Eileen Prince

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured inHarry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Eileen Snape (néePrince) (born c.1930) was awitch, wife to theMuggleTobias Snape and mother toSeverus Snape.^[7]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Eileen was born into thewizardingPrince family^[7] inGreat Britain, likely around 1930.^[1]

She likely began attendingHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry around 1941.^[1] While at school, Eileen was captain of theschool Gobstones team during her fifth year.^[4] She was concurrently the President of theHogwarts Gobstone Club.^[5]

Adulthood[]

After graduating, Eileen met theMuggleTobias Snape and married him.^[7] They moved into a terraced house inCokeworth on a street calledSpinner's End. It was close to the mill and near a nasty-smelling, polluted river.^[8]

On9 January1960, she gave birth to a son,Severus Snape.^[7] Severus's childhood was plagued by the tumultuous, explosive atmosphere in the home, with his parents often fighting.^[6] Tobias would shout at Eileen and may have been physically abusive as well.

The couple either neglected Severus, were too poor to care for him well, or both. His clothes were mismatched and did not fit properly. When he began his first year of school at Hogwarts, he changed into his uniform quickly after getting onto theHogwarts Express, apparently glad to be rid of his Muggle clothes. Despite this, Severus was already talented with magic before he received hisHogwarts letter in1971.^[9]

On1 September1971, Eileen accompanied Severus toPlatform Nine and Three-Quarters atKing's Cross Station and watched him leave on theHogwarts Express. Whatever Eileen's thoughts on the matter were, Severus was exhilarated to leave for Hogwarts.^[8]

Physical description[]

At age fifteen, Eileen was skinny and unattractive, looking simultaneously cross and sullen. She had heavy brows and a long, pallid face.^[4] By 1971, not much had changed: Eileen was thin, hunched, sour-faced and sallow.^[8]

Etymology[]

"Eileen" is from Celtic, English and Irish roots and has a long-standing history in each culture. In Irish, it is known as a variation of "Helen". It became a more popular name in the 19th century. It is rumoured to have roots in Latin, American, French and Greek cultures, however, such claims are not backed up with much evidence. Another variation of this name is Eileene which is most commonly used in Ireland.

Other versions ofEileen; "Aileen" (Scottish), "Eibhlin" (the original source for the name), "Eila" (Celtic variant of both "Eileen" and "Aileen"), "Eireen" (Norwegian variant of "Irene" or "Eileen"), "Eleanor" (a similarly-rooted name to "Eileen" in Irish).

Eileen's maiden name wasPrince.Prince is a general term for a monarch or a member of a monarch's family, and is a hereditary title of some European royalty, likely alluding to the aristocratic status of pure-blood families in thewizarding world. The word is derived from the Latinprinceps, meaning "a prime", which was one of the titles of the Roman Emperor, in which case it was generally translated as "First Citizen".The Prince is also the title of a famous political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli; an interesting point considering that the adjective derived from the author's surname,Machiavellian, is defined as "attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming and unscrupulous methods", which may allude to the ideal traits ofSlytherin house.^[10]

Magical abilities and skills[]

• Gobstones: Eileen was a skilled Gobstones player, having been named captain of theteam chosen to representher school.

Behind the scenes[]

• Eileen's decision to marry Tobias may have resulted in her being disowned by her family — similar toAndromeda Tonks, who was disowned by her family after she marrieda Muggle-born man.
• Despite his upbringing, Severus was already talented with magic before he received hisHogwarts letter in1971.^[11] It is possible that Eileen taught him these spells or that he taught himself from books she owned.
• It is unknown what happened to Eileen after her son began Hogwarts. By1996, Severus had taken over the house at Spinner's End.^[12] She might have died, or perhaps she had moved out of her marital home at some point in the twenty-four years since. At Hogwarts, her son Severus used her surname and his blood status to make his nickname of "the Half-Blood Prince".

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(First appearance)(Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(First identified as Eileen Prince)(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(Mentioned only)
• Pottermore(Mentioned only)
• HarryPotter.com(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened(Mentioned inHistory of Magic classes)

Notes and references[]

Hogwarts Gobstone Club
President
Eileen Prince (1940s)
Members
Winky Crockett ·Marcus Fenwick ·Mabel Gurnhart (Assistant Head) ·Curt Hanger ·Jenna Hexsmith ·Jo King ·Liza Loonifellow ·Miraphora Mina ·Andrew Snowy Owl ·Toad Toazer ·Ruth Winikus ·Gryffindor boy