Title: Do Not Stand By My Grave and Weep (1/1)
Author: granger2malfoy
Ratings: K
Pairings: None
Disclaimer: The characters always belong to JK. The poem is also not mine - It is by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
Summary: Many months after the end of the final battle, Hermione goes to hill for a quiet moment to remember one of the fallen- Professor Severus Snape.
[A/N: Not shipping, just to pay respect.]
On a cold January morning, a young woman ventured off the beaten path to a medium sized pond that was frozen over. The area was so quiet but to her that was just the way it was supposed to be today. Hermione's fingers danced along her wand as her mind as she thought about the things she had went over all the things Harry had told her about seeing Snape's memories.
Do not stand by my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
So many conflicting emotions had coursed through her at first but there was no denying there was so much more than had ever know. Than almost everyone had ever known and that was why most still did not approve having his grave among the fallen at the final battle. But she understood, to a degree, how much many of her own feelings were so conflicted, at first, were finally starting to settle.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
The wind started to blow around her and made her smile slightly. For some reason, she had always found peace in the wind. There was a old fallen tree covered lightly with a dusting of snow to her right and she headed to it as she continued to think about the mysterious man that was Professor Snape. Well, during his life he had many titles: Potions Master, Professor, Headmaster, and 'Half-blood prince' but to her he would always be Professor Snape.
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
She brushed off a bit of snow with her gray glove before sitting on a lower part of it. This large beautiful area was not far from where Snape had grown up and where he first tried to behind Harry's mother lily. Hermione opened her jacket a bit to pull out a beautiful white lily and slowly twirled it in her hands as she thought he would approve of her idea. It would've been his birthday and he would not want people by his grave, crying and mopping. The first bit of sunlight added a beautiful warm hue to the morning sky.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush.
Hermione leaned down and placed the lily of the ground above the thin layer of snow. Yes, Snape had been a bully, even to her, but so many of his actions made up for those harsh words and burning glares. And she was even proud to be an 'insufferable, know-it-all.' But he deserved to be remembered by the few that truly understood the things he did and the woman he did it for.
Of quiet birds in the circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
A single raven flew over her head to land on a branch a few feet away from her. A slight smile crossed her lips as she nodded once at it. Then looked back down at the lily she had placed there. With a small swipe in the air with her wand, the lily seemed to have sunken into the snow and then a soft white glow appeared under white snow in a trail to the pond. Then another flick of the wand and a few dozen lilies rose from the ground; that looked just like her lily.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
She sat there for a bit longer and watched the sunrise on the new beautiful flowers. Those small path of flowers would one day cover this patch of land. And she could not think of a better way to honor the man who lived a very dangerous life and loved a woman with every bit of it. Hermione stood and with a heavy sigh decided it was time to go. The raven gave a small sound before flying down to grab a single, white lily before flying off into the sunset.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as Hermione whispered, "I am not there. I did not die."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* fin *~*~*~*~**~*~**~*~~*
A/N: I am a huge Severus Snape fan and when Alan Rickman passed - it truly hurt. Even now, more than a year later, I am tearing up. I had been waiting till I found the right inspiration to dedicate to this fictional character that meant more to me that most people would understand. Sorry for any mispellings or errors. The fault is mine alone.