Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be discussing a theory centered around Severus Snape and his ability
to FLY.
We’re also going to be challenging the conventional notion that Voldemort was the one to teach
him.
But right off the bat I need to make something clear here..When I say ‘fly’ I DO NOT
mean with a broom.
I’m referencing Snape’s ability to travel through the air without the use of a traditional
flying device, a rare and exceptional ability limited to a very select few in the Harry
Potter series.
In the Harry Potter films we see Death Eaters ‘fly’ on numerous occasions, the first
time being in the Order of the Phoenix.
We see them flying again later on in the Half-Blood Prince while attacking various communities.
And because we saw them ‘fly’ right in front of our eyes, it has led many fans to
believe that any run-of-the-mill Death Eater can in fact..fly.
However, this is certainly not the case.
The books at no point depict the Death Eaters flying, only apparating.
Therefore the simple answer to this conundrum is that film makers, in the name of producing
interesting visual effects, simply made apparition (or teleportation) look like flying.
But just because the Death Eaters couldn’t fly, it certainly doesn’t mean that no one
could.
In fact, there are 2 wizards that come to mind when I think of flying: Lord Voldemort
and Severus Snape.
And it just so happens that both of these wizards possessed the ability known as ‘Unsupported
Flight’.
"And then Harry saw him.
Voldemort was flying like smoke on the wind, without broomstick or thestral to hold him,
his snake-like face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers raising his wand again —"
JK Rowling is reported to have stated that ALL wizards have the power of flight innately,
but that the vast vast majority need a broom to achieve it.
In Voldemort’s case, he was so focused and powerful that he was able to channel the power
to fly unsupported- harnessing the energy through himself rather than the broom.
This rare achievement is indicative of a truly powerful witch or wizard.
We also see Severus Snape, AKA the only other known ‘flying’ wizard, fly away from Hogwarts
in the Deathly Hallows.
“He jumped,” said Professor McGonagall...
“You mean he’s dead?”
Harry sprinted to the window…
“No, he’s not dead,” said McGonagall... “…he seems to have learned a few tricks
from his master”
In the books, McGonagall speculates that Snape has developed his ability to fly through his
proximity to Voldemort.
Voldemort was, at one stage, widely thought to be the only known wizard to possess the
ability to fly.
Therefore, this was a reasonable assertion by McGonagall.
If Voldemort is the only known flyer, and suddenly SNAPE can fly, it stands to reason
that Voldemort would have been the one to teach him.
HOWEVER, here’s where the theory starts to creep in.
While conventional wisdom would suggest that VOLDEMORT taught Snape to fly, I think it’s
actually the opposite.
While both wizards have a history of continually challenging the wizarding ‘status quo’
- inventing spells and experimenting with all sorts of new magic, flying seems much
more like something that SNAPE would have pursued.
Voldemort was far too preoccupied with extending his life and his exploration of spells on
the ‘darker’ side of the spectrum.
Another strong argument AGAINST Voldemort being the one to teach Snape is that Voldemort,
much like with his Horcruxes, would never share magic that would make him exceptional.
If he and he alone had developed the ability to fly, there’s no chance he would share
it with his followers even IF it gave him a competitive edge.
Voldemort, after all, was arrogant and wildly overconfident.
But this does leave one big question on the table: if Voldemort didn’t teach Snape to
fly…Then WHO did?
Enter: Lily Evans.
“Laughing, Lily swung higher than her sister.
She quivered with excitement about what she was going to do!
"Lily, don't do it!"
shrieked Petunia.
But her words came too late.
Lily had already let go of the swing and was soaring higher and higher into the air.
But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the
air, quite literally flown, launched herself skyward with a great shout of laughter, and
instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the
air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly.
Lilly had always loved doing this.
The feel of soaring through the air was one of her favorite things.
"Mummy told you not to!"
Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making
a crunching, grinding sound, then leapt up, hands on hips.
"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"
"But I'm fine," said Lily, still giggling.
"Tuney, look at this.
Watch what I can do."
The text above suggests that Lily Evans may have been the first witch in the Wizarding
World to (inadvertently) dip her feet in the realm of flight.
And who did Snape spend a CONSIDERABLE amount of time with in his youth?
Why, Lily Evans of course.
Born on January 9, 1960, Severus Snape was raised in the Muggle dwelling of Spinner's
End- a shabby suburb of Cokeworth.
Attempting to escape the misery of his home life, Severus would often spend his time wandering
about his neighbourhood.
As this was an area where the majority of inhabitants are Muggles, most of the encounters
Severus had with his neighbours were with people who neither descended from magical
families nor had magical abilities of their own.
So, it was likely for this reason that Snape was so excited when, at the age of 9, he happened
upon the Evans sisters, Lily and Petunia, and quickly became aware of Lily’s abilities
to perform magic.
It is said that Severus almost immediately fell for Lily, and the sheer fact that she
could do a little magic probably had him SPELLBOUND.
And almost immediately after meeting one another Snape began to introduce Lily to a lot of
Wizarding World ‘Firsts’.
Because Lily hailed from a Muggle family, she didn’t even know that the Wizarding
World existed until Snape explained things to her.
And all thanks to Snape, Lily very quickly became accustomed to all things magical, priming
her entry to the Wizarding World.
But I’m of the impression that these ‘lessons’ weren’t entirely one-sided.
Sure, Snape taught Lily a lot about the Wizarding World..But what if Lily had some things to
teach Snape?
As a young man Snape was infatuated with Lily, and her discovery of a relatively unknown
and unexplored magical ability like flight would have undoubtedly fuelled his affection
for her even further.
Now, I’m not implying that Lily Evans, a young witch with zero exposure to the Wizarding
World, could fly like Snape and Voldemort could in the later books.
And I’m certainly not implying that the above passage dictates that.
HOWEVER, it is one of the only passages in the books referencing flight in any way, shape
or form.
It’s also the earliest example.
It’s also well documented in the books that some witches and wizards have certain predispositions
to certain spells or abilities, and it’s entirely possible that Lily’s special talent
was flight- or at least the very early stages of it.
Before attending Hogwarts Lily had NO connection to the Wizarding World beyond Snape, so it
stands to reason that she would have shared her limited knowledge with him during their
time together.
And she’d hardly be the only witch or wizard in the story who kept a unique bit of magic
secret.
Voldemort had his Horcruxes, Snape had his book full of spells, and the Marauders had
their Animagus abilities.
Flight could have been Snape and Lily’s little secret.
As to how VOLDEMORT ended up with the ability…Well, there are a few possibilities.
The first being that Voldemort simply figured out flying all by himself.
He was one of the most powerful wizards of all time, and when he set his mind to something
he could often achieve it.
Him developing the ability to fly all on his own is not outside the realm of possibility.
And the second is that Voldemort SAW Snape flying, and subsequently demanded that he
teach him the ability.
Snape had to conceal many things from Voldemort over the years, and knowing the power of Voldemort
as a Legilimens, it’s entirely possible that he recognized he would have to concede
*some* secrets to the Dark Lord during periods of close proximity.
On a closing note I’d also like to mention that, according to Rowling, every witch or
wizard HAS the innate ability to fly, it’s just a matter of becoming powerful / focused
enough to channel it.
Just like a young wizard learns to fly on a broomstick, witches and wizards will need
to work hard if they wish to graduate to ‘unsupported’ flying.
What do you guys think?
Does the passage referencing Lily ‘floating’ through the air lead to a dead end?
Or does it bear some weight?
What do you think of the idea that FLIGHT in Harry Potter came straight from Lily Evans?
Let me know down in the comment section below, and please do let me know if I’ve missed
something here.
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Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live