What Jo says about...
Severus Snape
Please note: unless you see quotemarks, these are summaries, and not JKR's words themselves. Please see the linked article for the actual text.
- Snape is fun to write, because he is a deeply horrible person. [Read the exact quote from Family Education, 1999]
- Snape is loosely based on a sadistic teacher she had. [Read the exact quote from WBUR interview, 1999]
- JKR: "everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I'll just say that, because there's more to him than meets the eye...." [Read the exact quote from WBUR interview, 1999]
- JKR thinks that that the thought of Snape in love is a "very horrible idea" and is stunned that someone wonders if Snape might fall in love. We will find out why in book 7. [Read the exact quote from WBUR interview, 1999]
- One of the influences for Snape was a "scary" teacher she had when she was 9 years old (Tutshill, near Chepstow, South Wales). Conversations with JK Rowling, p.17
- As a teacher, the "worst, shabbiest thing you can do" is to bully children (draws parallel to Snape). Conversations with JK Rowling, p.21
- ‘Snape’ is an English village. [Read the exact quote from the eToys interview, 2000]
- Why did you make Quirrell the bad guy instead of Snape? JKR: "Because I know all about Snape, and he wasn’t about to put on a turban." [Read the exact quote from the AOL chat, 2000]
- Why does Professor Dumbledore allow Professor Snape to be so nasty to the students (especially to Harry, Hermione, and Neville)? JKR: "Dumbledore believes there are all sorts of lessons in life ... horrible teachers like Snape are one of them!" [Read the exact quote from the Yahooligans! chat, 2000]
- Snape is a compendium of all the bullying teachers she ever encountered. [Read the exact quote from The Herald, 2000]
- Snape is about 35 or 36 years old. [Read the exact quote from BBC Red Nose Day chat, 2001]
- JKR: "You shouldn't think [Snape is] too nice. Let me just say that. It is worth keeping an eye on old Severus Snape, definitely." [Read the exact quote from Royal Albert Hall, 2003]
- Dumbledore thought the DADA job would "bring out the worst in Snape." [Read the exact quote from Royal Albert Hall, 2003]
- Alan Rickman on what Snape is like: "There’s such still waters in there." There is a lot of stuff we don’t know about because JK hasn’t told us; Rickman knows a couple of things we don’t. [Read the exact Rickman quote from Handbag.com, 2003]
- JKR "doesn't think" there is a link between Snape and vampires. [Read the exact quote from World Book Day, 2004]
- JKR: "Sirius loathed Snape (and the feeling was entirely mutual)." [Read the exact quote from World Book Day, 2004]
- Telling us Professor Snape's patronus and boggart would give too much away. [Read the exact quote from World Book Day, 2004]
- Dumbledore has heard and believes Snape’s story as to why he should be trusted. [Read the exact quote from World Book Day, 2004]
- Snape's ancestry has been hinted at; he is not Muggle born [JKR does not explicitly say he is pureblood]. [Read the exact quote from the Edinburgh Book Festival, 2004]
- JKR jokingly tells us that she finds it depressing that we love Snape and her bad boys. [Read the exact quote from the Edinburgh Book Festival, 2004]
- Alan Rickman believes Snape isn’t that taken with Harry. "probably because he finds him a little too popular for a first year pupil, I suppose." [Read the exact Rickman qute from Unreel.com, not dated]
- Alan Rickman: "I think at heart Snape is basically quite an insecure person, he’s always longing to be something else that people will really respect like a black magician not just a school master. That's why he envies the more popular and successful boys like Harry. He does have a positive side though, even though Harry's a thorn in his side he doesn't let it worry him too much." [Read the exact Rickman qute from Unreel.com, not dated]
- If a teacher is head of a Hogwarts house, we can assume they were in that house, that goes for ghosts as well. So Snape was "very definitely" a Slytherin. [Read the exact quote from Jo's website]
- Luna is not Snape's daughter; her father is the editor of The Quibbler. [Read the exact quote from Jo's website]
- Snape does not have a daughter [Read the exact quote from Jo's website]
- When the marauder's map insulted Snape, Prongs was not writing the insult, but it was like he had left a magical recording of his voice in the map. [Read the exact quote from Jo's website]
- JK won't answer if Snape is evil or not because it will have such a huge impact on what will happen when Harry and Snape meet again: "I love the theories." [Read the whole quote from the Leaky Cauldron, 2005]
- "Harry-Snape is now as personal, if not more so, than Harry-Voldemort." [Read the whole quote from the Leaky Cauldron, 2005]
- Snape has been loved by someone. [Read the entire quote from the Leaky Cauldron, 2005]
- There will be a new DADA teacher in Book 7. Something will stop Snape from teaching DADA in the next book. [Read the whole quote from ITV, 2005]
- Snape was not hiding under the Invisibility Cloak on the night Harry's parents were killed. [29 Sept 2006] [Read the exact quote from Jo's website]