The Prince's Guard
Willing her great-grandpa's study door to unlock, Eileen Snape-Prince gave a toothy grin when the aged gold knob turned easily in her fingers. Pushing the door open, the long-limbed girl wasted no time in hurrying in and closing the door behind her. Taking several steps into her great-grandpa's study, she paused in the middle to admire the mosaic scene that was the study's window.
It was an alluring image. A lone woman in green among a sea of black robes and bone-white masks standing victorious beside the slumped body of their ruler upon his throne. Her great-grandpa liked telling Eileen the story of her namesake, especially about how Eileen had killed a man that called himself the Dark Lord because her son, Severus, envisioned his death at the hands of the man.
No Snape-Prince woman ever had more mettle, he'd insisted time and time again.
Eileen did not know if it was true, but her great-grandpa, Tybalt Snape-Prince, was her namesake's grandson. He had known Eileen (and her son, his father,) intimately and so, she trusted his word on the matter. Her great-grandpa had liked to show her pictures of them too, Eileen's namesake in particular. He had known she liked studying them, seeing if any of the Prince's traits still stood prominent in her bloodline several generations later. Eileen was very sure that the smirk she and her father shared was once the one her ancestor had worn and Eileen knew, without doubt, that their ears were exactly the same. They were flat against their heads, long and had nearly no lobes to speak of.
Unfortunately, that was were their similarities seemed to end. It was the Snape-blood that weathered the years, it was where her nose came from, where her limp hair, and night-black eyes originated. Musing on the Prince that was also a Snape, Eileen recalled what her great-grandpa had told her about his father, Severus.
Never was there a more unearthly man, he'd said. Her ancestor, according to Eileen's Great-Grandpa, had seen and done more than most of mankind combined. He'd foresaw the deaths of not only himself, but of his contemporaries, elders and juniors. Severus, who'd avoided his predicted death, had been struck with new visions of a different future the first time he held Eileen's great-grandpa when he had been born.
In those visions, Severus saw a resurgence of the Dark Lord's followers; he saw them bring together odds and ends and from those things, they revived the man Eileen's namesake had assassinated. It was said, that Eileen's ancestor had gone on a harrowing journey to destroy all of those things that would be used to bring back the Dark Lord.
Severus'd lost a leg and part of his own soul in his mission to keep the dead man gone, but Eileen's great-grandpa swore it was because it had to be done.
"It had to happen, you see? Eileen, he destroyed them - but he had to make a horcrux of his own, in case he missed one. Father - Severus - didn't want any of his descendants having to do what he had to, if he could avoid it. He was the truest hero I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving…You understand, don't you my dear Eileen?" Great-Grandpa pleaded, age-dulled black eyes teary.
Taking his papery hand in hers, Eileen had swallowed back her revulsion and said, "I do, Grandpa Tybalt."
And that was why she was in her great-grandpa's study today of all days. He was dead. Just like his dad and just like Eileen's namesake and soon, his study would be turned into her brother's instead. He'd just finished his last year at Hogwarts only a month ago, and Mum and Dad thought giving him a study of his own would put him on the right path to becoming the Ministry Official they envisioned him being someday.
At thirteen, Eileen felt it was terribly unfair they were giving the room with the shrine to her namesake to her brother. He did not care about family history and lore. Not like she did, anyway. He would look at the stained glass window and he would not see the beauty she saw. Due to his ignorance, he'd see a woman surrounded by death.
Quickly hurrying toward Grandpa Tybalt's cherry-oak desk, she remembered his instructions for her. Open the top left drawer, take out the stack of parchment he kept in there, and reach all the way to the back of the drawer. There, Eileen would have to push at the back of the drawer until the wood gave and revealed the hideaway hole that had been made years before her, and even her great-grandpa's, birth.
Going through the actions, Eileen felt around the little hole. Just as she heard the sound of footsteps outside her great-grandpa's study, her fingers touched a cool, smooth surface. Grabbing it and wrenching her hand from the drawer, Eileen slammed it back into place and stuffed the horcrux into the pocket of her skirt.
Door opening, she kept her shoulders square and forced her eyes wide as she saw her parents step in to the room with her older brother behind them.
"Eileen," her mum said. "What are you doing in here?"
Squeezing out a trickle of tears, the girl sniffed, "I-"
"Did you coming look for a memento of your grandpa's?" Dad asked softly.
Wiping at her wet eyes, Eileen shrugged and let her parents come over to "comfort" her as her brother watched with suspicious eyes. Eileen didn't like Nero. She thought there was an odd sort of coldness to her brother and she didn't trust him; it was also probably why her great-grandpa passed the horcrux onto her and not him.
Grandpa Tybalt had known just as well as she there was something off about her brother.
Wrapped up in her mum's arms, Eileen whimpered, "I'm just going to m-miss him, so, so much, Mum!"
"You two were very close," she whispered in sympathy. "It's only natural, my love."
Letting herself be fussed over for several more moments, Eileen pointed to the drawer where her great-grandpa used to keep his pipe. "Can I take Grandpa Tybalt's pipe?" she asked.
Her dad got it out for her and put it in her hand. "If that's what you want, my dear," he said.
Nodding, she accepted the hugs and kisses that her parents gave her before taking the steps to leave the study. "I think I'll go lie down," she told her parents.
"Whatever you want, my love."
On her way out, Eileen didn't miss in the slightest how Nero's gaze followed her. He knew she was putting on an act and he'd probably come hunting later when her parents were out and Granny dozing in one of the manor's parlors.
But, that was neither here nor there.
Coming to her room, a place done up beautifully in whites and silvers, Eileen dove under her bed and dug out the horcrux from her pocket. It was a ring, one with the Prince crest on it. Just like - the girl frowned. Was the one her dad now wore just a replica? Could it be that Severus had sealed a part of his soul in the family ring and made a replica to ensure no one would ever know?
It could be so, Eileen thought, her great-grandpa had told her that Severus had passed the horcrux onto him on his death bed and he was the first in the family to know what he'd done besides the man himself.
Severus had been ashamed of the atrocity, Eileen bet.
As he should be...and you too, to be related to such an awful man, a cruel part of her murmured in the recesses of her mind.
Shaking the awful thought free of her mind, Eileen wriggled out from beneath her bed. Setting off for her closet, Eileen went to the shelf where she had already begun to make her own secret hideaway place for the horcrux. For now, it would be safe. But Eileen understood she would have to find a way to take it to Hogwarts with her. Nero probably wouldn't be so methodical in his searching of her room that he'd find the hiding spot when she was gone, but she still didn't like the idea of taking chances with her ancestor's soul.
Opening up a velvet lined box, the girl could not stop herself from turning it over several times in her hands. Eileen felt her lips quirk in a smirk as she told the ring, "Don't worry, Severus, I'll make sure you're kept safe."
And she would protect it with her life until the time came she either needed to revive the man or it became time to pass it on to her own child or grandchild.
A one-shot set in the far off future of the Mettle universe. The idea was suggested to me by The Dark One Rising who liked the idea of having a tale set in the future where Eileen had her own stained-glass window just like the one she admired in Mettle. I found the idea interesting, and, so, here we are!
Thank you everyone for reading and please review :)