The first thing Snape asked Harry was, “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” Snape expressed his deepest secret which even though Hermione knew the answer never came up with its actual -subtle- meaning: 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’.