put a stopper in death

[Mistress Siana]

"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in...death!" Snape's words, you certainly remember them.

Now I wonder if he's ever done those things? Was the fact that he can stopper death maybe a reason he was interesting for Voldemort? Sounds pretty much like dark arts, so who taught him? Has he ever brewed glory or bottled fame, and if yes, for whom? And why never for himself, as he seems quite desperate to be in any way rewarded for what he does, to get attention? And what the...is the correct present perfect form of 'to brew'?

[Phinea Rogue]

I'm sure he did those things, but who taught him and for who he did them? Dunno. But as he said this speech in a lesson, than maybe these things don't really belong to Dark Arts as he said that he can teach them how to brew them.

Why present perfect form? *think hard which form is present perfect* But 'to brew' is a regular verb, I think.

[Mistress Siana]

hm, I think that "putting a stopper in death" may belong to dark arts...after all, he said he could them them those things, unless they are the bunch of idiots he usually has in his classes...and he obviously came to think they are!

Why I asked for that form? Because I used it and wasn't sure if it was right.

[KagomeMIKO]

umm in the fourth book you find out he was apart of volmarts circle and he probaly learned it from him

[choki]

Maybe Snape died once...and he placed a stopper to his own death? He looks far too pale for a healthy person right?

As for the fame and glory...it seems to me those can be gained by being an accomplished potion master and not necessarily an evil wizard.

[Mistress Siana]

Maybe Snape died once...and he placed a stopper to his own death? He looks far too pale for a healthy person right?

Weird idea! But an interesting one!! Have to think about it...

[Auchie]

That is a good idea, but I can't help thinking that maybe he did it to be dramatic....?

[Phinea Rogue]

Yeah, maybe all that was just a figure of speech?

[Marcus Baker]

I know this might be a little borring as my theory, but I think he said that to make people intimidated by his class, and people realize that his class if very important~even thought he wants DADA, which is the most important class (as a students point of view)

[Reverie Revenge]

Markus has right, Snape wants to gain authority and intimidate first years . But on the other hand, Snape never says sth. without a reason, he even talks a little, just the necessary stuff (and insults, of course ). I think his words have a lot of credibility. And he even managed to brew Lupins' wolfsbane. It's almost a stopper to death, because this potion makes a peaceful werewolf. If Snape hasn't done the real stopper to death, he may be close ...

[Scellanis]

I would have thought putting a stopper in death is the fancy scary way to say I could teach you how to brew a deadly poison with no antidote...thats death in a bottle ready to dish out.....

I should imagine there is similar ways to think of the others too....

For example, it was possible for Lockheart to get fame through a spell, the memory charm....therefore it stands to reason it should be possible to get fame and glory by brewing a potion...could do it in a number of ways....working for someone, working on inventing something...or using a potion in the same sort of sneaky way Lockheart used his memory charm.

Fame and glory may not mean the Orlando Bloom/Johnny Depp style fame...It might be more like the isaac newton, Pythagoras and Cantor in maths kind of fame....i.e only people who are interested in the subject with think of you as famous.....

I think it was just fancy exageration of very boring potions just to catch the attention and make himself seem dangerous and scary (because first years now believe he can put a stopper in death...which sounds so much more impressive than saying he can brew some poison and also is less likely to get Snape in trouble I imagine as any official will just take it as scaring the first years and not really think he meant he could do it)

[Groo]

hmm.. that seems sensible

as for where he learnt the dark arts, i believe Sirius said in GoF that snape knew more Dark Arts than the whole school when he entered it.
the reasons could be...
1 his family seems like a dark-arts , pureblood family. maybe not DEs but just twisted

2 his natural inclination to learn and his brilliance

3 his friends circle at Hogwarts

[Ferrus]

his friends circle at Hogwarts

what friends??

[Phinea Rogue]

his friends circle at Hogwarts

what friends??

I think that Lestranges, Avery and Wilkes were mentioned as his 'circle of friends' at Hogwarts (in book 4 Sirius tells it to Harry), but I don't think they were real friends.

As to the stopper in death, maybe he'll use it later to help someone? I can see that JKR will in the end write clearly which side he's one and she can do it by him proving himself to be good or do something good.

[Reverie Revenge]

I think that Lestranges, Avery and Wilkes were mentioned as his 'circle of friends' at Hogwarts (in book 4 Sirius tells it to Harry), but I don't think they were real friends.

Me too I imagine they were in the same gang as Snape but I don't remember this was mentioned anywhere in the books - please, tell me where, if you remember.

Why do you think they were no real friends? Because noone came to help when James humiliated Snape? I think not coming to help and not risking your ass 8) is exactly what an exemplar Slytherin would do (according to Phineas Niggellus ). But that's really bad ''quality''. Though I'm Slytherin I help my friends if necessary to shake off some tiresome guys. Of course I do it in a Slytherin sarcastic fashion .