20) Talks

"I am sorry for the trouble you have to face and for my brother and grandmother's words" Alice said as she walked with him to her house gates to escort him outside.

"Don't worry about it, it actually feels refreshing to talk to someone like Lady Bethany and regarding your brother, he is a little hotheaded now due to his age. There was a time I too was like that" he said as he looked at her.

Alice didn't said anything as they reached to the gates "You know Alice" Severus said as he looked around and saw that the street and the road was empty.

"What?" she asked him looking curiously at him.

"The person who will court you will be one hell of a lucky guy" he said with a smirk as with a small pop, he disappeared into thin air not before seeing the shocked look on the face of Alice.

Alice meanwhile blushed lightly as she looked at the empty space infront of her, her mind recalling his compliment for her. She didn't missed the fact that he had disapparated on his own, a skill not taught to them yet managed by him.

She walked back to her home with a small smile of her own, she entered inside and found her family in the sitting room.

"Florean you will personally write a letter of apology to Heir Prince" she heard the stern warning from her mother who was chastising Florean. Her brother looked a little ashamed at the scolding he was receiving.

"Alice you escorted Heir Prince" her grandmother asked her as she cut the scolding which was being inflicted on Florean. Her father was sitting there with a calm look but he had an amused glint at the suffering of Florean.

"Yes grandmother, he disapparated from the gates" she said respectfully to her grandmother who nodded at her.

"Hmm, the boy is skilled. To disapparate at such young age" she spoke in an impressed tone.

"Tell me more about this boy Alice, he seemed to be very intelligent and a skilled wizard" she asked as she looked at her granddaughter.

"He is one of the most skilled wizards in our class but he is not much popular among the students because he is a Slytherin. He is a prodigy in potions and spellcreation from what I had gathered during our encounters. He also has skill in other subjects but he never showed up in them, he did said that he will get all Os in OWLs" Alice said slowly looking at her grandmother.

"The potions part could be titled due to his Prince heritage but the spellcreation is something I have not heard that the Princes excelled in, infact spellcreation is an extremely rare talent" she mused aloud gaining nods from her father and mother.

"Is the Prince family an old family, grandmother?" Alice asked looking at her grandmother.

"Your father should have taught you these things, but yes dear the Princes were an old and powerful family in Italy. Most of their members studied inn Durmstrang but a select few appeared in Hogwarts once and then. The Prince line goes to 800 AD and the family was obscure, dangerous and very wealthy, in simple words you could say that they were like Malfoys of Italy" she said in a slow voice.

"Why were they considered dangerous grandmother?" Florean asked from her mother's side.

"It is a information not well known but it was widely rumoured that the family gained its fortune by producing the deadliest assassins before they started their potions business" her grandmother said looking calmly at both of the siblings.

Alice eyes widened when she heard that, a family producing assassins. She had never thought that.

"Though it is a rumour only, however last I heard the heiress of the family was disowned for marrying a muggle. This Heir Prince will therefore be a halfblood, but it seemed Septimus never disowned his grandson. The boy is afterall the Heir Prince now" she continued with a thoughtful look.

"He is a half blood?" Florean spoke up questioningly from his seat, he had been so intent on framing him that he completely missed Severus admitting himself a half blood, indeed this was also a news to Alice. She didn't knew Severus's mother had been disinherited due to marrying a muggle.

The rest of the time was spent by her grandmother lecturing Florean about proper respects and tips on how to write an apology letter. Both of them were dismissed from there by her grandmother who decided to have a personal talk with her mother and father.

Florean quickly returned to his room to hurry up the letter whereas Alice just stood with an ear to door as she wanted to know about what they were talking. She already had an inkling about what they wanted, her grandmother was already dropping subtle hints throughout her summer.

"Heir Prince is a good match for our granddaughter" her grandmother's voice was the first to be heard by other. Her words shocked Alice to her bones, she knew her grandmother preferred traditions but this was too far. Sure she liked Severus as a friend, he was intelligent and answered her every question with patience, but she had never thought them together like a couple.

"Mother, we have talked about this" her father said in a tired voice after she heard a loud sigh from him.

"I am not asking you to contract them to marry after Hogwarts, Dexter" she heard her grandmother speak in a calm and stern tone.

"Bethany, we had decided to let Alice make her choice in this case" she heard her mother speak this time, her voice sounding as if she was stating a fact.

"I know Alyssa and this is the reason I am concerned. I have never seen my granddaughter talking about boys or heard from Florean about her going on dates. I am concerned for her too Alyssa. Whatever the Ministry may say, a war is coming and in my bones I feel that this one will be more dangerous than that caused by Grindelwald, sooner or later we will need to choose a side. The boy's family is an Italian family, if worse comes then my granddaughter can live peacefully in Italy as it will take much long for the war to reach there" her grandmother spoke up again, this time her voice a little more calm and collected.

"Rumours are already starting about the might of the new dark lord and I don't think we could rely on Dumbledore. The last time everyone did, he arrived on battlefield after years of sitting and not giving a damn about the war. What guarantee is that, it will not be the same this time?" her grandmother said, her voice angry.

Alice knew why she was so angry, her grandmother had lost her own brother to the war.

"The boy is skilled and powerful, I believe that he was even holding back. It would be beneficial to Alice to have a companion like him for her, who would not scoff or lord over her. They would compliment each other perfectly, our family could also use connection to a powerful wizard. The boy's family is an old family and I have no problems with my granddaughter marrying a halfblood. The boy was different from the other old Family Heirs I have seen till now in those pureblood balls and galas. Besides I know just by looking at him, that Alice would get her freedom which would have been denied to her by the other pureblood families if she married into them. I don't think Alice knows but I saw discreetly that she was enamoured by the boy when he was teaching her. Whatever you think Dexter and Alyssa but I only want my granddaughter's happiness and I had all belief that she would be happy with him. I am not saying you to contract them for marriage but be open to the idea. I believe Alice will eventually realise her own choice and ofcourse we will always be open to it" she heard her grandmother spoke up.

"I will keep that in mind, mother. If Alice comes to ask or talk me about it, I won't object" he said calmly after a moment.

Alice quickly went upwards to her room, not wanting to get caught as her grandmother's words played in her head over and over. Was she enamoured over Severus?, her mind was in turmoil and she had to clear her mind.

"I don't want you to talk with Alice about this" Dexter spoke up looking at his mother.

Her mother just smirked "I won't" she didn't have to afterall she knew perfectly well that her granddaughter had indeed been listening to their talk. When she already had heard about it, so why bother her again, she thought amusedly.

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