Celebrity news is rarely the topic of discussion at our school lunch table, but this week we reminisced about Alan Rickman’s diverse roles.  I took the news of his death hard; he was one of my favorite actors.  His impeccable use of tone and timing when delivering lines transformed mere characters into three dimensional people.  Although he was brilliant in some of my favorite movies, including Sense and Sensibility, I can’t deny that he’ll always be the very picture of Severus Snape in my heart.  The Harry Potter series is one that I’ve reread time and again, and watched the movies over and over, partly because of the fantastic Snape.  I knew I was old yesterday when one of my students overheard me talking about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with another student; he asked me, “What’s that book about?”   I nearly choked on my pumpkin juice.   After I gushed about the story with more than a little bit of enthusiasm, the student said, “I’m taking that home to read this weekend!”

source: Twitter

I’ve always lamented the fact that one specific part of The Half-Blood Prince was left out of the movie.  In the end scenes, when Harry attempts to attack Snape when the dark wizards flee Hogwarts grounds, Snape insisted that Potter use his mind to conjure spells instead of speaking them aloud.  I loved this part in the book because it showed that Snape was using a teachable moment even in that perilous scene.  He never forgot that he was Harry’s teacher and protector.  I wish we’d had the chance to see Alan Rickman perform that scene, as it would have given us another view of Snape’s complex character.

It’s difficult for me not to relive my favorite Snape moments in the classroom, just to savor his lines.  I definitely say them with my own kids because it’s just impossible not to!  Here are a few of the HP moments that just wouldn’t have been the same without Rickman’s gloriously dripping sarcasm.  Enjoy!

1.  Someone may think you’re … up to something.

2.  You feel confident enough to not pay attention!

3.  OBVIOUSLY

4.  Unless you wish to poison Potter …… and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did …… I cannot help you.

5.  Fame isn’t everything.

6.   Will be treated as equally guilty.

7.  We mustn’t touch what isn’t ours.

8.  Don’t lie to me!

9.    However, should you ever steal from my personal stores again, my hand might just slip over your morning pumpkin juice.

10.  ALWAYS.

What are your favorite Alan Rickman lines?