Player Info:
Name: Vicky

Character Audition Questions:

Name: Severus Tobias Snape
Age and date of birth: January 9, 1960
Physical description: Neglecting his personal appearance, considering such things trivial, Severus stands at 5'8'' with black eyes that seem to bore into a person and a nose that is hooked. He is almost always wearing a scowl or a calculating glare. His hair, which was once black and hung around his face, is now trimmed and graying due to age. While he has never been athletic, he is not nearly as sallow and stringy as he was in his youth. Though he is not physically powerful, he is rather intimidating in stature.
Parents’ Allegiance: (DE, OotP, Ministry, etc.): His mother, Eileen Prince, was a witch whose only allegiances were to her son and her abusive husband, Tobias Snape. Tobias, a muggle, vowed his allegiance only to Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.
Personal Allegiance: (DE, OotP, Ministry, etc.): Severus' allegiance has wavered over time. He has been on both sides of the coin, wearing the Dark Mark and debasing himself for Voldemort as well as pledging his life to Albus Dumbledore. Currently, Severus is worried only about his own survival in the coming wave of fanaticism. He has yet to decide which side will assure this, though his unflinching loyalty to Lily Evans has made his allegiance oscillate towards that of her son. He would never voice this, unless, of course, he were under veritaserum.
How do people perceive this character: Severus Snape is not amiable. He is not friendly. He is not fair, and he has never been, and will never be, spontaneous. He is downright surly, angry, and intimidating. Most witches and wizards know better than to approach him, though there are some, mostly previous students, who are under the assumption that he occasionally proves to be useful and helpful. He has done everything in his power to remove this theory from their minds.
Greatest fear: Severus does not fear death, only the inability to equalize the terror and harm he has wrought on the world.
Greatest passion: Potionsmaking. There are no emotions involved when brewing, only the certainty that it will turn out either erroneous and inaccurate, or precise and adequate.
Aspiration: Aspiring only to live, in whatever fashion he can manage.
Greatest Positive Attribute: Meticulousness. Whatever Severus does, he does with particularity. His brilliant mind, when he purposefully puts his full cognitive capacity behind something, is something prodigious.
Biggest Fault: If you have crossed Severus at any point in the past, he does not forgive, and he certainly does not forget. He very rarely attempts to understand another's point of view if he does not see the intelligence in the argument, and he will not indulge someone in their neurotic need for melodrama.
Happiest Memory: Being in Her presence, in whatever way.
Most painful Memory: Severus had two memories which will forever be burned into his psyche:

The first happened in his fifth year, when he was at the mercy of James Potter. Most would think the worst of this memory occurred when he was hung upside-down in front of most of the school and was utterly and completely humiliated. In reality, however, this is one of his worst memories because it is here, at this precise moment, when he called Lily Evans a mudblood to her face, shattering whatever friendship he had with her. He has never, and will never, forgive himself for this mistake.

His second worst memory was looking into Albus' eyes as the killing curse fell from his lips. The hatred and revulsion etched on his face while doing so was three-fold. At Voldemort: who would only trust his loyalty if he did so. At Dumbledore: for convincing Severus that it was the only way to save himself as well as Draco. But, above all, at himself: for being unable to avoid the outcome of his own actions and making the situation as it was.

These two memories, above any others, have shaped Severus Snape into the man he is today.
Is your character "pure-blooded," a "half-blood" or "Muggle-born": Half-Blood.

Describe the character's personal history (however brief or extensive): Severus Snape was born into the broken home of Eileen Prince Snape, and her abusive husband, Tobias. Her only child, Eileen doted on her son. This love was strikingly reversed by his father, who enjoyed beating Severus into submission. A cruel man, Tobias neglected his family, or worse, unleashed his anger at the world on their bodies. Beaten and bloody, Severus looked for any outlet that afforded him escape from the mercilessness of his father. Books became Severus’ only friends, filling his mind with information, which he would recite in full while bruises were made on his person.

His mother related everything she knew about the wizarding world, making sure her son was aware of the way their world functioned. Blood status meant that Severus would have to fight for everything, as she’d made the mistake of marrying a muggle. Punished for his magical blood by his father, Severus was made aware at an early age why witches and wizards hated the non-magical. Cursing his mother for his impure blood, he buried himself in books on wizarding culture, ensuring that he would know the traditions and rules that came with being a wizard. His mother also made sure he was ahead of his future classmates, teaching Severus every dark curse and hex she knew. Punished when he was unable to produce the desired results, he learned quickly and efficiently, eventually mastering everything she set before him.

At the age of nine, Severus finally discovered the full world outside of the painful walls of Spinner’s End. This world was Lily Evans, a girl who lived a block away. Severus was far too shy to approach the pretty, green-eyed girl but this became irrelevant as Lily’s open nature and friendliness soon had Her introducing Herself. For two years, Severus’ days were filled with companionship and laughter, two things he was painfully lacking at home. He was able to overlook Lily’s muggleborn status, as She was his only friend. He had fallen in love with Her, though it was the love of a young boy, and Her blood contamination was easily ignored and omitted.

Arriving at Hogwarts in 1971, Snape watched as Lily was sorted into Gryffindor. Deeply disappointed, but knowing better than to show such an emotion, he sat at the Slytherin table when he was sorted, refusing to look across the Great Hall at Her. The years Severus and Lily were at Hogwarts were filled with upheaval and turmoil. Voldemort’s faction was rising in power, paying particular attention to the future graduating classes from the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Slytherin house in particular was targeted, its students having extra attention showered upon them. Severus was caught up in the storm of recruiting; the fact that he knew more dark spells than most of the seventh year students working in his favor. During the summers away from school, when he and Lily were able to forget about school and the divide it caused between them, Lily expressed Her worries that he was being led somewhere dark. Severus assured Her that he knew what he was doing.

For him, the prospect of power was appealing, especially when it began to appear that Lily’s favor was waning. A new boy, a Gryffindor named James Potter, had begun to indicate feelings for Lily. This was unacceptable, and instead of cutting his ties with the rising power, Severus threw himself into his dark arts studies, resolute on garnering enough power to win Lily back. Loathing James Potter as well and his band of friends, which included Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, Severus clashed with the boys repeatedly. James and Sirius nicknamed Severus ‘Snivellus’ and used the name to taunt him whenever possible. Hexes were thrown back and forth, and animosity was plentiful.

Intent on removing Potter from Lily’s life, Severus kept his eyes open for any opportunity to have the prat and his friends expelled. Noticing that one of Potter’s group, Lupin, disappeared three nights a month, Severus became curious, hoping that his intense scrutiny would prove fruitful. Sirius Black, realizing what Severus was up to, managed to trick the Slytherin into traveling down the passage beneath the Whomping Willow, putting him in the path of a raging werewolf. Had Potter not realized what was going on and stopped it, Severus would have certainly been killed. Severus was not grateful to Potter. Far from it, actually, he resented the idea that he owed his life to the person that was taking his away from him.

After the incident in his fifth year, where he called Lily a mudblood and irreversibly ruined any hope of Her returning his affection, She refused his apology and abandoned him completely. Three years later, Lily would marry James Potter and solidify the hatred Severus felt for the man.

After his graduation from Hogwarts in 1978, Severus and several of his classmates took the mark of Voldemort’s camp, emblazoning a skull with a snake for its tongue on their forearms. Now a Death Eater, Severus spent a year reigning horror and doing unspeakable things under the command of his Dark Lord. In 1980, Severus applied to become the potions master at Hogwarts. It was here, on school grounds, that Severus overheard Sybil Trelawney’s now famous prophecy. The prophecy was speaking about a boy that would be born near the end of July, destined to have the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. He loyally conveyed this message to Voldemort. The situation, however, would soon turn to one of panic.

Instead of being elated that he had secured such a pivotal piece of information for his Master, Severus was blindsided and broken-hearted when he learned that this knowledge had secured a fate for Harry Potter, Lily’s son. Desperate to change the course of events he’d put in motion, he appealed to Albus, begging the man to save his Lily’s life. This had seemed to pass, as Lily and her family were moved into hiding, and Severus believed he had righted the wrong he’d so callously made.

However, Peter Pettigrew proved to be a far more convincing actor than anyone had given him credit for, and Lily was betrayed and killed by the Dark Lord while attempting to save Her son. Distraught and wracked with guilt, Severus confessed everything to Albus, vowing to the man that he would give his complete and unyielding allegiance. Albus convinced Severus that he would do the most good, and redeem himself in what little ways he could, by continuing to be a Death Eater, while feeding Albus prudent information, as well as protecting Harry, Lily’s son, as he had been the reason the boy had been orphaned. While nowhere near easy, Severus was skilled at spying, particularly because he was a skilled at Occlumency, meaning he could shield his deepest thoughts from Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters.

From 1980 until 1996, Severus was the Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as head of Slytherin House. This position was perfect for him, as he was able to spy on the children of fellow Death Eaters, ferreting information and passing it to Albus whenever he deemed it important. When Lily’s son started school, Severus was torn between hating the child because he looked so much like his father, and favoring him because he had his Lily’s emerald eyes. Outwardly showing open animosity and hostility towards the boy, Severus spent his years torturing Harry in one way or another, working out his resentment of James Potter through cruelty.

While Severus readily persecuted Harry, he also continued to protect him. In the boy’s first year, he saved the boy from a jinxed broom. In his fourth year, Severus was one of several teachers who saved Harry from Barty Crouch Jr., who’d polyjuiced himself to appear at Alastor Moody. Throughout the six years that Severus was Harry’s teacher, he continued to protect the boy. Several Death Eaters, particularly Bellatrix Lestrange, doubted Severus’ loyalty, pointing to the fact that he’s had plenty of opportunities to kill the boy and had not done so. Severus assured Bellatrix, as well as the Dark Lord and the rest of his minions, that attempting to do so would have arose Dumbledore’s suspicion.

During the Triwizard Tournament in Harry’s fourth year, Voldemort was resurrected with a bit of Harry’s blood. Severus immediately vowed his loyalty to the returned Dark Lord, gaining the wizard’s favor once again. He would continue his previous assignment, spying on Dumbledore like he’d been doing before Voldemort’s original destruction by The-Boy-Who-Lived.

The story of Severus’ downward spiral in the war began during Potter’s sixth year. In Albus’ search for a way to destroy Voldemort once and for all, by destroying the Horcruxes that Tom Riddle had stored pieces of his soul in, he’d made an irrevocable mistake. Though Severus had tried to heal Albus, it was for naught. With only a year to live, Albus pleaded with Severus to kill him, thus saving Draco Malfoy’s life in the process. His student, and the son of a fellow Death Eater, had been tasked with killing the headmaster. Not only would Severus killing Albus protect Draco from something that would irreversibly damage the boy, he would also be able to prove, once and for all, exactly where his loyalty lie. It was not soon after he had begrudgingly agreed to Albus’ plan that he was sought out by a panicked Narcissa Malfoy. She forced Severus, the only person she knew who could and would help, into an Unbreakable Vow to protect her son, carrying out the deed that Voldemort had ordered the sixteen-year-old to do. Severus’, and Albus’, fates were sealed.

Severus killed Albus with a killing curse while Death Eaters stormed Hogwarts. With Potter's voice ringing in his ears, calling him a coward, he escaped with Draco Malfoy and went into hiding.

Killing Albus, however, had not been the now deceased Headmaster’s only plan. Albus had also managed to put plans into motion that would secure Severus’ eventual placement as Headmaster of Hogwarts, once Voldemort had taken over most of the wizarding world, including the school. It was in the Headmaster’s Office that Severus was able to speak with Dumbledore, talking with his former mentor through his portrait. His placement was not easy, however, as several teaching staff had been replaced with Death Eaters. Severus was watched closely, even though he’d proven himself by murdering Dumbledore. As was the way of Voldemort, no one was ever completely and utterly trusted.

During the final battle at Hogwarts, Severus fled to the Shrieking Shack. He pleaded with Voldemort in a last ditch attempt to protect the boy. Believing that Severus was the way to understanding and gaining the Elder Wand, Voldemort’s ultimate strategy, Voldemort attempted to kill Severus, critically wounding the potions master. Believing he was dying, he assisted Potter in the only way he knew how: giving the boy every memory he had that could be a use, including the knowledge that he had loved his mother, and continued to do so with what he thought was his dying breath.

Severus Snape did not die, however. Harry Potter went on to defeat the Dark Lord, putting an end to the reign of terror that had started over two decades prior. Recovering from his wounds, Severus was horrified to learn that it had taken Potter’s voice and insistance to clear his name. He was exonerated for all his crimes, but his reputation would forever be marred by his actions. He is deeply resentful that despite the fact that Albus had vouched for him in front of the Wizengamot, it had taken a seventeen-year-old to keep him out of Azkaban.

In the five years after the war, Severus attempted to make a career out of the only thing he was good at, and was acceptable: Potions making. Opening Hyacinth Elixirs, he happily carved a niche for himself in the potions market, selling plenty of supplies in his shop, as well as providing owl services to those who couldn’t travel to Hogsmeade.

In 2002, he was diagnosed with a heart condition by one of his former students. He was instructed to travel to America, where he was assured there was a wizard who was making cutting edge advances in the treatment of his illness. Severus has been there for almost eight months, recovering and healing, as well as learning to control and treat his symptoms. He was unable to make potions during his time, which made him dreadfully surly, as well as bored. He has read every book in his library twice, as well as developed several new types of potions, though he has been unable to do thorough research on their viability.

He has since returned to England, reopening his shop and brewing, something he sorely missed.

Profession: Previous Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. Headmaster of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry for one year. Skilled potions master. Proprietor and owner of Hyacinth Elixirs.

 

Severus' visual representation is Alan Rickman.