35 Tragic Facts About Professor Snape, Hogwarts' Tormented Potions Master

He was the professor you loved to hate. Even amongst villains like Bellatrix Lestrange, Dolores Umbridge, and Lord Voldemort himself, Hogwarts' potions master was, for many years, the most reviled of all the Harry Potter villains.

Then, with the final book, JK Rowling turned all that on its head and made Snape one of the noblest and most tragic heroes of the whole series.

Whether you love him or hate him, Snape is undeniably one of the Wizarding World's most compelling characters. Why not learn a little more about him?


Professor Snape Facts

1. A Major Player

Severus Snape is mentioned exactly 1,849 times throughout the run of the series. That's a lot of mentions!

Professor Snape Facts

2. A True Dark Arts Master

So much of the series focuses on Snape’s ties to Voldemort and his disdain for Harry Potter, but this guy also has some serious magical skills. Snape invented (to just name a few) a nonverbal spell, Levicorpus, that can lift people up by their ankles, a counter curse spell to Levicorpus, and a violent spell that can slash through opponents called Sectumsempra. Uh, those definitely sound like dark arts to me.

Lord Voldemort Facts

Harry Potter, Warner Bros.

3. Nasty

Because of Snape’s double agent status, he's described in a lot of unsavory ways by a lot of people: for example, "Snivellus" by Sirius Black, "Overgrown bat" by Professor Quirrell, and "Slimeball" by Peter Pettigrew (who's one to talk).

Professor Snape Facts

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows ,‎Warner Bros. Pictures