JK Rowling kept her tradition of apologizing for a character’s death on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts Tuesday, offering a mea culpa for killing longtime potions master and double agent Severus Snape on the 19th anniversary of the fight.
Voldemort believed Snape was loyal to him until the end — but ended up ordering Snape’s death at the fangs of his snake, Nagini, anyway, because he thought killing Snape would make him master of the Elder Wand.
Harry, though, soon discovered Snape’s love of Lily Potter had propelled him to side with Albus Dumbledore shortly before Voldemort’s first fall, and he had continued working for Dumbledore (and keeping his promise to protect Lily’s son) even after the headmaster’s death.
But given his overall treatment of Harry, longtime relationships with Death Eaters and early affinity for the Dark Arts, will debates continue raging about whether Snape was truly good? Always. Which may explain why Rowling seemed to brace for discontent in this year’s apology:
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
And, just for good measure, she assured the cops any tweets about her killing someone were nothing to worry about.
In case the police are reading my notifications, there’s a Battle of Hogwarts anniversary tradition going on. I am not on a murder spree. https://t.co/urrUYAMe72
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2017
Rowling has apologized for killing off Remus Lupin and Fred Weasley on previous Battle of Hogwarts anniversaries.
