J.K. Rowling’s expansive world of Harry Potter has often sparked intriguing debates and fan theories by expanding upon the richly crafted lore. One such theory, although debunked by Rowling, suggests a complex narrative involving Severus Snape, vampires, and the ultimate protection of Harry Potter.
According to this theory, the Slytherin house head Severus Snape is deemed to be a vampire. But the most bizarre part of it suggests that his possible vampiric heritage and his relationship with Voldemort provide an alternative explanation for why the Dark Lord couldn’t kill Harry.
J.K. Rowling Debunked Theory About Severus Snape’s Vampiric Heritage
For years, one particular theory has made its rounds on the internet claiming that Severus Snape was actually a vampire, hence his name – the Half-Blood Prince. Well, according to the theory, Snape was not merely a wizard but a hybrid child born of a witch and a vampire. It suggests that Snape’s mother, Eileen Prince, fell in love with a vampire and through magical means, bewitched the vampire not to bite her, but instead have a love child.
According to the theory, this was how Severus Snape was actually born as a half-vampire, half-wizard hybrid. Thereafter, Tobias Snape (Snape’s muggle father as per the novels) came into the picture when magical intervention and complexities of wizarding world laws came in between Eileen Prince and the vampire. This led the vampire to leave Eileen to start a family with Tobias.
Further, as the theory stated that Severus Snape was a hybrid, it highlighted how hybrid children in many fantasy settings are often depicted as possessing heightened abilities. Similarly, even Snape exhibited iconic skills in both witchcraft and in being a creature of the night, both of which allowed him to move through the night quickly and silently. Further, this theory implied that Snape’s vampiric heritage might have endowed him with greater magical power than an average wizard, which led to a significant role in Lord Voldemort’s clan.
Considering how dark creatures like vampires often took Lord Voldemort’s side, Severus Snape being a half-vampire and half-wizard naturally appeared as his ultimate ally. But hold onto your horses, because while fans almost daydreamed this theory to be canonical, J.K. Rowling openly debunked it on X. Unfortunately, that became the biggest mistake, for otherwise Snape’s vampire lineage clearly explained how Harry survived Voldemort’s curse during childhood.
Snape’s Theory Seemingly Proves Why Voldemort Couldn’t Kill Harry
As the theory proceeded, it further explained how Snape’s alliance with Voldemort wasn’t just based on his natural inclination towards the Dark Lord, because of his vampire heritage. Instead, their shared experiences of parental abandonment might have also influenced their connection. Voldemort aka Tom Riddle, was raised in an orphanage after his mother’s death since his muggle father had abandoned them both. Similarly, as the theory claimed that Snape’s vampire father had to leave them, it created a common ground.
Thereafter, this similarity might have forged a bond between them, which extended to Snape’s significant influence over Voldemort, particularly regarding Lily Potter. According to J.K. Rowling‘s novels, Severus Snape had requested the Dark Lord not to kill Lily, when he went after the Potters leaving the Longbottoms to Bellatrix. Perhaps, this confidence to place a request towards Voldemort was rooted in their shared experience of parental rejection and emotional trauma.
But now comes the most fascinating part of this theory, since we all know that Voldemort broke his pledge after promising Lily’s safety to Snape. Now, while Voldemort believed that he had betrayed Snape, what he didn’t know was that his deed was actually an act of self-betrayal. To expand on this, the theory stated that since Voldemort had magical sociopathy after being born from love that was coerced through enchantment, he couldn’t fathom the actual bond he had developed with Snape.
While Voldemort merely considered the Hogwarts professor as his ally, there was actually a deeper connection that rooted to their childhood traumas which created an old magic bond that Voldemort could not break without affecting himself. However, due to the Dark Lord’s inability to feel emotions of love and empathy, he failed to understand his intense connection with Snape. Therefore, when he betrayed Snape by killing Lily, he had actually betrayed himself.
As a result, he not only broke his word to Snape but also disrupted this ancient bond, which led to an unforeseen consequence: the protection around Harry Potter. Apparently, Lily’s motherly love, combined with the mystical connection between Voldemort and Snape, created a form of magical protection that Voldemort could not overcome with his killing curse.
Harry Potter films are currently available to watch on Max.
