Severus Snape

Severus Snape (born January 9, 1960) was an English half-blood wizard who was the Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was born in the poor post-industrial town of Cokeworth to the Muggle mill worker Tobias and his wife Eileen Prince. An only child, his life before Hogwarts was bitterly unhappy and abusive. The one ray of sunshine in his life was a fellow magic user and a Muggleborn, Lily Evans.

Severus was sorted into Slytherin and attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978. During his time at Hogwarts, Severus gradually associated more and more with the Dark Arts, and grew apart from his one true friend and crush, Lily. He was tormented by the Marauders as well. In the last part of his fifth year, Lily finally broke off her friendship with Severus, no longer able to stand his fascination with dark magic.

After Hogwarts, Severus joined the Death Eaters and worked towards his Potions Mastery at the Royal College of the Magical Arts in Greenwich, England. He saw little action as a Death Eater, but served a pivotal role in the war's end, as he overhead Sybill Trelawney's prophecy concerning the fate of Lord Voldemort. He defected to join the Order of the Phoenix.

After the War, Severus was granted his Potions Mastery and became the Head of Slytherin House after the retirement of Horace Slughorn.

Early Life
Severus Snape was born to Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince in the post-industrial mill town of Cokeworth in the East Midlands, England on January 9, 1960. His parents had met shortly before Eileen's graduation from Hogwarts and fell in love. For that, Eileen was disowned. After the industry left their town, Tobias became increasingly more alcoholic, neglectful, and physically abusive to both Eileen and Severus.

Severus lived a very poor lifestyle. His mother's wand had been snapped by her family, so she worked as a maid. Tobias spent as much money as he made, and eventually spent his wife's made money. Severus escaped through his books, the one thing his mother had managed to escape with from the Prince home. Eventually, he would meet Lily Evans and her sister Petunia. Lily and Severus, though from very different socioeconomic backgrounds and home lives, would connect over their shared fascination with magic.

Lily would often invite Severus over to her house, and the two became inseparable. When Severus was eleven, his mother scrounged up enough money to purchase her son a wand from Ollivander's, an eleven inch wand made of pine and dragon heartstring.

Hogwarts (1971-1978)
Severus' desire to be a part of something larger than himself defined his time at Hogwarts. Much to his disappointment, Lily did not follow him into Slytherin House. However, Severus was soon taken under the wing of Lucius Malfoy and slowly delved deeper into the higher mysteries, including into the Dark Arts.

Severus was convinced of the superiority of magic over nonmagic means, if not the superiority of wizards over Muggles, and certainly not Purebloods over Half-Bloods or Muggleborns. Though his political leanings were discouraged in that time by many of his peers, they nevertheless tolerated his different approach, and often didn't see the distinction.

Another group who didn't see the distinction were The Marauders, a group of four Gryffindors. Severus would run afoul of James Potter after their first meeting and would slowly begin to antagonize the young Gryffindor particularly once James began to crush on Lily Evans, Snape's dearest friend. It often took the effort of three or four of the Marauders at once to successfully subdue Severus head on, so they used more crafty means.

Severus' prospects improved significantly in his second year, when Tobias Snape was murdered in a bar fight. Free of her abusive spouse, Eileen and Severus would train in the Dark Arts and family magic. Severus remained estranged from his maternal family as he viewed them as betraying her daughter in her time of need. Severus began to take O.W.L Potions in his fourth year, and was given special dispensation to continue with N.E.W.T Potions in his fifth, where he compiled his edits and notes of the text into the school's copy.

In 5th year, the rivalry between Snape and the Marauders would come to a head in a traumatic way: Severus would be saved in the nick of time by James after Sirius lured Snape to the Shrieking Shack in order for a transformed Lupin to severely injure or turn Snape into a werewolf.

Though Lily and Severus remained close throughout their first years at Hogwarts, Lily became very concerned with Severus' company. At one point, Lily began to distance herself from Severus, convinced that he couldn't be saved. After being bullied by James and Sirius yet again, Severus asked her why she hadn't curtailed them when she usually would. She told Snape about her decision, and Severus was heartbroken.

In Severus' last two years at Hogwarts, he poured himself into his work. His exemplary work would catch the attention of Horace Slughorn, who would recommend him to the faculty of the Royal College of the Magical Arts in his Seventh year. Severus graduated the top of his class.

The War (1978-1981)
After he left school, Severus was marked as a Death Eater. He quickly rose through the ranks, not for his knowledge or for his dueling abilities, but for his singular abilities as a spy and a potioneer. Lucius Malfoy funded his apprenticeship and Masterhood at the Royal College, fully aware and appreciative of his value to the cause.

During his time at the Royal College, Severus would receive assignments that would take him to the Ministry, to Hogsmeade, and even within Hogwarts itself. During one of these missions, Severus overhead Sybill Trelawney's true prophecy concerning his best friend's newborn son. Tied between obligations to his ally Lucius and his cause as well as his enduring love for Lily, Severus chose to silently defect from the Death Eaters, becoming a double agent for Albus Dumbledore. His efforts ensured the survival of Harry Potter and the defeat of Lord Voldemort, though at great personal cost to him. Lily Potter's death cemented Severus as a cold, uncaring husk.

Survival (1981 - current)
After the end of the war, Severus would be hired as a Potions professor to replace Horace Slughorn, who had retired mid-semester. Finding himself a capable replacement, he would nevertheless apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts several times. Eventually he would be promoted to Department Head as well as Head of Slytherin House, effectively replacing Slughorn's place at the school.

Physical Appearance
Severus was tall and thin, almost gaunt, in his youth. He wore his hair- often greasy as he could not afford regular hair care products- in curtains that framed his face. He had a long nose and piercing black eyes.

Severus wore three distinct layers: a white undershirt with triangular cuffs and a high collar, black or grey under-robe with cloth-covered buttons, and a flowing black over-robe with billowing sleeves. His shoes were also similarly dark, unadorned, and functional.

Personality
Severus was a deeply private and scarred man. He hid his true colors beneath several layers of complexity and emotional repression. He is very anti-social, sardonic, and can be characterized as a misanthrope or pessimist.

In his youth, Severus was a follower and dreamed to contribute to something larger than himself. He cared deeply about what others thought about him in terms of his abilities and worked tirelessly if not improve his physical appearance or wealth, then his prestige as a scholar and a wizard. His deep and obsessive exploration of every facet of magic is evident of that.

As a misanthrope, he cared very little for others beyond their safety. Their emotions, opinions, and view of him past his abilities as a wizard were of little importance. Emotions were also a sign of weakness is Severus' mind, a visible sign of his abuse by his father, Tobias. The only person he truly loved was Lily Evans, for whom he'd do anything and sacrifice anything for.

After losing his one true friend, Severus retreated to his 'ivory tower'- Potions. As a professor, he once again proved a harsh and deeply divisive critic who cared little for sugar-coating or indiscipline. As a Head of House, he is hardly one to provide emotional support and instead chooses to solve his students' problems as best as he can, if they are worthy problems for him to solve. Having learned his lesson, Severus became not a follower or a leader, but an self-reliant free agent.

Abilities and Skills
See Power Scale for more information.

Possessions and Properties

 * 25 Spinner's End, Cokeworth: After the death of his mother, Severus inherited his family's home. He has since renovated and restored it, as well as making it purely magical.
 * Advanced Potion-Making copy (formerly): Snape was given this copy for his N.E.W.T.s Potions by the school. Severus used this as his primary potions text and improved the recipes within under the moniker Half-Blood Prince. Upon graduating, he returned the book as-is. It remains in the Potions supply room.
 * Hogwarts Quarters: Severus' quarters are adjacent to the Potions Wing and near the Slytherin Common Room. A portrait of Elizabeth Burke leading to the Tapestry Hall is next to his office. Within, it is much the same as the Slytherin Common Room, with stately black couches and a mahogany desk.
 * Lab 2B: Severus keeps up Lab 2B in the Potions Wing as his personal lab, where he conducts many experiments.
 * Severus Snape's Personal Stores: Severus keeps his personal stores near the Tapestry Hall on the 2nd floor in the western wing of the castle. A portrait of Elizabeth Burke near the stores leads to his quarters in the Slytherin Dungeons.
 * Severus Snape's Wand: His wand was 11 inches, made of pine and dragon heartstring, and was described as rigid.
 * Pensieve: Snape was gifted a Pensieve by Albus Dumbledore. He keeps it in his office.
 * Photo of Lily Evans and Severus Snape: Severus has a photo of Lily Evans in his desk drawer in his personal quarters.