TV & Movies

Harry Potter Fans Just Discovered A Mind-Blowing Snape Easter Egg

“It took me 22 years to understand what this scene actually means.”

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Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. 'Harry Potter' fans discover a mind-blowing Easter egg about Snape ...
Warner Bros. / 'Harry Potter'

More than a decade after Harry Potter’s dramatic conclusion in The Deathly Hallows Part 2, the film series still has fans hooked, with behind-the-scenes tidbits and fan theories regularly doing the rounds online.

Now, a viral Harry Potter Easter egg, involving Professor Snape (played by the late Alan Rickman) and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), has piqued the interest of Potterheads on TikTok.

A self-described “movie detective” TikToker, Ivan Mars, pointed to one scene in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, during which Professor Snape asks a young Harry: “What would I get if I added powdered root asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

Before explaining, the TikToker said, “It took me 22 years to understand what this scene actually means.” Mars first pointed out that asphodel is a flower from the lily family. And as many fans know, Lily is the name of Harry's late mother, who Voldemort murdered when he was a baby.

Asphodel Has A Special Meaning

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According to Victorian flower language, asphodel means, “my regret follows you to the grave,” while the wormwood flower referenced by Snape symbolizes “absence.”

“So [Snape] was sending a coded message to Harry saying how much he regrets Lily’s death,” Mars said.

One of the franchise’s most shocking revelations was learning about Snape and Lily’s friendship before her death. Snape had been in love with Lily before Harry’s birth, and he inadvertently contributed to her death, which, as the aforementioned Easter egg points out, left him feeling deeply regretful.

Fans Love The “Hidden Messages”

Warner Bros.

Fellow Potterheads were quick to share their thoughts on the viral post, with many sharing their observations of the Snape and Harry scene in question.

“The combination of the powdered root of asphodel with an infusion of wormwood would also create the draught of living death,” a fan pointed out, referring to a potion mix at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“I love it when there are hidden messages like this in movies,” another user commented, while one simply wrote, “I’m completely shook at this.”

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