Snape's Best Quotes
We don't appear to have this in the forum, and while it may overlap with analysing Snape in each book, I do like having a bank of quotes to hand. Fortunately, Severus Snape is very quotable. Feel free to add quotes from Severus Snape into this thread. Movie quotes are acceptable, as long as they are marked as such. For book quotes, please add at least the book itself. Ideally, include the chapter and page reference, in case others want to find it. Any commentary on why you like this quote is welcome!
This one is a classic:
And from the book, I love this in HP VI, Chapter 2, p22
'Before I answer you-- oh, yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?'
Pretty self-explanatory, but Snape's ability to deceive Bellatrix by means of half-truths and irony is masterful.
‘But Potter seems to have a lot to say on the subject,’ said Snape, pointing suddenly at the back of the room, his black eyes fixed on Harry. ‘Let us ask Potter how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost.’
The whole class looked round at Harry, who hastily tried to recall what Dumbledore had told him the night that they had gone to visit Slughorn.
‘Er – well – ghosts are transparent –’ he said.
‘Oh, very good,’ interrupted Snape, his lip curling. ‘Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. Ghosts are transparent.’
I really loved Snape and Harry's back and forth. Some of the best sarcastic humour lines came from their interactions.
[From Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-- MMLF ]
Hysterical! What book did this come from?
EDIT: How could I be so stupid? It comes from book VI. 🙂
Quote from mmlf on February 15, 2023, 4:22 amHysterical! What book did this come from?
HBP Chapter 21, I am also posting the proceeding scene below, it was also quite good.
Pansy Parkinson let out a high-pitched giggle. Several other people were smirking. Harry took a deep breath and continued calmly, though his insides were boiling, ‘Yeah, ghosts are transparent, but Inferi are dead bodies, aren’t they? So they’d be solid –’
‘A five-year-old could have told us as much,’ sneered Snape. ‘The Inferius is a corpse that has been reanimated by a Dark wizard’s spells. It is not alive, it is merely used like a puppet to do the wizard’s bidding. A ghost, as I trust that you are all aware by now, is the imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth … and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent.’
‘Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we’re trying to tell them apart!’ said Ron. ‘When we come face to face with one down a dark alley we’re going to be having a shufti to see if it’s solid, aren’t we, we’re not going to be asking, “Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?”’
There was a ripple of laughter, instantly quelled by the look Snape gave the class.
‘Another ten points from Gryffindor,’ said Snape. ‘I would expect nothing more sophisticated from you, Ronald Weasley, the boy so solid he cannot Apparate half an inch across a room.’
Some of their best interactions come from HBP. My absolute favorite:
“Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?"
"Yes," said Harry stiffly.
"Yes, sir."
"There's no need to call me "sir" Professor."
😂😂😂
@heatherlly, the best one of Harry 😂
Harry and Ron's fateful run-in with Severus Snape in The Chamber of Secrets:
"Hang on," Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table... Where's Snape?"
... [Part omitted]
"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully.
"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defence Against the 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 Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5, p81
‘Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!’ said Snape savagely. ‘Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily – weak people, in other words – they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!’
OOTP Chapter 24 - Occlumency
