Ex Libris
Disclaimer: No.Still don't own thecharacters. JKR does. Darn it.
Summary: This is a one shot of how Eileen Prince Snape became Irma Pince.
Warning: References to abuse.
Eileen didn't know where to begin, she knew she had to leave, she knew so many things; how Tobias' temper could be, how she'd tried to protect Severus from his father's wrath, how poverty had dragged them all down and exacerbated the problems that were there, and how ultimately she'd failed Severus too.
Thinking back, Eileen remembered a time when Tobias had been so sweet and nice, and she'd fallen in love with the dark, dashing young man. Then Tobias had proposed and Eileen had accepted gladly, brushing off her family's misgivings about him. It'd been after they married, things had started to change; Tobias didn't like her closeness to her family or the fact that they hadn't really approved of him and so her contact with her family was gradually cut off. Spinner's End was small, and Tobias' job didn't pay much, but Eileen had done her best to make it happy and comfortable, unfortunately Tobias wasn't too happy or comfortable and often let her know it. Then Severus had arrived and there was another mouth to feed, also Tobias resented any amount of time Eileen devoted to him.
As Severus grew, so did their problems, it seemed. When little Severus got into mischief, Tobias' temper flared and he'd get out the belt; when it first happened Eileen had hit the roof, "Tobias, NO he's only a baby!" she'd argued and fought. Tobias had wanted to belt him seven times and Eileen had refused. Tobias had bellowed and roared at her, but Eileen stood her ground. Severus had been belted, but only three times, later though Eileen had sent Severus up to his room and Tobias had given her the other four. It was worth it to Eileen though, Severus was her son, her only child; shortly after that, Eileen had first thought about leaving, but how to support herself and her son? Her family? No she couldn't go there, they'd never accept her back with a child and no husband, and also she hadn't talked to them in years.
Then Severus had started Hogwarts, and Tobias had started in on Eileen. It was easier for Tobias when Severus was off at school, for economies had forced Severus to make do with his mother's wand at school, so with nothing to defend herself with Tobias had begun taking his frustrations out on Eileen.
So the abuse had continued; for Eileen it wasn't the beatings, those she felt that she could handle, no, it was Tobias and his shouting. No, shouting wasn't the right word, it was just his informing her of how everything was her fault, her fault there wasn't heat in winter, her fault there wasn't food on the table, her fault they had to dress in worn out hand-me-downs. She'd tried once telling Tobias to go for a job, not just the day labor they'd had to rely on since the mill shut down, she wasn't about to repeat that experience. So Eileen took the abuse Tobias heaped on her head, and plotted and dreamed of leaving.
The summer before Severus' sixth year at Hogwarts, Eileen had noticed that he was around the house so much more, but he always shut himself up in his room. She'd gone up a few times to see how he was doing and it appalled her to see Severus becoming so pale and wan and once she thought she saw a glimpse suspiciously of tears, but she hadn't asked, and he'd turned away from her, as if she were a total stranger to him.
Eileen had saved their meager resources all year and decided that it was time for Severus to have his own wand. In Diagon Alley while Severus was getting his wand and the few other resources that were not saved from Eileen's own school days, she indulged and bought herself a copy of the Daily Prophet.
A week later, Severus had just left on the Hogwarts Express, and Tobias was off, whether he was finding work or sharing his misery with the people who spent the day at the pub, Eileen didn't know, nor did she particularly care. Slipping into Severus' room to tidy and read her Daily Prophet, she found her old copy of Advanced Potion Making under the bed; apparently Sevrus had dropped it and forgotten to pack it. Starting to set the book aside, hoping that she had enough money to owl it to him at Hogwarts, Eileen's eye was caught by the writing on the back cover This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince. Putting the book down and turning to her paper, Eileen scanned the want ads, as she usually did and there in the help wanted section was an ad:
Position at Hogwarts: Librarian Assistant, room and board provided during school year as well as salary. Owl resumes to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Eileen's breath caught in her throat- here was an opportunity like she'd been dreaming of, but could she do it? Did she have the strength? Eileen glanced over at the book, remembered the inscription and thought of the years of poverty and abuse, and before her fear could take over again went to the attic of Spinner's End to get her last precious piece of parchment that hadn't been given to Severus for school, found a spare quill and ink in his desk drawer and began to write her resume. As she wrote, Eileen's fears and doubts began to creep in on her, and she almost stopped. Looking down Eileen realized that she'd filled out the application except for her name at the top. It was enough to give her pause for thought, Eileen couldn't, she knew, apply as herself, if Tobias ever found out. Her glance fell on the potions book again, and thinking a bit Eileen picked up the quill and in the blank section for her name wrote Irma Pince.