Saturday, December 22, 1973, on the Hogwarts Express
The door to compartment Severus Snape and Lily Evans were sharing on the Hogwarts Express opened. Neither looked up from their game of Wizard Chess, assuming it was just Hadrian Blishwick coming back from the loo. Unfortunately, 'twasn't.
Brian Prince-Graystone, a sixth-year Ravenclaw and his brother Kevin Prince-Graystone, a fourth-year Gryffindor, stepped into the compartment. Severus scowled when he realized who they were.
"Look, Kev, the half-blood and the Muggle," Brian announced.
"No difference between a Muggle-born and and Muggle halfbreed, if you ask me," Kevin replied.
"No one asked you," Lily retorted.
"Oh, did we hurt the Muggle's feelings?" Kevin asked.
"I've had bee stings that hurt more," Lily informed him.
Severus permitted himself a half-smile.
"We heard you were complaining about your stupid cousins. I warned you not to let anyone know you were our cousin, half-blood," Brian threatened.
"Why would I brag that you were relatives of mine?" Severus asked.
"Because we're purebloods," Kevin retorted.
"I'm no more eager to acknowledge the relationship than you are," Severus pointed out.
"I thought you were in Ravenclaw," Lily spoke up.
"I am."
"I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be clever," she continued in an unimpressed tone.
"We are," Brian said.
"Well, I hadn't known that you were cousins. Sev never told me. You came in - uninvited, I might add - and you informed me of that," Lily said. "If you're attempting to keep it a secret, you're not doing a very good job of it."
Brian and Kevin exchanged confused looks.
Brian frowned. "You're not a real wizard. You're nothing but a Muggle's son. Your mother disgraced the Prince family when she married that Muggle."
"Nothing but a half-blood Prince," Kevin sneered.
"Not a Prince at all," Brian corrected. "The Princes are a pureblood family."
"Leave my mother out of this," Severus snarled.
The compartment door opened, and Hadrian Blishwick stepped in. "What are you two doing here?"
"The Prince-Graystone brothers," Lily caught the look in Sev's eyes, and changed what she was about to say, "came to wish Sev a Happy Christmas."
"Are you two spending the Christmas hols together?" Hadrian asked.
"Most of them," Severus replied, glancing up at Brian and Kevin, "but Christmas itself I always spend at Aunt Agatha's with my stupid cousins."
Tuesday, December 25, 1973, Cokesworth
After roast turkey at Aunt Agatha's, Sev and Lee disappeared into the attic with Charles Dickens. As he read of Oliver and the Artful Dodger, he wondered who was worse: the Prince-Graystone cousins or the Snape and Kemble cousins. As far as he was concerned, they were all idiots, annoying idiots.
