JK Rowling Reveals Why She Named Harry Potter's Son After Snape

Over the course of a dozen tweets, J.K. Rowling officially revealed why Harry named his son Albus Severus. She noted that it was from forgiveness and gratitude, as well as displaying Harry's matured state of mind post-war.

Rowling emphatically defends Snapes' actions, though admits he is neither a saint nor a devil. The potions teacher died for the wizarding world, and he did so protecting the young Potter due to his love of Lily Potter. She also made the case that Snape misdirected all of his anger from James Potters' bullying onto Harry.

Snape was a bully who loved the goodness he sensed in Lily without being able to emulate her. That was his tragedy. https://t.co/nzWhNrBxdH

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 27, 2015

Snape is all grey. You can't make him a saint: he was vindictive & bullying. You can't make him a devil: he died to save the wizarding world

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 27, 2015

That's not true, I'm afraid. Snape projected his hatred and jealousy of James onto Harry. https://t.co/5jzNHlfSe0

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 27, 2015

The disagreement between author and fans started in 2007 during the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the epilogue set in 2017 readers discover Potter and his wife Ginny (Weasley) recover from the wizarding war to maintain normal lives - as normal as it gets in a wizarding world. One of their sons is named Albus Severus. Their other two children's names James Sirius and Lily Luna doesn't create as much of a hot-topic debate.

Fans note Snapes' bullying to innocent students, not just to Harry Potter but Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, meanwhile dolling out praise to his Slytherin students. During that time, Snape also risked his life working alongside headmaster Albus Dumbledore to protect The Chosen One. However fans do not believe that his ability to ensure a victory against Voldemort rights the wrongs of his abusive nature, not to mention the clingy intentions he grappled with over Potter's mother.

Does double-crossing Voldemort to protect Harry throughout his school years warrant the name over other characters like Remus and Rubeus, to name a few? The debate lives on.