At the end of the Harry Potter story, we’re treated to a timeskip.
We get to meet Harry’s children…
And one of them is named after the famous Potions Master.
His name is Albus Severus Potter.
But why would he name his son after someone that never treated him nicely?
Read on to learn:
- Why Harry named his son after Severus Snape.
- Why Snape wouldn’t have felt honored by having a Potter named after him.
- What J.K. Rowling’s decision was behind naming Harry’s son after the Potions Master.
- And more…
Why did Harry name his son after Snape?
Harry named his son after Snape to honor him. The Potions Master had helped Harry countless times. And in the end, he even gave his life for Harry.
According to J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series. And when she was asked this question, this was her response:
“Harry Potter named his son after the character Professor Severus Snape in tribute to him dying “for Harry out of love for Lily Potter.”
Essentially, she says that Harry is honoring Snape’s memory because of what he did for him.
And it makes sense.
Ultimately, it’s revealed that Snape has done a lot for Harry.
He saved his life multiple times. But he also often sent the exact help that he needed.
For example, Snape sends the Order of the Phoenix to help Harry.
This is an organization that fights Voldemort. And right when Harry needed them the most, the Potions Master alerted them.
So for the author, it’s a nice way to tie up the story.
Everything was at an end. And to not forget Snape, perhaps the most complex character, she named one of Harry’s sons after him.
Some may even call this fan service.
This is when the author bends the story to fit the fan’s expectations.
And let’s also not forget that this same child is also named after Dumbledore.
His full name is Albus Severus Potter.
So, in all honesty, he’s either going to be called Albus or Potter. Middle names are rarely used.
That’s not to understate their importance, though.
This article explains how middle names are essential to track heritage.
What was Harry’s reasoning
While it’s J.K. Rowling that ultimately decides everything, we can take a good look at Harry’s reasoning.
See, throughout his entire time at Hogwarts, Snape had been nothing but unkind to him.
And all of that just because Harry was James Potter’s son.
Back when Snape was a student at Hogwarts, he was often bullied by Harry’s father.
So throughout all these years, the Potions Master held a grudge.
He never forgave James. And rightfully so.
However, that grudge also extended to Harry, a completely innocent boy.
Nevertheless, Snape has helped and saved the young hero plenty of times.
And in the end, he even dies for Harry.
In this video, you can see all the times Snape protects Harry:
Now, he did that out of love for Lily and not necessarily for Harry. But he did so nonetheless.
When Snape was dying, Harry caught one of his tears.
With it, he can review Snape’s memories in the Pensieve.
This is a magical device that allows you to store and review memories.
And in those memories, we can see just how much Snape has done for Harry.
In the timeskip, Harry tells his son:
“Albus Severus, you’re named for 2 headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew”.
He referred to Snape here.
In the end, Harry was touched by the Potions Master’s bravery and what he has done for him.
Enough to name his child after him.
Would Snape feel honored?
In all fairness, Snape probably wouldn’t appreciate this act.
Yes, he did care for Harry. But that was mostly because he was Lily’s son.
Snape always loved her.
And even though she chose another over him, he never stopped loving her.
The 2 even shared a Patronus.
This is a charm that you can cast to defend yourself from Dementors.
These foul beings suck all the joy out of your soul. And a Patronus embodies your happiest moments to fend them off.
So it came as a surprise to see that both Snape and Lily have a doe as their Patronus.
When Snape learned that Harry had to die, he was angry at Dumbledore.
He said the Headmaster was raising Harry like a pig for slaughter.
And right after, he sends his Patronus to help Harry.
That’s when we see the resemblance to Lily’s. And that’s also when Dumbledore asks if Snape, after all those years, still loved her.
It’s also where the legendary Snape quote, “Always“, came from.
And this response is perhaps the most popular Harry Potter quote to date.
But what this comes down to is this:
Snape loved Lily, not Harry.
In fact, he made it quite clear he disliked the boy.
And considering Snape’s overall personality…
He wouldn’t have felt honored by Harry naming his son after him.
As Snape once said fittingly:
”I may vomit”.