Arts from an early age. At the age of eleven, he knew more curses and hexes than most of the seventh year students. He reportedly was friends with a gang of Slytherins who later became Death Eaters, including Avery and Mulciber. Severus was credited with creating a good number of popular spells like Levicorpus, Liberacorpus, Muffliato, and curses like Langlock, the Toenail Growth Hex, and his signature curse, Sectumsempra. Other Slytherins that Sirius mentioned as being friends with Severus included Evan Rosier, Wilkes and Sirius's cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Severus also had contact with Lucius Malfoy, who was a prefect during his first year and greeted him kindly when he was sorted into the Slytherin House. Most likely the two had good rapport at Hogwarts (which could also be a reason why Severus seems to favour Draco Malfoy during his later teaching years). Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were also classmates of Severus.

James and his group of friends were constantly at war with Severus throughout their school years. Severus' memories, recorded in the Pensieve, suggest that he was an introverted and studious individual, whereas James was arrogant, popular and athletic. Immediately upon meeting him, James disliked Severus for expressing a desire to be in Slytherin. James' big crush on Lily, and Severus' close friendship and unrequited love for her also heightened the tension between the two.

One recorded memory in the Pensieve bears witness to James bullying him, turning him upside-down to reveal his underwear in front of many students, including Lily. Lily came to Severus' defence, but this only made things worse: in a subsequent lashing out at James in an attempt to recover his lost dignity, Severus inadvertently called Lily a Mudblood. Lily refused to forgive him for it, even after his repeated apologies. This would forever be Severus' worst memory.

Severus noticed that Remus kept disappearing during the full moon and, on one occasion, decided to follow him past the Whomping Willow (after being tipped off on how to do so by Sirius Black) in order to confirm his suspicions. This act could have cost Severus his life or his humanity (he could have been turned into a werewolf by Remus' bite) had it not been for James. When James found out what had happened, he went after Severus and managed to save him just before he got to the Shrieking Shack while Remus was in his wolf-form. Albus Dumbledore swore Severus to secrecy, but it was clear to Severus the true nature of Remus.

By their seventh year, James had grown out of his immaturity and arrogance to the point that Lily agreed to start dating him, even though he never grew out of his hatred for Severus — according to Sirius, Severus had always been a "special case" with James. Lily ended up marrying James, which only strengthened Severus' bitterness towards him.

Severus was an exceptional wizard even in his childhood years. It was apparent through the notes and scribbles in his Potions textbook that he made time during classes to invent curses, charms, and brilliant potion innovations, while simultaneously learning the required textbook lessons. This Book is Property of the the Half-Blood Prince.

Severus' potions textbook contained a few spells and curses which he was credited with inventing: Levicorpus, which grabbed the victim by the ankle and dangled them upside-down, and Sectumsempra, which caused slashing cuts (guided by the wand gestures of the caster, like a blade/sword) which bled extensively. Levicorpus somehow escaped from Severus' secrecy, and became very popular around Hogwarts towards the end of his fifth year at school. Some other spells are Muffliato, which filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing sound and another hex that caused toenails to grow at an unnaturally fast rate. Severus' book later fell into the hands of Harry Potter in 1996. Harry used the Half-Blood Prince's tips and earned praise with that year's Potions master, Professor Slughorn. Harry considered the Half-Blood Prince to be a better teacher than Severus, unaware at that point that Severus was the Prince in question.

The potions textbook has an inscription indicating it is Property of the Half-Blood Prince. Hermione Granger's research revealed that Prince was the maiden name of Severus' mother and so the nickname was revealed to be a combination of his mother's maiden name and his blood status. This nickname was apparently a secret, as Remus did not remember it ever being used publicly by Severus.

First Wizarding War
Severus Snape eventually joined the ranks of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters, and was the spy responsible for informing Voldemort about the prophecy foretelling his downfall.

In early 1980, Snape eavesdropped on an interview for Divination Professor between Sybill Trelawney and Albus Dumbledore at the Hog's Head Inn. In the course of the interview, Trelawney prophesied that at the end of July, a child would be born who would cause the destruction of Lord Voldemort (which prompted Dumbledore to hire her, partly for her own safety). At that time it was not clear who was meant by the prophecy. Two children of prominent wizarding families were born that year at the end of July: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. Dumbledore reported at the Wizengamot trial of Igor Karkaroff that Severus had come to him and explained that he had been the one to overhear the prophecy, and reported it to Voldemort. However, Snape did not hear the entirety of the prophecy, as the barman caught him eavesdropping and threw him out.

Severus suffered terrible remorse when Voldemort decided that Harry Potter was the subject of the prophecy, and that Lily, the woman who he always loved, was now in danger as a result of his actions. He begged Voldemort to spare her in exchange for the lives of her husband and son. But knowing that he could not leave Lily's safety in question at the hands of someone who could turn back at his word on a mere whim, Snape also approached Albus Dumbledore to ask that he save Lily. He pleaded with Dumbledore to hide her, along with her husband and son if he had to. Dumbledore agreed, but insisted that Severus serve him as a spy among the Death Eaters. In fact, it was Snape's request to Voldemort which allowed Lily to let herself die in order for Harry to live, so that when Voldemort attempted to kill him, his curse backfired.

Despite Dumbledore's best efforts to protect the Potters, Voldemort was tipped off by another Death Eater and found them anyway. After Lily's death, Snape was distraught, but Dumbledore urged him to ensure Harry's safety out of respect for Lily's memory; Snape was initially reluctant, for with the Dark Lord gone, the danger had been averted, only for Albus to insist that he will return and everyone, particularly the boy, will be in danger when that happens. So Snape spent the rest of his life protecting her child, Harry Potter, who was often said to strongly resemble James. Distrusted for his past as a Death Eater by those on Albus Dumbledore's side, and hated by other Death Eaters for living as Dumbledore's stooge for 10 years, Snape continued living on to complete Dumbledore's plan to protect Harry and defeat Voldemort.

Interwar Period
When Severus Snape began teaching at Hogwarts in 1981, he initially applied for the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore instead employed him in the position of Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House, following the retirement of Horace Slughorn. Though it seems rather unlikely that someone so young would be named Head of any House at Hogwarts, it is possible that Snape was the only Slytherin teacher left at the school, or that he was placed there to contain the young Slytherins, who were frequently accused of (but not without reason) joining the Death Eaters.

Following Voldemort's fall, Snape made no attempt to find his master, for he, like other Death Eaters, claimed that Voldemort was dead, and he could use Dumbledore's protection to avoid being sent to Azkaban. Whether Snape truly believed that Voldemort was gone or fabricated this as an alibi for the Death Eaters is unknown. This brought him later into conflict with fanatical Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange, but Snape was forgiven by Voldemort, because he could provide him with thirteen years of information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.

As a teacher, Snape was a ruthless disciplinarian, with little patience for foolishness, yet effective in his job and well respected by other professors. His deep understanding of potion brewing, as shown by his expert concoction of Wolfsbane Potion, transformed the knowledge of potions from mere chemistry to an art.

While he sometimes threatened to have Harry expelled from the school, Snape never followed through. He also claimed to be unaware of Voldemort's plans, to avoid being held responsible for allowing Harry and his friends to foil them.

Snape dutifully did everything he could to prevent Professor Quirrell from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone throughout the year. It is unknown whether or not he was aware that Quirrell had been sharing his body with Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter also became a student in Snape's classes in 1991. The two of them detested each other almost immediately. Harry's resemblance to his father and his acquired "celebrity" caused Snape to jump on the defensive in their very first Potions lesson.

However, Snape later attempted to save Harry's life during a game of Quidditch. When Harry's broomstick was jinxed, Snape performed a counter-curse to prevent Harry from being hurled off the broom. For the next match, Snape insisted on refereeing to make sure it didn't happen again. This did not come across well to the other teachers, who believed that he was just trying to injure the Gryffindor team's chances of winning.

Snape played a relatively minor part during the 1992-1993 school year. When Harry and Ron arrived at Hogwarts in a Flying Ford Anglia, he threatened to have them expelled, but Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stepped in and made sure it didn't happen. Later on in the year, Harry, Ron and Hermione successfully managed to smuggle Polyjuice Potion ingredients from Snape's personal cabinets while creating a spectacle of a diversion in his classroom.

During this year, Professor Snape also worked with Professor Lockhart in running the Duelling Club, seizing the opportunity to blast Professor Lockhart against a wall. Professor Snape was also among the professors who tried to get Professor Lockhart out of the way so that students could be escorted to safety

During this school year, Snape demonstrated his expertise with potions by brewing the complex Wolfgang Potion for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin. Throughout this year, Snape suspected that Lupin may be helping Sirius Black, an escapee from Azkaban, enter Hogwarts castle.

This suspicion stemmed from Lupin's friendship with Sirius and Harry's father James when they were all at Hogwarts as students. It is revealed that Sirius once played a joke on Snape, telling him that he could find out where Lupin was going every month if he climbed into the Whomping Willow. James realized the danger and saved Snape's life by pulling him back.

Near the end of the school year, Snape ambushed Black as he entered the school again and attempted to apprehend him. When Harry aided Black's escape, Snape was beside himself with indignation. On the last day of school, he revealed to his students that Lupin was a werewolf, forcing Lupin to resign his post.

Snape was apoplectic when Harry's name was unexpectedly chosen from the Goblet of Fire. Despite the fishy circumstances surrounding the incident and the immense dangers that Harry was facing, Snape refused to believe that he didn't deliberately enter himself in for the Triwizard Tournament. Indeed, he continued to treat Harry as maliciously as ever, thinking that he had broken into his office to steal ingredients to aid him in the underwater phase of the tournament.

Later, Harry accidentally fell into the Pensieve and discovered that Snape was once a Death Eater but had been vouched for by Dumbledore. Dumbledore told the Wizengamot that although Snape had indeed worked for Voldemort, he changed sides and turned spy against him. Dumbledore later reassured Harry that Snape's loyalties was genuine, though he refused to tell Harry why.

Harry was not the only one who had expressed scepticism over Snape's reform. Moody had Snape's office searched at the beginning of the year, claiming that it was an "Auror's privilege" and that Dumbledore mentioned to be watchful of him. Snape was resentful of Moody's accusations but couldn't do anything about it. (In truth, Moody was actually an impostor who had been raiding Snape's cabinet for ingredients to make Polyjuice Potion.)

However, despite Snape's unawareness of the real reason why Harry was in the tournament, it had not escaped his notice that Lord Voldemort's mark was becoming increasingly more pronounced throughout the year. Kakorloff, who dreaded retribution from Voldemort, panicked and confided his fears in Snape. The former consequently fled when the Dark Lord returned.

Voldemort's Return
After the Third Task and the Rebirth of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore and Snape attempted to convince a disbelieving Cornelius Fudge, that Voldemort has returned. Snape was subsequently sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore to rejoin the Death Eaters and spy on the Dark Lord as a re-doubled agent.

During the 1995-1996 school year, with Voldemort having returned to his body, Snape carried on with his work as a re-doubled agent for Dumbledore. During the summer, he was seen at Number 12, Grimmauld Place giving reports to the Order of the Phoenix. Snape frequently taunted Sirius about the latter not being able to take an active role in the Order's missions due to his fugitive status.

Back at school, Snape's allegiance to the Order had no effect on his dislike for Harry. When Harry began having visions about Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore asked Snape teach Harry Occlumency in order to protect his mind from Voldemort's influence.[6] However, the mutual hostility made it difficult for them to work productively during the sessions. When Harry went into the Pensieve to view Snape's worst childhood memory, Snape threw him out of his office.

Towards the end of the school year, Dolores Umbridge captured Harry and questioned him on the whereabouts of Dumbledore. She sends for Snape to provide Veritaserum to force Harry to reveal any information he may be hiding. Snape claims that his supplies of Veritaserum were exhausted earlier, when she had attempted to use the drug surreptitiously to force information from Harry. Snape withheld further assistance.

It is later revealed that Snape had in fact supplied Umbridge with fake Veritaserum on the prior attempt. Upon hearing Harry's cryptic warning about Sirius' capture, he swiftly carried the message back to the other Order members, and helped come up with a plan for them to come to the rescue in the Department of Mysteries while he searched the Forbidden Forest for Harry. However, despite the fact that Snape came to his aid multiple times throughout the year, Harry hated him as much as ever, believing Snape's goading spurred Sirius into joining the battle.

Prior to the start of the 1996-1997 school year, Snape was visited by Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy at his home in Spinner's End. Narcissa's son Draco has been given a difficult task by Voldemort, and Narcissa swears Snape to an Unbreakable Vow, on pain of death should he break it, that he will protect Draco, help him complete Voldemort's task, and finish the task himself if Draco fails. When questioned by Bellatrix about his loyalties, Snape claimed to have been working for Voldemort (rather than for Dumbledore) ever since Voldemort's return, and explained his actions in the previous years in that light. In addition, he points out that Dumbledore's protection has kept him out of Azkaban and free to operate on Voldemort's behalf.

At the start-of-term feast at Hogwarts, Dumbledore announced he had finally appointed Snape as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Snape was no less severe in teaching Defence than he had been with Potions, although he did allow students who achieved below "Outstanding" at O.W.L. level to enter his N.E.W.T. classes.

Horace Slughorn, a retired Hogwarts teacher, replaced Snape as Potions Master. Slughorn loaned Harry an old Potions textbook, in which Harry found marginalia including helpful tips on how to make potions better and a variety of hexes and jinxes seemingly invented by an unknown student. The book was inscribed "This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". With the help of the notes, Harry quickly became the best potion-maker in the class and Slughorn's favorite student. Snape, however, was suspicious when he heard about Harry's newfound success, maintaining that he "never had the impression that [he] had been able to teach Potter anything at all".

Later, in a fight with Draco, Harry cast one of the Prince's spells marked "For Enemies" (Sectumsempra) and was horrified when it caused devastating wounds to Draco's face and chest. Snape rushed to the scene and healed Draco's wounds, and then interrogated Harry about the source of the spell. When Harry refused to tell him anything, Snape demanded that he bring him all of his books. Harry hid the Prince's book and gave Ron Weasley's copy of the book to Snape instead. Snape punished Harry by giving him detention every single day for the rest of the year, including during the final Quidditch match of the season.

Before leaving with Dumbledore to find a Horcrux, Harry discovered from Professor Trelawney that it had been Snape who overheard The Prophecy and told it to Voldemort, thus causing Voldemort to hunt Harry and his parents. Despite this and Harry's angry questions, Dumbledore maintained that he trusted Severus. After returning to Hogwarts, Harry and Dumbledore alit on the school's Astronomy Tower. Gravely weakened by Voldemort's potion, and the school being under attack by Death Eaters, Dumbledore asked Harry to fetch Snape for him. Before Harry could leave, Draco arrived and Disarmed Dumbledore, intending to carry out Voldemort's ordered assassination. Draco was unable to bring himself to commit the murder, however, and Snape killed the headmaster himself.

An enraged Harry (who had been immobilized by Dumbledore for his own protection and witnessed the killing while under his Invisibility cloak) chased Snape, Draco, and the Death Eaters as they fled the castle. Snape easily blocked Harry's attempts to attack him and jeeringly pointed out Harry's mistakes, but refused to strike back.

During the confrontation, Snape also revealed himself to be the "Half-Blood Prince" (being the son of Tobias Snape, a Muggle, Eileen Prince, a pure-blood). Harry was unable to stop Snape before the latter passed through the school gates and Disapparated.

Second Wizard War
After killing Albus Dumbledore and fleeing the school, Snape once more regained the ranks of the Death Eaters. In the summer of 1997, Snape informed Lord Voldemort that Harry was to depart from his relatives' house four days before his birthday. On Dumbledore's orders, Snape told the Death Eaters the correct date so as to continue Voldemort's trust in him.

Snape then fed Mundungus Fletcher the idea of using seven decoys of Harry Potter during his movement to a place of safety so that when the Death Eaters arrived, they wouldn't know who the real one was. In order to be consistent in his own role as a Death Eater, Snape confunded Fletcher so that he wouldn't remember who told him.

Because of Snape's information, when the Order of the Phoenix moved Harry from 4 Privet Drive they were ambushed by Death Eaters, and the Battle of the Seven Potters ensued. During the battle, Snape accidentally sliced George Weasley's ear off with his wand while aiming at another Death Eater.

During the 1997-1998 school year, Snape was named Headmaster of Hogwarts, while Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow were appointed Deputy Heads. Snape used his position as Headmaster to discreetly protect the students and to contain the Carrows. It is later understood that, during his time as Headmaster, Snape consulted with the portraits of the previous headmasters, and continued to receive instructions from Dumbledore's portrait.

Before the beginning of the first term, Rufus Scrimgeour removed the Sword of Gryffindor from its glass case in the headmaster's office for examination, along with the other items Dumbledore left in his will. However, this sword was a fake. The real sword had been hidden in a hole in the wall behind Dumbledore's portrait.

When its counterfeit had been returned to Dumbledore's office, another attempt to seize the sword was made by several students. After pretending to punish them by sending them into the forest with Hagrid, Snape passed it along to Bellatrix Lestrange, who stowed it away in her vault at Gringotts, thinking that it was real.

Upon being informed of Harry Potter's whereabouts, Dumbledore's portrait instructed Snape to give Harry the real sword without the latter knowing it. Not only would Harry not have taken kindly to Snape's appearance after his attack on George Weasley, and also for the murder of Dumbledore of which Harry was an eye-witness, it would have been dangerous if Voldemort were to read his mind and see Snape helping him. Snape then took the real sword, hid it in a frozen pool of water near Harry's camping spot, and used his Patronus to guide Harry to it.

As a headmaster, Snape was thoroughly disliked by many of his students. The old members of Dumbledore's Army reformed the organisation after Lord Voldemort gained control over the school and started up a revolt against Snape and the Carrows. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley were at the forefront of the rebellion. Snape, following up on his promise to Dumbledore to keep the students safe, subtly undermined the violent, sadistic attempts of the Carrows to keep control by doing things such as sending students to help Hagrid as punishments rather than the Carrows' more dangerous alternatives. Also, during his tenure, the Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four was re-enacted.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to Hogwarts Castle in search of one of the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes, which they believed to have something to do with Rowena Ravenclaw. The only idea they could come up with was Ravenclaw's lost diadem, and so Harry and Luna Lovegood went to the Ravenclaw Common Room to get an idea of what the diadem looks like. Here they were met by Alecto Carrow, who pressed her finger to the Dark Mark and summoned Voldemort. Amycus Carrow arrived, and with the help of Minerva McGonagall the Carrow siblings were defeated. As McGonagall rushed to meet with the other Heads of Houses to protect the school from Voldemort's oncoming attack, she was stopped by Snape, who demanded she tell him if she knew the whereabouts of Harry Potter.

The two began fighting, and while Snape put up a good defence McGonagall was soon helped by the arrival of the other Heads of House: Sprout, Flitwick and Slughorn. Outnumbered, Snape fled the castle, jumping out the window of a classroom and using the ability to fly without a broom, which he presumably learnt from Voldemort.

Death and Final Memory
Later in the evening, Snape was summoned by Voldemort to the Shrieking Shack. Erroneously believing Snape was the master of the Elder Wand, Voldemort had his snake Nagini bite him through the neck, believing that Snape's death would make him the true master of the Wand. Before dying, Snape released a cloud of memories and told Harry, who had watched the entire scene from a hidden spot, to take them. Harry later took the memories to the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office. From these memories, Harry learned all about Snape's past. In the first scene, Harry discovered that Snape had befriended Lily as a nine-year-old child when they lived near each other.

Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed Snape and Lily into Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses, respectively. They remained close friends for the next few years until they were driven apart by James Potter and Snape's interest in the Dark Arts. The friendship finally ended following the incident that Harry had briefly witnessed in his fifth year, in which Snape accidentally insulted Lily. Despite this separation and Snape's animosity toward Lily's eventual husband James, Snape continued to love Lily on a much deeper and stronger romantic level for the rest of his life.

Snape was next seen going to Dumbledore and desperately begging him to hide the Potters from the Dark Lord, who was planning on targeting Lily's son to prevent a prophecy from being fulfilled. Snape had been the one who previously revealed said prophecy to Voldemort, not knowing at first that it was referring to Lily and her family. Though he asked Voldemort to spare Lily, Snape still feared for her safety. In return, Snape became a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix, employing Occlumency to hide his duplicity from his master.

Snape felt devastating pain and remorse when Lily was found and killed. From that point on, he agreed to help Dumbledore protect her son and fight against Lord Voldemort. Snape demanded, however, that his strong, deep and undying romantic feelings about Lily be kept a secret. Dumbledore complied and never told anyone the real reason why Snape switched sides.

Snape's memories then revealed that Dumbledore had been afflicted by a powerful curse cast on Marvolo Gaunt's ring, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, prior to the start of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. Although Snape's knowledge of the Dark Arts enabled him to slow the spread of the curse, the curse would have ultimately killed Dumbledore within a year. Dumbledore, aware that Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him, asked Snape to kill him instead as a way of sparing the boy's soul and of preventing his own otherwise slow, painful death. Although Snape was reluctant, even asking about the impact of such an action on his own soul, Dumbledore implied that this kind of coup de grâce would not damage a human's soul in the same way murder would. Snape agreed to do as the Headmaster requested. 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.

Because of the memories, Harry finally understood where Snape's true allegiances always were. He also showed Harry the memory where Albus Dumbledore had told him about Harry himself being a Horcrux (although he didn't understand it) because Dumbledore had asked him to pass that along to Harry when the time was right.

During the final duel between Harry and Voldemort, Harry finally told him that Snape had been, in fact, Dumbledore's man. Harry also revealed that Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand, because Snape never defeated Dumbledore; the two had arranged his death. Before Snape killed Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy Disarmed Dumbledore. Therefore, Draco was the true master of the Elder Wand, not Snape. However, Harry had overpowered Draco at Malfoy Manor and taken his wand (10" hawthorn, unicorn hair core). Because of the subtleties governing wand ownership discussed by Garrick Ollivander, Harry was master of the Elder Wand. Snape's true loyalties remained hidden due to his skills as an Occlumens and the fact his actions were motivated by love, which completely eluded Voldemort.

Snape's portrait was not automatically put into the Headmaster's office since he had essentially abandoned his post during the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Harry, in one of his acts of showing reconciliation towards Snape, made sure that his portrait was placed there.

Albus Severus Potter, the second son of Harry, and the only one of Harry's children to have inherited Lily's bright green almond-shaped eyes, is named after Snape. When Albus was worried that he may be sorted into Slytherin, Harry responded that Albus was named after two headmasters, one of whom was a Slytherin and who was "probably the bravest man I ever knew."

Rita Skeeter published a book about Snape's life, entitled Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?, sometime after his death. If it is consistent with Skeeter's other works, it is probably riddled with inaccuracies designed to tarnish Snape's reputation.

After Death
Snape was left in the shrieking shack for an hour before he was found. He was found by a death eater, Marisol. Marisol Sutton Lovegood, his niece. Snape was related to them by marriage.

Eileen Snape (later Carlyle, nee Prince) had divorced Tobias and remarried after Severus graduated from Hogwarts to Oswald Carlyle. Together they had a son named Simon Carlyle-Snape. Simon, was born squib but raised in partial wizard society, without his father knowing. It was this way he met the Lovegood family. The twins Xenophilius and Helen-Alexandra, and their younger sister Mercury May. Simon married Helen-Alexandra a few days before the the first attack,where he was officially known as Voldemort.

Snape did not attend the wedding. The next couple years, Xenophilius married Chasity Wallace, and Mercury May started dating Jason Scrimgeour (for the first time), son of you Polition, Rufus Scrimgeour.

In later years, everyone but Snape had settled down, due to his love for Lily Potter (nee Evans). Snape relation with them got strained during the first war. After, there was civilness, he attended holidays when invited, birthday cards were sent. The closest he remained to was Simon, Helen and their daughter Myfanwy Selene. When the second war started, in the early days Voldemort had gone to Simon's home and tortured him to insanity in an attempt to find Severus. Myfanwy had cried to her cousins Luna and Marisol Lovegood. Marisol wanted revenge, and joined the death eaters with an attempt to attack from the inside... only to be sucked into them.

Marisol found the body, she had been running away. She had been in the battle, yes. She had been fighting for, yes, the death eaters. She had been enjoying it, maybe. However, when she turned and realized she was about to point her killing curse at her sister, something had snapped. She had needed to get out of there.She had ran away to the shrieking shack, and that was where she had found him. Her Uncle Severus Snape. Horrified, she took the body to her Aunt Mercury May, leaving a magicated replica in it's place.

Mercury May was now married to Jason Scrimgeour and had a small child named Lila Lynn. She was one of the best Healers in the century. She examined the body and realized that, because Snape had given Harry his memory while he was living there was some of his life attached to it which meant that, she could bring him back.

Mercury sent her niece Luna, a friend of Harry's, to obtain the memory. She had told him that his family had wanted it. Harry handed it over and Luna gave it to Mercury. Mercury used it to start his life force back up again, this resurrecting him. He recuperated at Helen-Alexandra's home. He helped her out with Myfanwy, since Simon was in a home.

Recovery
Snape was immobile for half of a year. When he was able to move, it was very minor movements that he struggled with. When he could speak, they were three word sentences. He had been given a second chance on life, and here he was wasting it as a vegatable. He only ever saw two people during this time. Helen would check on him three times, before work, when she got home, and before bed. The rest of the day, if anything was needed or wanted, it was his little scared niece Myfanwy. She would change his bandages, read him the Prophet, give him his tonics and help him with his muscular and motor exercises. Myfanwy had been very frightened off him, and would only go close when nessicary. Yet, as time went on, Severus became more vocal and mobile, and less zombie like, and Myfanwy warmed to him, and vice-versa. Severus, who had been given a second chance on life, started to actually care for her.

A New Start
When he had fully recovered, Severus had stayed to help Helen with Myfanwy. He moved back home when Myfanwy was old enough to be by herself, yet lived close by. Myfanwy even got her own bedroom at his home on Spinner's End.

By 2003, Severus Snape was back at work as Headmaster, Potions Master and acting head of Slytherin House. When Myfanwy had started in 2007, she had beem instructed to not call him by his family name, and that at school he was her Professor; but Myfanwy didn't care and almost always called him a cutsy name. Eventually, Severus gave up and just asked that during class, she call him Professor.

In 2011, during summer break Severus Snape ran into an old student of his. Her name was Hermione Granger. Hermione married Ronald Weasley and had children together. They lived happily together for a few years, until Hermione ran into an old classmate, Draco Malfoy. Hermione and Draco started talking and before they knew it they were in her bedroom. Hermione had no idea what was going on with her. Ronald walked in on them and divorced her. Draco, who was in love with Hermione, proposed to her. Hermione wanted to say yes but had some uncertainties. Severus encouraged her that if she loves him that she should do it. Hermione, relieved, invited him to her wedding.

Hermione's parents, Elizabeth and Neil, had divorced years earlier. When Hermione had placed them under that enchantement during the Second War, Neil had had an affair. When Hermione lifted the spell on her mother, she asked for him to be left alone. She was really hurt and didn't want to relive it. Hermione agreed. The spell eventually wore off of her father but he had realized that his marriage was over. Elizabeth attended her daughter's greek Wizard Wedding, and it was there she met Severus Snape. The two bonded over a tragedy that occured. Hermione had suffered a miscarriage of her and Draco's baby. A few days later, they were seeing each other.

In August 2011, Severus Snape finally proposed to Elizabeth, who agreed wholeheartedly. They wed in mid-August,and have been concidered the longest lasting roleplay couple in their group. Over the year, Severus has come to see Hermione as a daughter and vice versa. Rumours have circulated that they have spoken about adoption, but weither this is true or not is unknown.

Death Eaters Recruit & The Dark Lord Voldemort
Severus Snape had made the mistake of becoming a Death Eater, and he suffered his first life because of it. He did not intend to waste his second. However, as his niece Marisol Lovegood says, "once your in, it is so hard to get out". He never went back willingly, it was always grudgingly. He has been forced by threat of death of loved ones, threat of destruction, threat of war; you name it, he threatened it.

The Dark Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape know that they need to be careful with each other, they could easily destroy each other. They both have the means, of late, Voldemort has gained new power, the hallows, the horcruxes and tapped into pure magic and made himself a god, giving him the upper hand. Severus recently was forced into joining after his daughter and son in law were kidnapped.

Family Ties
(Note, these are only members who actually have pages or accounts. Other members that have been used occasionally but have no pages are listed elsewhere.)

This list is not complete.