Introduction
In 1914, Edgar Lee Masters published the unique "novel" Spoon River Anthology. It was the unusual story of a small American town, told through the eyes of the dead residents by means of their epitaphs- the phrases left on their tombstones.
I thought I would do a bit of a crossover and combine the epitaph style with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter stories, telling the tale of the first (and the start of the second- and I will add on as the death toll heightens, as I'm pretty sure it will) war. The epitaphs of Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix members, civilians, and Muggles alike will be presented.
The tone of Spoon River anthology is dark and rather pessimistic and bitter about life. I'm trying to emulate the style here (in other words, if I make Cedric sound spiteful or Sirius appear to have died due to some horrible tragic flaw he recognized, don't kill me, please!). Also, I tried to match birth and death months and years, and ages at death, as best as I could, but some are not really specified, so I made an educated guess.
Consider this one huge disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I am not Edgar Lee Masters. I just like both of their books and it is my pathetic hobby to combine the two.
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SIRIUS BLACK
(December 1959-June 1996)
When I was fifteen, I became an Animagus,
And it is a well-known fact that
One's inner animal is chosen, not revealed.
I became a great black dog,
Manifesting my loyalty and determination.
It was my loyalty that drove me
To attempt to murder one not so loyal,
And it was my determination that drove me
To seek out the betrayed companion's son,
Surviving thirteen years of prison
And escaping barely, only for a moment
To see the boy that was left in my care.
To him, as his father, I was always loyal
And in fighting to save him, I was struck down
By my cousin- a member of my family:
The only thing I was ever disloyal to.
