J.K. Rowling's new Pottermore material hints at Snape's past

Today marks the first day of Pottermore’s 12-day fete of new material to the site, including new entries that explore the back story of Severus Snape’s hometown.

In true Rowling fashion, the new material has to be unlocked through a riddle:

“In a house on Spinner’s End, a meeting takes place, a mother begs help for her son, tears on her face. Agreeing to help, though he doesn’t know how. Which potions master performs an unbreakable vow?”

Potions masters? Spinner’s End? The answer is none other than Hogwarts’ laconic Potions professor, Severus Snape. The morsel of new material features Snape’s hometown, Cokeworth, which made brief appearances in the book series. The passage reveals that this is the town where Snape, Lily Evans Potter, and Petunia Dursley grew up, and is also the place where Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy visit at the beginning of The Half-Blood Prince.

If this little tidbit was altogether too brief, don’t worry; there will be 11 more days of new material leading up to Christmas Eve.