The Real 'Half-Blood Prince'

In the 6th book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry finds a potions book in the back cabinet of his advanced potions class, with notes beyond the smarts of even Hermione Granger. These notes help Harry to strive in his potions class, becoming the favorite of new potions master, Professor Horace Slughorn. The book contained not just help on potions, but spells created by the previous owner. Not only that, they signed the inner cover, but as a code name: "Property of the Half Blood Prince."

We all must be just as shocked as Harry was when Snape revealed that it was he who was the Half Blood Prince.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who inventedthem - I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, likeyour filthy father, would you? I don't think so . . . no"

As well as this being basically a confession from Severus himself, I have some evidence on why, Harry never guessed it was Snape.

First off, Severus Snape taught the potions class for five years previously, writing potions and other assignments on the board. If Harry was in his class almost every day for five years, how did Harry not recognize and compare the hand writing? Perhaps he overheard another student saying the ideas to a fellow potions student. Perhaps he stole the book from the one who wrote the secrets in the book and branded it as his own. I believe the second theory more so, for I think it could've been no other than Harry's own father, James Potter.

James was obviously a knowledgeable wizard, though his personality didn't show it much. His father, Fleamont Potter, was a very smart and brilliant Potioneer. Fleamont created Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, The supplement Hermione used during her fourth year to tame her always unruly hair. That being said, it gives James an untold knowledge in potions that other student may have not known.

You may say, "That's a coincidence," but hear me out. Take a trip back to Harry's occulmency lessons, when he counteracted Snape's spell and took a trip into his memories. Harry saw his father, James, and his friends. James then cast a spell on Snape, lifting him in the air, seemingly by his ankle, and letting him hang there while their peers laughed at the helpless boy in the air. The spell's name? Leviocourpus. The same spell Harry found in the book and used on Ron. If Snape had created the spell and wrote it down in his book, how did James know it and use it?

On that note, I asked this question, "Why did James create 'Sectumsempra'?" At this point in their time, Voldemort was already beginning to gain power. Many witches and wizards were turning over to the dark, Nazi-like, army Voldemort was creating in his wake of destruction. James, already being a capable wizard, needed more means of defense against the Death Eaters, and even the Dark Lord himself (though he was stuck wandless the night he was killed by Voldemort). That also explains why it said "For Enemies" beside the spell in the book.

James, again, is a very smart and talented wizard. He became an Animagus at the age of 15 years old. He and his friends (Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew) created the ingenious "Marauder's Map" in which revealed the location of any persons location in the entire layout of Hogwarts. Having that level of magic down like it was nothing, at a young age at that, he was obviously able to create those rather simple spells, and know how to make the potions and steps to create them, much easier.

In a brief conclusion, I'm not saying that Severus isn't the Half-Blood Prince, I'm simply proposing a more reasonable explanation. I also think that, with further investigation, James could be proven to have the qualities of being the Prince, but there isn't much else on Severus. What are your opinions?