- Today's video is brought to you by Bespoke Post.
Hey brother, J today
I wanna talk about one Severus Snape.
Beloved by many as his role as the ultimate double agent.
The right-hand man to both Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort.
To some he is a wizard with immense talent and skill,
who has been simply misunderstood for years and years
and all of this motivations are rooted in lost love.
And to others he is a mean, mean, mean old bully head.
The boy who went from victim to victimizer.
The teacher who bullied his students,
played favorites and had a certain affinity
for the dark arts.
But one way or another,
he left his Mark on Harry in the end,
going down as one of the bravest men he ever knew
and even the namesake of one of his children.
But did he go down or is it possible that somehow some way
Severus Snape survived the battle of Hogwarts,
and went on to live a private and peaceful existence?
Personally I think at the very least it is possible
today we discuss.
(upbeat music)
Hey brother.
Guys before we dive on in we need to give a huge thank you
to today's sponsor; Bespoke Post.
Bespoke Post creates a monthly box
of awesome packed with goodies
that you will use on the daily.
This past month I personally went for the siphon box.
You guys know how much we love coffee here
at Super Carlin Brothers,
and I am not sure there is a more enjoyable creative
and a camera ready way to make coffee than a siphon drip.
This thing makes a heck of a cup of coffee
and flat out looks awesome.
And for next month I've already got my eye
on the Fidget box.
It kinda comes with this really cool desk toy puzzle,
a gorgeous pen, and a golden egg.
I don't know what it does, but I need it.
Each box comes packed with over $75 worth of swag
and cost just $45.
It is just so much fun if you just like getting
something new and exciting in the mail each month,
or is a really, really good gift
for that hard to shop for person.
To get started, take the quiz over at BoxOfAwesome.com
and they'll try to help figure out
which box might be best for you.
It's free to sign up and you can skip or cancel at any time.
Get 20% off your first monthly box
when you go to BoxOfAwesome.com
and use promo code SUPER.
Again, that is 20% off your first box
when you go to BoxOfAwesome.com promo code SUPER.
Link in the description down below.
Okay, is Snape alive?
Right out of the gate,
let's just address some elephant in the room
type of problems related to his death.
If you need a refresher,
Snape is killed at the hands of Lord Voldemort,
or should I say the not hands of Nagini
in the not actually a boathouse
but actually the shrieking shack
during the battle of Hogwarts.
It's so good when refreshes are crystal clear
not at all confusing.
Voldemort is concerned that the Elder Wand is not
performing as he expected it to,
and he has the deuce that it's because he is not the true
master because he didn't kill its previous master,
and therefore he needs to kill Snape who he believes
to be that master, rather than casting Avada Kedavra
to kill him though he instead traps
Snape inside of Nigini protective bubble
and has her bite him in the neck.
And here is the passage where most of us would probably
agree that Snape dies.
The green eyes found the black,
but after a second,
something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish,
leaving them fixed, blank, and empty.
The hand holding Harry thought to the floor,
and Snape moved no more.
And yeah, I agree It doesn't sound good.
On top of that there also used to be this tradition,
where the author would apologize on Twitter
for killing off one of her characters
on the anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts.
And on this anniversary in 2017 she tweeted,
okay, here it is.
Please don't start flame wars over it,
but this year I'd like to apologize for killing Snape.
So yeah, clearly the intent was there,
but as ever tweets are not cannon.
So today what we're investigating
is whether or not there is enough in the book text
to make the case for Snapes survival.
And again, personally, I think,
that I think, it's possible It's always good to be vague.
Stay with me though there's quite a bit to review.
Okay, So let's examine the death passage one more time
because it ends with saying and Snape moved no more,
which obviously I think is designed to imply that he died.
And yet there are plenty of instances
throughout the books with other characters,
having a similar description and they all survive.
Example number one,
during the battle of the Department of Mysteries,
Hermione is hit by Dolohov with a mysterious purple flame.
It goes like this.
But the Death Eater Hermione he had just struck dumb
made a sudden slashing movement with his Wand
from which flew a streak of what looked like purple flame.
It passed right across Hermione's chest;
she gave a tiny, "Oh!" as though of surprise
and then crumbled onto the floor where she lay motionless.
What on earth even is this spell
because that's kind of a mystery in and of itself.
Like it's not the Avada Kedavra curse obviously,
and it seems to have the same effect as a stunner,
but it's definitely not described
the same way as a stunning spell,
either way though the point is
the description of how Hermione reacts to it
suggest that there is again at least the possibility
that she might be dead, but of course as we all know,
thankfully she survives.
Example number two, is when Ron drinks
the oak-matured mead in Slughorn's office.
This time, it reads like this
Harry hurtled back to Ron's side, wrenched open his jaw,
and thrust the bezoar into his mouth.
Ron gave a great shudder, a rattling gasp,
and his body became limp and still.
Now it's hard to say if it's just the bezoar
or walking that makes him become still
and stop convulsing here, or if the poison had just reached
a point that was nearing death and then the bezoar
saved him after that point.
But either way you are meant to believe
that Ron could have died here based on the limp
and still description of his body.
And finally example number three, Mr Weasley.
This one is of particular significance to this argument
because Arthur finds himself in mortal peril
for the exact same reason as Snape.
This is of course, when he is attacked by Nagini,
while he is guarding the Hall of Prophecies
at the Department of Mysteries.
Here is the passage from Harry's dream
where he is the snake.
He reared high from the floor and struck once, twice,
three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man's flesh,
feeling his ribs, splinter beneath his jaws,
feeling the warm gush of blood,
the man was yelling, then he fell silent.
He slumped backward against the wall.
Blood was splattering onto the floor.
Okay so if you're keeping track here,
that is three venomous snake bites, broken ribs
and gushing blood.
And it is at least several minutes
before anyone is able to medically attend to him
because the only reason, anyone even knows it's happening
is because Harry dream lived it.
And then you know ask like,
go and get a bed and probably put on his glasses
and slippers and go tell someone,
and then they have to go tell someone else.
Then they have to send a portrait to go
and do all the other things.
So like, it was time and yet once again,
Mr. Weasley survives, and again
this is the exact same snake that supposedly killed Snape.
But the other reason why this is hugely significant
is because in order to cure Arthur,
the Healers at St. Mungo have to find an antidote
for this very problem.
Which we know that they absolutely do,
thanks to Mrs. Weasley.
Healer Smethwyck, who on earth is Healer Smethwyck.
This guy has referenced one time ever.
Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end,
found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs.
Okay, so let's start putting together
some of the pieces of our argument here.
So one, I think that we can say for sure,
that just because he goes still is not absolute evidence
in the world of Harry Potter writing
that he's definitely dead.
And two, Snape is also in the order of the Phoenix
with Arthur Weasley and would absolutely have access
to not only the information that there is in fact
an antidote but probably the antidote itself.
Because also when Mrs. Weasley tells everyone
that they found an antidote to a Nagini bite,
Snape is actually in the room.
Snape is in the room,
because he was just having the argument with Sirius
about Occlumency and Harry and they had like the wands
pointed at each other and then Arthur walks in
and he's like I'm alive
and Mrs Weasley it's like an antidote.
So the order knows about Nagini.
They know that there's an antidote to a bite from Nagini.
They are fighting Voldemort whose right-hand snake is Nagini
I think they probably would keep some of this antidote
around the premises, like band aids.
And even if everyone else in the order,
doesn't like, carry this antidote around with them.
Snape is simultaneously two things.
One the potions master, and two,
the double agent that is literally working alongside
Voldemort and therefore Nagini all the time.
Snape is literally candidate number one,
to be carrying around an antidote
for this very reason at all times.
And if you think that each that Snape would be carrying
this antidote to a snake bite with him at all times,
and just listen to how Dumbledore describes literally
his only other potions master.
It happens when Harry is wondering
why he is so essential to getting slughorn's,
actual memory with the information about Horcruxes,
and asking like, why can't we just use Veritaserum?
Dumbledore explains.
Professor Slughorn is an extremely able
wizard who will be expecting both.
He is much more accomplished at Occlumency
than poor Morfin Gaunt,
and I would be astonished if he has not carried an antidote
to Veritaserium with him ever since I coerced him
into giving me this travesty of a recollection.
Snape might be morally gray, but he is not an idiot.
Now is likely that he'd be carrying
this kind of antidote around with him?
Anyway, I think it's kind of likely
that he might literally be expecting
to be attacked in this very way by Voldemort.
For one, Dumbledore explains to Harry in King's cross
that he was certain that Voldemort
would ultimately go after the Elder Wand.
And because he had specifically arranged
his death with Snape,
he had basically sentenced Snape to this very fate.
Which doesn't sound very much like Dumbledore.
Like if you can prevent someone from dying,
it seems like he would do anything to do that.
And it seems like he saw this one coming.
So it's true. It's possible that Dumbledore just dies
before he's able to, you know, tell Snape, hey Voldemort
probably gonna try to kill you because you know,
you killed me and now you're the master of the Elder Wand
good luck with that Dumbledore portrait is still
in the headmaster's office
and still giving Snape instructions.
So even if he doesn't outright tell him all of the details
of the Elder Wand and how it could be passed,
or the fact that it even was the Elder Wand to begin with,
he still could have easily explained to Snape
that Voldemort might try to kill you.
And he might not do it by using his wand.
The reason, by the way in case
if you've ever wondered why like Voldemort,
doesn't just use Avada Kedavra with the Elder Wand
to kill Snape is plot convenience mostly.
I personally think so.
So at the very least they pass the ability
to live long enough to give Harry, you know, the memories,
because if he's just Avada Kedavra, then that's over.
But also because he be afraid that the Wand will not work
against Snape because the Wand itself would believe
that Snape is the master of the Elder Wand
and therefore would not kill its own master.
And I actually do believe that Dumbledore
could have pretty easily deduced out
this chain of events
that Snape would need to be killed.
You couldn't use the Elder Wand
and therefore the next most likely way
to kill him would be by use of Nagini
since she's part Horcrux
and therefore part Voldemort, you know,
kind of adding an extra layer to the mastery,
then falling on Voldemort.
And again, I know this totally sounds like grasping,
but just listen to the description of Snapes eyes
while he's talking to Voldemort,
right before he is supposedly killed.
And for a moment Harry saw Snape's profile:
His eyes were fixed upon the coiling snake
in its enchanted cage.
And then just a moment later as Voldemort's anger is rising.
Snape was not looking at Voldemort now.
His dark eyes were fixed upon the coiling serpent
in its protective sphere. Yeah.
Snape is standing there completely alone with Voldemort,
aware that he is about to die.
He is doing everything he can to try
and get away from the situation so that he can get to Harry
to tell Harry everything that he needs to know.
And his eyes aren't on Voldemort
they're on the Nagini instead. Yes,
because that is exactly where he expects the attack
to be coming from, which it does.
So again, not only did Stape likely have
the antidote on him and know that the attack was eminent,
but there are actually two more scenes where I think
that his absence is a possible indication of his survival.
First is when Harry is heading into the forbidden forest
to let Voldemort actually kill him
and he uses the Resurrection Stone to recall his parents
Remus and Sirius, but no Snape and granted,
Harry only like just learned about Snape's,
you know, hidden bravery literally less than one hour ago.
So it's fully possible that he just hasn't like, you know,
mentally come to terms with this idea yet
and therefore would call him back in this particular moment.
But the other explanation is that he's not dead
because also, you know,
if I just discovered that the person who probably knew
as much as Dumbledore literally just died
and I could maybe ask him for like a tidbit
more information before I go and do this final big thing.
I mean, it could be useful.
And then finally in the aftermath of the great battle
in the great hall, the victors are collecting their dead.
They moved Voldemort's body and laid it in a chamber off
the Hall, away from the bodies of Fred, Tonks, Lupin,
Colin Creevey, and 50 others who had died fighting him.
And now yes, to be fair Snape's body
would be in these shrieking shack
and not in the great Hall,
but also don't you feel like there should be mention of him
or the possibility that Harry would send someone to go
collect his body? There's no mention of him at all.
In this whole scene,
like shouldn't there be something
that's like, and then Neville came up,
the stairs with Snape heaved over his shoulder
and gently placed him on the ground and says, Harry.
I found him right where you've said, and yeah,
maybe that exact scene happened.
And we never got to see a play out.
Maybe he's just part of those 50 others
who had also died fighting the battle.
But don't you feel like Snape would deserve a name drop more
than Colin Creevy because I feel like I do.
So then the big question becomes if Snape survived,
whatever happens to him, where does he go?
And personally, for me,
I like to believe that he would finally get
to live a private and peaceful existence
after a lifelong run of jealousy and despair,
because that's a thing about Snape.
Isn't it like personally, I don't excuse his actions,
but he's a man who's lived a life of torment.
He came from this abusive household.
He was an outcast in school.
He finally rebels in the worst possible way
and then has to live a life of sorrow for it,
for the rest of his life.
And then when all is said and done,
does he even get to die a hero or is he even dead at all?
Is there a chance that he finally paid
the price for all of his actions?
And that's why I wanna throw
to you guys with my question of the day.
What do you think here, is there hope for Snape?
Would you be okay with this version of his survival?
Be sure to leave all of your thoughts and the towel section
down below. Also guys, don't forget that this Friday night,
November 20th, at 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time,
we are going live with another trivia challenge
and we are going to be revealing our brand new designs
for our animal mugs that were so very popular
a couple of years ago.
Last time they literally sold out in 20 minutes.
So if you've been dying to get your hands on a set of those,
be sure to set your reminder in your phone
and we'll be announcing those just after 6:00 PM on Friday.
See you guys there, but guys, as always,
thanks for watching.
Be sure to like this video subscribe to the channel.
If you haven't already,
if you'd like to see some Trivia Action
to prepare for this Friday night.
You can check out this entire J versus Ben playlist,
but otherwise guys until next time, bye.