Eulogy for Severus Snape
Harry stood up and looked at everyone. So many did not know what he knew. But it was time for that to change.
He promised himself, that after he finished, not a single person would not know the sacrifice made by Severus Snape.
He took a deep breath. "Many of you knew Professor Snape. But few of you really knew him. I'm guilty of that."
"His classes were hard and he was strict. He would never win a popularity contest."
"But I want everyone to know this. While Dumbledore may be the greatest headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Snape by far was the bravest."
Everyone was silent.
"I want everyone to think of the people that you love. Your mothers, your fathers, your sisters, your brothers, your friends. Think of all of them. Think of all the love that you have for them. Think of all the love that you receive from them."
Harry quietly continued. "Now, think of if all the love that you had for all these people, was all bottled up. And you gave that love to just one person. Just…one…person."
"So instead of family and friends, your world revolves around just one person. One person's smile. One person's warmth. One person's happiness."
"And that, was how Professor Snape felt about my mother. Lily Evans."
"He loved her since they were children. They were best friends for a long time. He helped her realize her magical talents as a witch."
"But they weren't meant to be. He had a troubled childhood. As in childhood, just as in adulthood, he could not win any popularity contests. Everything came so hard for him. It was so hard for him to talk to her. It was so hard for him to be what she needed. It was hard for him to control his emotions. Sometimes he let his emotions get the best of him. But that isn't to say he didn't have any."
"I want you to remember, that if he ever said a harsh word or did something cruel to you… I want you to think about the fact that he had given all his love to one person, and he simply wasn't capable of giving much warmth or affection to anyone else. He just didn't know how to open his heart again."
"But even though he couldn't love anyone else, he continued to do what was right. Not what was easy. He went to work for Voldemort – but he was always working for Dumbledore. For Hogwarts. For my mother. He pretended to be Voldemort's man and in return for his support, Voldemort made him headmaster at Hogwarts."
"I know many of you were plotting against him. You were punished for your efforts. But the truth is, he was always trying to protect you from Voldemort's true spies."
"I was wrong. I was wrong about Professor Snape, from the very beginning till almost the very end. He was a good man. A brave man. He was a man who loved deeply and completely."
"While he lived, he received no reward for his efforts except the knowledge of doing the right thing. He worked without fame, without glory, without recognition. No one ever knew what he sacrificed."
"But now, after his death, it is my one hope…that we will go forward, and we will remember the name of Severus Snape, and recognize his bravery, his goodness, and the love that motivated him. That we will remember and celebrate his sacrifice."
There was a long moment of silence.
And then Harry stood back from the podium, and quietly began clapping.
In one motion, everyone stood, and began applauding. The thunderous applause grew louder and louder, and though seconds ticked by, it showed no sign of abating. Then people began to cheer, and the Great Hall echoed with their shouts.
"Snape! Snape! Snape!" they chanted. "The hero of Hogwarts!"
Somehow, though Harry, for much of his life, had not known Snape very well at all…he knew that Snape would not want to be remembered with tears or grief. There had been too much sadness and loss in Snape's life. Not enough happiness.
They gave Severus Snape the cheers, the adoration, and the love that he had never known in his lifetime. The sound reached out through the Great Hall, through the corridors, up the stairs, and into the headmaster's room, where a figure in the newly appeared portrait of the last headmaster of Hogwarts wiped away tears.
