Early the next morning, Snape strode quickly across the damp grass, heading with his friends toward Greenhouse Three for Herbology.
They rounded the corner of the castle, passed over a small grassy slope, and the greenhouse came into view through the morning mist, its outline faint and hazy.
Snape narrowed his eyes, besides Professor Sprout's signature patched hat, there was another familiar figure standing at the door. A witch in a dark green robe, her back to them, was conversing with the professor.
"What the..." he muttered under his breath.
"What?" Abbott followed his gaze. "Oh, who's that next to Professor Sprout? Did she get an assistant?"
Snape didn't answer. He quickened his pace.
As they drew closer, the figure turned slightly, Eileen, chatting casually with Professor Sprout.
"Your son performs wonderfully in Herbology," said Professor Sprout, her round face beaming with a kind smile. "Apart from the occasional overzealousness that leads to a few... incidents, his grades are nearly perfect."
"Thank you, Pomona," Eileen replied warmly. "I know him too well, if he doesn't cause you trouble, that's already a blessing."
"It's been years since I last saw this place. How nostalgic." She looked around the greenhouse, a wistful light flashing in her eyes. "I remember, back then it was Professor Herbert Beery teaching..."
At that moment, Eileen heard the sound of approaching footsteps and turned around. Her eyes lit up the instant she saw Snape.
"Severus!" she called cheerfully. "Come here."
"Good morning, Professor Sprout." Snape stepped forward, then turned to Eileen. "Mum, why did you arrive early? Wasn't it supposed to be next week?"
"What 'Mum'?" Eileen reached out and straightened Snape's robes, saying, "I told you several times, at school, address me by my title."
"All right then, Respected Assistant Professor," Snape said dryly. "May I ask why Your Excellency arrived ahead of schedule?"
"At home, idleness is still idleness, dear." Eileen nodded with satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Snape's two friends, Abbott and Pandora, who were hurrying to catch up, slightly out of breath. "And these two must be your friends?"
"Oh, yes." Snape glanced back at them, winking. "This is Eileen Snape, Assistant Professor of Herbology, and also my biological mother."
Eileen flicked his forehead. "Mind your manners."
"Good morning, Professor Snape." Abbott bowed politely. "Patrick Abbott. I share a dormitory with Severus."
"Good morning, Mrs. Snape," Pandora said brightly, stepping forward with a graceful bow, her silver-blue earrings swaying softly. "I'm Severus's good friend, Pandora Frouse. Has he mentioned me before?"
"Ah, of course." Eileen hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, warmly grasping Pandora's hand. "He's told me quite a lot about you. For instance, how you and Severus take many classes together and often study side by side. He also said you're a very gifted witch."
Snape rolled his eyes. Over the summer, he'd had no opportunity to tell Eileen about Pandora. She was clearly just saying that because Pandora looked charming, and was lying through her teeth without blinking.
While Eileen held Pandora's hand and chatted away, effectively leaving Snape and Abbott out of the conversation, the other students began to arrive one after another.
Lily and her roommate Mary also came walking up to the greenhouse. Lily's red hair stood out brightly among the crowd.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Snape, and she quickened her steps toward him.
"Good morning, Sev!" Lily said, then immediately noticed Eileen and lowered her voice. "Oh, Mrs. Snape, you've arrived early!"
A fleeting look of surprise, and then something more complicated, crossed Eileen's face. She released Pandora's hand and said to Lily, "Lily, it's been so... so long!"
But Eileen clearly didn't know what to say next. She stood there with her mouth slightly open, giving Lily a somewhat awkward smile.
Snape drew in a sharp breath, Eileen had almost said "so many days since we last met." He had only persuaded her to come to Hogwarts out of precaution, but he hadn't anticipated that her presence would introduce new risks.
Fortunately, Professor Sprout's booming voice cut through the awkward silence.
"Everyone gather up! Class is starting!" She clapped her hands, used a large brass key to unlock the door, and pushed open the wooden entrance to Greenhouse Three. "Come on in."
She and Eileen moved to stand behind a long wooden table at the center.
"Good morning, everyone," said Professor Sprout. "I'm sure you've noticed the lady beside me."
All eyes turned to Eileen.
"Good morning, everyone," Eileen said, taking over. "My name is Eileen... Prince. I'll be serving as your Assistant Professor in Herbology from now on. I hope I can be of help in your studies." For Severus's sake, she had decided not to reveal that she was his mother.
Pandora and Abbott exchanged curious looks at hearing her surname, and Snape made a quick shh gesture at them.
"She's being modest," Professor Sprout added, patting Eileen's shoulder. "Eileen here earned Outstanding marks in both O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. Herbology. I'm sure you'll all learn a great deal from her."
The class politely applauded. Eileen smiled and nodded to them, though Snape noticed her gaze lingered on Pandora and Lily for a few seconds longer than on the others.
"All right, let's get started," Professor Sprout said, waving her wand. A dozen flowerpots floated out from the back of the greenhouse and landed neatly on each group's worktable. "Today we'll be working with the Fanged Geranium, a plant covered in the N.E.W.T. exams, and one of the most dangerous species taught in seventh year."
"The Fanged Geranium looks much like the ordinary variety, but its stamen hides venomous fangs. When it senses a threat, it releases hallucinogenic spores and will attempt to bite anything nearby. Your task today is to safely harvest three leaves, which we'll use to prepare an antidote."
After Eileen explained the safety precautions and distributed protective gloves and face shields, the students began their work.
Snape, Pandora, and Abbott gathered around an especially vigorous Fanged Geranium, the stalk was unusually thick, and its buds were noticeably larger than the others.
"Eileen probably doesn't want people knowing about our relationship," Snape muttered under his breath. "A professor's child studying at the same school... even without favoritism, it doesn't look proper, does it?"
Pandora and Abbott nodded in agreement.
Just then, the Fanged Geranium seemed to sense their presence. Its petals quivered slightly, emitting a soft rustling sound.
"I'll go first," Pandora said excitedly, pulling on her dragon-hide gloves and face shield. "I want to test its reflex speed."
"Be careful," Snape warned, keeping a close eye on her. "Its spores can make you hallucinate for a full hour."
Pandora nodded, reaching out cautiously. Just as her fingers were about to touch the stem, the plant suddenly shuddered violently. From the stamen burst several violet spores, and the bud, bristling with sharp fangs, snapped open and lunged for her wrist,
A flash of silver light burst forth. The opal bracelet on Pandora's wrist instantly expanded into a transparent shield, blocking both spores and fangs. Pandora gasped and stumbled back, straight into Eileen's waiting arms.
"Careful!" Eileen caught her by the shoulders and steadied her. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Pandora said shakily. "Thanks to Severus's bracelet."
Eileen's eyes moved from the bracelet on Pandora's wrist to Snape's face, a flicker of pride and worry mingling in her expression.
"Severus gave that to you?" she asked softly.
"Last Christmas," Pandora said, smiling as she showed Eileen the bracelet. "He said I was always doing dangerous experiments and needed protection."
Eileen nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to the plant, casting a few calming charms with practiced ease.
"This one's unusually sensitive. Every plant has its own temperament," she told Pandora. "When handling Fanged Geraniums, always keep your wand ready, like this..."
Throughout the remainder of class, Snape noticed Eileen paid extra attention to Pandora, almost guiding her hand by hand through the process of leaf collection.
At the same time, whenever Lily encountered difficulty, Eileen would promptly appear beside her, explaining each step with patience. The obvious favoritism left Snape unsure whether to laugh or sigh.
When the lesson ended, students began to leave the greenhouse. Snape packed his materials and was about to follow his friends when Eileen called after him.
"Severus, can you stay a moment? I need help sorting some ingredients."
Snape signaled to Abbott and Pandora to go ahead, then turned to his mother. "What is it?"
Only after the last student left did Eileen lower her voice. "Severus, what's going on between Lily and Pandora?"
"What do you mean, what's going on?" Snape feigned ignorance.
"You know perfectly well what I mean." Eileen narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint there. "You gave Pandora a bracelet, and you were also very close with Lily over the summer. They're both lovely girls, of course."
"I think so too," Snape said innocently. "They're my friends. We just enjoy spending time together, why make things complicated? It's exhausting."
Eileen looked as if she wanted to press further but finally sighed and shook her head. "All right. I won't pry. You make your own decisions. By the way, I haven't brewed any potions in years, could you help me make some Soothing Draughts?"
"Soothing Draughts?" Snape asked. "They calm and ease anxiety and irritation... but they're difficult to make. Why do you need them suddenly?"
"They're for Molly," Eileen explained. "She's pregnant again, probably conceived when we were on holiday in Albania.
"She and Arthur argued about it, they already have three boys, but eventually decided to keep the baby because they really want a daughter."
'"This time, it shouldn't be a boy, right!"' Eileen mimicked Arthur Weasley's tone. "That's what he told her to cheer her up. But she's still feeling anxious."
Snape quickly calculated the timing in his head. July pregnancy, ten months' gestation, that would mean April or May next year... Hmm. Wouldn't that be Fred and George? Looked like the Weasleys' wish for a daughter was about to fail once more.
"No problem, I'll make the Soothing Draughts," he said with a straight face, struggling not to laugh. "Let me know when you need them, I'll get the ingredients ready, or buy them myself."
"But..." Snape paused meaningfully. "I can guarantee one thing, this time, Mrs. Weasley definitely won't be having one boy." He emphasized the word one.
Eileen gave him a puzzled look. "How can you be so sure?"
"Instinct. Maybe our family has a touch of Seer blood," Snape said mysteriously, turning toward the door. "I've got Transfiguration next, I'll be late. See you later, Professor Prince."
He left the greenhouse, where his friends were still waiting nearby.
"Come on," Snape said with a grin. "We'd better hurry, Professor McGonagall hates tardy students."
The day's classes passed quickly. After finishing his Potions essay in the common room, Snape packed his things, left the castle, and headed toward the Forbidden Forest.
Night had completely fallen. Only dim moonlight illuminated the path.
The treetops of the Forbidden Forest looked especially eerie in the moonlight, their twisted branches swaying in the wind, casting shifting shadows.
Ahead, under the trees, two figures stood waiting, one as tall as a small tree, the other barely reaching the giant's knee, Hagrid and Dobby were waiting for Snape at the forest's edge.
Hagrid had his giant crossbow slung over his shoulder, a quiver of bolts at his side, and a pink umbrella tucked at his belt. Dobby was still wearing his old pillowcase.
"Mr. Snape! Dobby is so happy to see you again!" Before Hagrid could speak, Dobby jumped excitedly, his long ears flapping. "Dobby awaits your instructions, sir!"
"Good evening, Dobby," Snape said with a smile, pulling two gold Galleons from his pocket. "Your wages for the week."
"Dobby..." The elf's hands trembled as he accepted them. "Dobby hasn't even started working yet..."
"Take them," Snape said, pressing the coins into his hand. "Buy yourself some new clothes."
Dobby nodded, his eyes misty with emotion.
Hagrid looked at Dobby curiously. "Oh, so you do take wages. I thought that would be... well, an insult to your kind."
"Dobby is different," Snape explained. "You should think of him as one of us."
"Oh, right," Hagrid said awkwardly, his huge hands fidgeting. "Dumbledore said you wanted to go into the forest for detention, oh, no," he quickly corrected himself, "to help me check on the werewolves inside."
"Even though you're a student," Hagrid added, his thick brows furrowing in concern, "Dumbledore says you're brilliant, and I trust Dumbledore."