180
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Accepted
Why would Snape set his office password to 'Dumbledore'?
I don't think he chose "Dumbledore" as his password. He was an accomplished double agent, and would have chosen a suitable password that would avoid arousing suspicion from either side.
...
- 42.5k
128
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Why would Dumbledore say "After all this time?" to Snape?
He's not referring to the commitment to the Order - he's referring to the Patronus, and what it represents.
If the person you love has an animal form, your patronus can turn into something resembling ...
- 16.3k
106
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Why did the best potions master have greasy hair?
J.K. Rowling addressed this in an interview back in 2007. Her answer is short but effective...
Hannah: Why was Snape so badly groomed?
J.K. Rowling: Hmm. Good question. Poor eyesight? Did he look in ...
- 61.3k
93
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Why didn't Snape just kill Voldemort to buy more time while the latter was recuperating as a Horcrux?
Well you are of course right to suggest in your question that robbing Voldemort of his mortal body isn't a bad plan; he could not be a general, he could not set about acquiring the Elder Wand, he ...
- 29.6k
83
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Why did Snape give his loyalty to Dumbledore after Dumbledore failed to carry out his part of the deal?
Because it wasn't Dumbledore's fault, and because he still loved Lily and wanted to do this in her memory.
No one was expecting Pettigrew's betrayal. Remember that it was Lily and James who made ...
- 20.6k
81
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Was Lily the sole reason for Snape being cold hearted and callous in general?
Probably not.
In the first summer he met with Lily, Snape used magic to send a branch down onto Petunia's head, hurting her. He clearly had a bit of a mean streak even then.
When Harry accidentally ...
- 40k
77
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Why did the best potions master have greasy hair?
I like the above answer, but my personal fun theory is that Snape refused to use the most well-known hair potion (and the only example I can think of), which was created by....
Fleamont Potter, ...
- 1,296
72
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Why was Snape so concerned with exams if he wanted to join the Death Eaters?
Snape personally valued knowledge.
Though Snape may have planned to join the Death Eaters, that does not mean he would therefore not care about his grades because Voldemort and the Death Eaters would ...
- 106k
67
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Accepted
What form would a boggart take for Snape?
Per J.K. Rowling's interview, "Telling us Professor Snape's patronus and boggart would give too much away", over at Accio Quote:
Ernie: I wonder if you can let us know what form will ...
- 20.6k
61
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Accepted
Why did Snape become a teacher?
Snape became a teacher to protect Harry and as penance for Lily's death
Snape felt terribly guilty of his own role in Lily's death. Dumbledore made use of that guilt, and made him promise to protect ...
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53
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Accepted
What makes the Whomping Willow so valuable to Snape?
Snape emphasized its value to get Harry in trouble.
Snape almost certainly didn't personally or emotionally value the Whomping Willow. He certainly wouldn't have positive associations with the place ...
- 106k
52
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When did Snape join the Hogwarts staff?
1981
Snape states in Order of the Phoenix that he has been a teacher at Hogwarts for fourteen years.
"Now...how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her ...
- 62.1k
51
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Why would Dumbledore say "After all this time?" to Snape?
It's been almost 17 years since Lily died, and about 22 since Snape was rejected by Lily in fifth year after O.W.Ls.
Patronuses change after a great shock, and emotional upheaval (from HP6):
“...
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51
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Accepted
Does JKR have a reason to call Severus Snape, Snape?
As far as I know, Rowling has never stated a particular meaning to "snape" that relates to the character, although the common theory is indeed that it sounds like "snake".
This ...
- 239k
45
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Why Did Lupin and Snape never spot Sirius in animal form during Prisoner of Azkaban?
There's probably a whole host of reasons:
Harry is a particularly curious and observant student
At this point he had already managed to retrieve the Philosopher's stone and get into the Chamber of ...
- 15.3k
44
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Snape work out Voldemort had Horcruxes?
Horcruxes were a fairly obscure topic, even among Dark wizards.
Though Snape had an interest in the Dark Arts, Horcruxes aren’t a common topic in Dark Arts. When Hermione searches the books in the ...
- 106k
40
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Why did Snape give his loyalty to Dumbledore after Dumbledore failed to carry out his part of the deal?
I think something that is not expressed in Gallifreyan's excellent answer has to do with Snape's relationship with Voldemort.
Snape's loyalty to Voldemort was never as deep as his loyalty to Lily. ...
- 4,529
40
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Accepted
Why did Snape want to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts even after knowing it was cursed?
He knew that he would have a new job anyway within the year.
Namely, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
This explanation holds for the year that Snape was actually appointed DADA Professor. Why he wanted the ...
- 62.1k
40
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Was Lily the sole reason for Snape being cold hearted and callous in general?
Probably not - Snape grew up in an uncaring environment.
The earliest age we see Snape, when he first meets Lily, he’s clearly not in a loving home with happy parents. Lily seemed to be what Snape ...
- 106k
38
votes
At what point in time did Dumbledore ask Snape for this favor?
Dumbledore asked Snape during the first two weeks of July '96
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we learn that Dumbledore got a black hand he did not have by the end of Order of the Phoenix:
...
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38
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Why did Snape tell Bellatrix about Dumbledore knowing he was returning to the Dark Lord?
Dumbledore orders Snape to rejoin Voldemort, in order to act as a double agent for the Order. He recognises that Snape will declare that he is loyal to Voldemort.
Snape tells Bellatrix (and Voldemort)...
- 22.6k
37
votes
Doesn't Snape see Peter Pettigrew on the map in Prisoner of Azkaban?
No, because the Shrieking Shack is located in Hogsmeade, not Hogwarts.
Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. 'You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were ...
- 26.5k
36
votes
What form would a boggart take for Snape?
We don't know, but we can guess.
Ernie: I wonder if you can let us know what form will Professor Snape's Boggart and Patronus take? I am very curious.
JK Rowling: Well, I'm not going to tell you ...
- 718k
36
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Why didn't Snape just kill Voldemort to buy more time while the latter was recuperating as a Horcrux?
Snape knows for a fact that Voldemort won't stay dead.
‘Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse ...
- 66.5k
32
votes
What makes the Whomping Willow so valuable to Snape?
It is a rare, old tree, which presumably makes it valuable.
We see that they're rather 'exotic':
"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been ...
- 39.1k
32
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Does JKR have a reason to call Severus Snape, Snape?
J.K. Rowling got the name "Snape" from an English village
In multiple interviews, starting as far back as 1999 (shortly after book three was published), J.K. Rowling said that the name Snape ...
- 96.1k
31
votes
Accepted
Why did the best potions master have greasy hair?
It's been well addressed that Snape was somewhat of an awkward kid with amazing potion-brewing abilities. Here's my take on why his hair was so greasy:
In Deathly Hallows, chapter 33, "The Prince's ...
- 750
31
votes
Accepted
At what point in time did Dumbledore ask Snape for this favor?
I addressed the timeline of the summer between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince at length in My answers here and here. The conclusions derived there are as follows:
The school year in Order ...
- 45k
30
votes
Why would Snape set his office password to 'Dumbledore'?
Supposition here:
If it was a password Snape set up, it was easily explainable. It is humiliating a conquered enemy. Stamping his authority on the office. Reminding anyone who heard it who he had ...
- 21.1k
28
votes
Why did Snape become a Death Eater to begin with?
He loved the Dark Arts and fell in with the wrong crowd.
Sirius' recollections of Snape as a schoolboy confirms that he was obsessed with Dark Magic. This was the basis for his association with the ...
- 62.1k
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