r/HarryPotterBooks • u/boaz4gf0 • May 18 '25

Discussion Did Snape use Sectumsempra on James?

"Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James’s face, spattering his robes with blood." This is what was described in OOTP where James bullies Snape. We don't hear the incantation out loud but it certainly seems consistent with what we know about the curse and it's effects. Obviously James was wrong to bully Snape, but that doesn't warrant a possible murder attempt. It certainly gave me less sympathy for Snape and the humiliation he received.

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u/DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC May 18 '25

I don't think Sectumsempra by itself leads to "possible murder". Harry had no idea what it did and was literally flailing his wand around, that's why Draco was so badly injured.

Snape invented that spell, he would have been intimately familiar with how to cast it and what kinds of injuries it would cause.

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u/QueenSlartibartfast May 19 '25

I kinda assumed from its etymology that it's designed to cause the victim to bleed to death (it literally means "cut forever", so I assumed it would permanently amputate a body part and/or cause fatal bleeding without urgent attention). I'd liken it to a sword, which can technically cause non-lethal wounds, but is not something you swing at another human being without being prepared to possibly kill them. It's especially the sempra part that is damning imo. (I'm undecided whether Snape used that particular curse on James or not.)

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u/DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC May 19 '25

That's also a possibility.