Cue No. 49

A solo english horn opens the cue quietly as Harry steps into the dark and empty office of the former headmasters. The Pensieve makes itself known to Harry, and he tosses it smoothly across the room. A horn solo accompanies this moment, followed by violins almost weeping a sad tune above strings, bell tree, and choir. A crescendo leads to the moment Harry prepares to release the memories into the Pensieve. The Pensieve theme comes back, but lower as the violins settle on top. The key changes right as Harry puts his head down into the Pensieve, and a dark tam-tam announces the new images that begin presenting themselves to him. The music settles over a shot of two girls standing in a meadow. 

A piccolo plays a quiet and delicate solo over the first girl, Lily Evans. Her sister, Petunia, scolds her for being a freak and hates her for using magic. A young boy, Severus Snape, appears from behind a tree. Ascending violins reveal him, and then the call of the prince is played by the solo flute, sadly, and with a deep lonely quality. The music then begins to move, with no particular goal in mind, as Lily and Severus become friends. 

The memories swirl around and reveal Lily being sorted into Gryffindor House on her first day at Hogwarts. Hogwarts forever sounds quietly in the strings over tremolo, alluding to this happy moment for her, but through Snape’s eyes. She walks over to the Gryffindor table and meets James Potter. Snape watches, and another call of the prince plays over the final shot of him. More flowing music returns, after a quick key change, to reveal Snape being bullied by James at a later time in their years at Hogwarts. The scene quickly moves to Lily and James as adults, now married. James’ falling figure plays quickly over this image before the memories shift again. 

An image of Trelawney and Voldemort, referencing the prophecy, is only supported by darker chords, as they happen quickly enough that themes here would crowd the sound. Lamenting strings plead with Snape as he asks Dumbledore to protect Lily, as Voldemort thinks that her son is the one the prophecy speaks of. Another call of the prince plays. 

In Godric’s Hollow, on the night Harry mysteriously survived Voldemort’s attack, Wand of the Phoenix begins, bringing back the great mystery that has shrouded the entire series. Lily tells baby Harry to be safe and strong, before Lord Voldemort ends her life. A brief glimpse of Peter Pettigrew flashes across the screen, since he was the one who betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort. His motif comes and goes as fast as the memory. 

More lament music plays as Snape is now grieving Lily’s death in front of Dumbledore. The 3-Note Motif begins under the moment where Dumbledore then speaks of how Voldemort will return, and when he does, Harry will be in danger. He then states that if Snape truly loved Lily, he would protect Harry. 

Another key changes whisks us off to the day Harry was sorted in his first year at Hogwarts. The horns play Hogwarts Forever this time, but it goes sour quickly. After this, several cuts back and forth between Horcruxes and other events from Snape’s life lead up to a discussion that took place not even a year before. Dumbledore shows his now poisoned hand to Snape, who tells him that he may only have a year left to live. Minor chords wait ominously below the discussion. Dumbledore then mentions that Voldemort has ordered Draco Malfoy to murder him. Flashbacks to moments from Half-Blood Prince take over, accompanied by Malfoy’s theme. The music then pauses again when Dumbledore asks Snape to kill him. 

The astronomy tower scene flashes past, with the music that accompanied Dumbledore’s death scene returning. Narration continues, and Dumbledore tells Snape that there will come a moment when Harry Potter must be told something, but it must wait until Voldemort is at his most vulnerable. The Wand of the Phoenix returns, sensing the answer to the mystery is coming. 

Snape ascends the stairs at Godric’s Hollow after Voldemort has killed James and Lily, not knowing if Lily is dead or not. Dumbledore explains that the curse on Harry rebounded, and that Harry became Voldemort’s unintended Horcrux. The 3-Note ascends to the top of the orchestra and holds at the moment Snape realizes that Harry must die. Quickly flashing back to Godric’s Hollow, Snape enters the nursery to find Lily dead on the floor. He collapses, and a big Call of the Prince nearly screams out in pain alongside his shock and grief. Violins contribute by playing the opening piccolo music from Lily's childhood, but this time full of pain and loss. 

Suspensions keep ebbing and flowing throughout the music, and choir enters as Snape casts his patronus for Dumbledore, revealing that it is a doe; the same as Lily’s. The loudest and saddest suspension reveals the shot of Snape holding Lily’s body, then a final call of the prince plays in the solo celesta, making way for Snape’s most famous line, “Always.” Choir sings as the horn plays Hedwig’s Theme under another flashback, this time of Harry seeing the doe in the Forest of Dean, connecting the dots that Snape was the one who revealed the location of the sword of Gryffindor. 

The Pensieve theme returns, ascends, and crescendos before every instrument but the violins cut out, leaving the high strings on a solitary note. Harry has come out of the memories and is back in Dumbledore’s office. The music fades away as he slowly walks to the steps, sits down, and contemplates his coming death.