A/N: I wrote this for thecompletebookworm`s challenge, "In Memoriam." It was supposed to have been written as it would appear in either The Daily Prophet or the Quibbler, and I chose the Prophet. It`s a more formal publication, and I doubt that anybody would write a very personal obituary for him. Well, not a good one at least.

Character: Severus Snape

Prompt: survivor

Words: 384

SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE, a halfblood wizard whose ancestry included the Prince line, died in Hogsmeade`s Shrieking Shack shortly before dawn on the first of May, 1998, at the age of thirty-eight.

The son of Tobias and Eileen Snape, he was an only child.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1971 - 1978, where he was Sorted into Slytherin. Quickly, he became friends with a group who made it no secret that they planned to become followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Sources tell the Prophet that Snape was very much interested in the Dark Arts, and that he "knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in the seventh year."

When he completed his schooling, Snape joined the Death Eaters. It is not known to what extent he participated in their activities. After the tragic deaths of Lily and James Potter, Snape took up the post as Potions Master (which he held from 1980 to 1996). It is believed that he renounced the ways of the Death Eaters, seeing as the late Albus Dumbledore accepted him and vouched for Snape`s loyalty when fellow Death Eater Igor Karkaroff denounced him at trial.

With the return of You-Know-Who, he took up a position as a supposed spy for the Order of the Phoenix. It is not known whose orders he was acting upon. Sources from within the Order are quoted as saying: "Snape was a survivor. I really don`t know anything about him other than what I observed when he reported to us, and from the words from students about his teaching, but he did what he had to do. He found a way to thrive no matter what, until the very end."

In 1996, Snape was made professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Toward the end of the second term, Snape killed the Headmaster and fled the school. According to sources, Snape participated in an attack during the summer holidays that resulted in George Weasley`s ear being cursed off.

In 1997, he was made Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Witnesses say that You-Know-Who himself was responsible for the murder. He reportedly set his snake upon Snape, who died of exsanguination.

He is survived by none.

Private memorial and funeral services will occur on the fifth of May, at 10 am and 11 am, respectively.

A/N (again): Just for some clarification... I was going to include some information about Lily, but seeing as that wasn`t public knowledge in the first place, I decided against it. For a while, anyway, people wouldn`t believe anything good about him...Harry, Hermione, and Ron being the exceptions. With that part said, I don`t believe his funeral would have been public, which is why I said private. I can`t really see anybody besides fellow professors (maybe) and the Trio attending anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading this!