Sideshow: Rowling: Why Harry Potter name his kid after Dumbledore's killer

Oh that snidely Severus Snape! He was a backstabbing evildoer who killed Albus Dumbledore!

So why, fans have asked for years, did Harry Potter name his second son Albus Severus after him? Potter creator J.K. Rowling has finally answered: Rarely is anyone all evil, she said. Snape, played in the films by Alan Rickman, was capable of love - he became twisted up when the love of his life, Harry's mom, Lily, didn't reciprocate. (Great, so it's the woman's fault?)

And let's not forget, Rowling said, that Snape sacrificed himself for Harry.

"Snape died for Harry out of love for Lily," Rowling tweeted. "Harry paid him tribute in forgiveness and gratitude." She added, "Snape is all grey. . . . You can't make him a devil: He died to save the wizarding world."

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