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 symbolized bitter sorrow. If you combined that, it meant ‘I bitterly regret Lily’s death’.
“… I couldn’t help but notice certain things, certain similarities between Tom Riddle and me…”
Harry Potter - Opening & Closing Scenes
This Is War
” If there’s one thing Voldemort can’t understand, it’s love.”
