Snape's Potions Book

The handwriting HAS to be Snape's - why in the world would he not use the corrected recipes himself as a student if he knew they came from his potions genuis mother?

But we know he did not use the same recipe for Draught of Living Death as Harry did on his first brewing. That would not make sense. Additionally, we have plenty of evidence that Snape is a potions genuis (Wolfsbane brewing Knows what is wrong just by looking or sniffing) - but none so far that his mother was. Hermione did not find anything to suggest that Eileen was particularly great at potions.

The ONLY clue we might have that she had been fairly good is that she apparently got an Exceeds Expectations to make it into NEWT classes. And even Ron and Harry are that good - yet I would never consider them potions genuises.

Also, (yes, I'm supporting your point ;) ) the same distinctive font was used for both the book handwriting and Snape's writing. I'm fairly convinced, myself, that Snape wrote those notes in the book's margins, and that he both invented the potions corrections and the other spells. It's too bad he never made his potions improvements part of the standard curriculum. He could have re-written the entire text, basically- everyone would have been buying potions books by S. Snape.

Yep, pretty much...it was his mother's and then Harry used it.

While the common view of Snape at Hogwarts is about how much he wants the DADA position because he loves the dark arts, isn't it true that it was at Voldemort's direction that he sought that position, was told to get it to further Voldemort's aims? Snape's true love may well be Potions, and not DADA as it could appear.

Hermione's little comment about the writing look like a girls is interesting when you think about it. Perhaps Snape wasn't the brilliant one who made those comments, but his mother.

Wouldn't the trio know Snape's handwriting? Surely they must have seen it, spending 6 years as his student.
That was the part that stumped me too. Why didn't they recognise his writing? He must have written something somewhere in the time he was teaching the Trio and I would have thought that at least one of them would have recognised the writing. And Hermione said the writing was more girlish too, which makes me wonder. :huh:

That said though - Snape does make it very clear that he was the one who invented the spells at the end of HBP when he says this:

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them - I, the Half-Blood Prince!"

Bold mine. I am convinced there is some link to the age of the book and to Snape's mother though, I just cannot work out what it is.

Also, (yes, I'm supporting your point ;) ) the same distinctive font was used for both the book handwriting and Snape's writing. I'm fairly convinced, myself, that Snape wrote those notes in the book's margins, and that he both invented the potions corrections and the other spells. It's too bad he never made his potions improvements part of the standard curriculum. He could have re-written the entire text, basically- everyone would have been buying potions books by S. Snape.

IMO he did teach his improvements since he writes the potions instructions on the blackboard rather than referring to a textbook. IIRC Hermione's N.E.W.T. potions were not as good as the ones she made with Snape's instructions even though she was following the Advanced Potion-Making instructions. Oh yes, and Umbridge complains that the Ministry thinks Snape's students are too advanced.
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Go me! I'm a third year!

That was the part that stumped me too. Why didn't they recognise his writing? He must have written something somewhere in the time he was teaching the Trio and I would have thought that at least one of them would have recognised the writing. And Hermione said the writing was more girlish too, which makes me wonder.
Well, if Snape wrote the notes at 16, his handwriting might be different now. And the instructions he puts on the board in class are probably not his handwriting. I do recall at least one instance, though, where Snape wrote comments on one of Harry's papers....if I find it I'll post it up.

I am convinced there is some link to the age of the book and to Snape's mother though, I just cannot work out what it is.
We know the publication date of the potions book is "nearly 50 years ago" when Harry's 16, the HBP year being 1996 (Harry was born in 1980). So, assuming "nearly 50 years ago" likely means 49 years ago.....it was printed around 1947. Snape was born in 1959. Taking the youngest age she would have married, after graduating at 17, had Snape at 18.....that would make her 55 years old in 1996 (18 + 37), it would be possible the book was his mother's, it seems in the right range.

If Snape was teaching from his HBP notes, why weren't all the students in every house- or at least every bright one- brilliant like Harry was from using them? The techniques Harry used to seem so brilliant weren't familiar to Hermione at all, who would have thought Harry was merely using old methods if she had ever seen any of these instructions on a board before. (She would remember something like that.) Nor would she object to anything a teacher had ever presented as official curriculum.

I am unsure if this is the right place to post, but I remember a scene in HBP when Harry said that the book could not have belonged to his father or his friends, because the date of publication was 50 years ago and they did not go to school 50 years ago. However, the real owner of the book was Snape, who did go to school with James. Do you think JKR made a mistake, or is there something I'm missing?

. ...when Harry said that the book could not have belonged to his father or his friends, because the date of publication was 50 years ago and they did not go to school 50 years ago.However, the real owner of the book was Snape, who did go to school with James. Do you think JKR made a mistake, or is there something I'm missing?

That is why most people surmise that the original owner was Snape's mother.

Well, if Snape wrote the notes at 16, his handwriting might be different now. And the instructions he puts on the board in class are probably not his handwriting. I do recall at least one instance, though, where Snape wrote comments on one of Harry's papers....if I find it I'll post it up.
Thanks! :D I suppose you're right. His handwriting probably had changed since he was 16. :shrug:
We know the publication date of the potions book is "nearly 50 years ago" when Harry's 16, the HBP year being 1996 (Harry was born in 1980). So, assuming "nearly 50 years ago" likely means 49 years ago.....it was printed around 1947. Snape was born in 1959. Taking the youngest age she would have married, after graduating at 17, had Snape at 18.....that would make her 55 years old in 1996 (18 + 37), it would be possible the book was his mother's, it seems in the right range.
Sorry - I really should have phrased my post better! *smacks forehead* What I meant was, if it was Snape's mother's - why is that important? If Snape was the one who invented the spells, the age and previous owner of the book wouldn't matter. So, from this, I think that JKR was either throwing us a major red herring, or that Eileen Prince was maybe in some way involved with Tom Riddle and/or Moaning Myrtle.

If Snape was teaching from his HBP notes, why weren't all the students in every house- or at least every bright one- brilliant like Harry was from using them? The techniques Harry used to seem so brilliant weren't familiar to Hermione at all, who would have thought Harry was merely using old methods if she had ever seen any of these instructions on a board before. (She would remember something like that.) Nor would she object to anything a teacher had ever presented as official curriculum.

I'm not quite sure that I understand you're question. Are you wondering if Snape didn't teach from his own better additions? I do wonder myself how it is that Sluggy might have taught straight from an inferior text and anyone but Harry would have succeeded? :shrug: I am trying to think if we've ever seen Snape reference a text book in his potions classes. :hmm:

I might think that the particular potions they had been assigned in HBP - when Harry took the "lead" in class- hadn't been presented by Snape to that class yet. Maybe if Hermione had taken the Prince's instructions to a 7th year students and said, "Hey when you made the Draught of the Living Death last year, have you ever heard of crushing a pod with the edge of a silver knife?" or something, and the 7th year could have relied- 'Oh yeah- Snape taught us that.' :lol: or 'uh, no we all failed that lesson.'

But as it was, when Hermione read ahead with the assigned texts and then supplemented that with Snape's classroom teachings - she was the one who excelled. But when Slughorn taught on the text alone - and Harry had sole access to "The Prince" - It seems Harry excelled.

Thanks! :D I suppose you're right. His handwriting probably had changed since he was 16. :shrug:

Sorry - I really should have phrased my post better! *smacks forehead* What I meant was, if it was Snape's mother's - why is that important? If Snape was the one who invented the spells, the age and previous owner of the book wouldn't matter. So, from this, I think that JKR was either throwing us a major red herring, or that Eileen Prince was maybe in some way involved with Tom Riddle and/or Moaning Myrtle.

Well that is a valid question, we learn of Eileen Prince in the same book that Harry learns about Riddle's mother and we see Draco's mother make the unbreakable vow. So Eilleen is the third leg is a story of the "enemy" mothers in HBP. The name of the very book - essentially- is her name.

I hope we will learn something more about Eileen in DH.

It isn't just Tom or Myrtle whom Eileen might have known.

IF she was in NEWTs no earlier than '47-'48, then she was at least 4 years younger than Tom.

We don't know how her age compared to Myrtle. But she was at best a firstie when Myrtle died.

But that would also put her at Hogwarts with Hagrid and Orion (Sirius' dad). She would have been too young however to have known Walburga (Sirius' mom) or Minerva.