Best-selling English author JK Rowling might be hailed as one of the best writers of books for children and growing teens in the world today (despite Trump supporters saying otherwise), but she’s also got quite the fascination with death in her works. In the epic “Harry Potter” book series she went from establishing her boy hero’s parents dying in the backstory, to a total massacre of sorts in the final battle of the seventh and last book.
She’s somehow turned around from this death fixation in recent years, however, at least in social media. In 2015 Rowling apologized to Potter-fans on her Twitter page about killing George Weasley’s twin brother Fred, and in the following year she “mourned” for killing the werewolf wizard teacher Remus Lupin.
Her strange “recantations” for character killing have been quirkily accepted and followed, except the one for this year.
Sore at Snape
The events of the last “Harry Potter” book, 2007’s “Deathly Hallows”, was supposed to have taken place in 1997-1998, with the final “Battle of Hogwarts” happening in May of the latter year. Thus it’s roughly 19 years to the day since a lot of heroic wizards from the book were killed in action such as Fred Weasley and Lupin. But when Rowling tweeted how she now regrets having killed the antagonistic (but not outright villainous) Professor Snape, fireworks erupted on social media.
OK, here it is. Please don't start flame wars over it, but this year I'd like to apologise for killing (whispers)... Snape. *runs for cover*
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2017
The author must have realized a number of negative reactions her latest post would garner, but nobody could have expected the amount of vitriol that would be generated.
Why would, according to Potter fans, Rowling feel bad for killing off a character who pretty much did nothing but bully the hero Harry and his circle of friends for the entire series?
Freudian excuse
The backstory of Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” books has him as the son of a “Muggle” dad and a witch mom. His experience studying in Hogwarts saw him befriending a “muggle-born” witch and being tormented by a pure-blood bully, leading to him hiding his parentage and joining the dark wizard society gathered around the evil Voldemort.
Snape turns against Voldemort when he kills the witch he befriended, becoming a spy against him for Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore. Said witch was Lily, Harry’s mother; and while Snape swore to keep the boy alive, the fact that Harry Potter’s dad was Snape’s old bully spurred him to torment the boy.
@jk_rowling He had no regrets going to the dark side until Lily was involved. Snape is not a good person.
— Ajinkya Goyal (@airborneorange) May 2, 2017
This dichotomy to Snape’s characterization caused a divide in Potter-fan reaction’s to Rowling’s tweet, with some sympathizing and other castigating the author.
The character was played by the late British actor Alan Rickman in the Warner Bros. film adaptations.
Latest Potter news
Meanwhile, JK Rowling’s Potter-verse expands with a sequel in production for 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. The latest casting news has Jude Law being chosen to portray a younger Professor Dumbledore. Rowling also wrote the sequel’s screenplay.