Not My Canon!

WTF: Snape

First off, I'm not really a fan. Sorry. I appreciate that Snape is a morally gray figure. Some of the best characters in the history of literature are complicated, with vague motivations and dark backstories that make them difficult to trust. I didn't have the luxury of learning from a friend who had finished the series that Snape was actually not as bad as he was coming across, because we were only getting one book every few years. So, while I have a personal dislike for his character, it's based on his actions from the first couple books.

By the seventh, however, we were able to see how much his character mattered to JKR. She grabbed hold of Snape's image and wouldn't let go. She was determined to erase our impression of him as an adult who bullied one of his students because he was the son of a crush who had friend-zoned him back in the day. And it worked, to a degree. I'm not trying to minimize Snape's struggle or his sacrifice, but his actions and the way JKR absolved him of that has become a point of contention in the fandom. I felt that this was an important fact to acknowledge first.

Alive?

Seeing that Snape was one of the more significant characters in the book series, it makes a certain sense that they would want to bring him back for a cameo in the second act of a "Greatest Hits" play. He's still alive in the dark universe and, since Scorpius is somehow aware of Snape's secret double-agent status while his dad was in school, he could potentially be reached for help in order to set things right. That does sound good on paper. I can for sure see something like this popping up in fanfiction.

Here's the main reason why this is completely and profoundly wrong.

SEVERUS SNAPE

WOULD NOT BE ALIVE

IN ANY ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.

This is a massive oversight and puts JKR's authorship massively into question. How can I be so sure of this? It all comes down to Voldemort's desire to master the power of the Elder Wand.

1. Snape killed Dumbledore, who was in possession of the Elder Wand.

2. By doing this, Snape wins the allegiance of the Elder Wand (from Voldemort's perspective).

3. Voldemort obtains the Elder Wand.

4. Voldemort kills Snape to guarantee its allegiance.

These facts would not change under any circumstance. There is no ripple effect from Cedric Diggory losing the 2nd task during the Triwizard Tournament that would have derailed these events. The origins of the "dark universe" came from Cedric killing Neville and stopping the Golden Trio from destroying all the Horcruxes in time. This doesn't alter the events that lead to Snape's death, because Voldemort would've ALWAYS had the Elder Wand.

Having Snape alive in an alternate universe where Voldemort won that battle makes zero sense and is a pathetic attempt at squeezing popular characters into a sequel for no reason, other than nostalgia. But they didn't stop there. No, we can't just upend the canon. Let's also ruin his character while we're here!

OOC - Out Of Character

I know that Snape was given a redemption arc, and JKR shoved it down our throats in the Epilogue by having Harry name is second born Albus Severus (you know... instead of Albus Remus, or Albus Sirius, or Albus Arthur...). No matter what events could have taken place in this bizarro story, Snape should still NOT be a hero. He's not the nice guy. That's just not his character. This debate has been going on for some time now, but Snape was never a hero. And there is nothing wrong with that. We don't need to make him something he's not. Severus Snape was the selfish, broken cog in a machine to overthrow evil, when he was once a willing participant. The play is making a clear distinction that he was never gray. He was good. This is a classic fanfic move.