(parenthetical) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
parenthetical) wrote2008-04-07 12:13 am
parenthetical) wrote2008-04-07 12:13 am
[assorted untitled; snape family drabbles]
Titles: None
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
blindmadness
Fandom/'Verse: Harry Potter; spoilers for HBP.
Characters/Pairing: Tobias Snape, Eileen Prince, and Severus Snape; Tobias/Eileen, in an angsty bad-marriage way.
Rating: PG-13ish?
Summary: A series of drabbles/drabbles-and-a-fraction centering around Severus, Eileen, and Tobias Snape; written to count down to the release of HBP. Canon created bydizmo, peridium and myself, respectively, for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
desperatefans.
Warning: HBP spoilers.
Eileen Prince promised to have and to hold Tobias Snape as her husband, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love him and to cherish him until death did them part. He promised the same to her, the only difference being that he didn't mean a word of it.
Malice drove him to break his vows. Terror drove her to keep hers.
When he slammed her head into the floor and stuffed a pillow in her face, it was the last time he would shatter the bonds of their marriage. The last thing she heard before death did them part was his voice screaming profanities, horrifying insults, dark secrets.
She died with his name on her lips, but it was neither plea nor prayer; it was a curse.
--
The numb silence Severus Snape presented when he was told of his father's death was attributed to grief; after all, he was only seventeen. At such an age, character was solidified; in the delicate stage between childhood and adulthood, the guidance of a parent was needed more than ever. With the two-year loss of his mother still fresh, it was no wonder that he took his new orphan status so hard.
He didn't speak until a week later, at the funeral. Finally faced with his father's body, he stared at it for a few minutes before murmuring "You bastard", the words choked through his sudden tears.
Severus never found out who had murdered his father; that was probably for the best. He would not have been pleased with whoever had relieved him of the pleasure he had been living for since the death of his mother.
--
Severus Snape knew that he would never marry.
It wasn't just knowing that no woman would ever love him...with his lack of good looks (he blamed his father, he would never blame his mother for anything, he had loved her and she would always be perfect in his eyes), his sullen, sarcastic nature (he blamed his father for this, too, he defied anyone to act otherwise after so much time in only his presence), and his avoidant tendencies (this he blamed his father for most of all, it was impossible to enjoy human contact after meeting Tobias Snape, so he fiercely avoided it), it was hardly a mystery as to why.
It was because of the terrible mockery of marriage he had seen his parents lead, what it had done to his mother, the terrible price they both had paid for the presence of his father in their lives.
Severus Snape didn't know what his father had been before, but he had seen what marriage had encouraged him to become, and he vowed to never let it happen to him.
--
When Eileen told Tobias she was pregnant, it was the first time since their wedding that he had looked at her with a smile in his eyes. It would be the last.
When they found out it would be a boy, Tobias wanted the child to have his name. But Eileen insisted on naming him for her beloved father; she absolutely would not be moved. Tobias had to give in, but he hated her for it. It was the first time she had put her foot down and overruled him. It would be the last.
When Severus was born, Tobias immediately and without real reason found himself hating the child. Eileen, though, knew right away that she would grow to love him more than anything. Their marriage had never been perfect, but the coming of their son was the beginning of the permanent wedge between them.
It was their first child. It would be their last.
--
At the age of seven, Severus -- who had always been a precocious child -- noticed that whenever his father had a lot to drink from the oddly shaped bottles stored in the basement, he would become crueler than usual. His voice would get louder, his movements more violent, and he would strike his terrified wife even harder. Desperate to help his mother and save his father from whatever substance was in the bottles, Severus broke them all while cleaning the basement one day.
Tobias's rage had never been fiercer. It was the first time he'd struck his son; among other injuries, he'd broken Severus's arm so badly, Eileen had had to sneak him to St. Mungo's to have it properly set.
After that, Severus learned to hide, to stay away, to mind his own business. And most of all, he learned to hate his father.
--
Eileen knew she was weak; Tobias had beat the knowledge into her long before she had even felt the presence of his child inside her.
Back when she had thought there might be hope for them still, she had tried everything she could to bring out the good in Tobias. She had tried gentleness, patience, understanding, calm reason; they only seemed to irritate him into further harshness. When her supply of the above had run out, she tried anger and ferocity, though they didn't suit her; when all they served to do was inflame his rage beyond what it had ever been before.
Eileen knew she couldn't stop Tobias from hurting her. That wasn't her weakness. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t stop him from hurting Severus, her beloved son. It was every mother's fear brought out beyond what any normal person could bear. And she hated herself for being unable to perform that sacred duty of motherhood, for being unable to protect her child.
--
No one ever knew the truth about Tobias Snape.
His eulogy was a civil, respectful one; it was clear that everyone who attended his funeral cultivated the same image of him. Everyone was saddened to hear of his passing, to lose an upstanding citizen, polite man, and contributing member of society.
Only two people held the truth about Tobias Snape in their bruised bodies and scarred hearts and minds. His wife and his son. The secret died with the former; it lived in the other, spawning a fierce determination to never allow himself to become like the father he hated.
--
As a child, Severus Snape feared his father. He did what he could to hide away, to avoid his rages and his harsh criticisms; deep down, though, he still craved for his father's approval, his love. He was young...he could wish for nothing else.
As a teenager, Severus hated his father. He did everything in his power to stay away from him, to train his personality as far away from Tobias's as possible. He had never been able to prove that Tobias killed Eileen, much to his fury...then Tobias had had the poor sense to get himself killed before Severus had a chance to. It was the final act that Severus couldn't forgive.
As an adult, Severus still awoke in the middle of the night with fear and cold fury clawing at his throat...fury that his father had made him into who he was today, and fear that it wasn't too late to become Tobias.
--
The voices of the dead haunted Severus Snape.
"Stupid woman!"
"Tobias, don't -- "
"Christ, what a bloody useless -- "
"Tobias, please..."
"That's right, beg, beg like the street bitch you are, where's your magic now? Come on, Eileen, why don't you fight back?"
"Tobias -- "
"You've got no pride, woman, you make me sick!"
"Father, stop it -- "
"You shut up, idiot child!"
"Don't touch him, Tobias!"
"Are you offering yourself up instead of him? Should've known that's something you'd do, bloody fool -- "
"Tobias -- "
"Worthless whore!"
There were crashes, and the shattering of glass, and the sound of fists hitting flesh. There were tears and the colour of blood, and there was the scent of death.
--
Severus stared at his father's body, laid out to rest in its finely made coffin. He viewed the expensively carved casket with bitterness; it was pure Tobias to have spent so much on his own final resting place. (Eileen had been cremated; her husband had refused to allow a coffin or even a funeral, knowing he would have to pay.) Perhaps it had been his imagination, but Severus could have sworn that Tobias had died with a faint smirk on his features, making them look as arrogant in death as they had in life.
It took him a while to form words; when they came, they were honest and emphatic, truer than any eulogy. "You bastard," Severus hissed softly; he would have liked to spit, but his mouth was suddenly dry as his eyes filled with tears.
His tears were only those of remorse -- regret that his father was dead, and that it was not by his hand.
--
Tobias Snape was dead. Of this Severus was certain.
Still, even as an adult, he would feel Tobias's judgement hanging over his head. Every decision he undertook, every mistake he'd made, every little action of which he was less than proud...even as he thought of his mother, tried to fill himself with her love and praise, he would always hear the sneering contempt of his father in his mind, taunting him, hurling abuse at him, telling him how worthless he was.
And even as an adult, he would find himself seized by the irrational fear that Tobias would someday return.
--
Severus Snape wished he could forget his father. A few of the children in his year had never even known their fathers; privately, he thought that they didn't realize how lucky they were. He would never want to forget his mother; she had taught him how to brew potions, the skill that had become his refuge from the world. He loved her.
But he would have given anything to never to have known his father…for him and his mother to have lived without all the pain he had brought into their lives.
That was impossible, though. There was no way. So Severus called himself the Half-Blood Prince and did his best to forget the existence of Tobias Snape.
Author:
blindmadnessFandom/'Verse: Harry Potter; spoilers for HBP.
Characters/Pairing: Tobias Snape, Eileen Prince, and Severus Snape; Tobias/Eileen, in an angsty bad-marriage way.
Rating: PG-13ish?
Summary: A series of drabbles/drabbles-and-a-fraction centering around Severus, Eileen, and Tobias Snape; written to count down to the release of HBP. Canon created by
dizmo, peridium and myself, respectively, for desperatefans.Warning: HBP spoilers.
Eileen Prince promised to have and to hold Tobias Snape as her husband, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love him and to cherish him until death did them part. He promised the same to her, the only difference being that he didn't mean a word of it.
Malice drove him to break his vows. Terror drove her to keep hers.
When he slammed her head into the floor and stuffed a pillow in her face, it was the last time he would shatter the bonds of their marriage. The last thing she heard before death did them part was his voice screaming profanities, horrifying insults, dark secrets.
She died with his name on her lips, but it was neither plea nor prayer; it was a curse.
The numb silence Severus Snape presented when he was told of his father's death was attributed to grief; after all, he was only seventeen. At such an age, character was solidified; in the delicate stage between childhood and adulthood, the guidance of a parent was needed more than ever. With the two-year loss of his mother still fresh, it was no wonder that he took his new orphan status so hard.
He didn't speak until a week later, at the funeral. Finally faced with his father's body, he stared at it for a few minutes before murmuring "You bastard", the words choked through his sudden tears.
Severus never found out who had murdered his father; that was probably for the best. He would not have been pleased with whoever had relieved him of the pleasure he had been living for since the death of his mother.
Severus Snape knew that he would never marry.
It wasn't just knowing that no woman would ever love him...with his lack of good looks (he blamed his father, he would never blame his mother for anything, he had loved her and she would always be perfect in his eyes), his sullen, sarcastic nature (he blamed his father for this, too, he defied anyone to act otherwise after so much time in only his presence), and his avoidant tendencies (this he blamed his father for most of all, it was impossible to enjoy human contact after meeting Tobias Snape, so he fiercely avoided it), it was hardly a mystery as to why.
It was because of the terrible mockery of marriage he had seen his parents lead, what it had done to his mother, the terrible price they both had paid for the presence of his father in their lives.
Severus Snape didn't know what his father had been before, but he had seen what marriage had encouraged him to become, and he vowed to never let it happen to him.
When Eileen told Tobias she was pregnant, it was the first time since their wedding that he had looked at her with a smile in his eyes. It would be the last.
When they found out it would be a boy, Tobias wanted the child to have his name. But Eileen insisted on naming him for her beloved father; she absolutely would not be moved. Tobias had to give in, but he hated her for it. It was the first time she had put her foot down and overruled him. It would be the last.
When Severus was born, Tobias immediately and without real reason found himself hating the child. Eileen, though, knew right away that she would grow to love him more than anything. Their marriage had never been perfect, but the coming of their son was the beginning of the permanent wedge between them.
It was their first child. It would be their last.
At the age of seven, Severus -- who had always been a precocious child -- noticed that whenever his father had a lot to drink from the oddly shaped bottles stored in the basement, he would become crueler than usual. His voice would get louder, his movements more violent, and he would strike his terrified wife even harder. Desperate to help his mother and save his father from whatever substance was in the bottles, Severus broke them all while cleaning the basement one day.
Tobias's rage had never been fiercer. It was the first time he'd struck his son; among other injuries, he'd broken Severus's arm so badly, Eileen had had to sneak him to St. Mungo's to have it properly set.
After that, Severus learned to hide, to stay away, to mind his own business. And most of all, he learned to hate his father.
Eileen knew she was weak; Tobias had beat the knowledge into her long before she had even felt the presence of his child inside her.
Back when she had thought there might be hope for them still, she had tried everything she could to bring out the good in Tobias. She had tried gentleness, patience, understanding, calm reason; they only seemed to irritate him into further harshness. When her supply of the above had run out, she tried anger and ferocity, though they didn't suit her; when all they served to do was inflame his rage beyond what it had ever been before.
Eileen knew she couldn't stop Tobias from hurting her. That wasn't her weakness. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t stop him from hurting Severus, her beloved son. It was every mother's fear brought out beyond what any normal person could bear. And she hated herself for being unable to perform that sacred duty of motherhood, for being unable to protect her child.
No one ever knew the truth about Tobias Snape.
His eulogy was a civil, respectful one; it was clear that everyone who attended his funeral cultivated the same image of him. Everyone was saddened to hear of his passing, to lose an upstanding citizen, polite man, and contributing member of society.
Only two people held the truth about Tobias Snape in their bruised bodies and scarred hearts and minds. His wife and his son. The secret died with the former; it lived in the other, spawning a fierce determination to never allow himself to become like the father he hated.
As a child, Severus Snape feared his father. He did what he could to hide away, to avoid his rages and his harsh criticisms; deep down, though, he still craved for his father's approval, his love. He was young...he could wish for nothing else.
As a teenager, Severus hated his father. He did everything in his power to stay away from him, to train his personality as far away from Tobias's as possible. He had never been able to prove that Tobias killed Eileen, much to his fury...then Tobias had had the poor sense to get himself killed before Severus had a chance to. It was the final act that Severus couldn't forgive.
As an adult, Severus still awoke in the middle of the night with fear and cold fury clawing at his throat...fury that his father had made him into who he was today, and fear that it wasn't too late to become Tobias.
The voices of the dead haunted Severus Snape.
"Stupid woman!"
"Tobias, don't -- "
"Christ, what a bloody useless -- "
"Tobias, please..."
"That's right, beg, beg like the street bitch you are, where's your magic now? Come on, Eileen, why don't you fight back?"
"Tobias -- "
"You've got no pride, woman, you make me sick!"
"Father, stop it -- "
"You shut up, idiot child!"
"Don't touch him, Tobias!"
"Are you offering yourself up instead of him? Should've known that's something you'd do, bloody fool -- "
"Tobias -- "
"Worthless whore!"
There were crashes, and the shattering of glass, and the sound of fists hitting flesh. There were tears and the colour of blood, and there was the scent of death.
Severus stared at his father's body, laid out to rest in its finely made coffin. He viewed the expensively carved casket with bitterness; it was pure Tobias to have spent so much on his own final resting place. (Eileen had been cremated; her husband had refused to allow a coffin or even a funeral, knowing he would have to pay.) Perhaps it had been his imagination, but Severus could have sworn that Tobias had died with a faint smirk on his features, making them look as arrogant in death as they had in life.
It took him a while to form words; when they came, they were honest and emphatic, truer than any eulogy. "You bastard," Severus hissed softly; he would have liked to spit, but his mouth was suddenly dry as his eyes filled with tears.
His tears were only those of remorse -- regret that his father was dead, and that it was not by his hand.
Tobias Snape was dead. Of this Severus was certain.
Still, even as an adult, he would feel Tobias's judgement hanging over his head. Every decision he undertook, every mistake he'd made, every little action of which he was less than proud...even as he thought of his mother, tried to fill himself with her love and praise, he would always hear the sneering contempt of his father in his mind, taunting him, hurling abuse at him, telling him how worthless he was.
And even as an adult, he would find himself seized by the irrational fear that Tobias would someday return.
Severus Snape wished he could forget his father. A few of the children in his year had never even known their fathers; privately, he thought that they didn't realize how lucky they were. He would never want to forget his mother; she had taught him how to brew potions, the skill that had become his refuge from the world. He loved her.
But he would have given anything to never to have known his father…for him and his mother to have lived without all the pain he had brought into their lives.
That was impossible, though. There was no way. So Severus called himself the Half-Blood Prince and did his best to forget the existence of Tobias Snape.