Hey guys! Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In this video, we’re going to be discussing Hogwarts Potions Professor, and later Headmaster
Severus Snape, and his most powerful spells and abilities. Now, one thing that I want
to mention right out of the gate is that Snape is one of the most powerful wizards in the
wizarding world- and what was most impressive about him is that he wasn’t even that old
when he died. Snape died at the tender age of 38, and though he wasn’t quite at the
level of Voldemort or Dumbledore, he was getting there- and had he been around for a few decades
longer, I think that Snape may just have had a shot at being the most powerful wizard ever.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know, and though I’m sure he had the potential to achieve
insurmountable levels of power, realistically he did ultimately fall short of besting the
likes of Voldemort and Dumbledore. With all of that being said, however, Snape was still
amazing, and I feel like sometimes he’s a little underrated. Throughout the series,
time and time again Snape showcases spells and abilities that are difficult to conjure
and often unique. He’s also a well-rounded wizard because he was never afraid of venturing
in to experimentation with the dark arts- he knows the good spells, and the more sinister
spells- he knows it all.
Snape is a testament to what can be achieved if you’re really dedicated to something.
As a student, Snape always had his head in the books, continually learning and progressing.
He was focused, and he didn’t let temporary satisfaction get in the way of achieving more-
learning more. Though he had a segue down a dark path, the result of bullying and the
loss of his friendship with Lily, Snape only used his hatred for the Marauders as fuel-
it gave him the drive and the motivation to be more, to do more.
In this video, we’re going to be diving in and looking at Snapes 5 most powerful spells
and abilities. Let’s get started:
#5 Sectumsempra
Coming in at #5 on the list is Snape’s very own spell, Sectumsempra.
We first see Sectumsempra in the films when Harry uses it on Malfoy in the half blood
prince. Sectumsempra is a vicious dark curse that acts like an invisible sword, causing
lacerations, haemorrhaging and cuts upon it’s target. Often after being struck the target
will lay there motionless as they lose blood. It is somewhat of a speciality of snapes,
and is featured in his textbook for advanced potion-making. The only treatment for sectumsempra
is ‘Vulnera Sanentur’ which was also invented by Snape.
What’s so dangerous about Sectumsempra is that it was seemingly easy for Harry to cast,
but still nearly killed Draco Malfoy the first time that he used it. While the unforgivable
curses require intent and an understanding of the spells to effectively cast them, Sectumsempra
seemingly doesn’t require this same level of intent or deep understanding- but still
produces the same lethal results. I think that the only thing that sets Snape’s spell
apart from the traditional unforgivable curses- crucio, avada kedavra, imperio-is that it
has a counter-charm.
#4 Creating Potions
Coming in at #4 on the list is Snape’s mastery of potion making. Snape held the position
of Potions master at Hogwarts from 1981 to 1996, proving himself to be extremely adept
at the act of making potions. Snape, having always been studious and committed to expanding
his mind, was very successful at creating any sort of potion that he desired, and thoroughly
impressed his former potions professor, Horace Slughorn, in his school boy days. In fact,
he was so adept, and in such a league of his own, that Snape basically rewrote a lot of
the instructions in his potions textbook, the same textbook that Harry later acquires.
When Harry Potter first attends Slughorn’s class, he hits the jackpot and finds the former
textbook of Snape- ‘The Half Blood Prince’. At first, this was just a regular textbook
to Harry, but as he began to flip through it, he noticed a few peculiarities, the first
thing being the inscription by it’s former owner:
“This book is the property of the Half Blood Prince”
The next thing that he notices is that on each page, portions of the instructions are
scribbled out. And instead, this ‘half blood prince’ character had written in his own
instructions, instructions that differed from what the original recipe called for. And what
Harry quickly realized, was that these alternative instructions were far better than the original
instructions, as he was able to effortlessly produce the potions that Slughorn called for
in each of his lessons. The book was like having cheat codes to all of the potions lessons,
and by following the instructions in the book, Harry was able to thoroughly impress Slughorn.
This is a massive testament to Snape’s prowess in potions - Hogwarts had been around for
over a thousand years, and the potions textbooks were written by skilled potioneers, but Snape
had still managed to improve them.
For the rest of the year, Harry continued to follow the Half-Blood Prince's instructions
wherever they deviated from the original author, Libatius Borage, and it resulted in Slughorn
raving about his abilities.
There are many many potions in Harry Potter, and I wouldn’t put it past Snape to create
any one of them. Powerful potions include Veritaserum, which is essentially a truth
potion, Felix Felicis or liquid luck, which grants unusually good luck, Amortentia, which
gives the drinker a powerful obsession or infatuation with the giver of the potion,
and Polyjuice potion, which allows the drinker to assume the appearance of someone else.
Snape could do them all.
#3 Unsupported flight
Coming in at #3 is of course unsupported flight, or the ability to fly. The only other known
witch or wizard known to fly without a charm of some sort is the dark lord himself, Voldemort.
This achievement is EXTREMELY uncommon and is the sign of a truly powerful witch or wizard.
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 the case of Snape and Voldemort,
they are just so focused and powerful that they’re able to channel the power to fly
unsupported- harnessing the energy through themselves rather than the broom.
Flying can come in handy in many different circumstances, allowing you to get away quickly
or pursue a target with ease. Unsupported flight should not be confused with levitation,
which doesn’t work on humans, and only allows objects to fly a few feet above the ground.
#2 Spell Creation
Coming in at #2 is spell creation. Spell creation can be highly dangerous and has proven, historically,
to be extremely difficult. Only witches and wizards with extreme patience and an astounding
understanding of magic have been able to successfully invent new spells. Snape, who exhibits both
of these things, has proven himself to be quite successful at spell creation- having
created a multitude of spells over the years. This list includes the toenail growing hex-
which causes the victims toenails to grow alarmingly fast, langlock - which affixes
the victims tongue to the roof of their mouth, the muffliato charm - which fills the ears
of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, levicorpus, which lifts the victims body in
to the air, liberacorpus- which drops them out of the air, vulnera sanentur, which heals
wounds inflicted by sectumsempra, and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, sectumsempra,
which I mentioned earlier.
A few other witches/wizards that we’re introduced to have also created spells, but of all of
them, Snape appears to have the most impressive portfolio- and I think that this is truly
indicative of his magical ability. I can’t even begin to imagine what sorts of spells
Snape would have come up with had he lived a longer, fuller life.
#1 Occlumency
Occlumency is the practice of magically closing ones mind against legilimency, which involves
navigating through people’s minds to access their thoughts and feelings, sometimes even
influencing them. Severus Snape is a MASTER occlumens and is perhaps one of the only people,
besides Dumbledore, whose mind is safe from a master legilimens like Voldemort. Snape
acts as a double agent in the films but is still able to deceive lord voldemort despite
frequent interaction, and I think that this truly speaks to his ability as an occlumens
- perhaps even surpassing Dumbledore’s abilities in the subject. A basic level occlumens is
simply able to clear their mind in the event of a mind infiltration, while a master occlumens
is able to change their thought patterns in order to further confuse the legilimens. Given
that occlumency is a rare skill, and that Snape is so adept at it, I thought that it
was fitting that it be placed at the top of this list.
And that concludes the list. I really wish Snape had lived a longer, fuller life so that
we could have seen the boundaries of magic being pushed even further. However, in the
time that he was around, he contributed a lot.
What do you guys think? Do you agree with this list? Let me know down in the comment
section below.
Until next time
YER A WIZARD ARRY