Is it me,. or can nobody remember Harry's 1st potions lesson and Snape saying-

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper death --."

STOPPER IN DEATH. Now here's an interesting point many sites I've been to has not picked up on. Snape - excellent potion maker, can teach a potion that can put stopper in death, and "kills" Dumbledore....

Me thinks a potion has been made here.....

I guess my question is when DD have time to drink it? I hate to say it, but I don't think this hold water unless the potion that DD drunk in the cave was the potion you speak of in your post.

wow

thats a really good theory.

maybe...dd told snape all about the horcruxes and snape was also giving info to dd about voldemort. also that dd had known that harry didnt and never did trust snape, so maybe that was why snape was never at their private lessons. what if snape travelled to the cave and put in the stopper in death potion, and that was what dd drank.

i duno...but so many good reasoning is showing up everywhere so jkr has LOTTTA explainin to do.

Well there's a good point! But, first where would they have put DD if he would be sleeping. He surely doesn't want to wake up in a white tomp, where is body is actually located right now. And the Adava Kedavra can't be blocked, at least I think it says so in book 4.

But why would Jo put in such words in her book? She's famous for putting information in short sentences on sidelines.

I am inclined to support the theory that Dumbledore should have been dead in the beginning of HBP if not for Snape's stopper in death. Throughout the HBP Dumbledore lived in a borrowed time, enough to discover important clues about Horcruxes, so Harry can finish the job.
Right after drinking the potion, Dumbledore set to pick up Harry personally at the Dursleys and gave our hero private lessons.

Excellent point about Snape saying "stopper in death." I had forgotten that.

But I don't see it being revelent to Dumbledore because he was dead and buried. He is in the white tomb.

But what if the "stopper in death" is still to come in Book 7? Maybe Snape will put a stopper in death for himself...or for Harry??

How do you know he is in a white tomb? All we know is that he was alive before he fell over the astronomy tower's wall and "dead" when he reached the ground. He couldve just been sleeping or in a coma that makes him look dead. Nobody took his pulse. Also after Dumbledore took the potion, he began to lose control of his body. He needed Harry's help to walk in Hogsmeade. He was barely able to ride the broomstick and when he got to the tower he started to fall lower and lower because he couldnt put himself up. It looks to me like his body was becoming more and more ... dead, so that when he reached the floor beside the gates his body was in a completly deadlooking and everyone thought he was dead. The reasons for why he might do this belong to another thread. Also, when Hagrid was walking towards the tomb carrying what was suposed to be Dumbledore's body, it was wrapped up in purple so nobody could see him. When he was set on the tomb his body was obscured by red flames... So then again nobody saw him being incased into the tomb. Harry thinks he sees a pheonix flying into the sky. In my opinion, Dumbledore was set on the tomb, he transfigured into a pheonix when the red flames appeared. I also got a piece of evidence to support the pheonix theory. Since the first book, Rowling keeps mentioning Dumbledores VERY crooked nose. She does it all the time. Hmm... very crooked? Just like a bird's beak eh? It might sound far fetched, but didnt Sirius have a barklike laugh and in the pensieve when he sees "Snivellus" stares at him just like a dog?

That is all ( I apologise if I have any spelling errors)

I like the point about "putting a stopper in death," but for me, I think muggleview's theory that it was this potion may have been something used by DD shortly before we meet him in HBP. That whatever the curse had apparently "killed" DD's hand would have killed the rest of DD in short order if not for a potion that he had taken to put a stopper in it. The wording -- "a stopper in death" -- it seems to me to denote a situation in which death is not so much averted, but postponed, which many think was the case with DD in HBP.

On the other hand, it also occurs to me that the phrase way back in PS/SS, if it was indeed something set in place to hint at something down the line, may well have come to fruition in the very same book. The Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone could do more than just prolonging a person's life, but if I recall correctly (and as always, I expect someone to correct me if I'm wrong in this), it was some sort of potion or something that could be made with the Stone that would prolong one's life. Could Snape's words simply be an indicator of that? Maybe/maybe not... I don't know...

I am partial to the theory proposed by muggleview. That one sounds both practical and likely. But I thought the second possibility, having just occurred to me, deserved mention as well.

Just a quick question to sorum: Are you suggesting that DD transfigured himself in that moment (as per your words) or that DD was, in fact, an animagus (as per your Sirius-example)? (I realize that becoming an animagus has to do with Transfiguration, but the difference is that it would be something that he can already automatically do.) I was just curious. I'm among those who believe that DD is, in fact, dead, but I don't mind entertaining notions to the contrary. On this line of reasoning, though, has not JKR already shot down the possibility of DD being an animagus? I'm not sure if she has; maybe I imagined it. But for some reason, I thought she had. Maybe someone in the know can help out on that point.

What I ment to say it that Dumbledore is already and animagus and that he changed into a phoenix when the flames rose so that nobody could see him. The phoenix does seem to be Dumbledore's most favorite creature. Now that you mention it though, he couldve just transfigured into a Phoenix at the spot. Just like Vicktor Krum. DD was a Transfiguration teacher after all.

Well potion making and alchemy seem to go hand and hand and are almost interchangable terms. And we know that Nicolas Flammel, a known alchemist, created the philosophers stone which in affect puts a "stopper in death" Snape knowing how to make a philosophers stone and therefore creating the elixer of life is pretty unlikely but maybe he was simply trying to act big and bad on the first day of class. Maybe he didin't literally mean he could teach them how to, but instead that if they payed attention enough and took potions to the furthest it can be taken they would be able to put a stopper in death?

Forgive me for not having time to re-read HBP yet, but can someone remind me of if we found out that Dumbledores hand was blackened?

This could put case to 'muggleviews' point... That DD was already on borrowed time from the previous battle / encounter.


Also,. it'll be interesting to find out how long a 'stopper of death' would last? Is it, as previously mentioned, a short time? Or an eternal thing? The Philos Stone was a stopper in that it helped with the Elixier in a person, but surely there's other forms or regeneration? Case example - Voldermorts obesession to Unicorn blood. Though that creates a half life.


I like the animagnus theory. Though I think I read somewhere that JK confirmed DD was not an able animagnous (??)

With regards to the AvKad spell, maybe we'll have a flashback, and Snape'll be crossing his fingers,. heehe

I like the animagus theory and Snape putting DD to sleep. But why would they do that. To not brake the unbreakable vow? Isn't it still broken when DD's only put to sleep instead of getting killed? I would love it if DD would still be alive, but with the given facts I just can't believe it.

I also was very intrigued by the phrase "put a stopper in death." But I think it actually means something else. Let's look at the quote again.

That's a very good interpretation hidden~

but now that I think about it, the "stopper in death" Snape is talking about could refer to any number of potions. There are A LOT of things out there that can kill us, and probably more so in the wizarding world. Potions, poisons, various bits, and even noises are able to kill. I think what Snape is trying to say is not that he can teach you to put a stopper in death, in general, but more that he can teach you a number of potions that will prevent you from dieing given the circumstances. I think this is backed up by the fact that just moments later in the book Snape exaplains to Harry what a beazer (a stone from a goat that can be used as an antidote to almost any poison.)

So, let's say you get poisoned and you remember to go and get a beazer and because of this you don't die. Technically you have stopped death. Therefore, Snape has taught you how to put a stopper in death.

This is just one example of how to put a stopper in death. I'm sure there are many other ways that Snape knows. Infact, I'm sure of it, as he prevents DD from dieing at the begining of HBP.

Basically, I don't think Snape is saying I can teach you how to prevent yourself from dieing period, but more, I can teach you how to be smart enough to recognize a situation in which you don't have to die because there is something that can STOP it.

I'm wondering how the "put a stopper in death" quote was translated in countries another than the UK or the USA or another English-speaking countries. I've got: "to stop death", but I agree "the stopper " has a different meaning. Snape's so poetic here!

I didin't say that a beazor could stop all poison related deaths, but the fact still remains that it will stop MOST of them, thus, he can teach you how to put a stopper in death. And the beazor was just one example, obviously there are more ways to stop death then just a beazor.

And no, I do not believe Snape is saying these things literally. He doesn't mean putting a cork in a vial of death potion when he says "Put a stopper in death. Lol, why would he just be like "Hey, i can teach you how to put a cork in this vial" as if it would be any different then any other vial and cork. Snape is speaking metaphorically.

Brew = Create
Bottle = Trap or contain for personal use
Put a stopper in = to prevent from happening for the present time.

Going back to the theory of the drink in the cave being thedeath potion maybe Dumbledore begged Snape to kill him because he was in great pain?

HP number~ I don't think that really has anything to do with what Snape's stopper in death is, and I am pretty sure there are other topics with discussion as to what the liquid in the cave was.

I think talking about that here might get this topic off track