10 Times J.K. Rowling Shocked Harry Potter Fans

5. She Revealed Snape Was Honoured As Hogwart's Headmaster

That Snape's death is heart-breaking perfectly exemplifies Rowling's mastery of storytelling and writing. A character who initially seems so two-dimensionally €œevil€ opens up to become an incredibly empathetic, nuanced and likeable person. One thing that isn't really touched upon in the books, however, is how exactly Snape is remembered by Hogwarts (we know, of course, that Harry names his son Albus Severus). At the very end of Deathly Hallows, Harry receives a round of applause from all of the portraits in the headmaster's office, but Snape (who is briefly made headmaster after Dumbledore's death) is sorely lacking. Nevertheless, Rowling stated that Harry would have later insisted on Snape being rightfully honoured by having his portrait hung with the others, cementing his place as a legitimately celebrated headmaster, a notion that's pretty incredible when you consider how the character starts out.
Contributor
Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.