The Pureblood Prince
Notes: This chapter is really, really long and for that I apologise - but I couldn't stop myself! Read & review if you feel like it. It would be appreciated but it's certainly not expected - just read!
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to J.K. Rowling.
CHAPTER VII: Feels Like Home
It was an icy cold January morning when the dark-haired woman, surrounded in black robes, made her way through the cobbled street of Spinners End.
Eileen had caught sight of the woman a few moments ago and watched her vigilantly through the front window. She had been expecting her arrival… and was indeed surprised that she had come sooner than expected. Now she was here, however, Eileen wished she would simply turn around and fly home. No… apparate. That's what they used to do, wasn't it?
Oh how different mother and daughter both were now. Serafina Prince so very elegant and refined as always; the pure black hair that they both shared tied into an organised, practical bun like Eileen had remembered… the black and green robes, the silver serpent tying her emerald cloak together. She had always been so beautifully intimidating - in a way in which her daughter could never dream to be. Even now, nearing her late fifties, her facial features were as sharp and as calculating and as… striking as ever.
Eileen Snape had none of her mother's graces. All of her life it had been her knowledge and brains that had impressed her family. It seemed to please her mother completely, that her daughter may not have inherited her looks or mannerisms, but she was certainly powerful. As long as that power remained in her daughter's hands, Serafina had been content. Now Eileen stood in Muggle clothes in a run down house, her hair in a very ordinary ponytail… and while she still had the perpetual Ravenclaw within her – she knew it would never be enough to impress her merciless Slytherin mother with.
Eileen had opened the door well before Serafina had reached the steps leading to it. The two women stood, unmoving - identical black eyes boring into one another's, refusing to back down.
It was Serafina who moved first, much to the astonishment of Eileen. She continued her way up the cracked and grey steps to come to a stop directly in front of her motionless daughter. As anticipated she looked Eileen up and down, frowning slightly in what Eileen presumed to be masked disgust at the image of her daughter in a dress that hemmed up to her knees. It was, however, the exact same look that Tobias's parents John and Veronica had given Eileen when she had come to visit for the same purpose a week ago– leaving her to assume it was more of a generational issue rather than a Muggle vs. wizarding one.
"Hello, Eileen… you look… relaxed. I suppose that's the way it is for you young women nowadays isn't it? Feminism and whatnot."
Oh, that old snarky attitude of hers was just asking for a good slap! Eileen had to force herself not to bring up her mothers sordid history with an assortment of awful (and awfully rich) men, and how she was the last person in the world who knew anything about living with dignity and respect.
"What do you want, mother?" Eileen's reply had shocked even herself. Not because of what she had said, but at the bubbling anger inside her of having her mother at the doorstep of everything that she had once avoided like the plague. She knew why Serafina was here – and the mere idea incensed her…
Serafina's face grew even sterner, if that were possible. "May I come in at least? Or has Muggle life taken all the manners out of you already?"
Eileen knew very well that her mother relished in playing these kinds of mind games with people… Eileen, in turn, enjoyed showing her that she was above it. She opened up the door and allowed Serafina to enter, preparing for the verbal trashing about Muggle homes she was in no doubt bound to get.
Surprisingly, Serafina said nothing. She dusted off her cloak and swirled it around the banister of the stairs. Taking one swift look around, she turned back to her daughter, who had indicated the direction of the living room.
"How are you feeling?" Serafina stated casually as she took a seat on the faded floral couch.
"Very well. Very, very well." Eileen replied coolly. "Would you like some tea?"
"Thank you."
Eileen waited by the kettle, eager to create space from her mother for as long as she could. When she entered the room again, however, Serafina appeared ready to begin her questioning.
"I read the notice in the Prophet, I never thought you would have written to them..."
"Didn't you?" Eileen replied casually over her cup. "Well, I wanted to have it known in the wizarding world as well as the Muggle. It only seemed right."
"You didn't attend St. Mungo's, I presume?"
"I had no need… the Muggle hospital in Derby took wonderful care of us."
"Ah… and it went smoothly?"
"Very well indeed… the stitches are probably the most lasting pain I have… ah - stitches are something Muggle healers use. I won't go into detail, it's rather messy, but it's effective enough."
"I see." Serafina was giving her a fantastically sympathetic look - it was very annoying. "Well, I am glad you are recovering well Eileen."
"Better than I've ever felt, mother."
"Good. May I see the child?"
"No."
Serafina was unmistakably blown back by Eileen's effortless denial.
"When will I see him, then?"
Eileen placed her teacup delicately onto the tabletop in front of her. "When he's old enough to decide if he wants to see you himself."
Serafina uttered a gasp of contempt. "Ridiculous! I have a right to my own grandson!"
"You have no right to him whatsoever! I won't have you putting any of your pureblood dogma into his head. That isn't to say he will be forbidden from contacting you if he feels the need. The choice lies with my son and my son only."
"My grandson has the right to know our side of the family. Where he came from. I presume your… husbands Muggle parents have already seen him, why not us?"
Eileen felt like laughing in her ignorant face but managed to control herself.
"Mother, Tobias's parents are simple people who've lead extremely unadulterated lives – they cannot offer Severus what you will in doubt offer him."
Serafina snorted, clearly amused by this statement. "I think, Eileen, that you are a shining example that my life lessons are inconsequential."
Eileen stared at her mother for a while, as if scrutinizing her motives to an almost microscopic level. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was beginning to get too hard to ignore. But she would not let her mother see her falter, not once.
"If I let you see him now, it will never end. You'll make my Severus believe that he has some sort of duty to fulfil, all in the name of the Princes, like you did me." Eileen held back the stinging in her eyes with all her might. "But what you must understand is that it is not your happiness, nor my own, nor Tobias's, that matters to me anymore."
"And you don't believe that your happiness was what I always strived for? You don't think that I want the same for my grandson?"
"Forgive me but I don't, mother. I would die for Severus in a heartbeat. You couldn't even bring yourself to get along with my husband for my sake. Your pride got in the way."
A few moments passed between them. Eileen relished in it. She wanted her mother to feel the pain, which had ached her daughter for these last five years. Only when she had something to gain did this old woman force herself onto the doorstep of the "filthy Muggles" home. Eileen could have sworn she saw a slight break in Serafina's composure. It didn't give her as much pleasure as she thought…
"Severus…" Serafina whispered, as if she was standing right in front of her grandchild's crib, trying ever so tenderly not to wake him. Eileen surveyed her mother through her curtain of black hair. She had never felt so powerful over her… but Eileen had always been very responsible with power.
"I didn't name him after anyone. Toby always said I had great taste for the peculiar… he was just happy it was a boy – though Severus's grandpa insists on calling him 'Soren'-" Eileen replied, almost with a laugh. "– Well, apparently that's Severus in another language… something he feels is more acceptable. I can barely stand it when he calls him that, you know; you'd think he'd devote the time he took to research Severus's name toward something more productive. But Tobias thinks it best if we don't argue."
"It is a fine name. A fine name for the fine man my grandson will become, no doubt."
Eileen felt the ache slightly lift from her… hearing her mother utter her sons name so gently as opposed to deciding it was in her power to change his name completely as her father-in-law did… it was soothing.
"Speaking of Tobias - he will be home from the mill soon, I'll need to make him dinner. He's been working double shifts to keep us, you know… I'm afraid you've come at the wrong time if you wished to avoid seeing him."
"Well, I'd best be on my way then."
Eileen did not move as her mother gathered herself up. She supposed the effort that Serafina had shown by simply gracing this run down semi-detached house with her presence, and almost pleading to see her only grandchild, should have incited her daughter to at least give her some form of embrace. But all the love she had ever harboured for anyone else seemed as trifling now as mere acquaintances, compared to the imperishable, aching love for her husband and the perfect baby boy he had given her… her tiny little son slumbering in the crib upstairs…
And as long as Serafina continued to hold such hatred to Muggle kind - Eileen knew it would never be safe for child and grandmother to meet. Not until Severus had learned to be just that – Severus. And not a tool of the Princes.
"I am willing to pay for anything he needs," her mother continued as they reached the front door. "Not just his schooling, mind you, but anything that might make his life comfortable."
Instead of the usual fury at her mother's insinuations that Tobias was a good for nothing provider and that Muggle life would not be fit even for sewer rats - Eileen, who felt almost cleansed by a wave of serenity at such compliance with her wishes, gave the elder woman a tranquil smile.
"Thank you but we don't need any help, mother. Toby and I can take as much care of our baby as the richest pureblood family could". She knew by the way Serafina's dark eyes flashed that she did not believe a word of it.
A small cry echoed from upstairs… Eileen felt the same habitual maternal urge to run to him as always.
Serafina's head jerked towards the sound, Eileen almost thought she was readying herself to shove her daughter into the doorframe and scurry up the stairs to get a glimpse of her grandson. Both sadness and anger seemed to radiate from her at once – as if her mind was screaming: 'This is all your filthy Muggle husbands fault!' butEileen had no time for her. A far more significant being needed her attention.
"Thank you for stopping by, mother."
Serafina, ostensibly remembering herself, sniffed harshly. "Very well. Tell him I will be waiting – Severus is always welcome in your father and mine's home." – she apparated without another word of protest, save for that final sting at the daughter who had always disappointed her.
Closing the door tightly behind her, Eileen rushed upstairs to her son. She nursed him and then held him tightly in her arms for as long as she possibly could… marvelling in quiet awe over him, as she supposed all mothers did their child, the tiny sounds he made as he dozed, the softness of his hair as black as his mothers, the way he would intermittently grasp at her skin as if making sure she was still there. As Eileen rocked her baby and sang him to sleep, all the painful memories vanished into song.
She knew such precious times would not last. She could not hold him like this and protect him from everything in the world that could possibly hurt him – not forever. But she could teach him, and she could love him, and she could be everything a mother should be.
Eileen sang to her baby.
"Quills down, please!" the examiner's shrill voice echoed all over the Great Hall. "This signals the end of your Arithmancy exam. Please sit still and silent while your papers are collected."
There were not many students in the Great Hall. Indeed, only about ten or so. Most had dropped Arithmancy during their OWL's in their fifth year after realising just how complicated the subject actually was; they'd never admit to such a things, of course, most had resigned themselves into believing that it was the pure fault of the subject and/or the subject's teachers themselves that they were never able to understand it.
Severus was not one of these people. He had scribbled down most of his number charts with ease and had finished well within the time limit, though he had kept obsessively checking each and every answer until the time had run out - as any true diligent, assiduous student would, of course. He had been quite confident in all the NEWT's that had passed so far… Transfiguration had been rather frustrating – only due to the practical where they had to transfigure ridiculous objects into even more ridiculous objects; the Astronomy theory and practical had passed, quite a challenge, but Severus enjoyed challenges. Astronomy was the only subject that did not include any use of magic whatsoever, but rather demanded a great knowledge of logic and the sciences – particularly physics and mathematics; it was something that had always extracted a great respect from Severus, despite being classed by some of the dimmer students as a rather "Muggle-esque" subject. The Defence Against the Dark Arts theory had been more than satisfactory – even if he had to share the same space with the god-awful Gryffindor awesome foursome for that.
Professor Alcor, the silver-haired Astronomy teacher, who was the only Hogwarts staff present here for this exam, signalled to the students that they may now make their way out of the examination area. Severus gathered up his belongings and made to find a spot outside to study up for the Potions theory exam the following day.
"Oi! Sev!"
A hand had grabbed the back of his collar. Severus swirled around to find Regulus standing behind him.
"Just wanted to say thanks," Regulus explained. "Those bastards – well - I owe you one."
Without warning, Severus clenched his hand around the fifth-year's collar and pulled him forwards so that their faces were mere inches from each other.
"Our association ends here." He spat silkily, his voice so low it was certain that the two boys were the only ones to hear him. "I gave you that curse in confidence. Not to prance around showing it off to blasted Gryffindors!"
"But- I- didn't-" Regulus choked.
"No-one knows my spells. I made damn sure of that. The one mistake I made in showing one of them to one person, whom I thought could trust with it, has resulted in my work being spread around the Gryffindor common room like wildfire!"
"Let- me- go- you arse!"
Severus released his grip, his still face void of any colour.
"Potter used it first, Severus, I never even uttered a word!" Regulus spat viciously, wiping down his robes and rearranging his collar. "You know how they are! I bumped into old trusty brother Sirius in the courtyard after breakfast, next thing you know along comes Potter with his prefect friend…"
"And he obviously used Legilimency to extract my spell from you, is that it?" Severus queried with a raised eyebrow.
"It's the truth! Look, I don't know how he knew it, O.K.?! And if you didn't want this to happen then you shouldn't have told me in the first place should you?"
Severus felt a tremendous urge to curse Regulus into oblivion; partly due to the fact that Regulus was probably right. It had been a stupid idea, and one from which he would certainly learn from. Thankfully the spell that was now spreading across the school uncontrollably was not one of his most precious curses – to give away any of those would be downright idiocy.
"I would have suspected that something as complex as that jinx would have taken you a lot longer to learn," he said with a condescending smirk. Regulus looked rather affronted but said nothing. "The deal is off, Regulus. As I said, our association ends here. I will give you no more guidance and I expect nothing from you in return."
"Sounds brilliant," Regulus shot back.
"Ah, young Severus, there you are!"
Professor Slughorn had just made his way through a group of Hufflepuffs and was signalling to him. Regulus took the opportunity to make a haughty sniff at his former associate and stalked off in the direction of the Slytherin common room. Severus turned to face his Head of House.
"Professor."
"You'll be serving detention with the Gamekeeper this afternoon, boy. Apologies for the short notice, but I am rather swamped with third year essays today… 4 'o' clock sharp!"
Wonderful. The day before the Potions exam and I'm shovelling unicorn manure in the Forbidden Forrest.
"Yes, sir." Severus replied glumly. There was no use fighting it, the teachers were ridiculously unfair when it came to allowing their students adequate study time.
"Jolly good. Best of luck with the Potions exam tomorrow, eh?" Slughorn beamed, giving him a pat on the back. Severus had by no means intended to noticeably recoil as the hand came toward him; instinct had taken hold of the reigns, like it always did in such physical situations.
Slughorn frowned ever so slightly, but made no remark of it. "Ah, not that you need it eh? Top of the class all throughout your years here," he grinned. "Bet your mother is mighty proud of you! Must be wonderful for Eileen to see her son rivalling her abilities! Shame she wasn't a Slytherin herself; all those Potions trophies going to Ravenclaw – I could barely stand it!" Slughorn gave him a wink at this last remark.
Talk of his mother's success had always felt like a stab in the chest and stomach simultaneously to Severus – it was a rather odd mixture of disappointment that she had never continued on her path to being a great witch, and yet a certain stab of pride accompanied it - that she had once been so talented and formidable. It was most unfortunate that Slughorn almost constantly felt the great need to remind him that he was his mother's son; as if he was challenging him to do better for Slytherins sake.
Severus nodded curtly to his Head of House and Potions master. "Indeed… well, I'd best be going, sir." He wanted desperately to get away from this conversation as soon as possible.
As he made his way towards his usual secluded spot by the lake he could not help but mentally disparage Slughorn. The man had several times made reference to Severus' talent (and, indeed, his mother's) and yet had the nerve to have left them both out of his ridiculous "Slug Club" of elitist morons with "special" connections in the Wizarding world. Himself, he could understand – Severus had little to no connection with anyone important, and that, it appeared, was a massive deciding factor of entry into the club. But if his mother was an expert in her field – who had indeed gone on to invent great things in the Potions arena a few years after her graduation – and was also very well-connected with the Princes at the time, why had she never received an invite? It stung him a little more than he would have expected. Though he did manage a small smirk at the thought of himself sipping elf-wine and attempting socialise and chuckle along with Slughorn's crème-de-la-crème of wizarding society…
Yes, very likely.
He managed to shift his thoughts to his Potions exam quite easily. Content that he was bound to do better on his own than any of those idiots did together any day.
Watching various small groups of Slytherins busily studying for their NEWT's that afternoon was not fun. Severus spent as much time as he could going over the final preparation for the Potions exam before 4 o'clock rolled around all too soon. Regulus, who had completed all of his OWL's, lounged lazily in one of the deep green sofas, apparently in a one-way conversation with an evidently irritated Aurora Sinistra – a rather ashen seventh year girl whom Severus had known since his first sorting ceremony. She did not seem at all pleased with his company.
At the sight of Severus walking toward him, Regulus immediately drove his hand into the pocket containing his wand.
"Thank God," came the small but fractious sound from Aurora's lips. She graciously slipped herself a few meters down the couch to give Severus and Regulus ample room to fight.
"Severus we've been over this-" Regulus stammered in an almost pleading tone.
"Evan told me that Professor Alcor is waiting outside for you," Severus said. Not to Regulus, but to Aurora – who immediately jumped up from the couch with her Potions book tucked neatly under her arm.
"Oh, he is? Well then, if you'd both excuse me." The girl replied hastily, storming out of the Slytherin common room as quick as physically possible. Severus did not even spare a glance at Regulus before he followed her.
"I'm not covering for you ever again," Severus warned Aurora as they marched up the dungeon steps.
"No, I understand Severus, I'm sure such an act of shameless gallantry must have depleted your champion stores to almost zilch," she sniped. "Where are you heading on the night of the Potions exam anyway?"
"Detention with Hagrid."
Aurora threw her chocolate coloured head back and laughed. It took all of Severus's strength not to grimace. "Trust you to get yourself into trouble this end of the year… it wasn't that wanker again was it?"
"Yes, it was." Severus answered swiftly without realising that Aurora may not have actually been talking about the same person. "Potter and his gang of Gryffindors, I mean."
"Yes, him. Who else do you think I meant?"
"Well… he was certainly at the top of the list." Severus said with a smirk. It felt rather pleasant to talk to someone who was undeniably more on his level than Regulus ever was. He had quite forgotten the existence of all his seventh-year colleagues over the course of this year – save the Gryffindor batch who offered him nothing but migraines.
The two Slytherins continued similar conversation all the way down to Hagrid's hut; he knew that all she wanted was Potions tips for tomorrows NEWT exam, but in all truth, Severus did not mind. It felt refreshing to be next to a girl that wasn't Lily Evans for a change – the popular Gryffindor redhead, whom had gone from his childhood acquaintance, to his best friend, to a one-sided attraction, to someone he was now not even on speaking terms with, all in the course of a couple of years. It had been a brief, doomed infatuation from the start.
"I think it'd be safe for you return now," Severus observed as he came to a halt in front of the Gamekeeper's door. "Regulus would have probably moved on to the next girl…"
Aurora returned his statement with a cocked eyebrow and a rather appalled expression. He knew at once he had said the wrong thing; girls his age were masters at this, especially Slytherin ones.
"Wha-? Honestly, why do I even bother talking to boys…" she said with a great heavy sigh. "Regulus wasn't flirting with me, you pubescent git, though it'd be a right sight to see him try – I wouldn't have minded being handed a perfect excuse to blast that idiot through the wall."
"Sorry."
"I'm sure you are."
"What was he saying then?" Severus enquired, trying to sound as casual as possible. Again, he was hit with the 'you are indeed the biggest idiot I've ever had the displeasure of meeting' glare.
"How, in all that is Holy, is that your business?"
He… didn't know quite how to react to that. His Langlock curse was looking bloody good right now.
As if right on cue, Hagrid stood in the doorway. "Hello ther' Mister Snape! Come in and I'll get yer'… Miss Sinistra? Yer not for detention as well are yer? I wish Slughorn would tell me these things-"
"No, I was just leaving." Aurora countered with a civil smile. "Just making sure my Potions buddy here was up to date on his study for tomorrow's NEWT. See you back in the common room, Severus; I think you'll be requiring that stimulus draught after all… Merlin knows you'll need it!"
Severus shot her a very unamused look as she walked away calling out the last parts of these words, before realising that there may have been tactic behind it.
"Yer Potions exam is tomorrow is it?" Hagrid frowned as Severus nodded. "Well, see, I was gonna have yer help me catch some pesky Harpies that've ruined some of the more ancient trees in this forest… but if yer like yer can just sit in me cabin and study? I know how important these exams are 'n all."
He was a compassionate being – there was no doubt about that. Hagrid was about the only person Severus knew whom he could not find fault with. Here he was, after being allowed to run back to the Slytherin common room and retrieve his books, sitting in front of Hagrid's warm fire and relaxing in the firm belief that he was bound to achieve Outstanding's in all his subjects. He made a mental note to repay Hagrid for this one day…
Two hours had gone by with lightning-like speed.
A big hand was shaking him awake… Severus blinked and took a few moments to remember where he was.
"Yer lucky I won' tell anyone about yer falling asleep on detention now!" Hagrid's booming voice came from above. Severus rubbed his eyes and realised there was ink all over his hands as he brought them back. Blast, he must've fallen asleep on top of his notes…
"Oh, ah, sorry about that" he apologised to the Gamekeeper. Hagrid only chuckled.
"S'okay lad. I know everyone in yer year is exhausted senseless... would yer like some tea before I send yer off?"
Tea sounded very good right now. It had been almost a year since Severus had proper tea as he had stayed at school over the Christmas holidays. He wasn't too sure that Hagrid's tea would be as proper as the Muggle kind, but he wasn't going to deny the offer.
"Thanks, Hagrid."
As Hagrid busied himself with the kettle, Severus began to gather up his books and notes.
"NEWT's are almost over, eh?" came Hagrid's voice from the small kitchen. "Any idea what yer wanna do after 'em, lad?"
"… no, nothing specific…" Severus felt it rather difficult voicing a reply. The thought of what Hagrid and his old teachers would think of him a couple of years from now was too tricky to dwell on. Hagrid came back out of the room with two bowl-sized cups of steaming liquid.
"Ah well, if yer do yer best I'm sure yer'll have the pick of the best jobs, eh?" he set the bowl-slash-cup's on the table and Severus nodded his thanks. The next few minutes were spent lazily listening to Hagrid's rather blasé stories about school and so-on; there was the inevitable occasional question about his home life that all adults seemed to relish in asking people his age, but nothing too incriminating.
Hagrid's giant oaf of a dog began to bark all of a sudden, prompting Hagrid to move to the window. He squinted into the dusk.
"Oh would yer know, it's Professor McGonagall! … Someone else too." Hagrid quipped cheerfully. He unlocked the door as Severus downed the rest of his surprisingly appetizing tea.
"Good evening, Hagrid" McGonagall greeted as she came up the stone steps. "Horace tells me that you've been supervising Mr. Snape for his detention. Is he here or is he heading back to his common room?"
"Oh no Professor, he's-"
"I'm here," Severus called from inside, his insides squirming from either hunger or apprehension - he did not know which. McGonagall poked her head through the door.
"Jus' havin' some tea before he headed off to dinner," Hagrid explained.
"I see. Well, Mr. Snape, there is someone to see you, it is a matter of apparent urgency."
A visitor? Urgent?
Severus insides were certainly squirming by this stage. He jumped up from the chair and hastily packed up his belongings.
Please let nothing have happened… please…
McGonagall raised her hand. "Actually I think it would be easier if I just let them in here to talk with you; they were adamant that they wanted to see you right away instead of waiting at the castle. Hagrid, if that's no bother?"
"Oh 'course not, Professor! I needed to go tend to me unicorns anyway."
"What's the matter? What's happened?!" Severus almost pleaded with McGonagall.
"It is not my place to ask, Mr. Snape. But they've passed our security checks… seeing that it is an issue of great importance… Hagrid and I will be outside if you need us."
She promptly backed out of the room to allow the visitor through the door. An aged but stately looking woman covered a dark green cloak stepped into the room. Severus had never before seen this person in his life… his heart plummeted into stomach. She could be an Auror… something must have happened at home… his worst nightmare was coming true.
The elderly woman surveyed him for a while – making him feel extremely uncomfortable; this, however, was followed by a look of sheer exhilaration upon her features. There was something… something familiar about her… something that, for lack of a better phrase, felt like home.
"Who are you?" Severus demanded.
The woman's hollow eyes bored into his. She smiled.
"My name is Serafina Prince. And you, I believe, are my only grandchild - Severus Snape."
~*~
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