"And to my great-great nephew, Severus Snape, I leave the bulk of the Prince estate…."
"She did what?"
The little wizard pushed his glasses up in a rather irritated gesture. "Your Great Aunt Esther left you almost all of the Prince holdings in her will. She could do little else with Prince castle, as it is entailed to go only to the Prince bloodline, and you are the last of the line.
The elderly barrister glanced up at a dumbfounded Severus. "She was literally willing to let it all go to the Ministry until your true allegiances were revealed after the war. She was very proud that the little boy she remembered had turned into such a brave man…and that's a direct quote."
Severus remembered his Aunt Ester. She would sneak into Spinner's End once a month when he was small, always bringing small treats…and magic. Eileen Snape had rarely used her wand. Aunt Esther Prince blew in like some muggle version of a fairy godmother…until his father had found out about the visits.
Severus would never forget huddling in a corner between the arm of his father's large chair and the wall as they fought about it. "I take care of my family Eileen…it might not be up to your high and mighty standards…" His father's sneer was evident in his voice.
His mother had folded…she always did to placate Tobias Snape's pride.
Severus had mourned the loss of his Aunt's magic in the dusty, slightly damp corner with his face pressed into the upholstery that always smelled slightly of mold.
Aunt Esther stopped coming to their house, and there was no magic in Severus' life other than his own irrepressible talents until he met Lily Evans.
He focused his attention on the man in front of him. "What, exactly does the inheritance include?"
The older wizard nodded. "The crumbling remains of Snape castle, as well as the dower house and lands, the Prince family vault which is supposed to include a few valuable heirlooms, and very little gold…but the vault itself is in a prime location in the most secure level of Gringott's…the contents of your Aunt's personal vault, the annuity from your Aunt's potions patents…all the contents of the Prince family library excluding a few bequests that Esther left to her one-time partner Mr. Edvard Ferritt." The little barrister looked fairly gleeful. "I doubt you'll need a copy of Wizard's Guide to Removing Unwanted Ear Wax…. And the other titles were somewhat more embarrassing." He pulled out a sheet of parchment. "This is a receipt for ten sickles to run a full page ad in the Prophet to let Mr. Ferritt know that the books are awaiting him in my office. I suspect this was Miss Esther's final prank in a long-standing war with Mr. Ferritt, because I know for a fact that they didn't see each other without wands being drawn."
Severus found himself chuckling. Trust a Slytherin to use their own death as an opportunity for one last jab at an enemy.
AN: Sorry about the sporadic updates…I'm working long hours (which normally inspires me to write, especially when I don't have time…) but right now my mind is just fried. I'll to update again by Thursday.
