#eileen prince headcanons

[nightingale2004]

Severus's life if Tobias was an actual decent father and husband headcanons

When he finds out that Eileen and Severus are wizards, he takes a minute to take in the information (i feel like he is more the religious type) and even goes to church.

At first, he was angry that his own wife would hide that from him, but after much time and talking with a reasonable, open-minded, understanding priest, he went home and he and Eileen had a long talk.

He is a hard worker at the factory. He goes to work early but comes home late, and Eileen always makes him breakfast, lunch, and dinner and barely drinks but still drinks every now and then.

After Eileen told Tobias everything, he told her to educate him on the Wizarding world so he could have a better grasp of it.

After Tobias was educated on the Wizarding world, he did not like how relationships like his and Eileen's were looked down upon, which made him worried for Severus, especially when he got accepted into Hogwarts.

Severus still wears hand me downs but he does get some new clothes since they don't have a lot of money.

Tobias would be that husband and father that would glare or yell at someone who gave them looks or said/whispered something about them.

Tobias would not be afraid to fight somebody, magic or not. (YOU DO NOT MESS WITH THIS MAN'S FAMILY)

Whenever Severus comes back and he is acting different, he notices. He knows what being bullied looks like, and he talks with Severus about it

Tobias teaches Severus how to defend himself and shows him a couple of moves he learned in the military (the man obviously served)

Eileen would be more involved in Severus's life instead of being afraid.

When the "prank" happened, they immediately found out and gave Dumbledore h3ll for this. And they immediately pull Severus from hogwarts (but not before Tobias is about to give the marauders an old school a$$-whooping)

Eileen and Tobias transferred him to Durmstrang, where they kept a close eye on him (they are helicopter parents now, and u can't tell me otherwise)

Severus obviously noticed the struggle that his parents were facing, not just prejudice but the money struggle. So, growing up, he would always help his mom around the house, help cook and clean, and even sell some potions here and there. (He sells his potions to Tobias's work buddies)

Severus gives his dad potions to help his health and even casts a few spells on him to help him at work (Tobias even after all these years is still not used to it but is impressed by his son's brain)

When Severus graduated, a lot of potion masters wanted him, but he knew he couldn't afford it. So his parents both worked to scrounge him enough money to pay for his apprenticeship (severus helped, he's not letting his parents do all the work)

Severus's summer job as a teenager was helping out at either his father's factory or working at a bar

When Severus came out that he liked both girls and boys, both his parents weren't surprised. They found out a looooong time ago and had their time to process it. And they learned to accept him and his Sexuality in their own way.

Severus is a potion master, has his own apothecary, and his parents couldn't be prouder. He also has a medical and chemist degree. (So if anyone needs a doctor, he's your guy)

When Eileen passed away, Tobias was distant from Severus, but eventually, he learned to be close with his own son again for his wife's sake.

Tobias and severus visit Eileen's grave every year on her birthday.

After Tobias passed, Severus visits their grave in his free time just to talk to them and tell them about his life.

Severus is happier, calmer, and less depressed but still our favorite Sarcastic sharptounged Slytherin

He wouldn't join the deatheaters unless they threatened his parents. He would protect them with his life

Hope you guys love this little headcanons. Enjoy

[souryam]

sad hc of the night: when severus was around 5 or 6, tobias broke eileen's wand and she never got the chance to buy another for herself.

[honora-antares]

Severus Snape Headcanons for my upcoming Fanfic!

Uses Muggle supplies

For studying & note taking in class because they're cheaper than Wizarding supplies.

Ex: spiral notebooks, wooden pencils, pens

Only ever uses his parchment and ink quills when doing class work and essays that need to be turned in.

Professor Flitwick noticed and charmed his pen so that the ink will last until the school year ends.

"Best to not tell" is all he said when he did before awarding him 10 points for his cleverness and resourcefulness.

Is Actually Left Handed

But because Tobias deemed it another "freakish" trait from his mother, broke his fingers every time he caught him writing, forcing him to use his right hand, therefore making him ambidextrous.

Reason why his school work is immaculate and his notes are a complete mess. because even though his left hand has a slight tremor, he still uses it in the comfort of his own privacy.

His Mother is Jewish so He Knows a Bit of Hebrew

When he's in Potions or any other class that require numbers, he only ever counts in the language under his breath.

The Marauders (not Remus) think his mumblings are incantations of Dark Magic spells because of course they do.

He Was a Late Bloomer

Meaning his first growth spurt happened during the summer between 4th and 5th year.

His voice changed to a deep throaty tone that everyone immediately pointed out. Both Severus and Eileen mastered honey-lime tea.

He refused to speak for almost half of first term & only relented when Regulus told him how his voice is perfect for Reading Nights. Especially if he's reading in Hebrew.

(the Slytherins have a short of "poetry night" which I find kinda cute)

He Steals the Library's Candles

Madam Pince is convinced its the Marauders so she has made countless complaints to Headmaster Dumbledore, but he just lets it be. Claiming how wonderful it is that students are working so hard into the night on their studies that they need the extra light.

Only that Severus uses the candles to coat and seal his more expensive and/or important potion ingredients since their wax is of more higher quality and its charmed to last longer than regular candles.

I've only posted a brief Prologue of sorts but feel free to check it out! ✌🏽

And if you like a bit of Snirius too, chapter 8 for To Take Your Name is currently being edited 😉

[automaticcroissantbatsludge]

What if Eileen was a muggleborn and not Slytherin?

We assumed Eileen Prince was a pureblood witch who was cast out of her family, but we have only heard words from Hermione and Harry to prove that.

Hermione believed that the Prince was from a wizarding family, but she couldn't find any magical Prince except Eileen. There was no Prince in the Black family tree; even Black was related to nearly every wizarding family, including the Weasleys. Harry called Eileen pureblood, but he just wanted to compare Snape to Voldemort. We have announcements about her wedding, but newspapers in the 1950s were like social media; they even have announcements about who comes back from vacation; you don't need to be famous to be in them, and if Eileen was rich and pureblood, why didn't they mention it? It might be more spicy.

We also assumed she was Slytherin because Snape wanted to be one, but Eileen was distant toward her son, and Snape didn't say he wanted to be Slytherin like his mother; he might just want to be Slytherin like Merlin, just like Hermione, who wanted to be in Gryffindor like Dumbledore.

Why did Snape become a deatheater then?

Snape didn't have a good relationship with his parents.

He was raised in the muggle world and was ignorant about how bad Voldy was.

He was in Slytherin, and his housemates lied to him and said that Voldy was a great wizard.

His housemates were decent to him; they didn't hex him, humiliate him, or trick him into being a werewolf victim like the Light Wizard did.

4 He heard rumors about the bad things Deatheater did, but he didn't believe them because he was also the victim of a makeup rumor.

5  Voldy even wanted Lily, who was muggleborn, to join him. He could make an exception for Muggleborn, who was very talented. Why didn't he do the same for Snape?

 It depends how you take defying, doesn't it. I mean, if you're counting, which I do, anytime you arrested one of his henchmen, anytime you escaped him, anytime you thwarted him, that's what he's looking for. And both couples qualified because they were both fighting. Also, James and Lily turned him down, that was established in "Philosopher's Stone". He wanted them, and they wouldn't come over, so that's one strike against them before they were even out of their teens.

Interview from Jk

[sideprince]

What are your thoughts on Snape's parents/childhood/upbringing ?

Sorry it's taken me ages to get to this ask! I wrote a meta post about Eileen Prince recently ("recently." It sat in my drafts for about a month as I whittled away at it) but I can go off a bit on Tobias and the kind of home a young Severus might have lived in, though it'll be a bit of a messier convergence of meta and headcannon, probably.

The tl;dr of the Eileen meta post is that I think she may have come from a family with reasonable wealth and reputation, and ended up stuck with Tobias as the result of an accidental out of wedlock pregnancy that led her family to disown her. @vulnus-sanare left one of my favorite comments on that post, which I'm just going to quote in full:

"It is hard to not think that Severus may have been the outcome of an unwanted pregnancy. It is harder to believe that "love" was ever in the foundation of the Snape family. My theory is that Eileen and Tobias had a fling, it had consequences, the Princes disowned Eileen for getting impregnated by a Muggle, and Tobias was forced to marry her out ... Patriarchal honor. However, the first time Eileen and Tobias had a violent argument, Eileen threatened him with her wand for defense. He didn't sleep at home that night. The next morning, Eileen found her wand split into two unsalvageable pieces on her bedside table. Tobias was home. And there would be no more magic."

My personal take is that we see clear statements in the books that depression can sap a witch/wizard of their powers (Merope Gaunt), and also that existing powers can't be suppressed, they'll find a way to come out and with terrible consequences if bottled up for too long (Ariana Dumbledore, and basically every underage wizard). Because of this, my own interpretation is that Eileen probably lost much of her powers due to despair. We see Severus in a memory shooting down flies with his wand alone in his room as a teen, and that casual use of magic makes me think that the Ministry still had magical activity registered at that residence on Eileen's account, otherwise Severus would have had to deal with the repercussions of violating the Statute of Secrecy and, if that was the case, he certainly wouldn't have used his wand and done magic so nonchalantly. Eileen's magic would have been too weak to stand up to Tobias, but still enough to warrant the Ministry thinking there was an active witch at their house.

Nevertheless, I love the idea that Tobias split her wand! It's a striking and complex statement on what that relationship might have looked like. Tobias must have been insecure (secure people don't tend to abuse their loved ones). Eileen had power over him that he would never be able to match. Even so, every person with power has a vulnerability - for any wizard it would be that their power must be channeled through a wand to be effective. A wand which, despite the power of the witch or wizards who wields it, can easily be snapped in two. What might its core have been? Would Tobias have been surprised to find it wasn't merely a stick carved on a lathe, that there was something running through its center that he couldn't identify? I love the irony of such a mundane, muggle act stopping the power of magic in its tracks. And, after all, if Eileen had no money of her own and she and Tobias had little to live on, she wouldn't have been able to buy a new wand. Or perhaps she eventually did, but her powers remained weak (or perhaps she bought a cheaper wand she could afford, maybe even secondhand, and it never worked as well as her own had). As for her magic struggling to get out without a proper way to channel it, perhaps her wand's destruction may have been the final straw for her spirit, which broke as a result of her isolation from her family and her world, and her being tethered to such a man.

As for Tobias, I think that while he may have had a proclivity towards abuse, it didn't truly come out until sometime after Severus' birth. I think he was always working class, and possibly fought in WWII like every man of his generation, but that the crippling poverty of the family was brought on by some kind of workplace accident that left him unable to work and dependent on welfare. Eileen wouldn't have worked, having few skills and weak magic, but back in the 60s many working class families only had one breadwinner. There are signs that Severus was both poor and also neglected, particularly his ill fitting, mismatched, hand-me-down clothes that no one even attempted to sew to size for him (let alone use magic to do so). Eileen would have made sure Severus was out of the house as much as possible, if Tobias was home most of of the time, and tried to take the brunt of Tobias' anger when possible. Severus wouldn't have understood this for a long time, and would have felt rejected and isolated as a result.

As Severus grew older, got a wand, and expanded his knowledge of magic, he would have stood up to Tobias more in the weeks he was home from school. He wouldn't have trusted his father, and would have eventually realized that their power balance had shifted. I think there may be a parallel with Voldemort there, too: as Dumbledore says, all tyrants fear that one day someone will rise up against them. I think perhaps Severus felt more able to be that person and undermine Voldemort, because he had already done so with his own father. He had learnt, firsthand, that terrifying people, people who intimidate with violence and brutality, are not infallible. It makes sense for his character: throughout his school years we see Severus reject his bullies and fight back against them, even though they attack him four against one.

As for his own experience of growing up in that small house on Spinner's End, I think Severus must have been a lonely child. We see the way he feels the need to pick his moment when first meeting Lily; he doesn't have the confidence of a child who's been able to spend much time playing with others. His parents fought a lot, and if his mother tried to protect him, he would have spent a lot of time alone in his room listening to them do so. We see him as a teen shooting down flies with his wand, in a dark room, alone. I think his world at home was small and often painful. Like many children of abuse, he wouldn't even have been aware how much pain he was in, or how constant it was, it was just a part of his internal wallpaper. I don't imagine he had much of a relationship with his dad, though the need for approval from him would have been buried in him somewhere. Perhaps, as he grew older, his relationship with his mother grew more complex and there was a bond.

My own headcanon is that Tobias, a middle aged, disabled, working class man on the dole, wouldn't have survived austerity under Thatcher. I like to think that Severus, living on a teacher's salary in a prestigious school and not needing much beyond the room and board that his job provides, would have used his savings to take care of a widowed Eileen. Perhaps he visited her once or twice a year. They were never sentimental, and talked very little. They would have a cup of tea and a game of chess, or maybe even Gobstones. When Voldemort returned, Severus would have made sure that, if he should die, Eileen would be taken care of. He would not have been able to leave her a letter or any kind of explanation, for fear of it being found. She would have been proud to learn he had been appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts, though he would not have taken pride in it, knowing it was a tactical appointment, and not an earned one. She would have been prouder still, maybe, to learn of his heroism after his death.

[cassiaallen]

I have had this in my notes forever, and since I’m not sure if I’ll ever turn this into a fanfic, I thought I’d post it here.

A lot of this is my own version of canon, but it’s also partly inspired by wonderful accounts such as @halfblood-princes-crown, @moonlightdancer26 and more.

Hope you enjoy!

Severus Snape’s Death Eater Journey

-Eileen married Tobias because she was the eldest of her siblings and thus the "heir" and hated it

-she was in Gryffindor (hat stall, almost in Slytherin)

-Tobias was a misogynistic wife-beater and child abuser

-he hated magic

-he didn’t like feeling his wife was superior to him

-he beat his wife to "get the magic out of her" and when that didn’t work, he did the same to his son

-Severus started to resent T when he was about 5

-his first bit of magic showed during a time when he was defending himself against his father

-he started thinking "are all muggles this bad?", but slightly changed that view whenever he spoke to his muggle neighbours and the Evans family

-Sev is excited to go to Hogwarts as he thinks he can finally escape his family’s tormenting

-he latches onto Lily as she’s A) magical (and thus, an "outsider" like him) and B) a complete contrast to everything he had ever known

-encounter in the train 01.09.1971

-at first, he brushes it off

-Lily being Sorted into Gryffindor upsets him mainly because it reminds him of his miserable home life (Gryffindor as a symbol of badness)

-first week of school, J&S play a prank on Sev

-they find his reaction funny, play some more pranks on him during the next few months and decide to make him their main target

-part of J&S detentions are the result of Sev telling prefect Lucius (this in turn contributes to their hatred of Sev and Slytherin)

-the pranks are physically harmless at first, "just" humiliating

-Sev throws himself into his studies, becoming a very skilled wizard

-in year 2/3, the "pranks" become more and more physically violent

-in year 4, Sev accidentally hexes an OC as he believes them to be one of the marauders (he just saw someone coming in his direction from the corner of his eye)

-he apologises and takes the OC to the hospital wing

-the only people that somewhat listen to him when it comes to the M are Slytherins

-he is not close to any of them though

-he starts hanging out with Avery and Mulciber

-he’s happy to be somewhat included, so he doesn’t openly criticise their anti-muggleborn views

-despite his friendship with Lily, Sev associates the Light™️ with his oppressors

-he begins to learn more about the Dark Arts to fight back (he focuses on the opposite of what his bullies stand for)

-he hears slurs in his common room all the time and often they refer to his bullies (which is largely why he calls Lily that)

-he never says the slur out loud, only in his head/under his breath

-one time Sev and Mulciber bitch about the Gryffindors/his bullies in particular and Sev calls Remus + Peter the slur under his breath (he wants to get back at them for all the pain they’ve caused him by supporting J&S)

-Sev says he dislikes an OC as much as the M, which leads to people believing he calls everyone of Lily’s birth the slur

-January 1976 Werewolf Incident

-February 1976 Mulciber tries doing something to Mary MacDonald ("They don’t use Dark Magic though.")

-Sev's anger and bitterness increases as Dumbledore forces him to keep quiet about the WI

-May/June 1976 Lake Incident (+ failed apology)

-Sev comes home that summer to find out his father had (accidentally) killed his mother ("She fell down the stairs.")

-the summer holidays are awful as A) Sev misses his mum and B) his father now takes all his anger out on him

-he spends as much time outside as possible

-he spends some time on the playground where he first saw Lily

-he writes her a letter, delivers it personally, and Lily’s parents promise to give it to her (she never responds)

-year 6 is the worst bullying ever, as J&S A) realise Sev no longer has Lily’s support and B) Sirius’s disowning fuelled their anger at Slytherins

-Lily pointedly ignores him

-Sev's only safe haven is the Dark Arts, but he is also hesitant as this is what drove Lily (=the Light) away

-due to the increased bullying that year, Sev ends up in the hospital wing every other week

-summer 1977 is when he starts getting caught in the loop of "I want power to protect myself from my pain (J&S, Gryffindor, everything they represent)" and "but I don’t want to commit evil acts (Cruciatus Curse etc)"

-through spies at Hogwarts (Lucius?) Voldemort finds out about a skilled and vulnerable Sev and starts preying on him

-he is on the fence, but when he finds out Lily is dating James (his tormentor) in 1978, that tips him over the edge

-his motivation for joining the DE is revenge for the pain the light side caused him (the M bullying, Dumbledore covering it all up, Lily "betraying" him by joining his tormentors), gaining power to protect himself against future attacks, and to protect Lily from "their clutches"

-he comes home that summer to find out his father died in a car accident (he was driving while drunk), so he owns the Spinner’s End house

-he receives the Dark Mark a few months after graduation September 1978

-Voldemort instructs Sev to use his home to make potions for the DE

-he occasionally takes part in battles, but during his first year, his main job is brewing potions

-while spending so much time at home, he goes through his old belongings and discovers things from his friendship with Lily

-guilt starts to manifest, but the DE are the first people who value him and his skills and don’t make fun of him, so he ignores their pure-blood ideology even though he doesn’t believe in it himself

-in 1979/1980 Voldemort starts using Sev as a spy as he recognises his talent for it during previous battles

-15.05.1980 the Prophecy

-August 1980 Voldemort decides to go after the Potters and guilt hits Sev in the face so hard he can barely breathe

-"well, I don’t care about Potter, but I can’t leave Lily dead or unhappy"

-asking Voldemort to spare her (had he asked for the whole family, it would have been suspicious)

-asking Dumbledore to spare all ("Anything.")

-starts teaching at Hogwarts (V believes it is to spy on D but it’s actually the opposite)

-Halloween 1981

-guilt and grief times ♾

-"Always."

[headcanonandburn]

The Prince Family

The Noble and Ancestral Prince Family is very old, its origins are even more distant than those of the Black family or those of the Potter family, they date back even centuries before the creation of Hogwarts and it is considered the oldest English wizarding family. currently existing.

They were rulers for centuries in the Middle Ages, they were kings before the British Muggle crown appeared and had been in power until the witch hunts began causing them to join the rest of the wizards to protect wizarding society.

The Princes, formerly called Beckett, changed their last name to remember where their lineage came from and show that one day they had been kings, queens, princes and princesses, but above all the titles they were wizards and witches who protected magic when it was needed most.

According to some sources, the idea of ​​creating the Statute of Magical Secrecy was given by a member of the Prince family at the time, Egan Beckett, who convinced the Supreme Head of the International Confederation of Magicians to make known the probability of the clandestinity of magic and with this it led to weeks of discussions between the countries, which finally accepted the creation of the institution and with it came the end of the witch hunt.

[picklesonjupiter]

Reasons why Eileen might've married Tobias (headcanons)

Eileen was a teen when she met Tobias and she got pregnant, so she was forced to marry him.

Eileen ran away from her family and found the first man who showed interest in her and decided he was the best choice to get away from her family.

Tobias was charming and said all the right things to make her fall in love. She didn't notice the red flags because she was too in love with him.

Eileen met Tobias's family which is large and she'd always wanted many siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles because the Prince family was only her and her parents.

Eileen wanted to get away from Wizarding society after a scandal, so she ended up with a very ordinary muggle man.

Eileen believed she could change Tobias.

Eileen had low self-esteem and stayed with the first man who told her she was beautiful.

Eileen had a strange fixation on muggles and muggle culture. She met Tobias and learned about muggle culture through him.

[rosie-love98]

The Story Of Tobias And Eileen:

Thanks to “These Are The Damned”, here-

I can’t help but see Tobias Snape being a Teddy-Boy (the British greaser) at the time he met Eileen Prince. Think about it; they could’ve met when Tobias’s gang was defending her against a rival group. Later, Tobias and Eileen would start a relationship which would result in an unplanned pregnancy. 

Once finding out the situation, Eileen’s family shunned her. Thus, Eileen would beg Tobias to marry her (both for their child’s sake and because she genuinely loved him). Tobias didn’t want to have anything to do with her or their child. Yet, it was Tobias’s best friend (I call him “Oliver Davis”) who was trying to get Tobias to do right by Eileen and the baby. In the meantime Eileen had been taken in by David and his girlfriend (let’s call her “Susan Brightfield”). 

One night-when Oliver and Susan found Tobias at the local pub to speak with him, the rival gang would arrive to start something. To make a long story short, a brawl would ensue which would result in the deaths Oliver and Susan. 

Distraught as they both were, Eileen (having revealed herself as a witch), promised Tobias that she’ll find a potion/spell that can bring the dead back to life. In turn, Tobias finally agreed to marry her. After the arrival of their son, Severus, Eileen would keep her word by working hard to come up with something-anything to revive the dead. But as years went by, her experiments, theories and data would be in vain. And as those years went, Tobias would grow as bitter as the alcohol he became too dependent on. Poor Eileen and little Severus would be the targets of such bitterness.

By the time Severus graduated, Tobias was dead in 1977-1978 (either from alcohol-related ailments, a final brawl with his Teddy-Boy rivals/friends or killed by the Death-Eaters to get Severus to join them). As for Eileen, she would live until 1979-1980. Often depressed, she’d refuse to eat or drink anything, add a terrible illness to it and that was it for her, unfortunately. She would die thinking her latest Revival Potion formula was nothing but a pipe dream. Unbeknownst to her, Severus, the Death-Eaters and anyone from the Pheonix, a member (or two) from The Cabal would someday prove Eileen’s doubts wrong.

[danpuff-ao3]

Headcanons: The Half-Blood History

So I have in my head a pretty firm headcanon for the Prince family, and Eileen (due to my Severus Snape obsession) that I've always wanted to work into a story. But...well...I'm starting to doubt I can work it in anywhere. Currently it's just useless background knowledge in my head so why not put it to use and share it with you guys??

Part I: Virgil and Desdemona

So! Eileen's parents: who are they?

Her father I have named Virgil Prince.

Her mother...her mother originally had a very badass and fitting name, but it's lost in my brain somewhere. So for now, I'm calling her Desdemona.

Now this is the fun part. Desdemona was the older sister of Cantankerous Nott. You know, the guy who came up with the Sacred Twenty-Eight? Yeah. Him. Desdemona was from a proud pureblood family who really wanted to marry her off. Only...no takers. There were plenty of witches more beautiful, more charming, more wealthy than her. Her brothers got married off. Her pretty younger sister got married off. Desdemona started getting up there in age (as in, like, her mid twenties, the horror) and her father worried that he'd be stuck with her forever.

Enter: Virgil Prince.

The Prince family was very important, once upon a time. They had mountains of gold, priceless artifacts, plenty of land. More importantly, they boasted of pureblood and powerful magic. The Prince family had a long, rich history. They bred alchemists, and spellcrafters, soothsayers, and a politician or two. Then, eventually, gamblers and spendthrifts. And as their coffers grew emptier, they began to breed thieves. Until eventually the Prince name was tarnished and their wealth was eroded. All that remained of their legacy was one modest manor and a handful of heirlooms.

Despite their fall from grace, the name "Prince" still retained bits of color and intrigue. And when the hermit Virgil Prince began looking for a bride, to Pertinax Nott he was the best of bad options. He threw his daughter into Virgil's arms and wiped his hands clean of her.

(Pertinax means "persistent and stubborn" so trust me, Severus 100% is related to some guy named Pertinax. My mind will not be changed.)

Desdemona was not overly impressed by her new home or her new husband, but she made the best of her situation. She was very practical and no-nonsense and, as it happened, quite intelligent and skilled. She mended the faulty wards on the grounds, she cleaned up the garden, and (because her rotten excuse for a father didn't include a house elf with her dowry) she learned how to cook.

Better yet, Desdemona knew many languages, and was well-studied in religion, philosophy, and history.

Virgil had married Desdemona hoping to better his circumstances. Marrying a Nott felt like winning the jackpot, only to find a small dowry and in-laws with no desire to lend a helping hand. No money, no connections, nothing but a wife.

But if Desdemona had little else to recommend her, she had quite the mind, and Virgil was pleased. They found mutual respect, if not love, over deep conversations about magical theory and mythology and a number of other subjects.

Eventually they had to produce an heir. It would be a waste of their pureblood not to, even if neither was particularly interested in childrearing.

What peace and happiness they found died when their firstborn, Alaric, was born. It was well and truly buried by the birth of Ingrid. And gone without a trace by the birth of Eileen.

Shortly after Eileen's birth, Cantankerous Nott released his Sacred Twenty-Eight list. It was not a comprehensive list of all pureblood families. The Potters were omitted, due to their common Muggle name. The Princes were also omitted, a deliberate snub to his sister.

Virgil and Desdemona's bitterness grew. But if little else could be said for the Princes, they had become a team in their early years. They ranted together about Cantankerous' audacity and Pertinax's selfishness. They survived the horrors of parenthood side by side. They worked together to find good matches for their children.

And it was each other they turned to when their youngest daughter ran off with a Muggle.

Part II: Eileen Prince

Eileen Prince was raised a proper pureblood girl. Her parents were strict, and not overly affectionate. What little care they could muster went to her brother Alaric, as the oldest and the son.

Life wasn't happy, but it was life. She learned cooking and gardening from her mother. Chess from her father. Eileen kept busy by going into town. She spent her days at the library, and she joined local clubs. Gobstones became a favorite. She spent her allowance on new marbles and special boxes and bags to keep them in.

At Hogwarts, Eileen was sorted into Slytherin, to her pleasure and surprise. The Sorting Hat saw more cunning and resourcefulness in Eileen than she knew she had. Her parents were pleased, and urged Eileen to make connections while in school.

The Prince children were not very popular. Not good looking or pleasant. They weren't wealthy. They had no status. They weren't especially powerful or smart. Alaric spent his time sucking up to his peers. Ingrid kept her head down. Eileen followed her own whims. She joined the Gobstones team, the chess club, and choir. In her letters to her parents, Eileen outlined vague plans of "making alliances", which her parents cared about more than her winning competitions.

In truth, Eileen had a handful of casual friends. Other loners and oddballs like herself. Sybill Trelawney was one.

After Hogwarts, Alaric was married to an Abbott. (Sacred Twenty-Eight, their parents boasted.) Ingrid married a Flint.

For Eileen's graduation, Virgil and Desdemona gifted her a betrothal to Abaddon Carrow. They were quite pleased with their finds. They had not matched with Blacks or Malfoys, but they had chosen well for their children. Their efforts to continue the Prince line, and to improve their standing, would be slow going, but steady progress. The Prince name would achieve greatness once more.

As for Eileen...she had been somewhat aware of her parents' expectations. But it had never mattered much until, suddenly, faced with a grim future. To be married to a man older than her, who she barely knew. Expected to provide connections and resources to her brother. Expected to provide Carrow heirs.

It was not Eileen's intent to run. For all of their dysfunction, they were still family. Eileen wanted her parent's approval. She wanted what was best for her family. Duty was heavy on her shoulders. She allowed herself to be courted by Abaddon. She sat through wedding plans.

And when there was time, Eileen slipped out as she did as a child. Finding solace and freedom away from home and family.

Part III: Tobias and Eileen

On one such outing, Eileen met a Muggle named Tobias Snape.

He was a musician. He played the guitar and sang to an uncaring audience, but Eileen was struck. She stayed later than she meant to, to listen to his songs. And on the walk back to her Apparition point, Eileen sang the songs to herself.

It was overhearing this that brought Tobias to her. So few people cared about his music, after all, and he had music in his soul. Tobias asked her questions: what was her name, where was she from...So unused to attention was Eileen, she practically fled.

But returned the next day.

Tobias was not handsome, but his charm more than made up for it. He flirted with waitresses, and barmaids, and other men's dates. And though prettier women caught his fancy, he always stopped to chase Eileen instead. She was shy, but enjoyed his attentions. And Tobias appreciated Eileen's curiosity, and her musical tastes.

When Tobias performed, he played his songs just for Eileen. He took her out dancing. He walked her "home" each night (to her Apparition point, where she would Confund him.) He knew of her engagement, and was unfazed. It wasn't really serious, for either of them.

Until they realized it was.

After only a few weeks, when Eileen let slip her wedding was fast approaching, Tobias begged her to stay. He asked her to marry him in the heat of the moment. Both were shocked. But Eileen did not believe him serious, even if she wished it were true, and she told him to propose with a ring and flowers, next time.

The next time they met, Tobias had his grandmother's ring and daisies picked from the park.

Eileen never went home. She eloped with Tobias and wrote letters to her parents and to Abaddon. They sent Howlers back. Eileen had to Obliviate Tobias.

Happy and in love as they were, they were little prepared for married life. Eileen moved in with Tobias and his disapproving parents until he could afford them a home of their own. He had to quit his job as a grocer for the mines, to make ends meet. He found a small house in Cokeworth. It was small and dreary and in a bad area, but it was theirs.

Eileen cared for the house. She kept a garden. She embroidered. She sneaked out when she could to partake in Gobstones tournaments at nearby Wizarding villages. She had the occasional tea with old acquaintances. Occasional days spent walking Diagon Alley. A taste of magic, a taste of nostalgia.

But Tobias was home now. They were adjusting to life. Tobias wished he had more time to go out, and to play his music. But when he could, he would sing for Eileen and dance her around their living room. He picked flowers for her on his way home sometimes. He praised her cooking. And he called her "beautiful" when she got dolled up for him.

It wasn't perfect, but life was good. Until, of course, Tobias asked her for children.

Part IV: The Snapes

Eileen never put enough thought into anything. Of course her husband would want children. And their children had a great likelihood of being magical. And Tobias did not yet know his wife was a witch.

Eileen had little desire to be a mother, or to be outed, but even the best contraceptive potions are imperfect.

Pregnancy was miserable, but Tobias was thrilled. He worked extra hours. He spent what free time he had pampering her, and helping make room for the baby. And when Eileen insisted on giving their child an old family name (Severus for a boy, Pulcheria for a girl), Tobias agreed, however strange they were. Even Tobias' parents, Wilbur and Dorothy, were enthusiastic and helpful.

When Eileen gave birth, it was in the bitter cold darkness of winter, quite early in the morning. If Eileen could give him little else of her heritage, she gave him a name: Severus. A shared ancestor of both the Princes and the Notts. One of the many colorful characters her father once told her about. His middle name was Tobias, for his father.

Parenthood wasn't all either hoped it would be. Tobias was grouchy from the baby disturbing his sleep. And grouchy that Eileen was too tired to cook special meals or dress herself up. He had to continue working long hours to support his new child. There was less time for leisure or romance than ever. But Tobias bragged when he could about his little family. He kept photos in his wallet to show coworkers and shopkeepers. Each night he would hold Severus for a while and sing him lullabies. On his days off, he would take naps with Severus on his chest, to give Eileen extra time to cook and clean and breathe.

Some days, Tobias remembered to be grateful. Remembered that all of his hard work and sacrifices were worth it.

Until one day...there was magic.

There were signs of magic earlier on, that were easy to ignore. Little zaps (static) and tickles (just an itch) or other strange sensations (just a draft, or a spider's web.) Ignorant Tobias could come up with a number of excuses, while Eileen turned a blind eye. But when Severus was a toddler, Tobias played with him one afternoon. And when Tobias spooked Severus, Severus cried and was encased in a protective bubble that Tobias could not penetrate.

Eileen rushed to comfort Severus as Tobias stared in shock. And were it not bound to happen again and again, Eileen would have Obliviated him. Instead, she calmly explained about magic. Tobias said not a word and left. He returned days later, wary and reserved, but they didn't speak of it.

Tobias' betrayal and fury were exposed in bits and pieces over time. Ugly names for his wife and child. Snapping over the littlest of things. Cringing back when Severus reached out for him. Critique for Eileen's cooking and housework and garden. He spent money they didn't have for pub nights with his friends. Eileen took odd jobs to bring in more money. Mending garments, babysitting, housecleaning. She sold a great number of her Gobstones and traded the gold for Muggle currency.

The good life was over. Tobias had given up his hobbies and his free time and his music to work a physically demanding job. And for what? An evil witch, who lied and tricked him and gave him a demon for a son.

As for Eileen, she couldn't help but resent her son. He had stolen her body, and her time, and her energy. And worst of all, he'd killed Tobias' love for her. And when Tobias began to drink more and more, and taking his anger out on her, that was Severus' fault, too.

Part V: Severus Snape

Severus had a few good memories in life. Moments when troubles were forgotten, and his parents were in love and happy. Those moments were much too rare. And they never lasted long enough.

There was never much money, or food. Or affection. Now and again, his father would sing. And when his father was away, his mother would tell him stories or show him magic.

They visited his paternal grandparents once a year. They were kind, but awkward; they found Severus strange compared to their other, more average grandchildren.

Fewer still were visits to his maternal grandparents. Only at her most desperate, Eileen would plead for help, and she would surrender herself to dinner with the Princes, to be belittled and derided by her whole family. Worse still their treatment of Severus, the half-blood. Virgil and Desdemona would brag of their proper pureblooded grandchildren. Tarquin Prince, son of Alaric. Agatha and Beatrice, Ingrid's daughters. They told Eileen how well Abaddon Carrow was doing. About his pretty pureblood wife and their pureblood children.

Severus dreaded and longed for visits to Prince Manor. It was the only exposure he had to magic when young. He envied his cousins. He explored the manor and its objects. He sneaked away to read books, when he could. He thirsted for knowledge. For power. He wanted badly to prove himself to the family who turned down their noses at him.

Best of all, for all the ridicule Eileen let him suffer, she was always more loving, after. She would stroke his hair, and buy him a small treat. She reminded him, vehemently, that he was a Prince. She was more generous with her stories, those days. Family history. Magical theory.

Like his mother before him, Severus stayed away from his home and ventured out into Cokeworth. He spent long hours in the library. He learned to steal small objects from the grocer's. He hid in the woods and tried to call forth his magic. He sneaked his mother's Gobstones in his pockets to play by himself.

Severus had his mother's curious, explorative spirit. And his father's romantic heart, and intense nature. Worst still, he was bright. Too bright. In school, his classmates envied him for his excellent grades. His teachers hated his bad attitude, and how bored he was with his lessons. They looked down on him for his ratty clothes, and his strange behavior. They whispered about his drunk, adulterous father. They gossiped about the fights he got in, and his treatment of his wife. They talked louder still when Tobias lost his job.

Home life was worse. Neither Tobias nor Eileen knew how to handle a son so much brighter than they were. Neither ever cared much for academics. They were confused and ashamed in the face of his intelligence. This only earned him more of his father's ire and his mother's bitterness.

Life was lonely. Severus had very little, but he clung to what he had: his intelligence, his magic, his potential, his family history, his pride. He learned to lie from his mother, and fight from his father. He held his head high when he could, and hunched his shoulders when he couldn't.

At nine, he was in for a real treat: a Muggle girl with magic.

Lily was fierce and bright and powerful. For the first time, Severus felt a true connection with another person. Lily was kind to him, and genuine. And Severus counted her among the gifts he clung to.

Part VI: The Half-Blood Prince

All of Severus' hopes were pinned on Hogwarts. And Hogwarts let him down.

Being Sorted into Slytherin was a blessing and a curse. He hated to be separated from Lily, but was proud at following his family's footsteps. His cousins pretended not to know him. His peers looked down on him for his Muggle blood and his Muggle name. But Slytherins at least banded together and looked after their own. They were displeased with outsiders attacking Severus; but they didn't dare stand in the Marauder's way, either.

Severus was smart, and skilled, but it mattered little when other people more attractive and more charming were gifted, too. The teachers had their pets. And as ever, Severus was overlooked due to others' preconceived notions.

Lily was his only true friend. But Severus made others over time. He was not popular in Slytherin, but he was part of them. Slytherin House had a strong sense of fraternity. It was like having family, in a way. (For the dysfunctional sense of family Severus already had.) When his housemates saw use for him, Severus allowed himself to be used. It felt like approval, like acceptance.

Severus honed his mind and his power in secret. And in secret he owned the name he was not allowed to claim aloud: Prince. The Half-Blood Prince. It was rebellion and pride at once. Severus quickly finished homework to continue learning on his own. He made potions and spells. He experimented, and invented. He was going to prove his worth in the end. He was born for greatness, as all Princes were.

Part VII: The End of the Line

For love of magic; for the want of knowledge and power; for pride, for revenge; for all of the values he learned from the Princes and from Slytherin, Severus joined the Dark Lord's cause. And when faced with the horrible reality of the cause he'd joined, Severus changed his mind, changed his course.

Eileen raged at him when she learned the truth. But at Severus' urging, she and Tobias left Cokeworth.

The Prince name never again regained status. But all of the potential of their blood bred true in Severus. For his lowly birth, his tainted blood; for all of his mistakes, his infamy; the lack of status, wealth, charm, and looks; it was Severus who respected and understood magic as the Princes of old had. It was Severus who was dedicated to the craft, and ingenious enough to push magic forward, when it had stagnated for so long. Few wizards in modern times create new spells and potions. Many of Wizarding blood take magic for granted, and rest on their laurels, thinking there is little else to find or improve.

It was Severus who learned many skills. Severus, who honed his power. Severus who made connections, for good and for ill. Severus who was strong enough to have his mind changed, and own up to his mistakes. Severus, who was brave enough to look danger in the eye day after day. Severus who atoned for his sins, in the classroom and on the battlefield.

Severus, who died a hero.

(Sorry we're talking headcanons and I refuse to believe he's dead, okay.)

[nightingale2004]

I wonder how many people thought of Orion Black and Eileen Prince in their Hogwarts years were originally betrothed to each other by their parents, and Orion was genuinely in love with her and showered her with gifts and such but Eileen wanted freedom and got with Tobias and was pregnant with Severus and ran away from her marriage with Orion.

Orion was heartbroken, and his betrothal switched to Walburga, and he still performed his duties as the new head of house black, but he was still in love with Eileen.

Just think about this for 2 seconds

(I know it's not real. It's just a thought)

[souryam]

I HC that tobias was very religious, ferverous catholic. and that's why he hates magic so much, he thinks it's from the devil, that he married and fathered demon-possessed creatures. I also think it would tie nicely with the "he doesn't like much, really" because very catholic people (at least in my experience) are very strict in what they can say or do and I do think a 9 year old would describe it like that. so you mix a religious extremist with alcoholism and ptsd (I hc he fought in ww2) and you have tobias

[sneppu]

What do you think, which of Sneep's parents are more similar to him (talking about appearance?) Like, I have a headcanon, that, unfortunately, Severus has lots of features (some face features, even voice) that more remind him of Tobias that of Eileen, and this upsets him very much...

The Sneep's appearance is one of those things that I have many different ideas for - I have so many different headcanons and theres so many different takes that I like, that I could never decide on just one! This results in many different versions of The Sneep, sneeping around in my brain.

But that being said.... Imagine the sheer emotional hurt and turmoil, if some of the parts of his appearance criticized for being ugly The MOST... were the things that came from his mother? features of himself that He had loved and cherished when he was little because they reminded him of her, of the parent who he admired so much? His mum who never hurt him the way his father did? Picture this: A young, little Sneep, proud of his princely nose, proud of looking like his mum, because he thinks she's beautiful, regal, and good, even despite their circumstances, despite how beaten down she's been.

And then he gets to Hogwarts... and constantly hears all about how hideous his Nose is, how ugly his hair is. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly. Everything about him is ugly... and by extension, everything about HER is ugly. and I think it would hurt far more than the similarities to his muggle father, ever could, would make him so much more defensive than anything else. Because if it were his muggle side's features being criticized, honestly? he'd probably agree. he'd probably try to get RID of them, given his mentality in his youth. But his mum? The closest thing to a loving parent he had, The kindest thing in his broken home? I always thought it was interesting how despite all the hostility he got over his looks (as a student specifically), the Sneep never actually tried to change them - and the thing is, I think he would've had the capability for it! even if not to 'fix' these aesthetic flaws entirely, then surely to lessen them somehow, to make them at least marginally more palatable to everyone else even despite all the other mental trauma he probably has towards his looks and wellbeing in general. But he didnt. And maybe that would have added more fuel to the fire, for him. made the insults feel so much more personal and hurtful, made them needle in so deep, that he still feels them so much later. (among everything else that he no doubt has going on, all the trauma he's dealing with on TOP of all that.)

Idk, I could go on forever about this, but I its a concept I really like; somehow I can't help but think that Tobias mustve been have had at lease SOME sort of attractive trait to him, Eileen left everything for him. There must have been something there. While I dont think he was some sort of super model, supernaturally beautiful guy, nor do I think Eileen wouldve been shallow enough to get with him purely for his looks, I do think he mustve been at least average. (I also think The Sneeps looks were actually perfectly average and normal, but its just that The Marauders made it The HaHa go-to Meme Joke to call him hideous, and that sentiment sorta just. stuck around.)

[inkyarcturus]

give me all your headcanons for snape nEOOOOWWW (pretty please 🤎)

Okay so I think I’m going to break this down into chunks because I have a LOT of thoughts so here’s the first chunk :D

TW: for child abuse?

PRE HOGWARTS:

it’s pretty much canon that Sev came from an abusive home with an alcoholic muggle father and a pure blood mother.

Personally, I believe that his mother Eileen Prince was disowned by her family upon marrying Tobias. Although at first they were a happy couple, Eileen becomes pregnant with Severus and reveals to Tobias that she is a witch. Tobias, coming from an era where witchcraft is demonized and realizing the drain that a child has on his finances, becomes abusive.

Eileen tries her best to keep the abuse from Severus as much as possible, leading to her stopping herself from using magic as she believes that would just anger Tobias even more.

Severus is absolutely a mamas boy as a child and you can pry that headcanon out of my cold dead hands. He would do anything for his mama, growing up hearing stories about Hogwarts, magic and the legacy of the Princes, it was all he had to stay sane. Whenever Tobias was out of the house for extended periods of time, Eileen would brew with Severus as well, usually healing potions.

He would often be seen wearing his mother’s clothes because of the families lack of funds but also just because it was a way to connect with her.

The first time Severus uses accidental magic was to help his mom avoid Tobias, blasting him unconscious. It’s a mess of emotions for the rest of the night. Eileen is panicking, worrying about her husband’s health and her own but also trying to celebrate Severus’ magic so he knows magic isn’t bad (pure bloods are aware of obscurials). Severus is in tears worrying about his mother’s injuries, unable to understand the situation. Eileen calms him down enough to get him to agree to never tell Tobias about this incident.It happens again more times afterwards.

Severus is sensitive as a child, always crying despite his father’s anger towards his tears. He becomes agitated with himself, being unable to control himself. His father’s words haunt him every time he cries.

He goes years without any friends, not going to school because of his magical status, but still being allowed to go out to play and escape his fathers grasp.

The kids usually don’t like him cause of his poor hygiene, odd clothing and even stranger words. He’s rather intelligent for his age, but being raised in an abusive household has only taught him vulnerability is weakness and everything is a threat.

When he meets Lily he learns how to let go of his shields. He’s made his first magical friend, someone who doesn’t mind his clothing, or hair, or overall oddness.

He goes over to the Evan’s family house at least once a week. Lily’s parents constantly fuss over him, asking if he’s alright or need food or clothing. He constantly denies it because he doesn’t want to burden them, or have them look too closely at his home life

Eileen is so grateful her son has a friend she is brought to tears wherever she hears Sev talk about Lily (which he does, a lot). Whenever she knows Tobias will be out of the house she’ll ask Sev to bring Lily over so all three of them can make potions together.

Petunia is less receptive of him, constantly starting arguments with Lily over why she even talks to him, but generally leaves them alone to stay in her room.

Sev was always quiet as a child, he would play silently whenever on his own, keeping his thoughts within his imagination. His preferred method of play, pre-Lily, was organizing objects. He would organize them by color, shape, name, then mix them back up and start again.

With Lily he would let his imagination run wild, playing the part of dragon, knight, prince and spy, usually acting as a helper to Lily. They call each other sun and moon. He sees himself as a reflection of Lily’s light. His self esteem will only get lower as the years progress.

Occasionally, Lily would get extra allowance (Lily’s parents purposefully gave for Sev) and they would go to a corner store to buy sweets. I imagine he has a pallet for less overwhelming sweets, like matcha flavoring, but as he grows older he convinces other people he likes bitter sweets the most. I think he has an appreciation for berries the most.

Hope you appreciate these :D think took almost an hour to write and I keep on wanting to add more but this is honestly already too long :,)

Side note I just realized I can’t do multiple posts on one ask? So if you want the second chunk can you please send another ask :,D

[mitsuki91]

OMG this is beautiful 😂😂😂

(Also Eileen Prince and Tom Riddle 👀👀👀 The ship I don't expect to ship and the mother of "what if Severus Snape is the son of Voldemort?" lol, and Eileen has to disappear in the muggle world and Tobias was the only one who would take care of her and her bastard... Help).

Despite being half-baked, this idea has been running around in my head

So, yes, Legilimency needs eye contact and so forth, but I’ve got a soft spot for a Legilimens!Severus Snape and I’m happy to bend magical rules for the sake of silliness. (Alright, I’ve got quite a fondness for Legilimens Eileen Prince, who taught her classmate Tom Riddle a thing or two before, inadvertently, discovering that he knew more about mind magics than he let on and there was quite a dreadful mind under that handsome smiling face.  I imagine she left the magical world for more than one reason, but she stayed away so long because she knew that Tom knew that she knew that…)

Well then, although Legilimency is “reading” and Occlumency is “hiding” and those two things are put in opposition, they aren’t exactly two sides of the same coin, are they (or maybe this conceptual coin might have more than two sides)? There is reading another’s self-story and trying to hide one’s self, might there not be a broadcasting of one’s self, a leakage of one’s internal subjective reality into the minds of others? Couldn’t the opposite of Occlumency be like the psychic equivalent of playing a short-form video in public without headphones or driving around in one of those cars with the speakers on the outside that make windows rattle and what not? Maybe it doesn’t have a fancy name like, I suppose, “Narratamency” or “Fabulamency” or some other butchering of Latin.  Maybe it gets called “charisma” or “a charming manner” or “magnetic personality” (or “a lot of personality”) or something else indirect and more polite than “you are imposing your subjective reality into other people’s subjective realities”.  Maybe it’s considered too Dark to be given a name and any study at all (in such a small society in which reputation and connections and the old school tie matter so much for success, in which asking an older student to do a favor like sticking one’s name in a Goblet is apparently so outlandish that they didn’t bother making some sort of protection against that event, imposing one’s mental concept of the world over someone else’s self-world would really be beyond the pale), maybe it is the foundational practice from which spells like Imperius and Oblivate (which ought to be an Unforgivable, if only it wasn’t so useful for muggle-control) derive. Then you get to having folks who go around with their personal self-story leaking out of them and nudging others into playing supporting roles, getting called “charismatic” or “charming” or “has great leadership potential” etc., Tom Riddles, Gilderoy Lockharts, James Potters, and so forth.  Sure, you could take this in a dark and angsty direction, but I like to think that I am rather silly. 

And so, as a point to this rambling, a James Potter who has an internal narration that projects like an opera singer enjoying the echos off the Grand Canyon, who constantly tells himself the story of “boy-hero James Potter, who always saves the day and gets the girl and is the coolest bloke on the block” would be the terror and nemesis of any Legilimens within a hundred miles.  Legilimens!Severus Snape (who would appreciate a two hundred mile buffer between himself and James Potter) has suffered greatly, has gotten James Potter’s stupid little theme song stuck in his head day after day, has decided that putting his two cents in is worth it even though he’s broke.

James Potter, for his part, does not appreciate the unsolicited concrit on his daydreams.

[ollywander]

Dutch Jewish Snape

I’ve been headcanon-ing Snape as Dutch, which sounds random, but hear me out.

Jewish!Snape is a very common headcanon; however, British Jews are not very common because they were purged from the U.K. multiple times throughout history. That being said, Jews were pretty common in the Netherlands before the Holocaust (many were Sephardic because the Netherlands was previously under Spanish control. If Snape is any kind of Jewish, it’s probably Sephardic. He doesn’t have traditional Ashkenazi features).

Snape’s hypothetical Jewish family:

Father:

Tobias being the Jewish one makes the most sense to me. Eileen attended Hogwarts in the fifties, meaning she was born in the forties or very late thirties. Tobias probably was also born in the forties. This could be the result of a Jewish mother moving to the U.K. before World War II as tensions and violence against Jews rose. Snape is an English location name, meaning Tobias’ hypothetical Jewish mother would have married an Englishman. Having fled the Netherlands, she might have been poor, down on her luck, which would make sense with the poverty of Snape’s childhood. After seeking asylum in the U.K., she would have had Tobias probably between 1935 and 1940, given that Snape was born in 1960 and in the Harry Potter universe, characters inexplicably almost always have kids around the age of twenty and the man is always at least a little older. She would have named this child Tobias, a very common name in the Netherlands; less so in the U.K. (though still normal). Tobias is also a Jewish name, symbolizing (the) goodness (of G-d). A reminder of home. Tobias, having Jewish ancestry, might have been more open that your average Church of England man to marry a witch because Jews are more closely connected with magic (the Kabbalah, for example, is an important book of magic in Judaism). Also, Judaism passes from the mother to the child. If Tobias were Jewish, his son would only practice Judaism if Eileen was also Jewish.

Mother:

Eileen Snape née Prince is less likely to be Jewish, in my opinion. She came from a pureblood family, probably well established already in England. Given the expungement and number of Jews in England, a well established Jewish family, let alone a wizarding one, is unlikely. She has dark hair, dark eyes, and thick brows. These features are stereotypically Jewish, but also stereotypically Scottish and/or Welsh. The name Eileen is Scottish. The surname “Prince” is common in Scotland. She probably has Scottish and/or Welsh ancestry; likely both given the long-standing history of magic within Wales, and the fictional town of Cokesworth’s location proximity to Wales (Cokesworth is right under Wales in south-west England. Lily Potter née Evans is from Cokesworth. Evans is a Welsh surname. There is probably a good sized Welsh diaspora in Cokesworth. Also, Eileen is not shown to have had a Scottish accent).

Side note: Tobias being Jewish rather than Eileen also makes sense because Judaism is passed from mother to child. Severus Snape does not practice Judaism. Tobias (and obviously, we don’t know whether he would have practiced or not) might not have practiced it because when he was born, there was a mass genocide of Jews and it would have been frightening and unwise to reveal that about himself. Also, British father, probably Christian, agnostic, or atheist — not Jewish.

TL;DR:

I think Tobias Snape’s mother was a Jewish woman from Amsterdam.

EDIT: OH MY GOD I forgot to add that Latin names are common in the Netherlands! A regular Englishman might have had some objection to naming his kid Severus, but in the Netherlands, though still pretty strange, it wouldn’t have been as weird. I wouldn’t blink an eye if I ran into a Dutch guy called Severus Tobias Something-or-Other.

EDIT II: Another thing. The parish of Snape, England is right across the channel from the Netherlands.