How Many People Did Snape Kill As A Death Eater?

[aquamarin]

I remember the part in the book where Snape is worried about his soul when we had to kill Dumbledore. So I always felt this meant that after he had managed it for so long to not „damage his soul“ when being a death eater that he did not want to risk it at that point he felt beyond that phase. Also Dumbledore asked him once something along „how many people did you see die“ meaning he should not have been affected that much by watching Voldemort kill people. And Snape answered something along „lately only those who I could not save“.
I always thought of him more as a desk criminal making all kind of potions and cursed things for the death eaters and giving strategic advise and knowledge.
It would also explain why Bellatrix and others somewhat looked down on him and seemed jealous and she even implys that he is somewhat of a coward when she and Narcissa meet him as he never actually got his hands dirty but still had such a high influence.
I also think Voldemort would not actually want him to go all in as it might have made people realize that while being a somewhat introvert person he was to most powerful and more important knowledable wizzard among the death eaters except Voldemort himself and he rather would have him devoted than recognized.

[robertmckenna]

I wonder if Snape’s constant use of Occlumency over the years had deadened his emotional range. The tight rein he would have on his thoughts and feelings for extended periods of time may not only have reduced his capacity to express them, but to feel them.
Wear a mask long enough, and it can become your real self.

[schris]

I never saw Snape with a killer vein, but as a Death Eater I believe he had no qualms killing if he had or being ordered to. Snape being more of an intellectual is very likely he had a supporting, behind the scenes role.

[VladTepesVladTepes]

My opinion of Snape is that he is better than he was given credit for but, that he had no place being a teacher, especially of the children of the generation that was born following the First Wizarding War.
He should have been teaching 7th Years and been nowhere near Harry Potter.
I'm honestly surprised that he never actually went as far as giving Harry Potter or his friends detention or taking 200 points from Gryffindor just because Harry or any other student looked at him wrong but, maybe he was able to control his hatred of James Potter and his son better than that.
I think he could have been a great teacher for adults.
He was braver than people would ever be able to appreciate but, unfortunately, Slytherin House only seems to have Severus Snape, Horace Slughorn, and Phineas Nigellus Black as the good members of that House. Then again, RavenClaw and Hufflepuff aren't exactly shown as very significant.
I wish that Tonks and Professor Sprout and even Luna Lovegood as well as Professor Flitwick and other members of the Hogwarts staff and Houses had been represented as more than just characters to be named and to fill up space. Thank you for another great video.

[frasergibson]

One thing that’s never really been spoken about is how careful he had to be during The Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. He interrogated Quirrell whilst Voldemort was attached to the back of his head. Quirrell informed Harry that Snape was trying to save Harry when Quirrell tried to kill him during the Quidditch match, which Voldemort would’ve heard him say. He also would’ve been aware that Snape was one of the teachers assigned to protect the stone. No doubt Voldemort would’ve remembered all this when he Snape went to rejoin the Death Eaters after Dumbledore’s death and would’ve questioned him about it

[SergioBecerraII]

The only person that Snape has killed that I know is Dumbledore.

[maddyg]

Nowhere in the books does it state that Snape ever killed anyone, on the contrary, when Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him, Snape was not ok with his soul being maimed.
When Dumbledore spoke about not wanting Draco to be the one to kill him & said; “That boy’s soul is not yet so damaged, I would not have it ripped apart on my account.”
Snape replied with: “And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?”
That line makes it clear that Snape, indeed, had never killed anyone!
A soul that splits due to murdering can only be whole again if the killer has remorse thus, Snape's soul wasn't even damaged after killing Dumbledore as this is something that he did not want to do, but did it anyway as he promised Dumbledore, and of course he felt remorse. Furthermore, Dumbledore guilted him into doing it by stating that not only would it be a mercy kill, but he would also be keeping Draco's soul from being ripped apart.
Snape was a hero through & through.

[jenni]

Snape didn't kill anyone except Dumbledore. There's 3 pieces of evidence for this. 1 - Snape is worried about his soul when Dumbledore asks him to kill him. 2 - Bellatrix accuses Snape of never being present or participating when any action is taking place. 3 - JK Rowling herself says that Snape witnessed a lot as a Death Eater, but he never did a lot himself.

Edit: I've never seen such a inaccurate comments section. You're all so determined to hate Snape that you completely disregard the source material. Time to go read the books again, kids. Snape was not a killer, creep or a monster, as much as you'd love him to be.

[gamer_jay]

Personally I Love Alan Rickman and his acting was always amazing, But Book Snape and even the Snape in the movies is a despicable man who bullied Children enough that poor 13 year old Neville is Scared of him the most in the entire world. Any Adult who feels the need to Bully and belittle children who they are meant to nurture and care for is a beast and I def think at least 2 or 3 people Snape had to have killed directly including Dumbledore, I mean how else could he be such a high ranking death eater and trusted by other death eaters and not just because of his Potions. Not to mention do we even know how Death Eaters are Initiated I personally think they would have most likely have had to kill or torture a muggle or muggle born to prove themselves to Voldemort and his Cause.

[Dombledore]

This is an interesting concept; we constantly forgive characters in fiction for heinous acts just because they go through some thematic redemption. But we would never give those people that kind of leniency in real life. Like Anakin Skywalker murdered classrooms full of younglings and were like “iz all good bro, Palpatine had you confused and stuff”

[bdwuoqu]

sorry if i missed it but one thing which werent included in this video is that he invented sectumsempra(which harry used on draco), the spell james used to lift up snape, and many more dark spells in his school days. it is impossible to invent spells without experiments so i think he had been hurting/bullying muggle borns or animals. (plus sectumsempra is a spell that caueses severe haemorrhaging all over the body so i believe he must have killed thousands in the prosess.)

[TrueSighted]

From what I saw, snape for the most part, killed people who he had big issues with. Granted, he didn't stop the deaths of some. But he had many other ways to stop threats. He seemed to reserve death as a means of silencing his tormentors.

He even potentially, depending on the source, hit Remus with his cutting curse, and it wouldn't heal, but spared him in the end.

And he deeply disliked Remus.

As for james, his primary tormentor, he was the one whom he didn't care if died.

He tried to protect lily, and hated james. But I don't think he would have killed James, if only for lily's sake, if Voldemort hadn't chosen harry as his target.

Snape didn't know that it was Harry, when he told him. He mentioned the prophesy, but I don't think he knew it would put lily in danger. He even asked Voldemort to spare her, a request that he would have honored if Lily had not protected harry.

In the end, I don't think snape killed that many people that weren't hunting him. Though he may have had to kill one or two that were. The rest of the time I think he used his intellect, to not have to use lethal force. Hurt many yes.. but I think he saved death for those who were threatening him.

At least the version we see in the movies. Book snape seems to enjoy tormenting some not just because they irritate him, but because he enjoys it. As he believes he's superior to them. They should be honored to stand in his presence. And above all, know their place.😅

Definitely a piece of work. But he was better than most of the death eaters. Eventually ending up on the right side, at great risk to himself.

[steve]

I have always wondered if Snape saw similarities between Lily and Hermoine. Both were incredible gifted Muggle born witches and were linked to the Potters in a similar fashion,

[Anthony-]

It wasn't that Snape was exercising perfect self control when charity Burbage was killed in front of him it just wasn't anything new to him. Snape didn't care about that woman he didn't even care about Harry Potter. Snape only cared about the memory of a woman. Snape might have been brave & powerful Wizard but he was also a self absorbed pitiful little man who's highlights were abusing children by making them feel as small as he always felt. It was probably his racism that never let him praise Hermione's intelligence but instead ridicule & insult her.

[joseneto]

Keep going mate! You're doing a great job 🤜🏼🤜🏼

[veeraltiwari]

I remember when Dumbledore was talking about keeping Draco's soul intact (Prince's tale CH33 Deathly Hallows), snape said as far as I remember "What about my soul!!? "
This indicates that snape never killed anyone before Dumbledore. Though I wouldn't say for sure that he never had the intent or power to kill anyone.

[grec.]

I really like when Snape's dark side is addressed. Because his defenders paint him as a "gentle, caring soul who sacrificed himself".
He was a bully and cruel and bitter. Yes, he helped in Voldemort's defeat but it was out of spiteful motivations and not kindness.

[charlesjermyn]

I think JK Rowling didn't want the readers to loose their sympathy for the character, such as the movie Green line where the director removed all mentions of Delacroix's crimes present in the book to avoid having the public thinking he deserved his fate. As for Snape: it's impossible for him to having been a Death Eater, especially of such value for Voldemort without having some dirt on hand (and he was far too advanced in black art for him never have tested it)..

[TutosViolet]

A lot of people totally ignore the bad things that he did and blindly defend him.

[LadyGreySpacePirate]

I thought Peter Pedigrew was the one who got James and Lily killed, not Snape.