Harry Potter fans can’t agree whether the Potions Master is good or not, but these Severus Snape quotes prove he’s at least a terrible teacher.
Severus Snape is arguably the most complex character in the Harry Potter series. The Harry Potter fandom has never, and will never, come to an agreement on whether Snape is a good person or not. There’s enough supporting evidence for either side to keep this debate going for eternity.
Related: Snape: Good, Evil, or What?! The great J.K. Rowling Twitter debate
One thing Harry Potter fans can probably agree on though, is that this Potions Master is a horrible teacher. He’s definitely knowledgeable on the subject matter he teaches, but he has no business imparting that wisdom onto children. These Severus Snape quotes prove just how much of a bully he is to his students.
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“Tut, tut-fame clearly isn’t everything.”
– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Chapter 8 “The Potions Master” -
“I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”
– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Chapter 8 “The Potions Master” -
“Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity.”
– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Chapter 8 “The Potions Master” -
“So 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?
– Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5 “The Whomping Willow” -
“Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here.”
– Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5 “The Whomping Willow” -
“Orange, Longbottom…Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours?”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 7 “The Boggart in the Wardrobe” -
“Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 7 “The Boggart in the Wardrobe” -
“Possibly no one’s warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear.”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 7 “The Boggart in the Wardrobe” -
“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.”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 9 “Grim Defeat” -
“What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?…Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade.”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 14 “Snape’s Grudge” -
“How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter…He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers . . . The resemblance between you is uncanny.”
– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 14 “Snape’s Grudge” -
Hermione’s front teeth-already larger than average—were now growing at an alarming rate…Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, “I see no difference.”
– Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 18 “The Weighing of the Wands” -
“You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you…but I don’t care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me, Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him.”
– Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 “Padfoot Returns” -
“So I give you fair warning, Potter…pint-sized celebrity or not — if I catch you breaking into my office one more time —”
– Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 “Padfoot Returns” -
“It is Veritaserum—a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your 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 hand 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.”
– Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 “Padfoot Returns” -
“The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Mr. Potter . . . or at least, most minds are. . .”
– Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 24 “Occlumency” -
“That is just as well, Potter…because you are neither special nor important, and it is not up to you to find out what the Dark Lord is saying to his Death Eaters.”
– Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 26 “Seen and Unforeseen” -
“You do know why we are here, don’t you, Potter?…You do know why I am giving up my evenings to this tedious job?”
– Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 26 “Seen and Unforeseen” -
“Detention, Saturday night, my office…I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter . . . not even ‘the Chosen One.’”
– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 9 “The Half-Blood Prince” -
“Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. ‘Ghosts are transparent.'”
– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 21 “The Unknowable Room” -
“Do you know what I think, Potter?…I think that you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think, Potter?”
– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 24 “Sectumsempra”
