Harry Potter Facts

64-Snape and Birthdays

1. Severus was eight years old on the same day that he realized the little auburn-haired girl at the park was magical, just like him. It took him almost an entire year to work up the courage to speak to her.

2. Lily was the first and only friend Severus ever invited to celebrate his birthday with him. They figured out how to fly on his ninth birthday, and he never forgot it.

3. Because Severus was born in January, he was only ten when he started Hogwarts. His mum made certain, though, that he would have an advantage over the others by gifting him all her old textbooks the year before.

4. On the evening of his birthday, Severus celebrates alone, even though Dumbledore makes it a point to send him some oddball gift that he would never purchase for himself.

5. The one thing Severus does receive on his birthday is a white cake with white icing. It always shows up in his chambers at midnight.

6. Severus doesn't care to have it known that his birthday is approaching. However, each time it does, he secretly enjoys each and every well wish, even when he snarls at the person speaking to him.

7. Lily was the first one to give Severus a birthday cake he enjoyed. His Mum always made a strawberry one to appease his father, and he hates strawberries. The house elves could almost match her recipe, even after all these years.

8. His first birthday after Lily's death, (and it would always be Lily's death, never The Dark Lord's downfall), Severus locked himself in his chambers and proceeded to make himself sick on Firewhisky and his white cake. The next morning, he realized that he had no idea where the cake came from and spent the next day searching the halls for her ghost.

9. Professor Burbage surprised Severus on his 30th birthday with a soft kiss to his cheek the first year after she came to teach at Hogwarts. She cornered him in the dungeons and, he was so shocked that he couldn't even yell at her.

10. Severus was 32 when he finally told Charity no on her offer of a celebratory drink in her quarters, but she still gave him a gentle kiss each year there after.

11. After Voldemort was defeated, and Severus's portrait was placed in the Headmaster's office, Potter began to come to see him on his birthday. He pretended to sleep the entire time, and Albus always scolded him later for not speaking to the boy.

12. It wasn't until Severus turned 25 that he realized where his birthday cakes were coming from. He threw the cake at the wall and cursed Dumbledore for giving him a yearly reminder of his mistakes. When a new cake replaced that one, he once again resorted to Firewhisky and stared at the sweet all night long.

13. Severus never celebrated his deathday, only his birthdays, which amused the ghosts to no end.

14. Severus finally spoke to Potter for the first time after he was placed in the Headmaster's office when Potter told Dumbledore about his second son on Severus's 46th birthday. Severus opened his eyes and called Potter a dunderhead for naming his son after him. Harry just smiled, wished him well, and stated he knew Severus had been paying attention all those times before.

15. The first time Severus saw and spoke to his namesake was when he was Sorted into Slytherin. He called the boy Sev and taught him wandless magic each year when they met to celebrate their birthdays together.

16. When Lily Luna Potter entered the Headmaster's office, Severus stared at her, then left his portrait. She called after him and thanked him for giving her the courage to follow her brother into Slytherin and wished him a happy 60th birthday.

17. Severus learned the dark curses from his mother beginning late at night on his 5th birthday. She wanted to make certain he could protect himself if something were to happen to her.

18. Severus was twelve when his mum taught him the Killing Curse. Neither one of them needed to work very hard to find a reason to use it when they practiced on the household pests.

19. Severus had Potter summoned to Hogwarts the same afternoon Lily Luna came to see him and told him he'd finally gone round the twist. Harry just smiled at him and wished him well in the same tone as his daughter had done while Dumbledore laughed.

20. Even after Severus's mistake in 6th year, Lily still sent him a note on his birthday, but she never willingly offered him her love again.