Chapter 25 - HSWF Pt.3

After the refreshing shower, Serena stepped out, her feet sinking into the plush bath mat. She marveled at the expansive bathroom, the luxurious marble countertops, and the gleaming gold fixtures. Money was everywhere. 

She found a beige silk dress laid out on the bed, its puffy skirt and delicate lace details exuding an elegance she wasn't used to. At least it isn't pink. As she changed into the dress, her mind wandered back to the bowtruckle. The little creature had amusingly hopped off her shoulder when she entered the shower, its twig-like fingers covering its eyes as if respecting her privacy.

Once she was dressed, Serena used a spell to dry her hair, the warm magic leaving her locks silky and shiny. As she combed through, the bowtruckle eagerly jumped back onto her shoulder, nestling contentedly in her hair. She couldn't help but giggle at its antics. 

Gently, Serena coaxed the bowtruckle out of her hair, holding it in her hand. "Where is your home?" she asked, though she knew it couldn't answer. The bowtruckle looked up at her, its tiny eyes filled with a sadness that tugged at her heart.

"Do you...do you not have a home?" Serena ventured cautiously. The bowtruckle gave a small nod, confirming her guess. A pang of sympathy coursed through her. "Well, you can stay with me until you find a new home," she told it, her voice soft and comforting. 

At her words, the bowtruckle perked up, its tiny body vibrating with what Serena interpreted as joy. She couldn't help but smile at its reaction. "We should give you a name," she decided. After a moment of thought, she said, "How about Bowe?" The bowtruckle seemed to approve, its twig-like limbs bouncing excitedly.

At a sudden knock, Bowe quickly scampered back into Serena's hair, blending seamlessly with her dark locks. Serena crossed the room and gently opened the door. A small house elf, dressed in a neat little uniform, stood before her.

"Miss Serena," he said, bowing low. "I am Yuru. Master Wilfred has requested your presence at dinner. I am here to escort you to the dining area."

"Thank you, Yuru," Serena said, offering the elf a slight smile. As they traversed the grand corridors, Yuru filled her in on the workings of the household. There were only three house elves in the Prince family manor - Nitty, Yuru, and another named Enni. Serena made a mental note to meet Enni later.

The dining area was as opulent as the rest of the house, a long table set with crystal glassware and silver cutlery. At the head of the table, Wilfred Prince sat, his blue eyes sharp and attentive. Serena's gaze swept the room, taking in the grandeur. Her grandmother was absent, likely due to her frail health. But there was no sign of her mother, Eileen.

"….Grandfather," Serena greeted a bit awkwardly. Tasting the word on her lips. She wasn't sure if it was alright to call him 'grandfather' but it would be much better than calling him 'Lord or Sir'. 

Taking a seat across from him, she asked, "Where's Mother?"

Wilfred's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Serena, but he didn't immediately answer her question. The absence of her mother was palpable in the grand dining area, and Serena couldn't help but feel a pang of discomfort. Nevertheless, she resolved to make the best of her first dinner in the Prince family manor, with or without her mother's presence.

"Your mother left," Wilfred said, his voice devoid of emotion. The words hung in the air, heavy and shocking. Serena blinked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"She...what?" Serena breathed out, standing up in bewilderment. Her mother had left her here? 

"She did not plan on staying," Wilfred continued, his gaze steady. "She only came to bring you to us."

"But... Why?" Serena mumbled, folding her hands into a grip. She felt a lump in her throat, confusion and betrayal welling up within her.

"Sit, Serena," Wilfred commanded, his tone firm but not unkind. Serena did as she was told, sinking into the plush chair, her mind a whirlwind of confusion.

"Last year, we received a letter from Eileen," Wilfred began, his voice low and measured. "She informed us that she had a daughter. A daughter who was an Omega, named Serena."

Wilfred paused, meeting Serena's eyes. "Eileen declared in her letter that you were to be the last heir to the Prince line, regardless of her disownment. Especially because of your status."

Serena sat there, stunned. Her mother had left her.

Wilfred's gaze was steady as he continued. "Eileen had no right to declare anything from us. She was disowned, she lost that right. We did not care about your secondary gender. But the Prince line is dying, Serena. We needed an heir to secure the family lineage." 

He sighed, his stern expression softening slightly. "Your grandmother and I also wanted to meet you. Even though you came into our lives unexpectedly, you are our last family."

Wilfred paused, his gaze distant. "We were disappointed with Eileen for her actions. And we still are. Her decision to leave, to marry a man who had no prospects, no future...it was a blow to us. But that doesn't mean we view you the same way."

He leaned forward, his blue eyes looking at Serena. "You are an innocent child in all this, Serena, and you are family. And as a child, you need protection. You need guidance. Despite everything, we want to provide that for you."

He waited for a signal of understanding from the girl but Serena was shaking, lost in her thoughts.

Why? Why would she return to Tobias?

Why had she left without a word? 

Why did she want to go back there? 

Does she not love me after all? 

Even in this life? 

Was…was she still not enough? 

Her vision began to blur. 

"—erus!"

"Severus!" 

Severus blinked. The room was in chaos. Furniture lay overturned or shattered against the walls, and the air was thick with tension.

With her disheveled and unkempt appearance, Eileen stood in the center of the room. Her body bore the visible marks of Tobias Snape's abuse, and her hands trembled with a mixture of fear and rage.

Her voice cracked as she yelled Severus's name, her eyes filled with a desperate anguish. "Severus! Severus!" Her voice echoed through the dilapidated walls of their house in Spinner's End, carrying the weight of a lifetime of pain and suffering. She pointed an accusing finger at her son, who stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock.

Severus had just returned from his fourth year at Hogwarts, hoping for a respite from the struggles of his home life. Instead, he was confronted with this heartbreaking scene. He could see the torment etched on his mother's face, the torment that had become her constant companion.

Eileen's voice rose to a crescendo, her words laced with bitterness and despair. "It's your fault! All your fault, Severus! You were born with this cursed magic, this uselessness! Why couldn't you have been born a squib?!" With each word she hurled at him, Severus felt the sting of daggers piercing his cold heart.

He longed to reach out, to comfort his mother and tell her that everything would be alright. But he knew deep down that her mind had been shattered by years of abuse and depression, leaving her unable to see reason or find solace in his presence. "You shouldn't have been born," she cried out. And he staggered. 

He stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move, as every item she threw at him marked his body with cuts and bruises.

The room seemed to spin around Severus as he absorbed his mother's words. He knew, in his rational teenage mind, that he was not to blame for the circumstances of his birth. But in that moment, the pain of his mother's accusations cut deeper than any physical injury ever could. He was a child burdened with the weight of his mother's brokenness, and it was a burden that threatened to consume him.

As Eileen's voice faded into sobs, Severus remained silent, his face a mask of stoicism. He had learned to bear the weight of his mother's pain, to endure the blows and the harsh words. But in his heart, he carried the hope that one day he would find a way to escape Spinner's End, to rise above the darkness that threatened to engulf him, and to prove that he was more than the sum of his troubled upbringing.

—-

As he enters the living room, the heavy wooden door creaks open and chill runs down his spine. His footsteps falter, and the old luggage slips from his hand, crashing onto the floor. His heart pounds in his chest as he takes in the horrific sight that unfolds before him.

Lying lifeless on the cold floor, surrounded by an ominous pool of dried blood, is his mother. Her face bears the marks of despair, and the room is tainted with an atmosphere of tragedy.

"M-Mum?.."

His voice trembles, his body frozen, terrified. A voice breaks the eerie silence, cutting through the air like a knife.

"Well, well... if it isn't my bastard son, back from that fancy 'magic' school," Tobias said, laughing sarcastically.

Severus turns his gaze towards the staircase, where Tobias sits, holding a gun in his trembling hand. Tobias's eyes are bloodshot, his face contorted with anger and bitterness. Severus's heart sinks further as he realizes the depth of his father's depravity.

"Your mother deserved it, you know. A filthy witch," he spat. "Lying to me all these years. She got what was coming to her," His voice dripping with mockery.

Severus's body tenses, his eyes welling up with tears of grief and anger. He takes a step back, the weight of the situation bearing down on him.

"And you, Severus, deserve it too," he stated. "You're just like her, a freak with no place in this world."

Tobias's finger trembles on the trigger, pointing the gun directly at Severus. Time seems to stand still as Severus's life hangs in the balance.

But then, in a sudden twist of fate, Tobias's gaze shifts. He raises the gun to his own temple, his hands shaking uncontrollably. The room fills with a deafening silence as Severus watches his father's final moments unfold.

"You never belonged here, boy. No place for you... or me."

In one swift motion, Tobias pulls the trigger, and a gunshot reverberates through the house. Severus instinctively shields his ears, his eyes wide with a mixture of horror and relief. Silence envelopes the room once more, broken only by the sound of Severus's ragged breaths.

Severus Snape is left standing amidst the remnants of his shattered family, wishing that his father had taken his life as well. 

"—rena!"

Suddenly, a voice pierced through the fog of her memories, pulling her back to reality. The voice was frantic and worried. It was a voice she had only recently become familiar with, but it was filled with a warmth and concern that she had never experienced before.

"Serena!"

Blinking, Serena found herself back in the grand dining room of the Prince family mansion, sitting in her grandfather's lap. His arms were wrapped around her small form, holding her close as if trying to shield her from the pain of her memories. "…Grandfather?" she murmured, her voice dazed and hoarse.

Wilfred sighed in relief, his grip on her tightening slightly. "Yes, Serena, it's me," he said, his voice soft and comforting. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, gently wiping away the tears that were streaming down her face.

Serena raised a hand to her cheek, surprised to find it wet with tears. She cried? Why was she crying? It was just an old memory, wasn't it? She had moved past it, hadn't she? But the tears wouldn't stop, and the pain in her chest wouldn't subside.

"It's alright, Serena," Wilfred said, his voice steady and reassuring. "You're not alone. Your grandmother and I are here for you."

At his words, something inside Serena broke. She choked while trying to get a hold of her emotions. The dam holding back her emotions crumbled, and she found herself sobbing into her grandfather's chest. 

She cried for her mother's abandonment, for the pain of her past, for the uncertainty of her future. But amidst the tears, there was a sense of relief, a sense of peace. She may have lost her mother, but she had gained a new family in her grandparents. And for the first time in a long time, Serena felt like she truly belonged.