Here’s an interesting thing about being part of the Canon – the interpretations of the work never die out (of course we need to go a little easy with the spin-offs. If only Rowling would understand). So with each intense reading of the Potter series, something new unravels itself, giving deeper and deeper layers to the series. This is what leads books into the academic circles (Ph.D in Potter, anybody?). So, we have yet another, quite unexplored fan theory that has been doing the rounds in the Potter circles. It says that the first words Snape uttered to Potter were not just words, but an elegy to Lily, Harry’s mother, and Snape’s unrequited love.
Harry was welcomed into his first potions class with the question, “Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” We might have overlooked it as one of the ways in which Snape picked on Harry, but Tumblr user Tomhiddles has a different take. He says that in Victorian Flower Language, Asphodel is a type of Lily and in Victorian Flower Language means, ‘My regrets follow you to the grave’. Also, ‘Wormwood’ signifies absence and bitter sorrow. If put together it would mean, ‘I bitterly regret Lily’s death’. Yeah, we are pretty much blown too.
Another fun fact, combining powdered root of Asphodel and Wormwood would create a concoction so strong, it’s called the ‘Draught of Living Death. This could be a possible reference to what Snape’s life became, post Lily’s death.
Someone had their writing game on point, eh?
