10 More Things You Never Knew About Severus Snape's Mother
Logline: 10 more things – a sequel to 10 Things You Never Knew About Severus Snape's Mum. What else is there to say?
Summary: At Hogwarts, Eileen's best subject was magical history. How could it not be? She dragged so much of it behind her before bequeathing it to her son. My interpretation of what lies behind Eileen's silence…
Word Count: 452
Rating: T for adult situations although nothing is graphic or explicit.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and all associated owners/licensees. I own nothing but the original elements of the plotline.
Notes: Once again I'm delving into the Prince family history. Enjoy the ride!
By Librasmile
Chapter One
1. At Hogwarts, Eileen's best subject was magical history. How could it not be? She dragged so much of it behind her. Before she'd even been born, her father had survived World War I which had destroyed his family in Rome and the Armenian genocide which had destroyed his family in the Caucasus before that. Her mother had survived the Troubles in Belfast before they drove them into her father's arms and then to her death from Eileen's birth. So you could say she had a gift for enduring epic tragedies. On the plus side, her aptitude earned her the position of teacher's pet. On the minus side, fat lot of good that did her, since the teacher in question was a ghost. But she'll always have a soft spot for Prof. Binns.
2. The Sorting Hat had wanted to put her in Hufflepuff. But there was nothing and no one for her to be loyal to – correction, there was no one who would care enough to return her loyalty. And besides, she would have been turned out of her cousin's home, defenseless girl or not, if she'd landed anywhere but in Slytherin.
3. Her second favorite subject was Astronomy. She loved staring at the stars, tracing the constellations and the stories they told in the endless black silence. She'd done it from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, from the window of the tiny attic bedroom she'd been consigned to in her cousin's home, and when she'd travelled across the steppes with her nomadic father. Wherever she landed the stars were always there. The stars understand silence and yet they still shine. When they appeared they brought the light in the darkness. She loved the stars…
4. She'd always wished she'd inherited her mother's green eyes. They were the only thing her father ever mentioned about her mother with any hint of longing. Otherwise, when it came to recalling memories of her mother, he was silent.
5. The Half-Blood Prince's potions book did not come from her. It was bequeathed to her son by their cousin Cornelius Prince, a fact which surprised her because, like most purebloods, Cornelius despised Muggles and any taint of one.
No matter how many times Tobias had begged, cajoled and tried to threaten her into taking him to Cornelius' home*, she never did because she knew Cornelius' wards would kill him on the spot. Nor was Cornelius shy about using the epithet "Mudblood" around Severus.
So to say she was surprised that he would give Severus his own potions book with a record of the innovations that had kept Cornelius' own apothecary shop alive from the 1800s well into the 20th century was an understatement.
To Be Continued…
*Read Chapter 3 of Confessions of a Cornwall Grad to learn more about Cornelius' house.
Note: This is another installment in my look at the family history of our favorite – or most feared! – Hogwarts professor, Severus Snape. Although I think much of it stands on its own if you've read the Harry Potter novels or seen the movies, it might help to read some of my earlier installments: For the Price of My Familiar, Answers to Nothing and As Pretty Does.