ye blackguards!

Remember that Shakespearean S/H I wrote a while back? (Original is here.)

I've written more! In fact, I've written the ending. Some day, God willing, I will fill in the middle. Because I just don't have work to do or anything like that, no, certainly not!

Please to be remembering that the original snippet says "tragedy." Right there, at the top. Right there. And apologies for any funny formatting, typos, and/or bombastic declarations of feeling. Wait, not for that last one.



Act Five, Scene Whatever. Snape Manor.

BLACK. Sleep thou, whoreson, in this thy tainted bed
Where thou wast wont to joy in thy foulness.
Thou deservest not a death of honour;
Therefore I'll not wake thee, but let thee die,
Womanlike, cloak-wrapped, in thy dark comfort;
These shall be thy winding-sheets.

He stabs Harry (in Snape's cloak).

O Harry,
Thou art avenged -- but soft, who made that cry?
'Twas not Snape's voice; let me look. What's this?
O God! O God! Is it thee? Is it thee?
Heart of my own heart, Harry, my son, sweet
Hal, more than my son? O wrong most grievous!
That I could stop Time in his progress!
Speak, sweet child, address thy erring friend --
Strike me -- curse me -- hate me -- o move, speak, live!
The blood, the blood! A surgeon! Some help, ho!
Was the blow fatal? Art thou dead? -- A surgeon! --
I will chafe thee, kiss thee, hold back thy soul
From 'scaping through thy lips. Take thou my life.
'Twas ever thine. O gone, gone, gone! Harry!
Woe I was ever born; I was born to Hell,
And Hell shall evermore be my dwelling-place.

Enter Snape.

SNAPE. What commotion's here? What disturbs thy rest?
Methought I felt an evil hand clasp tight
Around my soul -- Black! What dost thou here, rogue?
What the bloody bundle thou holdest in thine arms?
O God! O Hell! 'Tis Harry! What hast thou done?
Hast murdered him, for my joy in him?
Hast ta'en his sweet life, because he was my life?
And now thou diest too.

BLACK. Hadst thou never
'Smirched him, he would live yet. The fault is thine.
I thought he was thee. Thy life is his death.
O Harry! That thou had never seen him!

SNAPE. Enough, I will hear no more from thee,
I'll stop thy mouth. O blackguard, thou hast snuffed
All the light i'the'world!

He strangles Black; a struggle; Black dies.

And now thou art dead.
Harry! Sweet my love, the butcher's gone. Wake,
Wake thou and be unafraid. Did I not
Tell thee I was thy safety? Did not I? Wake.
O, the blood, thy heart's blood and mine -- say, wake.
If thou dost not, I fear me the worst. Wake.
What, sleeping still? 'Tis past the dawn, well past;
'Tis the hour the sun crawls golden up the hill,
Painting thy face with his riches, thy lips
With ruby light. Wake, I say, and look on me.
I will tell thee I love thee; thou likest that.
This is a cruel game, urchin. Dost want my kiss?
Well, I will kiss thee, child, but thou must wake.

He kisses Harry.

My pretty fool! My life's own treasure!
I remember drowsy watches of the night
When, watchful, thou wouldst turn to me, who slept,
Who should have waked forever to have thee
In my sight, and wouldst kiss me, cozen me,
Bid me love thee. Thy flesh is cool. 'Tis wrong,
For thou art all warmth. My cloak's bloody;
'Twill serve not to warm thee; stay thou close to me,
Thus, thus, thus. Stay thou ever close to me.

He kisses Harry again.

O, a whisper, a flutter, a breath!
I have felt it! Harry! Wake, sweet, o, wake!
I do but walk in a dream that snares me --
Wake thou me as well. Look, I have stopped
The blood, though so much lies without. Harry!

HARRY. Severus.

SNAPE. Blessed God! No, move thou not.
I will fetch help for thee. I knew thou wouldst wake.
Thou art all mine own, thou couldst not leave me.
Beshrew my soul for such a thought.

HARRY. Thy soul
Is bright to me. I see it. Sweet my lord,
I love thee more than life. 'Tis dark and cold,
But methinks I see thee shine -- Severus --

He dies.

SNAPE. What trick is this? What devil jests with God?
Harry, my heart, go not so still. I cannot
Breathe. Thou art all my breath, and all my joy too.
Thou woke once; thou wilt wake again, if I bid.
O speak my name. Raise thy head. O -- dead! O!

Enter Potter, Lily, and several men-at-arms.

POTTER. What evil sight is this?

LILY. God shield me, I faint.
The monster hath murdered our only son.
O husband, kill him that hath cut our branch!

POTTER. Sirius! Sweet Sirius, dead as well!
Is there no end to sorrow? Doth pain cease?
Wife, I hear thee, and set myself upon the man.

SNAPE. [to Potter] His face in thy face; [to Lily] his eyes in thine eyes;
But thou art not he. 'Tis sin unbearable.
Shall his face live, his eyes live, and he not?
He smiled at me this morning. O, he was good,
And shall'a not come again, my dear one?
No, he will not come again. An there be
A Paradise, he excels it far.
His face -- his eyes -- face! Eyes! O Death, Death, Death!

He charges them unarmed; James stabs him; he falls.

LILY. And this for my son, thou toad.
She stabs him.
But that I
Bear another in my womb, so would I
Pass from this world of grief.

SNAPE. Fortunate I,
For I go to him. I killed him not; 'twas Black.
Death restores my reason. O, he was my life.
I come, Harry, I come. Receive my soul
And welcome me with kisses, if souls kiss.
If I see thee not, why, heaven is a hell.
James, he was thy son, but he belonged to me.
Lay me by him; I pity thee; pity me.

MAN-AT-ARMS. Beshrew me, but I do pity him. Forgive me, lords, but I'll do as he bid; 'tis not right his last request should go untouched. My heart tells me he speaks truth.

The men-at-arms lay Snape by Harry's body.

SNAPE. O, all I ever loved!

He dies.

2ND MAN-AT-ARMS. Mine eyes do weep.

POTTER. Wife, let us leave this place unnatural
And bury our son and friend. My lips breathe
Blood-sucking sighs of grief, my heart lies pale
From sorrow in my breast. Come, let's away
And tell the world of this ignoble day.

THE END.



Happy Easter, to those who are so inclined. >:D< Went to church today. Long, boring story involved. Will not subject you to it.