Chapter 36

"As I said. I feel bad for those kids but what also surprised me was the whole fiasco at St. Mungos." Harry continued saying after they had reached the front door. "And what Ginny said. Do you really think you were obliviated? I thought mastering Occlumency prevented that."

"It does to a certain degree," Severus stated as the doors opened for them and they walked into the foyer. "However, if the wizard casting it is exceptionally strong then an occlumens can still be affected."

"Honestly, I can't take any more surprises today. How about we just have dinner and a snogging session," Harry suggested while giving Snape a wink.

"Tibsby sorry," The house elf appeared with a pop right in front of them. "But Lord Prince has a guest,"

"This late?" Severus frowned.

"They came around noon and when Tibsby told them you weren't in they insisted to wait, stating that their business was urgent," she stated with some distress in her voice. "Tibsby sorry, really sorry for interrupting lovey-dovey time!"

"And where is this person now?" Snape sounded annoyed.

"Tibsby be entertaining them in the Petit Salon," the elf answered quickly. "They'd seemed awfully distressed when they came here. Tibsby was very worried,"

Snape nodded though his face showed he wasn't happy about the sudden visit. Without another word, he marched to the salon. Harry followed behind, sort of missing Severus's flowy cape effect. He thought about getting the man a new set of robes as a gift and then blushed. He quickly slapped his cheeks to get the intrusive thoughts out of his head. 'Did he just think that the whole flowy robe or cape thing was sexy as hell? Bad brain, bad bad brain,'

Snape opened the salon doors with more force than was necessary causing the young man that was seated to startle. Harry recognized him from a couple of days back. Deidric, he remembered. Supposedly Snape's cousin.

"Thank Merlin you're here!" Deidric stood up and uttered before Severus could get a word in. "I need you to expel me from the family!"

"Excuse me?!" Snape asked rather shocked. Harry too blinked and stared at the young man and then back at Severus. It wasn't every day someone could utter something to make the Potion Master truly speechless.

"Wait..." Severus said as he held up a hand and rubbed his temple before pointing at Deidric. "You sit and explain."

"Well..." The young man looked rather hesitant.

"Do spit it out, I haven't got all night," Severus stated. "I was rather looking forward to snogging my partner's brains out,"

Snape's casual statement caused Harry to choke and cough. The man had always been direct but 'Bloody Hell,'

"The extended family got together a day ago at my parents' abode," Deidric started. "They were not happy with you revoking their access to the main family vaults and relieving them of their positions in the family businesses,"

"They were bleeding the estate dry," Severus stated matter-of-factly.

"I have no doubt about that. I have witnessed some of my father's illicit dealings." the young man confessed. "He shows no remorse when it comes to business,"

"But the reason I am here is because of what was discussed at the meeting with the extended family," Deidric continued. "Their rants had devolved into them pouring over the family Charter to find a loophole to have you removed. That endeavor was not fruitful in the slightest. Then my father and several of his cousins came up with different scenarios to try and control you. This is what truly disturbed me,"

"Go on," Severus crossed his arms though he was listening intently. Deidric took a breath before confessing it all.

"The extended family was disgusted, not by you having relations with a man but because you were having relations with a muggleborn. The casual suggestions of kidnapping your partner to bend you to their ways frankly freaked me out. I do not know the stance of the rest of our cousins but our aunts and uncles were quite determined to gain their previous positions back."

"There is more," He continued as Snape was about to say something as the man had already growled at the mention of kidnapping Harry. "Other scenarios they talked about ranged from framing your partner for your murder so that they could place me as Lord, feeding you a love potion so you could marry a distant cousin who is known to be a demure girl who does everything to please her parents, to even trying to betroth me to you,"

"Ah, that is why you want to be expelled from the family," Snape muttered. "It would throw a wrench in some of those schemes."

"I can't take it anymore," Deidric confessed. "To the outside world, I look like a loved son. But within the family, I am considered a convenient puppet. I'm not even a Pureblood!" Deidric confessed. "To my mother I am just an aid for her delusions, to my father, I am just a pawn. I am sick and tired of it all!"

Harry felt for the guy. The pain that tinged his voice was raw. It seemed like the straw finally broke the camel's back. He looked towards Snape who kept his face impassive though he had no doubt that the Potion Master was going through the information provided.

"I will consider your request if you explain the not being a Pureblood part," Severus stated. "From the genealogy I looked over, your mother, Agnes Prince, is from the Rosier family."

"Father's wife is from the Rosier family and I do call her mother but she isn't my actual mother," Deidric mumbled while looking downcast.

"This entire mess started 26 years ago," Deidric explained. "Agness had married into the Prince family. The Rosier family had settled for Robert since his brother, the then Lord Prince, had refused the match. For the next two years, she had two miscarriages and fell into deep depression. My father, however, felt it was a hit to his pride for not having an heir so he went to the red-light district. There he met a Squib prostitute whom he impregnated. She did not want to keep the baby so after giving birth and being silenced with a considerable amount of Galleons he handed the baby, me, over to Agness to raise. Now, don't get me wrong. Agness treated me like her own though I do feel that she became colder to father after he had his affair. In public, they still acted as the stable and loving couple that was finally blessed with a child though the extended family knew better. I think the only one in the dark was the old Lord Prince. Father had always felt small when compared to his older brother and he was gleeful to rub it in that he had a son while the Head of their family only had a daughter. Technically I would be Eileen's cousin and your uncle but considering I am significantly younger than you it just feels weird."

"Father only ever viewed me as a pawn. I was homeschooled and he controlled every inch of my education. When I expressed an interest in art I was beaten because as the next Lord Prince such foolish endeavors would not be tolerated." Deidric sighed. "I will admit this here. I am not a good dualist. As a family that prided themselves on their ability to produce Defense Masters, I was the low man on the totem pole. My cousins, nieces, and nephews could run circles around me. This of course enraged my father that I would lose to even my female cousins."

"Mother was the opposite. She showered me in love and was very overprotective." Deidric confessed. "At times it felt good to be loved by someone but sometimes she became extremely overprotective. I was forbidden to ride brooms by her for fear that I would fall and snap my neck. She also screened any pureblood heirs who approached me at dinners and galas. I was forbidden to interact with many of them and thus over the years became an outcast. It wasn't even their political views that caused Mother's distress!" Deidric uttered as his voice got a bit higher. "A lovely young heiress asked for a dance and mother freaked out! There was absolutely no reason for her to not like the girl. She was from a neutral family even."

"It sounds to me that your mother has attachment issues," Snape concluded. "She wants you all to herself so she will never approve of anyone you become friends with or become romantically attached to,"

"What do you want to do with your life?" Severus then asked, his voice softer now that he heard the young man's story.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just know that I don't want to be Lord Prince. Father and the rest of the family will control every aspect of my life and once I am not useful anymore or if I rebel they will do away with me like father is doing to his own brother."

"I have a feeling this will be a long night," Harry mumbled.