LONDON, Jan 19 — It’s just been a few days since we heard about the tragic passing of Alan Rickman and now JK Rowling is revealing the Harry Potter secret she had shared with him.

Rowling recalls the “tiny piece of information” she gave Rickman to help him play the complicated ‘Harry Potter’ character, Severus Snape, years before it was revealed in the books.

Back in 2011, Rickman had said that Rowling offered him “crucial” insight into the wizard’s character, which informed his portrayal of Snape in the seven-part film saga. However, what she told him has remained a mystery, until now that is:

“I told Alan what lies behind the word ‘always’,” explained Rowling on Twitter.

As Harry Potter fans know, “always” is the word Snape uses to describe his perpetual love of Lily Potter, at the end of the series. His love for Lily, was so powerful it eclipsed the resentment he harboured toward Harry and his father. As such, he’d “always” protect Harry from Lord Voldemort, no matter what the cost.