A/N: Hi everyone. I just had to write this one shot as it was stuck in my head haha. Reviews are loved and cherished, flames are for marshmallows. If you like my writing then please feel free to read my other one shot One Last Goodbye and my first EVER EVER EVER fanfiction Framed.
I do not own Harry Potter.
Harry sat stiffly in his seat as he listened to people talk about the Potions Master. Not many people were vocal when the floor was open for anyone to speak about Severus Snape. McGonagall wiped a tear away as she stood at the podium and spoke of how brave Snape was and that he was such a hard working student who grew up too quickly. Harry glanced at the sleek and shiny black casket that reflected the glistening sun. He closed his eyes as he remembered leading the Aurors to the Shrieking Shack to recover the body.
"What a place to die," one of the Aurors commented as the group entered the dilapidated room. Harry shivered as he lead the way and stopped abruptly when he saw the body of his most hated professor. He remained exactly where Harry had left him; on his back on the floor with the hand that had grasped Harry's shirt out from his body. The puncture wounds from Nagini's fangs were clearly visible and stained with dry blood.
"Look at me," Snape had said. Those words will haunt Harry for the rest of his life.
"Mr. Potter, we can take it from here," Shacklebolt said as he sensed Harry's discomfort.
"No," Harry had replied, never taking his eyes off the body. "I want to be here. I want people to know what kind of person he was. People need to know the real him."
"Harry, you don't know the real Severus Snape. Nobody does."
"I learned more about him in two minutes than I had for the seven years I had known him."
"I will see what arrangements I can make."
Harry said nothing as he watched the Aurors cover Snape with a white sheet and levitate the body out of the room. The cloth swayed in the air like the ghost of the body beneath it.
"And now, I believe that Mr. Harry Potter would like to say a few words," Shacklebolt's voice broke Harry out of his memory and he saw that the audience was watching him closely. He stood up and brushed his black dress trousers before he made his way to the podium. His dark green shirt was the only colour in the crowd which was dissolved in black. A surprising amount of people were here for a man hated by many. The Ministry was here as were Hogwarts staff and students, both current and old. Harry guessed the rest were fellow potion brewers or fans of Snape's work.
Harry cleared his throat. "What can I say about Severus Snape? Many of you know him the same way I had. He was a bully, he was unfair and he favoured those few above all others despite his profession as a Hogwarts professor and Head of House. He went by many names, a few favourite amongst the students were Greasy Git and the Bat of the Dungeons. I was the main target of his sour personality and treatment. I admit that I hate Severus Snape. He was mean, he was rude, he was unfair...and he was brave. He was probably the bravest man...I had ever met."
The crowd looked at him in confusion. Harry licked his dry lips as he prepared to speak again.
"Severus made many mistakes in his life and paid dearly for them. A few years ago, I looked into his private pensieve like the idiot that I am. I invaded his privacy and he has never forgiven me, not that I blame him. I saw his worst memory. At first I thought that it was about being bullied by my father but in actual fact, it was the moment he lost his best friend and secret crush; Lily Evans, my mother. He called her a Mudblood. She had never forgiven him and he went into depression. It was this moment where he knew he had nothing to lose and joined the Death Eaters, desperate to be part of something and to gain respect. He was not a very nice man, but what nobody except Albus Dumbledore knew, was that up until his death, he knew love. He loved my mother until his last breath where he told me to look at him. I was confused at first but now I understand he wanted to look at my eyes; they were exactly the same as my mother's."
The crowd seemed to be soaking in Harry's words as some witches dabbed at the corner of their eyes.
"Throughout my school days, Severus and I never got along. Not once. But Dumbledore kept saying to me trust Professor Snape. I could never understand why but when Snape gave me the memories he had been carrying and keeping secret for sixteen years it became clear. Severus was a Death Eater as we all know. He found out that I was the target on the night my parents died and he begged Dumbledore to protect us all. After her death, Snape turned spy for the Light and constantly put his life in danger every second of his life by spying on Voldemort and feeding us crucial information. He did not care for me one bit. He enjoyed making me suffer but he still kept me safe. He had saved my life numerous times and for that I thank him. The man was hurting every day because of the guilt he carried. It was love that kept him alive, love that encouraged him to fight for the greater good, love that made him human."
Ron grasped Hermione's hand and smiled at her. Hermione in return rested her head on his shoulder. Mr. Weasley wrapped an arm around Mrs. Weasley's shoulders and held her close. Other couples held their partners close.
"Everything he had done, he had done for love; my mother's love. He may have been Headmaster of Hogwarts and the students have suffered horrors they shouldn't have. But he positioned himself as Headmaster to protect students whilst he controlled the Death Eater staff. He was Voldemort's favourite and so he knew that the other Death Eaters would not challenge his authority. He could have easily defeated Professors McGonagall and Flitwick...uh no offense," Harry said distractedly as he addressed the staff. Both teachers bowed their heads and smiled to show no bad blood. McGonagall motioned for Harry to continue.
"Yet he did not. He could have killed anyone he wished; and yet he did not. He could have tortured your children; and yet he did not. Severus was not a bad man. He was not a nice man, but he certainly was not the devil everyone had thought. He was unapproachable because of his spy status. He didn't want to hurt again so that if anyone had died he would not suffer as viciously as he had with my mother. If he had shown attachment to anybody then he could have been punished with their death. Instead, the only punishment he endured was upon himself with Crucio whenever he displeased Voldemort."
Harry took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as he felt his throat seize. He took a few breaths to finish his speech.
"Don't be like Severus. Don't be cruel, don't keep secrets and don't bully people. Don't be rude, nasty or isolated. Don't be the Severus Snape we all knew. Instead, be the Severus Snape we know now. Learn how to love and use it to make you strong, be smart and brave. Be protective of not only your loved ones, but of everybody. Severus made mistakes so we can all learn from them. Don't hate the man you knew, love the man you didn't know. If you hurt someone accidently, apologize and start again. And if you were hurt by someone, learn to forgive and forget. That person may not have meant to hurt you but give them a second chance. Severus made a mistake by insulting my mother, but my mother made a mistake by not listening when he tried to apologize. Snape suffered deeply for his mistake and he suffered deeply to protect everyone. He kept me alive when he could have handed me over to Voldemort. I may have cast the spell to kill Voldemort; but it was Severus Snape who truly saved the Wizarding World by keeping me alive through those years and died to protect me. Is he a hero? No. He was a bully but as we now know...he was human. I now ask you for a minute of silence to pay respect to the man who truly saved you. I for one, will respect him for the rest of my life. A billion points from Slytherin for being a right git, but infinite points to Slytherin for being the right git. Let's pay our thanks... to Severus Tobias Snape."
The minute of silence was paid and the casket turned into a grand marble tomb and sat alongside Dumbledore's white tomb. The funeral came to an end and people shook hands and said their farewells. Ron and Hermione caught up with Harry as he walked along the Black Lake.
"That was a beautiful speech, Harry," Hermione said as she linked her spare arm through his whilst her other arm was firmly secured in Ron's.
"Yeah, mate. He was a right git...but deep down he was human," Ron agreed. "I wish we could apologize to him face to face. Hey why don't we use the resurrection stone?"
"Ronald, no!" Hermione scolded. "You can't play with death. Remember the story?"
"I lost the stone on purpose," Harry admitted. "Let Snape rest in peace. He deserves that at the very least."
"True...I guess he doesn't want to be bothered by Gryffindor dunderheads in death," Ron laughed.
Everyone chuckled and came to a stop on the edge of the lake.
"Do you think he'll still be watching over us?" Hermione asked as they looked at the calm black water before them.
At that moment a huge black bat flew down low and swooped Harry on his head before flying off into the distance. Everyone looked at the bat as it got smaller.
Harry smiled, "always."