Prompt: Hermione asks about Eileen.

It was now five years after the war was won. There had been heavy losses and a lot of gains. Hermione and Ron had realized they were better off friends. Harry had split with Ginny and ended up with Luna while Neville traveled. Most unexpectedly Hermione had ended up with Severus. They'd come together two years after the end of the war at the now annual memorial ball. Both had come alone and neither wanted to be bothered. So they both ended up outside in the small rose garden enjoying the summer heat and watching the fireflies as they talked.

Now that it was five years their relationship had changed for the better and was much stronger. They now lived together in a house in the woods away from everyone else. Severus brewed and created new potions while Hermione helped through Arithmacy. They only ever took a day off from work and on one such day they sat in green house on a large plush sofa enjoying the summer sun. Hermione always in need to know all had had a lingering question for Severus but never knew how to bring it up. For years she wondered what his mother was like. She known what little was revealed in the memories he had given to Harry (which were returned to Severus after Severus' trial). After five years she realized she just needed to come out with it. And she didn't realize that Severus was waiting for her to ask.

"Severus?"

"Yes." He answered lazily.

"I was wondering."

"Like you always do." She raised an eyebrow but continued on.

"Um…what was your mother like?" She sat silently staring at him. For a while he didn't answer but then he folded up his paper and stood. With a nod to follow Hermione stood and walked behind Severus to the potions lab.

"Sit." He ordered and she did on the nearest bench. "I think the easiest way would be through penseive." Severus floated the penseive towards her and sat on the bench across from her then pulled long white tendrils with his wand from his right temple. After a few minutes he stopped and looked at Hermione. "I must warn you now that there are things you'll see you won't approve of and things you won't like but as I trust I must show you everything. I will be here when you come to." He whispered. Hermione could see the strain on his face. He truly didn't want to show her but he knew she would have to know soon. And so with one last look to Severus Hermione fell through the pensive and landed on her feet in Severus' early memories.

There he sat on the kitchen floor as a tot with a pile of green plastic soldiers as his mother watched quietly from the stove. The room was dreary and his mother was slightly gaunt and tired looking. For a moment Hermione thought the woman sick until Severus' muggle father stumbled into the room drunk and demanding food or else. Hermione watched as his father looked at both Severus and Eileen scathingly before jumping up and punching the poor woman in the back of the head.

The next memory jumped to five year old Severus sitting in his room in the fetal position in the corner. Faintly Hermione could hear yelling in the background. The Voice was male and then the sound of a loud slap and squeal of a woman. Severus sat a reacted to the sound of his mother getting beaten. A minute alter she stumbled through the door and locked the door and sat next to Severus who fell to tears at his mothers battered and bruised body. But all the while she held her son whispering that all would be all right.

The next memory was just before Severus left for Hogwarts for the first time. He'd returned home after hanging out with Lily Evans and walked through the door to find his mother sewing clothes in the sitting room while music played. Even then Eileen could have used magic but didn't for fear of her husband. In one of those few instances of peace Severus prattled on about his adventures with Lily Evans. Hermione could see that Eileen was happy he had made a friend for once. After that the memory shifted To Severus hugging his mother before stepping foot on the Hogwarts express and waving to her as it pulled away. He'd be safe now.

Many memories after that had showed that he and his mother kept correspondence through letter writing delivered by owl. His handwriting hadn't changed since he was a child.

A few memories later showed Severus in his fifth year sitting in Albus' office. Both with a grim look on their face. Albus had come around his desk and stood next to the gaunt teenager.

"I'm sorry my boy. Your father, he's passed." There was no reaction from Severus at first. It was as if he were absorbing the information.

"May I visit my mother sir?"

"Of course my boy." Replied Albus. It was unspoken knowledge that Eileen had finally snapped and poisoned her husband with something untraceable. The memory then shifted to Severus at his own front door knocking as McGonagall stood a few steps behind him. The door swung open and he was met by his mother dressed in black. She was weak and thinner than the last time he had seen her. Her hair was thin and she was bruised and her eyes were rimmed red. Gently Severus hugged his mother. He was bigger than her now and walked her back in the house before giving a nod to McGonagall.

Severus took it upon himself to take care of his mother. He had some money from making potions for many of his housemates. So he went grocery shopping and that weekend made some of their favorite dishes. They were happy and free now but after so long of not using magic his mother had become a squib but that was okay so long as she was safe. His father was buried in a pauper's cemetery a day later. After magically cleaning and repairing some things in the house Severus returned to Hogwarts. It was his last memory of her but she was smiling and looking somewhat healthier when he left. The memory shifted again to Severus sitting in Albus' office. He had gotten the news that his mother had passed away due to natural causes. Severus had broken down in tears. Eileen Prince-Snape was buried with her side of the family.

Hermione was finally pulled out of the penseive with tears in her eyes. Severus sat silently looking at her before she jumped into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She whispered through her tears. They sat that way for a while then Severus returned the memories. Hermione watched as his tears fell. When he was done they returned to the sun drenched green house to the sofa and held each other.