That next evening, Arcturus and Melania sat in the headmaster's office, waiting for Lucretia to arrive. She was going to be present for the conversation with Lady Prince. After all, she was Severus' guardian, so it only made sense to have her there as well.
Lucretia entered the office a few moments later. "Mother, Father," she greeted them, taking a seat next to her mother. "When is Lady Prince expected to show?"
"In ten minutes," Arcturus responded. "After the introductions, we will allow you to speak first, seeing as you are Severus' guardian."
Lucretia nodded. "Thank you, Father. I cannot wait to see the look on her face when I tell her that we know what she's done to her son."
"Indeed," Arcturus agreed.
"Remember Lucretia, don't lose your temper," Melania warned her.
"I don't have a temper, Mother," Lucretia replied.
"Lucretia, you were born into the Black family," Melania reminded her. "Every Black has a temper."
"I assure you, Mother, I don't have the Black temper," Lucretia argued. "I've always been like you, calm."
Arcturus and Melania gave each other knowing looks. They could remember plenty of times the Black temper came out when Lucretia was a little girl, but they decided not to point those out now. They just hoped that Lucretia wouldn't get too angry with Lady Prince. After all, the Prince temper was only slightly better, but still bad. They didn't want the Black and Prince tempers at full display.
Ten minutes passed quickly. At 1900 on the dot, there was a knock at the door. "Enter!" Arcturus called out. The door opened to reveal Lady Prince, eyes narrowed at the gathered group.
Lady Prince had not been expecting to see Lady Black and… what was her name? Prewett? Yes, Lucretia Prewett. She had not been expecting to see them there. She had been under the impression that it was going to be just her and Lord Black.
"Lady Prince," Lord Black greeted her. "Thank you for coming this evening."
"Lord Black, Lady Black, Mrs. Prewett, thank you for having me," Lady Prince said politely, taking the seat across from the headmaster's desk.
"Tea?" Lady Black asked.
"Yes, please," Lady Prince answered.
Lady Black called for Dinky. "Dinky, please prepare tea for four," she ordered.
"Yes, Mistress Professor Black," Dinky answered before popping away.
Once tea was served, Lord Black nodded at Lucretia, who quickly fixed Lady Prince with a stern look.
"Lady Prince, as you know, I am the guardian to your son, Severus Snape," she began. "Your son is truly remarkable. He's intelligent, respectful, and always enjoys brewing potions."
"Get on with it," Lady Prince snapped, already losing her patience.
Lucretia narrowed her eyes. "I was getting there," she snapped back. "As I was saying, he is truly a great addition to our family. Recently, my nephew Sirius brought something to my father's attention that is quite concerning." She leaned forward, now glaring at her. "Lady Prince, for you to harm your son during Occlumency lessons is unacceptable. It's uncalled for. I don't know why you thought that teaching him the way you did was even an option."
"I taught him the way I saw fit," Lady Prince stated. "What? Did he complain about it?"
Lucretia stood, nearly knocking over her tea. "COMPLAIN?!" she hissed. "No, Lady Prince. He did not complain. In fact, he told Sirius that the way you taught him is just another way of learning it, even though he was in Merlin knows what kind of pain! So no, he did not complain! He thought that the way you taught him was NORMAL!" By this point, Lucretia's voice had risen to an angry shout. "Do you realize what you could have done to his brain? Well?" Melania was trying to signal for her daughter to calm down, but Lucretia was on a roll. "I cannot believe you would put your son in so much pain!"
"I don't wish harm on my son!" Lady Prince shot back, now standing as well. "Why else would I have wanted him away from his abusive father?"
"Well, you harmed him, and because of that, my father found a part of Severus' brain that was irritated, and guess why?" Lucretia asked angrily. Without giving Lady Prince a chance to respond, she continued. "Because YOU FORCEFULLY INVADED HIS MIND!" She was now screaming. The Black temper was showing.
"Well, how else was I supposed to teach him to protect his mind?" Lady Prince asked angrily.
"Oh, maybe, just maybe, TEACHING him HOW to clear his mind and HOW to block you out BEFORE you start invading his mind?" Lucretia asked. "And start GENTLY, not FORCEFULLY?"
"Now you see here, woman! How I taught Severus Occlumency is none of your business!" Lady Prince yelled, now losing her temper as well.
"Oh? It's not? Well, in case you've already forgotten, I am Severus' GUARDIAN!" Lucretia shot back just as loudly.
"ENOUGH!" a voice thundered. Both women stopped immediately upon seeing Lord Black standing, giving them both a stern look. "Let's sit and talk about this calmly."
Lucretia and Lady Prince sat back down in their chairs, both still fuming, but knowing better than to disobey an order from the head of the Black family.
"Lady Prince," Lord Black addressed her. "While I can understand that you may not have meant harm to your son, what you did was the opposite. You hurt him. You may not have intended to, but you did, and for that, I am very disappointed. Severus' own mother, who had wanted her son away from his abusive father, hurts him in ways that cannot, and will not, be easily forgiven. While Severus is under the protection and care of the Black family now, I want to make clear that if you ever cross paths with Severus again, and if you ever hurt him in any way, then the Black family will act."
The warning was clear. The Blacks were known for having several different ways to bring shame to a family that crosses a line with them. Lady Prince did not want to know what would happen, so she nodded in agreement.
"I understand, Lord Black," she responded.
"And," Lady Black said, giving Lady Prince a stern look. "Do not talk to our daughter like that again. Yes, she may have gotten a bit too angry, but that did not mean you had to disrespect her."
"Yes, Lady Black, I understand," Lady Prince said. The meeting ended there. Lady Prince left the room, leaving Arcturus, Melania, and Lucretia alone.
Lucretia's parents gave her a knowing look. She sighed. "Alright, I suppose I do have the Black temper," she confessed.
"Lucretia, be sure to keep that temper of yours in check next time," Melania scolded lightly.
"Sorry, Mother, Father," Lucretia said with a sigh. "I… I just care for Severus, and I was angry."
"We all care about him, Lucretia," Arcturus said. "But there are other ways to get our point across without resorting to the Black temper."
"Understood," Lucretia said in understanding. She left then, knowing that while she regretted losing her temper, she did not regret what she told Lady Prince. The Blacks were never allies with the Princes, and now was no exception. She smiled to herself. Severus was now considered a part of the Prince and Black family. How ironic. Maybe, one day, the Blacks and Princes would be political allies after all. Only time would tell.