Potions Master's office

Potions Master's office
Location information
Location	Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, Great Britain
Owner(s)	Aesop Sharp (19th century) Severus Snape (1981-1997)
Permanent residents	Aesop Sharp (19th century) Severus Snape (1981-1997)
Affiliation	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Aesop Sharp Severus Snape

"A shadowy and miserable office in the Hogwarts dungeons."

— Description of Snape's office

This office was used by Aesop Sharp and Severus Snape, two Potions Masters at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Description

The office was a gloomy and dimly-lit room found in the school dungeons. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars filled with slimy, revolting things, such as bits of animals and plants, floating in potions of varying colours. Snape's collection grew over time - in 1994 Harry Potter noted there were more jars than in 1992, and by 1996, there were hundreds of them, even though Snape was no longer teaching the subject of potions. The office had a fireplace. In a corner, there was a cupboard containing Snape's private stock of potions ingredients. In 1997, the office also contained a table, used for Harry's detention of sorting out records, but it was unknown if it had been there before.

The office was sealed with a spell only wizards could break.

History

1890

In 1890, Garreth Weasley asked a student to steal a Fwooper feather from the office.

1992

"The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn’t really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them."

— Snape leading Harry and Ron into his office in 1992

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in Snape's office after being seen by Muggles driving a flying Ford Anglia

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley first entered Snape's office on 1 September, 1992. Snape led them there after he caught them when they had flown the Flying Ford Anglia to Hogwarts. They were chilled when they reached the room, and the fireplace was cold and empty. Because he was not authorised to punish them, he then left them there and fetched Professor McGonagall, who lit a fire and asked them to explain. Professor Dumbledore joined them and decided not to expel the boys. However, Ron and Harry were not allowed to return to the feast and had pumpkin juice and sandwiches that McGonagall summoned in Snape's office before they went to bed.

Hermione Granger stole bicorn horn and boomslang skin from Snape's office in 1992 for the Polyjuice Potion. She slipped out of a Potions class while Harry diverted Snape.

1994

"Snape had acquired a few more slimy horrible things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere."

— Harry viewing Snape's office in 1994

Harry and Snape in his office after the former is caught in Hogsmeade without permission

Snape caught Harry Potter after Draco Malfoy had seen him in Hogsmeade without the consent of a guardian and brought him to his office. Harry denied that he had been to Hogsmeade and accused Malfoy of hallucinations. They had a confrontation about Harry's father James Potter and Snape then confiscated the Marauder's Map and a bag from Zonko's Joke Shop. When the map coldly insulted him and showed the Marauders' nicknames, Snape called Remus Lupin and immediately accused him that Harry had acquired the map directly "from the manufacturers." Lupin replied that to him the paper just looked simply like an ordinary Zonko's product. Ron Weasley burst in at that moment and claimed that he had given Harry everything Snape had found and Lupin declared that this had officially closed the case and then led the boys out of the office.

1995

Severus Snape: "So I give you fair warning, Potter, pint-sized celebrity or not — if I catch you breaking into my office one more time —"

Harry Potter: "I haven’t been anywhere near your office!"

Severus Snape: "Don’t lie to me. Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them."

— Snape accusing Harry of stealing ingredients from his office

Bartemius Crouch Junior, disguised as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, stole ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office during the school year he spent at Hogwarts. Harry saw him on the Marauder's Map, but thought it was his father Barty Crouch, Snr. In the same year, Dobby stole gillyweed for Harry before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. As the office had been locked with a spell that only a wizard could break, Snape suspected Harry to be the culprit on all three counts of robbery. It was only when Barty confessed under the influence of Veritaserum that lifted these suspicions on Potter.

1996-1997

"Get out, get out, I don't want to see you in this office ever again!"

— Severus Snape screaming at Harry Potter, after Harry viewed his worst memory

In January 1996, Snape started teaching Harry Occlumency in his office. A Pensieve was on the desk on these occasions. During one of these lessons, when Snape was called away, Harry saw Snape's worst memory inside the Pensieve. When Snape found out, he threw him out and yelled that he didn't want to see Harry in his office ever again, going as far as to throw a jar of dead cockroaches that barely missed the back of Harry's head.

Snape kept his old office in the dungeons even after he became the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and thus had a classroom several floors above in Harry Potter's sixth year. Harry had come there for detention twice, once when he got cheeky against Snape during their first lesson of the year, and second for every Saturday until the end of the school year after he cursed Draco Malfoy with Sectumsempra. The first detention was for him to sort out rotten and good Flobberworms for potions (despite Snape no longer teaching the subject), in which he was not permitted to use protective gloves; the second detention required him to clear out old cobwebbed boxes of files about the wrongdoings of the Marauders at Hogwarts. Throughout the year, Snape had repeatedly summoned Draco into the office in the hopes of assisting the young boy in assassinate Albus Dumbledore, to which Draco ignored, something Snape noted that any other students would not get off of so easily.

On the night of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger kept watch in front of Snape's office until Professor Flitwick sprinted down the passageway and into the room. Snape Stunned Flitwick, told Luna and Hermione to look after him and disappeared.

When Snape was promoted to Headmaster, he finally vacated this office and moved to the other one.

2010s

During the Calamity, members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force were able to make visits to Snape's office through the usage of Portkeys in order to collect Wrackspurts.

See also

• Dungeons
• Potions Classroom
• Potions Storeroom
• Severus Snape
• Horace Slughorn's first office
• Horace Slughorn's office

Behind the scenes

Snape's office in the film

• Despite yelling at Harry never to return to the office during the 1995–1996 school year following Potter's discovery of Snape's memory, Snape had Harry return here for detention the following year.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, this office looks very similar, if not the same, to the Potions Classroom.
• The spell used to seal the office could be the Anti-Alohomora Charm.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Hogwarts Legacy