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Severus Snape's first words to Harry Potter : an apology


The first words of Snape to Harry were:



"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"




I have come across its meaning being about an apology to Harry for Lily from Snape. It uses the Victorian Flower Language.


So what is this language, what was the motivation for Rowling to use it, and how were the words transformed to an apology?


And lastly, what would we really get after performing the procedure Snape literally asked? What can the resulting mixture/compound/whatever be used for, of course in the world of wizardry ?


Here is the link:



Answer



The Language of Flowers is a means of communication where each flower has a meaning (or several), and the way they are arranged forms a message. It was a bit of a fad in the 1800s but is now mostly unknown except by artists who use it to hide messages in their works.


There are a lot of different messages you can get from the combination of asphodel (a type of lily) and wormwood (a genus of bitter and often toxic plants), but common readings include some combination of "death" and "sorrow/regret". This blog post summarizes. Note that it is pure speculation that Snape is using the Language of Flowers at all; JKR has never said.


As for what you'd get if you made this mixture in real life, the exact effects would depend on what kind of wormwood you used, but it's safe to say that it would taste revolting. In the book, it creates the "Draught of Living Death", a potion that brings on a deep, deathlike sleep that can last indefinitely.


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