Eulogy of A Good Man

"Severus Snape was not a gentle man. Neither in words nor in actions was he ever gentle, in my remembrance of him. He was not a nice man, either, and he was most certainly not gracious. He was callous, impatient, pushy, withdrawn, bitter, immature, infuriating, and sarcastic. The list of his negative attribute continues on and on, if questioned he probably would have admitted to most. He told me once, that he was probably so disagreeable because he didn't believe in happiness. That happiness was nothing more than a fleeting fancy that would be ripped away from you by the time you became truly comfortable with it.

"As such, Severus Snape never became truly comfortable with anything in his time, never took anything for granted, keeping with the belief that it would be gone the second he took his eyes off of it. Maybe that's why he was so fierce. Perhaps it was why he gathered the things he valued so close to him and refused to relinquish them. Things like his pride, his dignity, his love. And while he wasn't happy with them, for happiness can be stolen in the blink of an eye, he was content. Or so I would like to believe.

"During the war, Severus was a spy. That role, for him, was never forgotten. Even after Voldemort was defeated, Severus never relaxed. He kept, as Alastor Moody termed it, 'constant vigilance'. Many on the Dark Lord's side had still not been apprehended by the ministry, and Severus could not take chances when his 'treachery' to Voldemort was revealed the day he received his order of Merlin 1st Class.

"All in all, Severus Snape was not much liked by a great many people. However, no matter how many disliked him, almost everyone in the wizarding world knows of him. Ask anyone you know, ask anyone he knew, or anyone who knew of him. No matter who you asked, nearly all would have something to say.

"If you asked any of his classmates from years gone by what they remembered of Severus they would've answered you saying he was a sore, sour, vengeance driven child. Had you asked his teachers they would've answered that he was one of the brightest minds of his generation.

"Had you asked his colleagues they would have described him as polite, mannered -- unless provoked or agitated -- but distant and bitter. Perhaps they would've added untrustworthy and suspicious to that list depending on if you asked one of his more closed minded colleagues. Had you asked Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and Severus Snape's employer the older wizard would have told you that Severus was burdened with the past, but he was strong and had moved past those things that haunted him to become a hero. Albus might have told you that Severus was very dear to his heart.

"If you asked any of his students to tell you of their former potions master they would tell you of a rude bullying greasy git of a Deatheater. Or they might've descried him as a great bat, and an unfair one to boot. Few could or wanted to see past that. Fewer still might answer you if you asked that they considered Professor Snape one of their most respected teachers, maybe even their favorite. Some might have said Severus had taught them of more than potions but that he had tutored them in life. However, Slytherins rarely get sentimental, so those words may never be heard by mortal ears.

"If you had asked...," the voice that until now had been strong, clear, and steady, falters for a moment and the speaker takes an audible breath before continuing on again, "If you had asked his friends, few though there were, they might tell you what those asked previous had not mentioned or simply had not known. They would tell you of his braveness, perhaps, of the courage that could match a Gryffindor's, although Severus himself would be loathe to admit any such thing.

"Maybe they would speak of his passion, his intelligence, or of his wit. Perhaps they would tell you how his burning sarcasm in the most dire of situations would make them smile, would give them hope, if only they listened to the underlying message. The lives he'd saved with his skill with potions might even be on the list. His friends would, no doubt, give you a number of good things to match the negative said of him.

"If you asked me... If you asked me what I thought of Severus Snape I would tell you, I would tell you that he wasn't perfect. No one knew that better than him, I think. I'd say that even though he was snarky, greasy, unmigitated git almost all of the time, that I was proud to have loved him, and to love him still. And I would tell you, he was a good man.

"Some of you may be here today to see for yourselves that Severus, 'got what he deserved' as I have heard said more than once today, but most of you are here for the same reason that I am. We are here today to celebrate the life and to mourn the passing of a good man."

Harry Potter licked his dry lips and surveyed the crowd from his podium, trying to peirce every gaze with his own.

"May we all deserve the same words in our own eulogies."

The Man-Who-Lived-On stepped down from the stage, ended the Sonorous spell, and walked away.