[Professor Snape]

In answer to your inquiries:

You say Mrs. Weasley will act faithfully on your behalf "so long as the policies [you] pursue are in the best interests of the wizard world." It seems to me that, while you might have many points of agreement, surely a disagreement between you is not an impossibility. Exactly what would happen in a situation where your commands would be viewed by Mrs. Weasley was not “in the best interests of the wizard world?”

This question seems to imply that, as Minister, I would be granted royal powers to command others to do my will. This is certainly not how I imagine the functioning of my administration, should I win election. Mrs. Weasley and I have common goals to which we are both committed, the goals we have begun to enunciate in our campaign speeches. Any steps she, I, and others in the Ministry will take to further those goals, will be taken after full and frank discussion, so that we will all understand the manner in which they are intended to further those goals.

We have agreed to work as a team to further the progress Kingsley Shacklebolt began before us, and I do not see this changing. We are a team because we are well suited and unlikely to disagree on areas of the campaign we have committed to after long discussions and much debate. Nor do I see Mrs. Weasley as inferior to me. I have no right to command her to do anything at all. She will, as stated, act on my behalf, not under me.


Dear Mr. Snape,
In your preliminary statement you said a new department 'shall reflect the wishes of each non-human community of the British Isles.' How will you respond to criticisms that, by only allocating one department for all non-humans, you aren't really looking to grant them equal rights, but merely hoping to placate them by offering minimal recognition of their needs?

The Ministry also has only one Department for International Cooperation. This is no more a slight to the hundreds of Wizarding nations of humans around the world with which that department deals, than having one department to liaise with the magical communities of Britain would be to any of those communities.

I would also like to take issue with the question itself. It is framed in the old way of thinking that we are hoping to replace. Neither Mrs. Weasley nor I have suggested that we will “grant equal rights” to our fellow magical beings. Who are wizards, to “grant” anything, to an ancient civilization like that of the goblins? To citizens of a self-governing entity such as the Chiefdom of the Merfolk of the Black Lake? Sentient beings, magical or otherwise, human or otherwise, are equally endowed with rights. We merely propose to endeavour not to infringe on those rights. We feel this is best done by treating with each of those communities in a manner analogous to that we use in dealing with our fellow Wizarding nations. If elected, we pledge to treat with all magical communities in good faith, respecting their wishes, their views, and their traditions.


Mr. Snape was noted for bullying children and being sarcastic and taunting adults; in addition he had poor hygiene. If Mr. Snape does not intend to behave in that manner with those under his guidance at the ministry as well as foreign diplomats - and correct his hygiene, what is he doing to improve his behaviour and make himself more presentable in that regard?

As a teacher at Hogwarts, I enjoyed cordial, professional relationships with the staff – with long-term teachers including Professors McGonagall and Hagrid, with the Headmaster, and with the caretaker Mr. Filch. I believe my temperament and behaviour as Minister will be likewise professional, and my relationships with persons with whom I work as Minister, likewise smooth.

It is true that I was fortunate to work with an outstanding group of people, principled, talented, and hard-working, so it would be fair to argue that this does not adequately address how I might behave in less ideal circumstances. I can only point to my service, in the first and second Voldemort wars, as a spy for Albus Dumbledore in the ranks of the Death Eaters. When it was necessary to achieve the goals set for me in Professor Dumbledore’s plans, I worked closely with persons who were enormously distasteful to me on a personal level. It is this determination to follow up on a promise that I intend to bring to office. I will offer my best efforts, if you honour me with your vote.

As for my supposed hygiene issues, might I suggest that these journalists spend less time reading the graffiti on the doors in Hogwarts' bathrooms and try to recall that I currently survive through an immaculate and gleaming portrait that hangs in the Headmistress’s Office at Hogwarts, and, if I am elected, a duplicate will be commissioned for the Ministry as well. This portrait is an excellent likeness of me, as all such portraits are. Whether this is a good or bad thing, and whether its appearance is of any importance, I leave to the voters to decide. I venture to assert that the issue of hygiene and grooming is not one with which most portraits must deal, even if, for example, the paintings of Professor Gilderoy Lockhart were known, occasionally, to place their golden locks in curlers.


Professor Snape, the teaching methods you employed during your tenure at Hogwarts seem to denote a lack of patience with the less gifted. How would you handle this if elected Minister?

In my time at Hogwarts school, I was known for pressing my students to achieve what I knew to be their very best potential. I am a firm believer that a person can do anything if they put their mind to it. I feel that, in my capacity as Minister for Magic, my determination and motivation in this regard will allow me to be a team player, and will also ensure that I lead that team to the best of my ability. This, above all else, will offer the best team the Ministry can offer in the following years, which can only be a good thing.

I do not believe for one second that one person is less gifted than another, but rather that each person has individual gifts and talents. In this regard, within my campaign I have laid out policies to ensure that each student, whether Muggle born or Wizarding, has every available opportunity to succeed as they would wish to. I believe that equal opportunity cements a road to peace that we all wish to walk, and so every student, regardless of circumstances, will be able to enjoy universal benefits of an exceedingly high standard.


Professor Snape, you were very unfair and sometimes cruel to students not from your House. You terrorized Neville, mocked Hermione, made Harry Potter your whipping boy and clearly favoured the Slytherins. What assurance do we have that you will be a fair and just Minister who will not indulge in bullying and favouritism?

I can only assure you, in this situation that I fully intend to act as fairly and justly as I can possibly act in my post as Minister for Magic. In accepting once again that a job as Minister and a job as teacher are two entirely different things, to address your overall complaint I can reassure you that I never bore any grudges toward any students in Hogwarts School. Never once were there any complaints of “bullying” or “favouritism”, from any parents or guardian of pupils at the school. This, I feel, is proof enough that my behaviour is well within the boundaries of acceptable parameters. Nor was I ever approached for poor conduct in all my time working under Albus Dumbledore, the only Headmaster prior to myself that I knew. I built relationships with my colleagues based entirely upon co-operation and respect and so I must protest a clean record.

Indeed, I praise Neville Longbottom for his bravery, and I will state that Hermione Granger is one of the best witches of her generation. These two individuals played vital roles in ending the tyrannical rule of Lord Voldemort. As for Harry Potter, he completed that task. I believe him to be noble and upstanding, and I acknowledge that his contribution to the Ministry of Magic is a success. I am honoured to share a name with his son.

I wish each of these candidates success in whatever they attempt in their lives. In this regard, I cannot say that I am less than fair or less than just. I praise where praise is due and I have no intentions of allowing such pettiness as favouritism and mockery infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. Bullying will not be tolerated on my watch, and I am aware that Mrs. Molly Weasley stands firm on this issue also. We have based our campaign on justice and equality. I have every intention of following up on these plans, have no doubt of that.

The fact is, I chose to campaign in this election with Mrs Molly Weasley because I feel that together, we have the necessary ideas and plans to lead the Wizarding world onward. I believe that our ideas are more in keeping with the present needs of the Wizarding population than any other candidate’s, and I know that if I receive your vote, I can certainly work to achieve the plans that have been thought through and deliberated with the ultimate in care and finesse.


Mr Snape, in your previous career as professor and then headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you were generally regarded as unfair, biased, prejudiced, cruel, and a bully. How do you believe your temperament and behaviour will be as Minister for Magic?

I believe that my temperament and behaviour as Minister for Magic will be exemplary. A teaching career and a career in government are two entirely different things. I have nothing to be biased about in this position, nor do I have any prejudices towards other races within the Wizarding World or, indeed, the Muggle world. It is my intention to be candid, honest and approachable at all times in the following years, to ensure that International Magical Co operation is maintained and that diplomacy is at the forefront of my tenure.

In life, I bore the burden of guilt for my actions as a death eater, the uncertainty of a spy in Lord Voldemort's inner circle who might at any time be discovered, and the nagging fear that I might fail, again. In death, I am in no way tethered to difficulties, troubles or stress of this kind. I am satisfied that I did my part, and secure in the knowledge that, against my expectations, Lord Voldemort was defeated and Harry Potter again survived. I am at peace with myself, in a way I could and would never have been, while Lord Voldemort lived. I believe my temperament and attitude in answering these questions, previous questions, and in my speech, have proved beyond doubt that I am well endowed to deal with a new position as Minister for Magic.

As a representative of the Wizarding World and all who reside in it, I know that my behaviour, temperament and attitude will at all times be courteous and professional, because it is in this way that I and my campaign partner, Molly Weasley, see the future of the Ministry being a successful one as we seek to travel further down the road to peaceful coexistence.


You have made a career of keeping secrets and double-dealing. How can we be assured that you are working for the best interests of your constituents, and not some private, personal agenda?

Secrets and double deals are a sad fact of a spy’s life. I make no apology for doing that job in the Voldemort wars, for I helped bring Albus Dumbledore’s plans to fruition, and assisted Harry Potter in the quest that culminated in the final defeat of Lord Voldemort. In this campaign, Mrs. Weasley and I are laying out our plans to benefit the Wizarding World for all to see. What agenda can a dead man have, other than helping to foster a better world than the one he lived in? Further, there is the matter of Mrs. Molly Weasley, my running mate. Voters who doubt my personal probity should recognize that she, certainly, is not in this campaign to further some putative personal agenda of mine.

While Mrs. Weasley and I were gratified in the degree to which the public is interested in my personal growth, character, and appearance, we were disappointed by the dearth of questions addressing the substance of our campaign - the ways in which our administration will work to make the Wizard World a safer, more equitable place for you and your children. We have answered the questions we were asked fully, they deserved answers. In addition, we have taken the opportunity to address political issues of interest to the voters, an interest that may be deduced from the questions they asked of other candidates.