As I scanned the Poetry section of the October 2012 issue of Teen Ink, I came across a poem that caught my eye: “Voldemort’s Rap” by Zareen Roy-Macauley. Just from the title, I was already drawn in. What could someone like Voldemort have to rap about? Well, apparently… a lot. From a major death that he caused (no spoilers for those who haven’t read it yet) to “sniffing out the ladies,” Voldemort, the malicious and cold-hearted villain of the Harry Potter series, is depicted differently here. He’s been given a hilarious tone, something that you would never expect. Little snippets of the books are inserted in, drawing you back to the series and giving you a laugh once you get the joke.

This poem has definitely become one of my all-time favorites. It was original and comedic, which I enjoy in a piece of writing. The last stanza particularly stood out to me. The line “Avada Kedavra everywhere!” involved dark humor and made the serious topic of killing appear playful in the voice of Voldemort. Although the tone was not fitting for the cruel character, it was still appealing to me, and probably to other Harry Potter fans as well. After reading this, I will never be able to take Voldemort’s grave demeanor seriously ever again.