Ballade for Snape

************ SPOILER *****************************

If you haven't read "Deathly Hallows" yet, do not read this poem. I really, really mean it. Seriously. Do not read it.

(If you're wondering what a ballade is, you can find out here.)



Eleven years of grieving wore you down
and left you harsh, unwelcoming and cold.
No-one remembers you without a frown,
knows how you looked before pain made you old
before the girl you loved so much was sold
to die at evil’s hands. And now, reprise,
her son’s career is starting to unfold.
They say his eyes are just like Lily’s eyes.

You’ve given up your life to cap and gown
kept close to your old mentor, in the fold
yet never quite accepted. The dark crown
still throws a shadow for all to behold:
the mark there on your arm. You broke the mold
but no-one quite believes your claims aren’t lies.
You hate the boy. The reason can’t be told:
they say his eyes are just like Lily’s eyes.

If guilt were water, God knows you would drown
without an old man’s withered hand to hold.
You overheard, when leaves were turning brown
one autumn, what the Seeress foretold
and murder followed, shattering your soul.
She thought her son’s life cheap at any price,
and it remains worth more to you than gold.
They say his eyes are just like Lily’s eyes.

Prince: be at peace. Your story now is told
and courage has redeemed your sacrifice.
The boy who wears your name is young, but bold,
they say his eyes are just like Lily’s eyes.