- Lily Evans: "Doesn’t your dad like magic?"
- Severus Snape: "He doesn’t like anything, much."
- — Tobias' son dicusses his father with a friend.[src]
Tobias Snape was a Muggle. He was married to Eileen Snape (née Prince), a witch, and was the father of Severus Snape.
Biography
Little is known about Tobias, but it is clear that he lived with his wife, Eileen, in a row house on Spinner's End. The fact that the house was located near a textile mill may give some indication of his profession.[1][2]
Tobias had a son, Severus, who was born on January 9, 1960. His marriage to Eileen was fraught with tension, according to Severus, who told his friend, Lily Evans, that his parents often had arguments. Tobias and his wife may also have been neglectful, or at least extremely poor, as their son was said not to look "well cared for." [2] The thought of leaving his father to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seemed to enthrall Severus.[2]
It seems that Tobias, a Muggle, was aware that he had married a witch. When young Lily Evans asked Severus if his father liked magic, Severus replied that Tobias didn't really like anything, including magic.[2] This would seem to suggest that Tobias was a dour and unhappy man.
Tobias' ultimate fate is unknown, but Severus was shown living in the family house on Spinner's End in the summer of 1996, suggesting that Tobias and his wife were either dead by this time or residing somewhere else.
Etymology
Tobias is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Tobiah, meaning "God is good". In the apocryphal Book of Tobit in the Old Testament, Tobias is assisted by the archangel in driving a demon away from Sarah, who subsequently became his wife.[3] Tobias Ragg is a character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street who kills the titular character.
Behind the scenes
- Tobias may have appeared in a memory which Harry Potter saw when he accidently broke into Severus Snape's mind during an Occlumency lesson. In the memory, a man with a hooked nose is shouting at a frightened woman, while a small, dark-haired boy — Severus — cries in the corner. If the man was Tobias, as is widely presumed, then the memory may be evidence that he abused his wife.[4]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)