Disclaimer. I don't own anything.
For my friend Alexis Arciniaga, for a belated Christmas present. This is also for my mom, who wanted a Snape tribute.
The pain was so great. Severas looked up into the cold red eyes of Voldemort. He felt the poison from the bite on his neck, spreading. He saw his own blood in his hands, staining his shirt. He looked up at Voldemort, eyes dulling in a flashback. Voldemort's eyes turned dark brown, to his muggle father's eyes.
Snape was a younger boy then; he was a little boy, maybe ten years old. It was the only time Snape can remember his father taking him somewhere fun. They had gone to the middle of a city, during the middle of a fierce storm. Snape had looked down the street eagerly. His father had said they were going to see a parade.
"Where is it?" Snape asked.
"It's not here for people to see it yet." He said
"Why not?"
"You won't see it for a while." He said, his hand clutched to his chest as he coughed. " But I will see it soon."
"But we are both here, why will you see it before me?"
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
"it's a black parade, a parade of the dead."
"Ewe, isn't it bad to dig up people?" Snape asked, making a face at his father.
"It's spirit like, not physical." His father said softly. He looked around, then at his son. His eyes pierced his very deeply.
"Son, I want you to make me a promise." He said
Snape looked at his father, then nodded his head."
"Son, I want to promise me that when I go on, when I die, that you will live your life the right way." He coughed, hacking into a Kleenex, then continued, " Severas, I know I haven't been the best father, and I know that, given the chance, you would probably kill me, being the wizard you are, but son, live your life in such a way that you have no regrets, or very few. Overcome your trials, ignore those who don't think that you have the capacity to be a good person."
"I promise father, I will." Snape had said eagerly, wanting to impress his father.
"Son, my time is going to come soon, remember, I'll wait for you, to tell me what you have done in your life."
He said,
"Son when you grow up, will you be the savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
He said
"Will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non believers, the plans that they have made?"
Because one day I leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join the black parade."
Snape's memory swirled around in his head, and Snape realized in his last moments that he had forgotten about the promise he had made. His eyes flashed back to the memory
When I was a young boy,
my father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said,
"Son when you grow up, will you be the savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
He closed his eyes, and suddenly, there was no pain anymore. He shook his head, clearing his vision. He tried to stand up, and he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Dad?" he asked, looking up to see his father, standing tall, and his black hair clean and gleaming in the white light. He was wearing black. Severas looked down, and realized that he was wearing black
"Come, I've watched you, but you need to see for yourself what the affects of your life have done for the people you saved."
"But I didn't save anyone, I killed Dumbledore!" he protested.
"Watch." His father commanded, and Snape looked at what appeared to be a plain white wall. He saw the final duel between Harry and Voldemort
"You saved Harry countless times, not to mention that you did this while being a spy for twenty years. You loved Lily, yet, you watched as she got married and had kids, then, instead of making life a living hell for that child, although you had to pretend to, you saved his life. I know that he felt it was hard having to defeat Voldemort, but you did already, when you decided to become a spy, decided to give up your social life, making everyone despise you, decided to spy on Voldemort for the order of the phoenix, who didn't trust you all that much, you defeated Voldemort. Your information was the breath keeping the Order alive for the First few years, and even on, beyond that, you had to avoid one third of the population of the children at Hogwarts, only because if they wrote home that you were being nice, someone would have information on you that would anger Voldemort."
"But, you see, my life was wasted!" Snape said, thinking of what Lily had done to save her child, and also what James would have done.
"Come on, only one thing to see, one more thing to do before we go on." His father said, leading him to a line of floats that had a person on each one. They got bigger and bigger, until the biggest, and more extravagant was as big as a house, and had so many intricacies with the black clothe and black ribbon.
His eyes went wide as he saw Lily and James walking forwards, Lily wearing a black dress that was flowing in the non excising wind, James wearing his black Wizard's robe with black clothing underneath.
"Thank you, Severas, for the life of my child," Lily said to him, and then gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you indeed, Severas, you did the work of twenty brave man all your life, and I thank you for It." he said, shaking Sevres's hand. With that, they left, going to a float that was a couple before his. His father led him up to his, and he sat down, trying to stop the tears from his face.
The cars lurched forwards, and Severas realized they were leaving the realm he was in. they came out in the middle of a city, and the streets were crowded. In the float Lily was on, he saw the four marauders, even little peter, smiling at each other and waving to all the people. It seemed like everyone knew what they had done, the sacrifices and pain each endured, and they were honoring each person for the things they did.
Harry looked up, crying, holding Ginny close to him. He looked up, seeing his mom and dad. They were smiling at him, and waving. He saw the Thestrals; everyone could see them now, pulling the parade. His mom was crying, smiling and laughing, waving to him and throwing him a black rose. His father smiled and waved, happiness on his features
There was a collective silence as the biggest float came by, black cloth streaming from every point. Harry saw Snape, looking at everyone, his father's hand on his shoulder. Complete silence, dragging on by the moment, stretched. Snape looked down, averting his eyes, knowing why they weren't clapping.
Harry lifted up his hands and started clapping then Ginny did too. Then a couple of other Hogwarts students and teachers did. Someone sent up a cheer, and then the whole audience burst into sound. Snape looked up, and for the first time, he smiled, tears slipping down his face.
He flashed back through his life, seeing everything he did going in a blur. From the night he betrayed Lily, to the moment he killed Dumbledore, then to the last moment that he was living. He looked and saw Harry, cheering wildly
Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go. Through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
When you're gone we want you all to know We'll Carry on,
We'll Carry on
Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on
Carry on
We'll carry on
And in my heart I cant contain it
The anthem wont explain it.
He smiled again, a grin breaking out over his features. He saw through his tears Lily smiling and clapping at him, James and Sirius and Peter and Remus also. The grin grew bigger.
He felt his father's hand leave his back, and he looked, his father was clapping for him, clapping. For. Him. That did it; a grin broke through the years of sorrow he had built up. It was done.
And we will send you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Lets shout it loud and clear
Do you fight it to the end
We hear the call to
He remembered all the things he had gone through, all the pain and the lies and the sorrow. But his life had not been in vain. He had lived his life to it's fullest. Without him, nothing would be as it was. Voldemort would have killed Harry. He looked up, looking at the crowds. He was being cheered, even though he had been despised. He looked at the line of little black dots that were leaving the city, not knowing where they were going, but feeling content and happy
Harry looked up, a smile on his face. There would never be a braver man. Somewhere, his mind played part of a random song he had heard over one of his summers once or twice.
To carry on
We'll carry on
Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated You're weary widow marches on
Soon, the parade was out of Harry's sight, still being cheered on. He remembered more of the song, deciding to write it down, just so he could remember it.
He tried to imagine being despised, un-trusted, hated, but still doing work for the people who hated him. He saved the lives of people he hated. Snape had. He saved everyone.
Harry looked back, seeing the back of Snape's float. Two words were on the back of it. Carry on.
He felt his eyes filling with tears. There was never a braver man.
He tried to imagine again.
And on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers Ooh oh ohhhh
He imagined being despised, hated, but still trying to live his life. Seeing all the faces of those he had disappointed. But still continuing on, still doing what he was doing. Harry resolved then and there that one of his children is going to have his name.
Take a look at me cause
I could not care at all Do or die
You'll never make me
Cause the world, will never take my heart
You can try, you'll never break me
Snape, nearing the edge of the city, turned back, hearing the last cheer. The float stopped, and Snape heard something dully. He heard a song from the corner of his mind. It wasn't the whole song, only part of it. He smiled.
Want it all,
I'm gonna play this part
Wont explain or say I'm sorry
I'm not ashamed,
I'm gonna show my scar
You're the chair, for all the broken Listen here, because it's only..
I'm just a man,
I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who's meant to sing this song
Just a man,
I'm not a hero
I -- don't -- care
Carry on
Snape sat forwards, and then halted.
We'll carry on
though your dead and gone believe me your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated You're weary widow marches on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
With that, the parade continued on, leaving the city. The front cars faded away. The parade floats faded on by one, until only Snape's was left.
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
Then, with one last joy filled laugh, his began to fade, and he felt his father smile also. He had kept his promise
authors note: yeah, really bored right now. i just wote this. i know it's kinda choppy, but i thougt the idea was kinda cool. yeah. review if you feel like it. flames totally accepted.
angie the unicorn