How much research has JK Rowling done for all these Harry Potter books? Apparently quite a lot.

Alan Rickman left behind a wonderful legacy asSeverus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. And we all knew Snapewas secretly very fond of Harry...

And now, a Tumblr user called tomhiddles has totally blown our minds with this theory that even from from his first words to Harry, Snape has been sending hidden messages of compassion.

Their first exchange is duringpotion class and Snape asks a highly complex question thatHermione probably wouldn't even know the answer to, aimed to intimidate the poor kid in front of his pals.

He questions: "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

We have no idea. And neither did Harry. But tomhiddles has learnt there's SO much more to it:

"The first thing Snape asks Harry is "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" According to Victorian Flower Language, asphodel is a type of lily meaning 'My regrets follow you to the grave' and wormwood means 'absence' and also typically symbolised bitter sorrow. If you combined that, it meant 'I bitterly regret Lily's death'."

MIND. BLOWN.

Also,asphodel was apparently once believed to be a cure for snake bites, which coincides with Voldermort (who killed Harry's mum Lily) beingassociated with snakes.

Coincidence? Or is writing eight Harry Potter books a lot more work than we thought?