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In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we find out that Harry Potter has 3 children with Ginny Weasley. Their names are: What do you think of the names of Harry’s children? For me, I wasn’t exactly all that fond of their names. It was rather (read: really rather) disappointing. I can see why Harry would want to name his children after his parents (James and Lily Potter) and even his godfather (Sirius Black) and that’s perfectly fine with me. That’s not the problem at all and that’s not the reason for my disappointment in said names. The problem is how the names were placed together as well as the other names. I dislike the fact that Sirius Black’s and James Potter’s names have to be smashed together into one name so we get a kid named James Sirius Potter. How could Harry even think about doing this? Why didn’t he separate the names instead so that one son gets the name Sirius as a first name while the other son gets James as a first name? It would have been so much better that way. The explanation for that is this: In the first place, Harry didn’t even know James Potter. James died before Harry could get the chance to get to know him. The same goes with Lily Evans. But the one that Harry knew and was actually close to was his godfather, Sirius. Recall that he was even really upset and sad when Sirius died. And yet now he’s decided to relegate his godfather’s name as a mere middle name for his son where the chances of it even being mentioned are slim to none. After all, how many call Harry by his middle name? Obviously, Harry’s son would be known as James most, if not all, of the time. I don’t get why Harry had to do that. Really, why couldn’t he have named his other son as Sirius? Then he could have just tacked on other names for the middle names of said sons. Speaking of the other son of Harry, I also don’t get that kid’s name and why Harry decided it was a good idea to name one of his sons Albus Severus. This appears to be even more horrifying and disappointing than the first name. Why? Let’s start with Severus Snape first: no matter what this guy’s reasons may be, he still pretty much abused and tortured Harry for most of his school life. Everyone pretty much knows just how much Harry hated this guy. Snape was horrible to Harry from the first moment that Harry came to Hogwarts and there was no chance for Harry to even get to know him much less know why he was acting like that towards him, not at first anyway. Harry hated this guy practically his whole life and yet now he suddenly decides to name his son after Snape? Seriously, why?Who likes the names of Harry Potter’s kids?
Reason to dislike the name James Sirius Potter
An insult to Sirius Black’s memory?
Reason to dislike the name Albus Severus Potter
Really, he could have named the kid after Remus Lupin and I wouldn’t be all that surprised or objectionable about it though I’m not exactly fond of Lupin in the least.
Albus Dumbledore vs Sirius Black
What about Albus Dumbledore? Sure, Harry liked the Headmaster just fine but, come on, is the Headmaster of a school he goes to better than his own godfather who is the best friend of his father?
Harry could have at least put Albus as a middle name for one of his sons and this wouldn’t be all that objectionable either though I’m also not exactly fond of this guy.
Lily Luna Potter = the only name Harry and Ginny got right?
As for their daughter, Lily Luna, I think the name is just fine. I don’t really have anything to say about it. I like the name Luna (and Luna Lovegood), after all, though I’m not all that fond of the name Lily.
So, what do you think? Do you have anything against the names of Harry’s children? Or do you not mind at all? What’s your opinion on this?
Photo credits:
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above
This post contains spoilers for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
At the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows," we learn that Harry names his children James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter. With each name, Harry is trying to honor people close to him.
Albus Severus is the main character in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." He's the ugly duckling of the family, is sorted into Slytherin, befriends Scorpius Malfoy, and isn't good at magic. He's nicknamed "Albus Potter, the Slytherin Squib."
Albus and his father have a tense relationship. "There are times I wish you weren’t my son," Harry tells him early in the play, setting in motion a rebellious streak in Albus.
Much of the play's plot deals with Harry trying to fix his relationship with his son, and Albus asserting himself as an individual hero, out of his father's shadow. But on a deeper level, Harry is dealing with the complicated legacies left by the two Hogwarts headmasters he named Albus Severus after: Dumbledore and Snape.
At the end of "Cursed Child," Harry and Albus fix their relationship. And Harry's only able to get there because of lesson he learned from Dumbledore and Snape — the two people Albus is named after.
Dumbledore first appears in the "Harry Potter" series as an all-powerful saintly wizard, but his legacy becomes more complicated. He withholds crucial information about Harry's past until the end of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Severus Snape was a cruel potions teacher and had little love for Harry, but we find out late in the story that he loved Harry's mother, and was willing to betray Voldemort for her memory.
Manuel Harlan
In "Cursed Child," Dumbledore is immortalized as a magical portrait, and can still talk to Harry. It's a way for Dumbledore and Harry to clear some of the baggage between them.
In one scene, Harry asks Dumbledore how to save Albus when he gets in trouble. "You ask me, of all people, how to protect a boy in terrible danger?" Dumbledore responds. He's still apologetic about how he acted two decades earlier.
Dumbledore also reminds Harry that he never had a son himself. It's a way for Dumbledore to echo the conversation he had with Harry at the end of "Order of the Phoenix," apologizing for how he raised Harry. He wants to make sure Harry doesn't make the same mistakes he did. Later in the play, during a second conversation with Harry, Dumbledore is still tortured by his actions and openly weeps in apology. Harry still has trouble accepting the apology — "You were absent every time it really counted," Harry reminds him.
Severus Snape, on the other hand, doesn't talk to Harry through his portrait. He shows up in the play in a segment of its complicated time-travel plot, where he helps save Scorpius Malfoy, and Albus. He becomes not only responsible for saving Harry in the first seven "Harry Potter" books, but Harry's son as well.
In the end, Harry follows Dumbledore's advice, trying to understand Albus for who he is. He also follows Snape's example: love is unconditional, even in the harshest of circumstances. By repairing his relationship with Albus Severus by the end of "Cursed Child," Harry also repairs his relationship with Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
In a conversation at the end of the play, Harry brings up the legacy of the two headmasters:
HARRYThose names you have – they shouldn’t be a burden. Albus Dumbledore had his trials too you know – and Severus Snape, well, you know all about him—ALBUSThey were good men.HARRY
They were great men, with huge flaws, and you know what – those flaws almost made them greater.
This post contains spoilers for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
At the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows," we learn that Harry names his children James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter. With each name, Harry is trying to honor people close to him.
Albus Severus is the main character in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." He's the ugly duckling of the family, is sorted into Slytherin, befriends Scorpius Malfoy, and isn't good at magic. He's nicknamed "Albus Potter, the Slytherin Squib."
Albus and his father have a tense relationship. "There are times I wish you weren’t my son," Harry tells him early in the play, setting in motion a rebellious streak in Albus.
Much of the play's plot deals with Harry trying to fix his relationship with his son, and Albus asserting himself as an individual hero, out of his father's shadow. But on a deeper level, Harry is dealing with the complicated legacies left by the two Hogwarts headmasters he named Albus Severus after: Dumbledore and Snape.
At the end of "Cursed Child," Harry and Albus fix their relationship. And Harry's only able to get there because of lesson he learned from Dumbledore and Snape — the two people Albus is named after.
Dumbledore first appears in the "Harry Potter" series as an all-powerful saintly wizard, but his legacy becomes more complicated. He withholds crucial information about Harry's past until the end of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Severus Snape was a cruel potions teacher and had little love for Harry, but we find out late in the story that he loved Harry's mother, and was willing to betray Voldemort for her memory.
Manuel Harlan
In "Cursed Child," Dumbledore is immortalized as a magical portrait, and can still talk to Harry. It's a way for Dumbledore and Harry to clear some of the baggage between them.
In one scene, Harry asks Dumbledore how to save Albus when he gets in trouble. "You ask me, of all people, how to protect a boy in terrible danger?" Dumbledore responds. He's still apologetic about how he acted two decades earlier.
Dumbledore also reminds Harry that he never had a son himself. It's a way for Dumbledore to echo the conversation he had with Harry at the end of "Order of the Phoenix," apologizing for how he raised Harry. He wants to make sure Harry doesn't make the same mistakes he did. Later in the play, during a second conversation with Harry, Dumbledore is still tortured by his actions and openly weeps in apology. Harry still has trouble accepting the apology — "You were absent every time it really counted," Harry reminds him.
Severus Snape, on the other hand, doesn't talk to Harry through his portrait. He shows up in the play in a segment of its complicated time-travel plot, where he helps save Scorpius Malfoy, and Albus. He becomes not only responsible for saving Harry in the first seven "Harry Potter" books, but Harry's son as well.
In the end, Harry follows Dumbledore's advice, trying to understand Albus for who he is. He also follows Snape's example: love is unconditional, even in the harshest of circumstances. By repairing his relationship with Albus Severus by the end of "Cursed Child," Harry also repairs his relationship with Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
In a conversation at the end of the play, Harry brings up the legacy of the two headmasters:
HARRYThose names you have – they shouldn’t be a burden. Albus Dumbledore had his trials too you know – and Severus Snape, well, you know all about him—ALBUSThey were good men.HARRY
They were great men, with huge flaws, and you know what – those flaws almost made them greater.