Even though he was gasping for air, having his throat choked, a distorted laugh couldn't help but escape Snape's throat.
He threw away the wand in his hand, lifted his head, and forcefully slammed it into the man's nose.
There was a sickening crunch.
"Ah..."
The man shrieked in agony, blood instantly gushing out, staining his face and clothes.
"You—you're looking for death!"
A flicker of disbelief and terror crossed the man's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by surging fury.
Fists rained down on Snape.
However, Snape whimpered even more wildly, his hands gripping the man's shoulders tightly, as he wrestled him to the ground.
Their bodies rolled on the floor, making thudding sounds.
In the struggle, Snape bit the man's neck, his teeth sinking deep into the flesh.
"Ah... hiss..."
The man roared in pain, grabbing Snape's hair, trying to pull him away.
But Snape, like a predatory beast, clung on, refusing to let go.
A thick, hot, and腥 (bloody/metallic) liquid poured into Snape's mouth and nose, with a raw, metallic taste.
The taste of blood spread through his mouth, burning every nerve, as if igniting an unquenchable fire.
"Woo... woo..."
The man's movements became weaker and weaker, and the color drained from his face.
Snape released his grip.
The man tried to cover the wound on his neck with one hand, his feet twitching helplessly on the floor, his throat making a horrifying gurgling sound, and his dark eyes filled with pleading.
The flame was almost extinguished.
The woman huddled in the corner, staring in horror at the two men on the floor, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes full of tears.
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she frantically rushed upstairs.
When she reappeared in the living room, she held a stick.
She had found the wand that was a bit dry from lack of use.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Snape knelt to the side, his chest heaving violently, blood dripping from his chin onto the floor.
The woman's face was ashen. She shakily raised her wand, pointing it at the two men on the ground, a hint of determination and fear in her eyes.
The dim yellow light was a bit dazzling.
A blinding green light flashed.
Tobias Snape stopped moving.
...
Eileen's face became even paler.
She slumped onto the floor, remaining motionless for a long time, her eyes blank as she watched everything.
It seemed she waited until the warmth had almost completely dissipated before she opened her hoarse throat:
"Go back to your room."
Snape dragged his heavy body, his hands numbly gripping the stair railing, each step upward incredibly difficult.
As night gradually fell, he sat alone in the dark bedroom.
Before returning, he had only wanted to find a reason here to never come back; after opening the door, he had thought about teaching Tobias a lesson; in the fight, he had desperately wanted to hurt the other man.
But at that moment, he thought Eileen's wand was pointing at him.
His mind was a mess, one moment thinking of the lively firecrackers during Chinese New Year, the next of the snow-covered statues in Godric's Hollow during Christmas.
One moment he thought of the figure falling backward from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, the next of the Malfoy family huddled together in the ruins of the final battle.
He even thought of Merope Riddle, stumbling towards the orphanage on New Year's Eve...
Snape didn't know how he fell asleep, or if he even did.
The next morning, when he opened his eyes, his mind felt clear, as if a thin mist had finally dispersed. He seemed to be only himself now.
On the bedside table, he saw his wand.
After cleaning himself up, he hesitated before going downstairs.
The living room was exceptionally tidy.
The stains on the floor and walls had disappeared, looking even cleaner than he remembered, as if nothing from last night had happened.
Eileen sat on a wooden chair, using the morning sunlight to mend clothes as usual.
Her wand lay beside her.
Hearing the creaking sound of him coming downstairs, Eileen looked up, her hair seemingly having been combed.
"I'll make you something to eat."
"No, I can do it myself."
Seeing her about to get up, Snape quickly walked towards the kitchen.
"I'm serious, I'll do it myself."
He toasted a few slices of bread in a frying pan, cut some hard cheese, and carried it out on a tray.
"Hmm... Mum, let's eat together."
Eileen picked up a slice of toast and nibbled on it in small bites.
"You've gained weight," she said, looking at Snape carefully for a moment.
Snape noticed that her fingers were rough and calloused, as if from years of hard work.
"I have an uncle," Eileen suddenly began, "your great-uncle on your mother's side."
Seeing that he didn't speak, she continued, "Charlene Prince. You've never met him—"
"No, you don't need to look for him." Snape interrupted her, "After school starts, I'll go to the Headmaster—Dumbledore—and ask him to arrange a job for you at the school."
"But—"
"—He'll agree. I'll talk to him."
"Charlene—he died when you were five."
"He... hmm...?"
In the morning light, Eileen's pale face seemed to regain a hint of color.
She spoke in one breath: "Ever since I ran away from home—with a bag of Galleons—and married him, Charlene and I lost contact.
"It wasn't until you were five that a Ministry of Magic official came and told me he had died.
"Charlene donated his magical instruments, his house, and some personal property inside to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"But in his will, he said, 'Even if I'm unwilling to admit it, you are the last Prince,' and he chose to leave the Prince family's vault at Gringotts to me..."
Snape was a bit confused: "Have you ever gone to see it all these years?"
"No," Eileen said calmly.
"Why not?" Snape asked blankly; he had never known his family had a vault at Gringotts.
"He didn't like magic." This time, she spoke at a normal volume.
"Did he know about this?" Snape suddenly felt a little curious.
Eileen gently shook her head: "The Ministry of Magic official came when he wasn't around."
Snape didn't pay much attention to this, after all, he knew that the Weasley family's vault was so empty that goblins could throw a party in it.
As for the Prince family, since they weren't one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight or any other prominent pure-blood family, what could one expect?
Eileen seemed to read his thoughts and softly said, "I think there should be some gold in there. Let's go check tomorrow."
"Okay—" Snape replied casually. He picked up the empty plate with one hand and reached out with the other to take the mending tools from the table, "—Don't bother with these things anymore, just rest."
***