The Snape-Shaped Hole

Shortly after I finished reading Deathly Hallows, I exchanged a series of Facebook comments about the book with my brother's friend Sara, and she told me, in the purposely vague language of one trying to avoid spilling spoilers in a place where friends who've not yet read the book might see them, that her favorite line in the book contained the phrase "Snape-shaped hole". I laughingly agreed to the comedic value of that sentence, but as I turned the words over in my mind, an idea took hold, rooted in the final stanza. Ah, poor Severus...

The Snape-Shaped Hole

"Our headmaster has departed," seethed Minerva as she started
To devise a plan of action, and Pomona gawked in dread
Past the shards that had been scattered when the classroom window shattered,
Leaving one large Snape-shaped hole that marked where Severus had fled.

As the batlike form retreated, Harry's task, not yet completed,
Loomed, and so he pushed disgust at Snape's maleficence away,
Too intent upon destroying diadems to let annoying -
Make that downright evil - Slytherins distract him from the fray.

When he neared the crown he hunted, he was once again confronted
By antagonists whose irksome ways had plagued his months at school,
But his days of Seeking Snitches - chasing wizards, racing witches -
Served him well, and while astride his broomstick, he maintained his cool.

His audacity diminished when, mid-frolic, Fred was finished;
Now it seemed the world was wildly spinning out of his control.
Then, a flash! He spied Nagini, and the sallow-featured meanie
Filled his mind as Tom decided he had found a Snape-shaped hole.

So he journeyed through the willow, saw his teacher's terror billow
And - when Riddle had deserted, deaf to Severus's cries -
Although powerless to save him, took the silver strands he gave him,
Then, accepting his request, looked down into his dimming eyes.

Cast-off memories swirled thickly, and they lapped upon him quickly.
Rapt, he watched his aunt and mother and a boy inclined to lurk
In the shadows who, observing Lily, found her most deserving
Of a Hogwarts education, though his fawning didn't work.

Still, in time their friendship flowered, and Snape hungrily devoured
Every flicker of affection in the lovely Lily's smile.
But her righteous rage erupted as he slowly was corrupted,
And he choked upon the pleas for pardon burning him like bile.

Harry goggled, disbelieving, at the Snape who quavered, grieving
For the woman he had worshipped since he first beheld her face.
Then, with comprehension dawning, he resolved to heal the yawning
Snape-shaped hole that drove a hatred that was painful to erase.

He absorbed his raw emotion and the depth of his devotion.
As Snape sealed a solemn promise to Professor Dumbledore,
Harry's soul was stitched together, freshened like a phoenix feather.
He'd detested Snape for seven years; he didn't anymore.

He relinquished all his rancor, for his mum had been Snape's anchor,
And for her sake, he'd protected Lily's son year after year.
Snape, who'd long declined to show it, hadn't wanted him to know it,
But this peek into the Pensieve made his ardor crystal clear.

Severus's motivation fueled a somber conversation
Whose grim contents fell on Harry's ears and seared him to the bone.
There was no use in denying he must conquer Tom by dying,
And his heartbeat was a death knell as he soldiered on alone.

To his consciousness, unbidden, sprang a wish for what lay hidden
In the golden orb he'd caught while streaking through an azure sky.
He drew strength from the selected saviors who he resurrected,
With the Snape-shaped hole obscured as Harry steeled himself to die.

No Patronus charm could guard him from the sorcerer who'd scarred him.
Harry didn't even raise his wand; he welcomed the green light.
Then the woods around him vanished, and he realized he'd banished
Riddle's feeble fragment of a soul when he refused to fight.

Albus, palpably contented that his doom had been prevented
By the blood of she who'd thrown herself into its icy jaws,
Claimed a Snape-shaped hole existed still, so he forsook the misted
Station's comfort, tensing under Mrs. Malfoy's piercing claws.

With Narcissa's bold deception, Tom awaited his reception
As the worthy ruler over all. He jeered as Hagrid wept,
Bearing his beloved Harry - such a bitter load to carry! -
And the giant roared at centaurs for the distance they had kept.

Now his nemesis was bragging and his comrades' hopes were sagging,
And Minerva rent the darkness with a horrifying sound.
Then the sword that had gone missing came to Neville, and the hissing
Of Nagini sputtered, silenced as her body hit the ground.

In the chaos reigning after, he heard Bella's final laughter,
And he shielded her attacker from the overlord now bent
On avenging his apostle. Though his enemy was hostile,
Harry calmly stood and offered him the option to repent.

"Snape was never yours," he told him. He felt confidence enfold him
As he wondered how the wrath-encrusted Riddle would respond.
"I'd advise you," he suggested, "try for some remorse. I bested
Draco Malfoy. I'm the rightful master of the Elder Wand."

Riddle sneered and strove to harm him, but, attempting to disarm him,
He perceived the curse rebounding just before Tom's death occurred.
As euphoria descended, Harry knew the war had ended,
And insightful Luna granted him the peace that he preferred.

Passing corpses bruised and bloody, Harry ventured to the study
Where he sought the sage instructor he'd regarded as a god.
Now he recollected faintly that he wasn't quite so saintly:
Albus Dumbledore was human; Albus Dumbledore was flawed.

Once, that knowledge had been crippling, but, sustained by reverence rippling
Through his spirit, he apprised his beaming mentor of his plan
To restore the wand that brought him to the point where what he'd taught him
Was enough to mold this orphan boy at last into a man.

It was right that this headmaster who'd prepped Harry for disaster,
Gifting gentle words of wisdom, ruminate with Harry first,
But as he, Ron and Hermione left, there might have been a tiny
Reconciliation with the one of whom he'd thought the worst.

Just a hint of green eyes blazing with respect as they were gazing
On the portrait of brave Severus, who'd helped him reach his goal,
Would, with eloquent perfection, have sufficed for the connection,
But alas! Inside the office was a gaping Snape-shaped hole.

Thestrals

The more I think about it, the more impressed I am by Rowling's invention of thestrals. It's so easy to mine them for rich religous messages: Death, while grim and foreboding, is not the real enemy. There's more to this life than what we can see. We're not in this alone, even when it seems like we are. In this poem, I imagine Harry taking comfort from these creatures in the immediate aftermath of Sirius's death.

Thestrals
All the forest now is silent,
And the hush is reverential
As I ponder the protector who was slain
Till I hear a gentle rustle
As you edge into the clearing,
Wraithlike comforters who dull my searing pain.

Sirius's end was violent,
And I wish some providential
Force allowed me to again commune with him,
But I feel your sinewed muscle,
And the power there is cheering.
I recall that love endures though life goes dim.

Death has made its mark on me, too,
And no doubt I'll soon be drinking
From the bitter cup of tragedy once more,
So I contemplate tomorrow
In the company of creatures
Who reflect my grief for those who've gone before.

And I wish I couldn't see you,
But because I can, I'm thinking
There's serenity and solace to be found
In the aftermath of sorrow.
Haunting beauty mutes your features
As you nuzzle me and softly paw the ground.

It's cathartic to remember;
Blocking memories is foolish,
For it's on their firm foundation that we stand.
Please forgive me if I've tarried
Here too long; it seems disorder's
Distant with your withers brushing past my hand.

When I come back in September,
I'll no longer find you ghoulish,
Secret soothers of my aching emptiness.
Now I've seen how we're all carried
By invisible supporters.
That is just a part of growing up, I guess.

Tickling the Dragon

Poor Harry. He just can't escape those dragons! But it's a good thing he bumped into the one in Gringott's (who wasn't Norbert, but I'm glad we got a nod to him - er, her - in the seventh chapter...), and a great thing he didn't let his bad experiences with the winged reptiles keep him from making a truly great escape...

Tickling the Dragon
As he gripped the crucial flagon,
Harry thought about the dragon,
Who was built like a McLaggen
But was not so hard to take.

Though success brought satisfaction,
It was time for drastic action.
Would he soon end up in traction?
Harry's limbs began to quake.

Harry loved the thrill of flying,
But this ride would be most trying,
And he knew he would be lying
If he claimed he wasn't scared.

Harry thought perhaps he'd send him
Off to Hagrid, who'd commend him
For his sympathy and mend him
With some meals he had prepared.

Terror wasn't worth exploring.
Harry straightened up, ignoring
The misgivings that were boring
Deep into his troubled mind.

It was time to be transported.
Harry grabbed his friends and boarded,
Hoping they would be rewarded
For his impulse to be kind.

Harry clutched the beast, reminded
What a dragon feeling fine did.
This poor fellow was half-blinded;
Could he find the waiting sky?

But the giant wings flapped madly,
And the goblins took it badly.
Airborne Harry chuckled, glad he
Hadn't let this dragon lie.

Auntie Muriel

So I had to write something about Muriel. She's such a colorful character, and most of us probably can think of someone who's a bit like her. She's not evil like Umbridge, but she certainly is mean-spirited. So much the better for our entertainment, I guess...

Auntie Muriel
You're a nasty woman, Muriel, an ornery old bat.
All the Weasleys run for cover at the sight
Of your prominent proboscis and your pinkly feathered hat.
You're unparalleled at flinging stinging slights.

Though your surly shadow compromised a blissful, golden day
And your snarky insults might be worth forgetting,
There were bits of information that you managed to relay.
It's a good thing you were present at that wedding.

Tiny nuggets of the truth lay in aspersions that you cast,
And those facts were things that Harry had to know
So that, seeing the missteps that Dumbledore made in his past,
He'd be warned of all the pitfalls to forego.

Cackle on, malignant Muriel, and don't you ever cease
Doing just exactly that which you do best:
Making certain decent people are afforded little peace,
Being everybody's most unwelcome guest.

Courageous Colin

Poor Colin, showing up so late in the last book, only to die off-screen, leaving little time to reflect upon him. I'm not surprised he stuck around to fight, but it sure was sad to lose him along with the others...

Courageous Colin
Courageous little Colin,
Why did you disobey
Concerned McGonagall when
She told you not to stay?

You lacked the skills you needed,
And you were not too strong,
So when your teacher pleaded,
Ignoring her was wrong.

Your days of snapping pictures
Have now come to an end
Because her scolding strictures
Just seemed to condescend.

Intrepid cub reporter,
So eager to observe,
As Harry's staunch supporter,
You didn't lose your nerve.

So it's not fair to fault you,
And yet it's such a shame
Death Eaters could assault you,
Abuse your tiny frame.

The battle that you fought in
Is done. You played your part,
And you won't be forgotten.
You had a lion's heart.

Gilderoy, Gilderoy...

Well, I don't suppose it's really too much of a spoiler to mention that Gilderoy Lockhart didn't pop up in the seventh book. I can't really see where he would have fit in, though he was one of a very few characters from previous books who didn't turn up at all this time around. I thought the scene in Order of the Phoenix might be a teaser, and I would have gotten a kick out of him somehow popping up and accidentally helping Harry by doing something really dopey, though I suppose he'd have to get out of St. Mungo's for that, and that doesn't seem too likely.

Evidently the scene was just her way of wrapping up his storyline, showing he's just as full of himself as ever, and that despite how popular he seems at the beginning of Chamber of Secrets, nobody really misses him or wonders how he's doing. Poor Gilderoy... Though not poor Gilderoy, because he's blissfully ignorant, with the memory charm dimming an already muddled mind so that he's perfectly contented but utterly oblivious. Anyway, here's a little repobation for my dear Gilderoy Lockhart...

Gilderoy, Gilderoy...

Gilderoy, Gilderoy, what have you done?
How did you earn those awards that you've won?
How'd you find time to explore dragons' lairs
When you're so busy arranging your hairs?

Gilderoy, Gilderoy, somewhere beneath
Your flawless face and your glistening teeth,
Though you might claim you're just misunderstood,
There is a fellow who's up to no good.

Gilderoy, Gilderoy, here is the snag:
You've never battled a vampire or hag.
You've never dueled with a werewolf or troll.
Pixies are even beyond your control!

Gilderoy, Gilderoy, none of it's real!
Your smile's the only thing you didn't steal.
Leeching off others to bolster your fame...
Gilderoy, Gilderoy, Gilderoy... Shame!

First Kiss

Of all the first kiss scenes I have read or watched, I think Ron and Hermione's may have to take the cake. What an absolutely perfect, surprising, hilarious, moving scene...

First Kiss
This was not the time for snogging,
Not the instant for a tryst.
This was not the vision-fogging
Perfect moment to have kissed.

Not the time to start confessing
Love in such a carnal way.
Romance shouldn't have been pressing
On Hermione's heart today.

But then Ron suggested something
Indicating that he knew
It had never been a dumb thing
To be so concerned with SPEW.

At his empathetic worry
Over every kitchen elf,
She flew at him in a flurry.
She could not restrain herself.

Ron, in shock, recovered nicely;
They entwined like Devil's Snare.
Harry wondered when, precisely,
They would both come up for air.

Ron's compassion lit the ember;
This was not just for themselves.
What a moment to remember!
Score another for the elves!