Chapter 26
Seen and Unforeseen
...suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his – a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner…A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies…A girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick –
pg 592
Harry did not speak; he felt that to say anything might be dangerous. He was sure had had just broken into Snape’s memories, that he had just seen scenes from Snape’s childhood, and it was unnerving to think that the crying little boy who had watched his parents shouting was actually standing in front of him with such loathing in his eyes…
pg 592
Half-Blood Prince
Chapter 25
The Seer Overheard
"I'm not dropping it," said Hermione firmly, "untill you've heard me out. Now, I've been trying to find out a bit about who might make a hobby of inventing Dark spells --"
"He didn't make a hobby of it --"
"He, he -- who says it's a he?"
"We've been through this," said Harry crossly. "Prince, Hermione, Prince!"
"Right,!" said Hermione, red patches blazing in her cheeks as she pulled a very old piece of newsprint out of her pocket and slammed it down on the table in front of Harry. "Look at that! Look at the picture!"
Harry picked up the crumbling piece of paper and stared at the moving photograph, yellowed with age; Ron leaned over for a look too. The picture showed a skinny girl of around fifteen. She was not pretty; she looked simultaneously cross and sullen, with heavy brows and a long, pallid face. Underneath the photograph was the caption: EILEEN PRINCE, CAPTAIN OF THE HOGWARTS GOBSTONES TEAM.
pg 537
"So?" said Harry, scanning the short news item to which the picture belonged; it was a rather dull story about interschool competitions.
"Her name was Eileen Prince. Prince, Harry."
They looked at each other, and Harry realized what Hermione was trying to say. He burst out laughing.
"No way."
"What?"
"You think she was the Half-Blood...? Oh, come on."
"Well, why not? Harry, there aren't any real princes in the Wizarding world! It's either a nickname, a made-up title somebody's given themselves, or it could be their actual name, couldn't it? No, listen! If, say, her father was a wizard whose surname was Prince, and her mother was a Muggle, then that would make her a 'half-blood Prince'!"
"Yeah, very ingenious, Hermione..."
"But it would! Maybe she was proud of being half a Prince!"
"Listen, Hermione, I can tell it's not a girl. I can just tell."
"The truth is that you don't think a girl would have been clever enough," said Hermione angrily.
"How can I have hung round with you for five years and not think girls are clever?" said Harry, stung by this. "It's the way he writes, I just know the Prince was a bloke, I can tell. This girl hasn't got anything to do with it. Where did you get this anyway?"
"The library," said Hermione predictably. "There's a whole collection of old Prophets up there. Well, I'm going to find out more about Eileen Prince if I can."
"Enjoy yourself," said Harry irritably.
"I will," said Hermione. "And the first place I'll look," she shot
pg 538
at him, as she reached the portrait hole, "is records of old Potions awards!"
pg 539
back
Chapter 25
The Seer Overheard
"I'm not dropping it," said Hermione firmly, "untill you've heard me out. Now, I've been trying to find out a bit about who might make a hobby of inventing Dark spells --"
"He didn't make a hobby of it --"
"He, he -- who says it's a he?"
"We've been through this," said Harry crossly. "Prince, Hermione, Prince!"
"Right,!" said Hermione, red patches blazing in her cheeks as she pulled a very old piece of newsprint out of her pocket and slammed it down on the table in front of Harry. "Look at that! Look at the picture!"
Harry picked up the crumbling piece of paper and stared at the moving photograph, yellowed with age; Ron leaned over for a look too. The picture showed a skinny girl of around fifteen. She was not pretty; she looked simultaneously cross and sullen, with heavy brows and a long, pallid face. Underneath the photograph was the caption: EILEEN PRINCE, CAPTAIN OF THE HOGWARTS GOBSTONES TEAM.
pg 537
"So?" said Harry, scanning the short news item to which the picture belonged; it was a rather dull story about interschool competitions.
"Her name was Eileen Prince. Prince, Harry."
They looked at each other, and Harry realized what Hermione was trying to say. He burst out laughing.
"No way."
"What?"
"You think she was the Half-Blood...? Oh, come on."
"Well, why not? Harry, there aren't any real princes in the Wizarding world! It's either a nickname, a made-up title somebody's given themselves, or it could be their actual name, couldn't it? No, listen! If, say, her father was a wizard whose surname was Prince, and her mother was a Muggle, then that would make her a 'half-blood Prince'!"
"Yeah, very ingenious, Hermione..."
"But it would! Maybe she was proud of being half a Prince!"
"Listen, Hermione, I can tell it's not a girl. I can just tell."
"The truth is that you don't think a girl would have been clever enough," said Hermione angrily.
"How can I have hung round with you for five years and not think girls are clever?" said Harry, stung by this. "It's the way he writes, I just know the Prince was a bloke, I can tell. This girl hasn't got anything to do with it. Where did you get this anyway?"
"The library," said Hermione predictably. "There's a whole collection of old Prophets up there. Well, I'm going to find out more about Eileen Prince if I can."
"Enjoy yourself," said Harry irritably.
"I will," said Hermione. "And the first place I'll look," she shot
pg 538
at him, as she reached the portrait hole, "is records of old Potions awards!"
pg 539
back
Half-Blood Prince
Chapter 30
The White Tomb
"No--no--Harry, I didn't mean that!" she said hastily, looking around to check that they were not being overheard. "It's just that I was right about Eileen Prince once owning the book. You see...she was Snape's mother!"
"I thought she wasn't much of a looker," said Ron. Hermione ignored him.
"I was going through the rest of the old Prophets and there was a tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a man called Tobias Snape, and then later an announcement saying that she'd given birth to a --"
"--murderer," spat Harry.
"Well...yes," said Hermione. "So...I was sort of right. Snape must have been proud of being 'half a Prince,' you see? Tobias Snape was a muggle from what it said in the Prophet."
"Yeah, that fits," said Harry. "He'd play up the pure-blood side so he could get in with Lucius Malfoy and the rest of them...He's just like Voldemort. Pure-blood mother, Muggle father...ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name--Lord Voldemort -- the Half-Blood Prince -- how could Dumbledore have missed --?"
pg 637
back
Chapter 30
The White Tomb
"No--no--Harry, I didn't mean that!" she said hastily, looking around to check that they were not being overheard. "It's just that I was right about Eileen Prince once owning the book. You see...she was Snape's mother!"
"I thought she wasn't much of a looker," said Ron. Hermione ignored him.
"I was going through the rest of the old Prophets and there was a tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a man called Tobias Snape, and then later an announcement saying that she'd given birth to a --"
"--murderer," spat Harry.
"Well...yes," said Hermione. "So...I was sort of right. Snape must have been proud of being 'half a Prince,' you see? Tobias Snape was a muggle from what it said in the Prophet."
"Yeah, that fits," said Harry. "He'd play up the pure-blood side so he could get in with Lucius Malfoy and the rest of them...He's just like Voldemort. Pure-blood mother, Muggle father...ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name--Lord Voldemort -- the Half-Blood Prince -- how could Dumbledore have missed --?"
pg 637
back
Deathly Hallows
Chapter 33
The Prince's Tale
He fell headlong into sunlight, and his feet found warm ground. When he straightened up, he saw that he was in a nearly deserted playground. A single huge chimney dominated the distant skyline. Two girls were swinging backward and forward, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smocklike shirt.
pg 663
snip
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily.
pg 665
cross-legged on the ground. Snape had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half light.
snip
“How are things at your house?” Lily asked.
A little crease appeared between his eyes.
“Fine,” he said.
“They’re not arguing anymore?”
“Oh yes, they’re arguing,” said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. “But it won’t be that long and I’ll be gone.”
“Doesn’t your dad like magic?”
“He doesn’t like anything, much,” said Snape.
“Severus?”
A little smile twisted Snape’s mouth when she said his name.
“Yeah?”
“Tell me about the dementors again.”
“What d’you want to know about them for?”
“If I use magic outside school ---“
“They wouldn’t give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You’re not going to end up in Azkaban, you’re too ---“
He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small
pg 667
Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say.
“What is that you’re wearing, anyway?” she said, pointing at Snape’s chest. “Your mum’s blouse?”
snip
And the scene re-formed. Harry looked around: He was on platform nine and three-quarters, and Snape stood beside him, slightly hunched, next to a thin, sallow-faced, sour-looking woman who greatly resembled him. Snape was staring at a family of four a short distance away. The two girls stood a little apart from their parents. Lily seemed to be pleading with her sister; Harry moved closer to listen.
pg 668
back
Chapter 33
The Prince's Tale
He fell headlong into sunlight, and his feet found warm ground. When he straightened up, he saw that he was in a nearly deserted playground. A single huge chimney dominated the distant skyline. Two girls were swinging backward and forward, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smocklike shirt.
pg 663
snip
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily.
pg 665
cross-legged on the ground. Snape had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half light.
snip
“How are things at your house?” Lily asked.
A little crease appeared between his eyes.
“Fine,” he said.
“They’re not arguing anymore?”
“Oh yes, they’re arguing,” said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. “But it won’t be that long and I’ll be gone.”
“Doesn’t your dad like magic?”
“He doesn’t like anything, much,” said Snape.
“Severus?”
A little smile twisted Snape’s mouth when she said his name.
“Yeah?”
“Tell me about the dementors again.”
“What d’you want to know about them for?”
“If I use magic outside school ---“
“They wouldn’t give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You’re not going to end up in Azkaban, you’re too ---“
He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small
pg 667
Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say.
“What is that you’re wearing, anyway?” she said, pointing at Snape’s chest. “Your mum’s blouse?”
snip
And the scene re-formed. Harry looked around: He was on platform nine and three-quarters, and Snape stood beside him, slightly hunched, next to a thin, sallow-faced, sour-looking woman who greatly resembled him. Snape was staring at a family of four a short distance away. The two girls stood a little apart from their parents. Lily seemed to be pleading with her sister; Harry moved closer to listen.
pg 668
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