Severus Snape
John Lawrence Nettleship (1 August 1939 – 12 March 2011) was a British schoolteacher who taught chemistry at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, whose mother worked for some time as an assistant in his department. He has been stated to be a major inspiration for the character of Severus Snape in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series of fantasy novels.