He was a Snape, his given name Severus.
As a mere half-blood who sullied
The originally pure line of the Prince family,
He was lucky to live out most of his childhood
Before Lord Voldemort came to power.
The story began when Severus was a mere five years old,
Young and innocent, and though heavy hearted
From the neglect enforced by his step-father,
His life was livable and he was content.
One day behind a covering of scanty leaves
In the neighborhood park where he ventured oft, he heard
A shriek that disturbed the usually well kept silence.
It was the two sisters who came most days
To play on the old swing set.
The younger girl was standing with a smirk on her face
While the elder scolded in firm yet soft tones.
Lily laughed, a pure lilting sound,
Bouncing back to the gently rocking swing.
Expertly, her legs pumping hard,
She rose up in the air and jumped,
Falling slowly to the ground.
Like how a feather drifts in a warm wind,
The girl fell leisurely, unnaturally, landing softly
On her feet. Her older sister persisted,
And from the boy's shaded covering, he could hear
The various accusations and desperate pleas for normalcy.
The words sounded in the child's ears, strange and startling
Labeling the two as Muggle-raised, possibly Muggle-born
For such surprising feats of magic, were expected
In a normal wizarding family. Shying away from his
Hiding place, the boy kindly offered his insight and thus began,
A fourteen year long friendship.
Many things happened through the long years,
Events that threatened to tear Severus and Lily apart.
Hogwarts, their school, founded for witches and wizards
And the study of magic, had the tradition of separating
Each entering class into four different houses.
Gryffindor was for the brave
While in Hufflepuff the loyal and hardworking flourished.
Ravenclaw nurtured the intelligent
Like how in Slytherin resided the cunning.
There were messy relations between
The houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin
Where Lily and Severus were respectively sorted.
Their associations were a frequent topic of distain
In Slytherin while the Gryffindors spent time
Worrying over Lily's sanity.
James Potter found it his duty to woe Lily.
Dismissing her friendship with Severus
And going out of his way to humiliate him
Was a sure reason why the prank-loving,
Arrogant Pureblood was permanently
In Severus' bad books.
But through thick and thin, tears and laughter,
Pleasant humoring and harmful jeering,
Severus and Lily remained friends.
They had graduated, time had passed,
And in a few months more than a year's time,
Both celebrated their nineteenth birthday.
A single day that eventful year
Marked a great change in the course of their lives
And what was to become of them,
For high up in the cylindrical attic of the north tower
Where the setting sun could be viewed out the west window,
Sat the Divination professor, Sybil Trelawney.
Wrapped in scarves, and jingling countless bangles,
She was the only living descendent
Of the famous seer Cassandra Trelawney.
Poor Sybil had much to live up to
And little to begin with.
Powers that had diluted over generations
Along with a passion for unnecessary drama
Had misled countless souls into disbelief.
She had little control over her Inner Eye
Thus, true to her world, she could not
Respond to a command.
So during that cold autumn day,
Rocking unsteadily on her favorite padded chair,
The prophecy she made was lost to deaf ears.
In her throaty, raspy voice, Sybil chocked out her first
True prediction:
"The flower of two sworn enemies,
Will give life to another, a redeemer, who,
Though facing the unearthly rays of death,
Will live just like any other.
Like his father in his looks, the boy will encounter
Disturbingly close relations with death,
But will have inherited the means to hide from it.
The flower shall be torn and buried,
But her importance in the Way of magic is great."
The Seer slumped over in her winged armchair,
Unconscious and unknowing of her deed.
Before the light had shifted to welcome
The coming of night, all seemed normal.
Severus Snape had begun his day less than excited.
He had woken up that morning at the usual time,
Before the sun had risen up into the sky
And cast its glow onto the world.
His human rituals in front of his sink
Could not have gone any smoother;
Not a single drop of toothpaste was misplaced
And there wasn't an odor of sweet rose or fresh citrus scent
Mixed within the concoction of shampoo
That he had applied stingingly to his hair.
Breakfast had come and gone, and by ten he arrived
At Hogwarts to prepare for his very first day.
Professor McGonagall pestered him, questioning
Why on earth did he agree to start teaching so young?
But that was no different than the norm.
As strict as the Head of Gryffindor was perceived to be,
She was still an old lady, and all old ladies adored gossiping.
Luckily for Snape, along with Minerva's chitchat
Came news that Lily Evans had accepted an apprenticeship
With the skillful Charms Professor, Professor Flitwick.
Severus was rightfully delighted;
He was to have someone his age at Hogwarts;
One who was possibly willing to keep him company.
Indeed almost two years had tediously passed
Since Severus had last seen Lily
On their last day of Hogwarts, departing
The scarlet train as it stopped at King's Cross.
He last heard that she had went on to train
In the fine art of Healing, a skill much needed
During the present time of disorder and violence.
Now he received a constant flow of information from
Loose-mouthed professors over sweet Elf-made wine
That passed easily from bottle to glass at the lunch table.
Since the last day of summer was drawing to a close,
The teacher found themselves enjoying
The last few moments of ease they possessed.
It was from these people that Severus reheard
The tales of Lily's charms skills,
Much like his own love of potions.
As she arrived a hour latter, her bags thrown about
From the tedious travel in the fireplace
He was delighted to find that she remembered him.
Thus the year started out in fine health.
Lily strolled shoulder to shoulder
With the Potions Professor, their conversation
Meandering between a lively exchange of information
On the Art of Potion Making and a heated debate
On the aspects of the various wand movements
Used for transfiguration and charms.
Whether it was their intention,
The two kept the murmurings light and lively
Holding at bay the differences between them,
Checking every so often not to step out of line.
But as they passed the staircase to the third floor corridor,
From the shadows stepped out a figure.
Wrapped loosely in a rich black cloak
Lined with a notable fringe of soft silver fur,
The shadow's designer shirt was expertly pressed,
His shoes shined until they sparkled maliciously,
Closely resembling his piercing ice-grey eyes.
The man, as the figure turned out to be,
Had neatly-trimmed platinum eyebrows
And his shapely defined yet delicate nose
Was raised like a sharp dagger from his pale white skin.
All this pointed towards an aristocratic birth,
Pureblood and possibly a product of intermarriage.
With a blast of excruciating magic,
Lucius Malfoy painfully separated the two.
Severus was thrown backwards into another corridor,
While Lily was thrown by the violent spell into a stone wall;
Her skull crashing unbecomingly into to the rock,
And she slid slowly down, coming to a rest
At the bottom of the desolate expanse,
Her body sagging forward.
Smirking slightly with his smooth lips curled
In a thin expression of distaste,
Lucius Malfoy began speaking
In his cold and impenetrable manner.
Letting his voice carry to the ears of the two around him,
He began speaking in a cutting tone:
"My dear Severus,
I never thought that such a well-mannered person like you
Could ever want to walk with the filthiest creatures on earth.
Is it, my friend, because of some dark spell,
Or perhaps potion, that you walk with it,
For only Merlin knows how the animal
Secretly stole the talents of other people?
Dreary me, for as I cannot stay long,
There is not much help I can give.
Yet, I if I were you, dear Severus,
Some of my words of advice should aid you greatly.
First, I suggest you slay the mudblood.
That shall exterminate the problem
Quickly and easily and cleanly.
Yet if you are not brave enough,
Cunning enough to devise such an act,
Torturing her with your sweet words
Would act just as well and be most amusing way.
Yet Severus, whatever you do, remember this;
Always keep the filth from reaching its goal,
While ruining her naturally stained reputation.
What type of Prince would you be
To deny my kindly given words?"
As Malfoy lectured away on his devious plans,
Lily was merely immersed in pain. She could move, yes,
But her head was throbbing from a migraine
While her shoulder screamed of maltreatment.
Blearily, with her eyes shut tight,
She could make out a few select sounds,
Most of them within the range of male voices.
It took a few moments, but her head was soon clear
And her eyes wide open, adjusting slowly
To the formidable scene beside her.
Yet only one thing was on her mind
As soon as she recognized the intruder:
Lucius Malfoy was going to pay.
Severus could hardly stand, much less
Perfectly upright in Pureblooded fashion.
There was a kink a the base of his neck
And he suspected he had a burn on his back
From sliding along the gritty floor.
He found himself being forced roughly up,
Pinned by Malfoy's artistically veined hands
With a wand pointed at his throat that
Merely rested at times but prodded harshly
As Malfoy made his important points.
All he could do was listen, giving a look
Of utmost attention, for he had dutifully learned
From his mother that it was the right thing to do
If he wished to lived to see the light the next day.
Yet he vowed never to do as Malfoy said.
At the closing of the sinister speech
He was released from the other's grasp.
Severus expected for Malfoy to leave
In his usual royal fashion,
But it did not turn out that way
For as Malfoy moved to brush past him,
There was a sudden whisper in the background,
While sudden movement before him
Turned Malfoy into an empty-handed fool.
Severus succeeded in his silence
Though he was unexpectedly very surprised
At the appearance of a conscious Lily
Looming impressively before the blonde.
In her right hand, she held her own wand;
In her left hand, she clutched another.
Glaring, Lily started voicing her own oration
Beginning with:
"Mr. Malfoy, I do believe
That you have no right to act as you did
For it is neither written down in law
Or even scientifically justified—though I doubt
Your understanding of the word.
You uphold the order of first-class Purebloods
To third-class Muggleborns
As you consider their blood to be less pure,
Less crimson and more muddled
Only because of their birth parents.
But I assure you that you are dreadfully wrong
Containing these areas of knowledge;
Blood is blood and is equal in all.
It's impossible to see how you reach
Your conclusion and formatted your advise.
But I shouldn't worry, should I?
Though you ought to in my place.
Severus is a fine man whom I place
My trust in for I believe that he actually has morals
And will not follow true with your directions.
You shouldn't go bothering him
For although you have Galleons and pretty stones,
He is ten times the man you will ever be.
True, everyone is very much allowed to believe
Whatever they like, but I will warn you
That violence can lead to consequences,
And like any good schoolboy,
You should know that insulting a teacher
Won't get you anywhere, or anywhere closer
To becoming a school governor.
I am quite sure that there are many of us
Around this school who will do whatever
To keep such brutes at bay."
Two pink blotches were present
On Lucius Malfoy's pale face.
His eyes had widened considerably,
Destroying the impassive mask
That he usually wore in lieu of emotions.
He spun on his heels, stalking off
As his cloak molded about the disturbed air
In coils and unappealing twists.
Lily turned to address Snape,
He could see her delicate lips part as she spun,
But she collapsed doing so;
Her hand reached out to grasp her skull
And with a shudder she fell.
It was impulse, anyone else would say,
As Severus deftly caught Lily on her way down.
Gently and carefully he carried her
Towards the hospital wing,
Gently and carefully he looked over her.
The man took in Lily's pouted pink lips,
Her flawless skin that was tanned lightly,
Long curled lashes that rested
On Lily's delicate face
And the way her hair fell in waves
Around her shoulders and chest,
Falling tendrils reaching their way towards the floor.
He had never seen such a woman,
One who stood up to Lucius Malfoy;
Either to his uncalled for advances
Or to his ungentlemanly insensitive words.
Severus knew he wasn't the most attractive
Of men who dotted the British Isle,
He wasn't the best in any way,
Yet Lily, the prettiest and smartest
Witch of his generation had defended him.
He was grateful—more than grateful.
No one had ever said anything like that.
As Severus drew closer to Madam Pomfrey's domain,
He could only come up with one conclusion;
Lily must like him.
Why else would she say such a thing?
Yes, Severus was quite sure she had feelings for him
And thus, in turn, he loved her too.
More than two months had past
Since the duo's confrontation with Lucius.
Lily had began frequently visiting
James Potter and his friends out side of Hogwarts.
Considering she wasn't a real teacher at the school,
There were no rules against her actions.
Most of the teachers encouraged her social life,
Declaring that for a young woman like her,
There wasn't close to enough people her age to interact with.
When Severus first heard of Lily's outings—
From mousy Professor Sprout of all people—
He had been mildly enraged.
It was well known around the school and staff
That James Potter and Severus Snape hated each other.
Whenever they had a chance,
The two would be at it at each other's throats,
With wands, potions, new pranks,
Or whatever was on hand.
Lily was well known to have hated the Potter boy
And most people assumed that she was only sympathetic
Towards Severus for he was usually the one attacked.
Whatever the reason were for Lily's fun,
Severus could not believe them.
She hated them and she loved him,
Didn't she? But for the next few days,
He was in quite a daze, trying to solve the riddle.
In the end, he had to admit,
It would seem to most people quite normal
For Lily to socialize with Potter.
They had, after all, been in the same house,
Attended the same classes for seven years,
And even accompanied each other to Hogsmeade,
Though that may have only been a rumor.
This was a new revelation for the poor Potions Professor.
With his love for Lily, no longer new
And which had etched itself quite deeply in his heart,
Severus did not want the Potter and his friends
To associate with his Lily.
Didn't they know there was not a point?
She had already declared her love for him!
As Severus pondered reclusively over these little points,
Lily was having a grand time with James
Who, that day, had decided to bring her to rather
Expensive restaurant. It was a special day, he had said
And thus Lily wore in an elegant dress
Complete with matching jewelry and shoes.
The food was exquisite and the wine entirely exotic.
She was having a grand time, although
At the very back of her mind
There was a nagging feeling telling her
To think even though all Lily wanted to do was relax.
Severus had been acting decidedly strange
For the past few days; his touch lingered
Longer than need and he gave Lily
Secretive smiles that he seemed to take
Great pleasure in giving.
But batting these thoughts away,
Lily concentrated on the dish at hand
And James' cute concerns, for little did she know
That what had just passed her mind
Would repeat itself over and over again
Until James would one day fall
Gracefully upon one knee.
Unknown to Lily, in the firelight of his rooms,
Severus plotted for their relationship to grow;
He had bought a box of Honeyduke's best chocolates
And a thin but elegant silver necklace
From his teacher's salary.
He was more than ready to present them to her,
But he never seemed to find the time.
In the end, Severus decided to put it off,
Until possibly New Years Eve, a romantic day
To give his special gifts to Lily.
Thus, the two continued their daily walks
Around Hogsmeade as more than friends,
In Severus' eyes. He had to be contented
With crossing his arms in front of his chest
To keep them from becoming frost bitten
By the bitter December cold.
Lily would snuggle tightly with her scarves
And wrap herself willingly within layers
Of wool cloaks and cashmere sweaters.
Their small talk remained light and airy,
For they asked each other no questions,
Told each other no lies,
And kept to themselves their secrets.
But to Severus, the little space between them,
Which he perceived as too close for a mere friendship,
Told volumes of love.
Lily came to him a day before
The Hogwarts Express was due to leave.
The stars were unusually bright that night
And the snow clouds had parted
For the happy night leading up to winter break.
Her face was graced with a hopeful
Glimmer and her lips raised in a shy smile.
Twirling and giggling down the Grand Staircase,
She jumped into Severus' arms
And proceeded to give a friendly hug.
Taking the young man by the hands,
They swung in circles until,
In an abrupt change of nature, Lily
Dragged Severus with unheard of ferocity
To the nearest classroom in the dungeons.
Once the door was shut and locked
And silencing spells cast,
Lily slowed down her pace,
Slowly replacing her wand in her pocket
With sudden unease that showed clearly
For her face was drawn and her eyes downcast.
Ten seconds pasted, thirty seconds past,
A minute and finally, after breathlessly hyperventilating
For another forty-five seconds,
Lily finally began her explanation:
"Severus,
As you probably already know,
I've been visiting James for the past few months
For you see, under all that arrogance
Is a good heart and a kind mind.
However self-centered I may seem for saying this,
However silly it may be, James did tell me
He did all those pranks and blunders
Because he already liked me.
All those detentions he suffered,
After all the breathless girls who fell for him,
He still wanted me to love him.
Two years is quite a long time,
The length of time I've been in love with him
And with all those happy portents,
James decided to ask me to marry him
And I said yes."
Severus had listened intently to Lily's rambling
For he wished to be a kind lover,
Thus he was quite shocked
And less than pleased when she told him
She wanted to marry the Potter boy.
Breathing slowly to the count of ten,
He first checked for several indicators
Of love potions and the Imperius curse
Which forces the victim to submit
To either uncalled for love or any commands.
But as Lily didn't seem to be the victim
Of anything out of the ordinary, Severus
Became increasingly frustrated.
With this frustration came anger;
Unthinkable quantities of rage.
Treacherous thoughts crossed his mind,
But although he struggled—fruitlessly—
Against his impulses, involuntarily,
His mouth, which was already wide open
Changed forms and pushed through
Distinguishable syllables and words
That form sentences that went:
"You,
Who I once called friend—you fiend!
I thought I could love you,
I thought you loved me.
But then you go and do more than befriend
The person who hated me the most,
Who tortured me like a common playground bully
Throughout seven years at school.
I recall, quite clearly too, that you disliked him
Just as much as I did back then,
Possibly more if I judge your various actions
To make sure the Potter boy got what he deserved.
And what about now?
We were friends Lily,
Friends before you ever set foot in Hogwarts.
Yet you choose, of all people, to marry James Potter!
This is unbelievable to the point of incredulous.
There is nothing James has that I don't,
Except for money. Money, Lily?
Is that why you agreed to marry him,
Because you are a sniveling whore out for money?
What else did you do after all those nights?
You've dirtied yourself Mudblood,
More than you could every imag—
No, Lily! I—"
Caught up with his ranting, Severus had not noticed
Exactly where his words were going
Until it was too late for the twisted
Declaration of love came out smoothly.
Only when he noticed the fleeting look
Of surprise on Lily's face—
Which quickly turned sour—
Did he realize his fatal mistake,
But Lily had already drawn her wand,
Firing curses in rapid succession, though many
Were entirely off course due to her anger.
A hex finally hit Severus in the leg,
Jerking him into the air and dangling him there
Where his teaching robes fell unceremoniously down
To expose his freshly pressed pants.
She was panting from the speed of her magical output,
But she still succeed in a cold exit,
Slamming the door on her way out,
Leaving Severus to fall in a heap
Upon the damp stone floor.
He stayed like that for a few seconds,
Reflecting upon his tragic error.
How could he convince her
That he had not meant what he had said,
For that surely was the truth?
Would she understand his reaction after he explained himself?
There was nothing to lose with trying,
Thus Severus scrambled to his feet and rushed
In the general upstairs direction. Amazingly, he made it
To the Great Hall where Lily had stopped upon hearing
The scuffling of his shoes. In desperation, Severus
Beseeched her on both knees:
"Lily, I'm sorry,
I didn't mean what I said. I beg of you Lily,
Don't you know how much I love you?
I don't want you to leave me.
I do not know what I would do without you
And it will be impossible for me to survive
Another two years without your presence.
Please, forgive me for my rash words.
I meant nothing of what I said for why would I
Knowingly insult someone I loved with all my heart?
It breaks my heart to be denied the honor
Of seeing your beautiful face.
Turn around my love, for I,
On both knees plead despairingly
For your kind words..
Forgive me, please."
But what Lily did
Was to look over her shoulder at Severus desperate
On the floor, taking the exact position James had
When the messy-haired boy declared his love of Lily
In their sixth year. The young woman had been rightfully
Angry at the spotlight and rejected James with a grimace.
But as she looked at Severus,
Lily felt a tinge of sorrow—
She was betraying Severus in a way—
But she also felt a much stronger annoyance
For his impulsiveness, and disbelief
For she had never known, never thought,
That Severus would ever love her.
These emotions were expertly covered
With a cool façade and Lily left him.
Severus ran and ran past Hogwarts grounds and apparated
To a shady pub on the outskirts of a wizarding town.
There he ordered a bottle of Firewhisky
Getting drunker and drunker as the night went on.
At length, he met up with Bellatrix Lestrange,
A Slytherin who had been in his year.
She had a dark aura about her
And cloaked in this mystery, she mused to Severus
Stories of death and revenge.
In his state, Severus thought it was a splendid idea.
This way, he could get rid of Potter
Once and for all, leaving Lily for himself
As wife, slave, whatever he wished.
He slurred out vague words of agreement
And Bellatrix, taking it as his given permission,
Took him to a cemetery where a group of people
Cloaked in dark hooded robes
Stood in a circle around their leader.
Drunk as he was, Severus as able to express his interest,
Getting jeers, laughter, and clapping in response
Before their Lord Voldemort silenced them
And Bellatrix spoke on Severus' behalf.
He was brought up and forced to bow
Before the tall imposing figure of their master
Who stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight
To reveal a pale, bald head with jeweled eyes like garnets.
Before Severus could gasp at the sight,
He screamed in pain,
Pain that came from his left forearm
And that night he knew no more.
It was the next morning.
The Hogwarts express was due to leave
In five minutes from Hogsmeade station.
Lily, wrapped in a warm, muggle-made fleece jacket
Peered around the platform one last time.
She couldn't see Severus anywhere.
She acknowledged the fact that she should've told him earlier
And confided with him about her relationship with James
At the very least. But she had not and now
She couldn't.
Severus' rejection hurt, but Lily wasn't going to back out
Of the engagement.
She loved James and he loved her—that she knew.
And she was going through with this marriage.
Besides, she had a dream
Where a little boy, possibly only a year old,
With messy black hair but the most bright green eyes
Had gurgled delightedly over a colorful picture book
Concerning the story of a little black dog
Who loved to prank his little wolf friend.
Lily could almost feel the child in her arms.
Severus Snape woke up on the filthy bed
Of the pub he had attended the night before.
The snow fell heavily outside,
Flashing bright white.
His head was brutally attacked by the light,
The result of a dreadful hangover.
His arm painfully itched as well,
And as he lifted the sleeve of his robe,
He was greeted with the sight of his pale skin
Marred by the ominous Dark Mark.
He had heard of the death and destruction
That the members of the group enacted,
Harming, muggles, muggle-born,
And so called pureblood blood-traitors
Who supported the rights of muggles.
Maybe it was a trick of the light
Or a result of his abusing headache,
But the black snake that was seated
In the mouth of the skull
Seemed to flick it tongue in contempt
And Severus' left arm shuddered with pain.
What had he done to deserve this?