QUOTES

Quotes. Lots and lots of quotes.

'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,' he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping the class silent without effort. 'As there is a little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ...'


Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.
'Blasted thing,' Snape was saying. 'How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?'
Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but -
'POTTER!'
Snape's face was twisted with fury and he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. 


Danger lies before you, 
while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, 
whichever you would find,
One among us seven will 
let you move ahead, 
Another will transport the 
drinker back instead, 
Two among our number 
hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, 
waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to
stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, 
we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the 
poison tries to hide
You will always find some 
on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those 
who stand at either end,
But if you would move onwards, 
neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, 
all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds 
death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the 
second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, 
though different at first sight

                     --Philosopher's Stone


'Hang on ...' Harry muttered to Ron. 'There's an empty chair at the staff table ... Where's Snape?'
Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favourite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favourite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions. 
'Maybe he's ill!' said Ron hopefully. 
'Maybe he's left,' said Harry, 'because he missed out on the Defence Against Dark Arts job again!'
'Or he might have been sacked!' said Ron enthusiastically. 'I mean, everyone hates him -'
'Or maybe,' said a very cold voice right behind them, 'he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train.'
Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble. 


'In!' he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing. 
They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.
'So,' he said softly, 'the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?'


Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: it was as though he was trying hard not to smile. 


'I'll make it,' Lockhart butted in. 'I must have a done it a hundred times, I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep -'
'Excuse me,' said Snape icily, 'but I believe I am the Potions master at this school.'


Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape has been looking at him like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. 
'As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position,' Lockhart told the silent crowd. 'On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course.'
'I wouldn't be on that,' Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.
'One - two - three -'
Both of them swung their wands up and over their shoulders. Snape cried: 'Expelliarmus!' There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: he flew backwards off the stage, smashed into the wall and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. 


'My friendly, card-carrying cupids!' beamed Lockhart. 'They will be roving around the school today delivering your Valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!' 
Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as thought the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

                      --Chamber of Secrets
   

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.
Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.
'R-r-riddikulus!' squeaked Neville.
There was a noise like a whip-crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and swinging a huge crimson handbag from his hand.


'That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger,' said Snape coolly. 'Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all.'


'Crackers!' said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver one to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture.
Harry, remembering the Boggart, caught Ron's eye and they both grinned; Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat towards Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once. 


'Let me see, let me see ...' he muttered, talking out his wand and smoothing the map out on his desk. 'Reveal your secret!' he said, touching the wand to the parchment.
Nothing happened. Harry clenched his hands to stop them shaking.
'Show yourself!' Snape said, tapping the map sharply.
It stayed blank. Harry was talking deep, calming breaths.
'Professor Severus Snape, master of this school., commands you to yield the information you conceal!' Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.
As thought an invisible hand was writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.
'Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'
Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first. 
'Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.'
It would have been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. And there was more ...
'Mr Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a Professor.'
Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he'd opened them, the map had had its last word.
'Mr Wormatail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.'


Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behaviour, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.
'Fellow seems quite unbalanced,' said Fudge, staring after him. 'I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore.'
'Oh, he's not unbalanced,' said Dumbledore quietly. 'He's just suffered a severe disappointment.'

                      --Prisoner of Azkaban


'And what is all this noise about?' said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived.
The Slytherins clamoured to give their explanations. Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, 'Explain.'
'Potter attacked me, sir -'
'We attacked each other at the same time!' Harry shouted. 
'- and he hit Goyle - look -'
Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi
'Hospital wind, Goyle,' Snape said calmly.
'Malfoy got Hermione!' Ron said. 'Look!'
He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, 'I see no difference.'


Snape and Karkaroff came around the corner. Snape had his wand out, and was blasting rose bushes apart, his expression most ill-natured. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them.
'Ten points from Hufflepuff, Fawcett!' Snape snarled, as a girl ran past him. 'And ten points from Ravenclaw, too, Stebbins!' as a boy went rushing after her. 'And what are you two doing?' he added, catching sight of Harry and Ron on the path ahead. 
'We're walking,' Ron told Snape shortly. 'Not against the law, is it?'
'Keep walking, then!' Snape snarled, and he brushed past them, his long black cloak billowing out behind him. 


'Filch? What's going on?'
Filch stopped a few steps below Harry, and turned. At the foot of the stairs stood the only person who could make Harry's situation worse - Snape. He was wearing a long grey nightshirt and he looked livid. 


But Snape's black eyes were darting from the egg in Filch's arms to the map in Moody's hand, and Harry could tell he was putting two and two together, as only Snape could ...



Snape's eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. For on wild moment, Harry thought Snape was about to pull out his wand and curse him - then he saw that Snape had drawn out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion. Harry stared at it.
'Do you know what this is, Potter?' Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again.
'No,' said Harry, completely honestly this time.
'It is Veritaserum - a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spiling you innermost secrets for this entire class to hear,' said Snape viciously. 'Now, the use of this Potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my had slips -' he shook the crystal bottle slightly, '-right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then, Potter ... then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not.'


Snape strode forwards, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm, and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.
'There', said Snape harshly. 'There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was, an hour or so ago, when it burnt black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burnt into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing each other, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold.' 


'Severus,' said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, 'you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready ... if you are prepared ...
'I am,' said Snape.
He looked paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely.
'Then good luck,' said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius. 


His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment as Harry looked at him. His expression was difficult to read. He looked as sour and unpleasant as ever. Harry continued to watch him, long after Snape had looked away.
What was it that Snape had done on Dumbledore's orders, the night that Voldemort had returned? And why ... why ... was Dumbledore so convinced that Snape was truly on their side? He had been their spy, Dumbledore had said so in the Pensieve. Snape had turned spy against Voldemort, 'at great personal risk'. Was that the job he had taken up again? Had he made contact with the Death Eaters, perhaps? Pretended that he had never really gone over to Dumbledore, that he had been, like Voldemort, himself, biding his time?

                           --Goblet of Fire

Mr Potter, you celebrity status does not grant you snooping rights. 

Stop pestering me, Potter!

I'll just confiscate that, thank you.

But, we have ways of dealing with interlopers. You have my permission to use the harshest measures necessary.

We can't let anyone interfere with my plans. Can we, Mr Filch?

I have something special planned for anyone who tries to defy me.

                 --Harry Potter Game (PSX)

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