Can you believe it’s been over two decades since the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? It still seems like yesterday when Harry got his first letter to Hogwarts (which we’re still waiting for), heard ‘allo ‘arry from the sweet giant Hagrid, met his best friends Ron and Hermione, and came across his guardian-angel-in-disguise, Snape.
So celebrating the undying legacy of the Harry Potter franchise, let’s take a look into the first film and dive deeper into the Black Lake to figure out secret meanings and brilliant literary connections. From the top of our heads, Snape’s first interaction with Harry hinted at secret messages that almost proved JK Rowling is a literary genius until we remembered her lethargic take on Cho Chang.
The Secret Message Behind Snape’s First Words to Harry
Remember that very first Potions lesson where Harry had his face-to-face encounter with Professor Severus Snape? According to the Wizarding World timeline that very interaction later turned into an Easter Egg in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We’ll surely discuss that later, but meanwhile, we discovered an interesting secret message behind Snape’s questions.
Right after entering the classroom with his dark and intimidating personality, Severus Snape appeared shooting his question toward Harry Potter. Poor Harry was left more bewildered by Hermione’s knowledge than Snape’s questions. Well, at that moment, Snape sought the answer to what he would get if he added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood.
Thankfully, one eagle-eyed reader was able to point out the true meaning behind the question. Taking to Tumblr, @Tomhiddles informed Potterheads about the secret message that JK Rowling brilliantly added while also using the question as an Easter Egg in the later part of her narrative. According to the fan, when Snape asked Harry about asphodel and wormwood, it held a deeper meaning in the Victorian Flower Language.
Further, according to Marie Claire, there appeared two more subtle references – Asphodel was once believed to cure snake bites, perhaps hinting at parsletongued Voldemort who killed Lily. Another reference being the sleeping potion that brews from the combination of Asphodel and Wormwood, which was popularly known as the “Draught of Living Death”. Perhaps this was Snape trying to tell that his life had become a living death, constantly haunted by Lily’s demise.
Snape’s Initial Questions Later Helped Harry Save Ron
Now, to blow your minds some more (maybe with Confringo), let’s take a look at Snape’s next questions targeted at Harry, which later came as a genius Easter Egg in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. According to the books, the second question that Snape had asked was “where do you find me a bezoar?” Although Harry couldn’t answer, Bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat to cure poisoning and was often found in the Potions Classroom store cupboard, as well as in the Hospital Wing.
Although initially it looked like Snape was simply targeting Harry, later on in the sixth book, when Ron drank the poisoned oak-matured mead that was intended for Albus Dumbledore, Snape’s question helped Harry to immediately recall the whereabouts of a Bezoar and save Ron. Perhaps, considering how Snape was aware of every bit related to Harry’s prophecy, he deliberately planted the questions in Harry’s mind to subtly help him as a Guardian Angel.
Merlin’s Beard! JK Rowling undoubtedly did her intensive research and later proved her literary genius through her secret messages and subtle references. But sadly, it seems, the author had poured her entire focus and passion on the Boy Who Lived and Severus Snape, otherwise who names a character Cho Chang? While on one hand, the particular character’s portrayal is culturally insensitive, on the other hand, her name simply reeks of stereotype reminiscent of the ethnic slur ‘ching chong’.
Further, considering how critics have often pointed out that Cho isn’t even a Chinese name, it seems JK Rowling almost put no effort into the character, despite linking her to Harry Potter and making her an integral part of the storyline.
