======Eileen Prince======
=====Introduction=====
Eileen Prince was a [[pure-blood]] [[witch]], the wife of the [[Muggle]] [[Tobias Snape]], and the mother of [[Severus Snape]]. Though her role in the narrative is posthumous and revealed primarily through memories and dialogue, she is a figure of central importance to the plot of //[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]//. Her family name is the source of her son's secret moniker, the "[[Half-Blood Prince]]", and her life provides crucial context for [[Snape]]'s character, his unhappy childhood, and his complex identity.
=====Biography=====
====Early Life and Hogwarts Years====
Eileen was born into the [[pure-blood]] wizarding [[Prince]] family. She attended [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], where she was sorted into [[Slytherin House]] (Pottermore). During her time at school, she was taught by [[Potions]] Master [[Horace Slughorn]], who kept a photograph of her in his collection of favoured students. She distinguished herself not academically, but as the Captain of the [[Hogwarts]] [[Gobstones]] team.
====Later Life and Family====
At some point after leaving [[Hogwarts]], Eileen married a [[Muggle]] named [[Tobias Snape]] and went to live in the grim, industrial [[Muggle]] town of [[Cokeworth]], in a street called [[Spinner's End]]. [[Horace Slughorn]] expressed disappointment over this union, remarking that she had "let the side down" by marrying a [[Muggle]].
Her marriage was deeply unhappy. In a memory [[Harry Potter]] witnesses in the [[Pensieve]], she is shown as a "thin, sour-faced" woman being shouted at by her husband, [[Tobias]]. The family lived in near-poverty, and the household was evidently filled with conflict. Together, they had one child, [[Severus Snape]]. In another of [[Snape]]'s memories, a young Eileen is seen watching her young son playing with [[Lily Evans]] near their home.
The date and circumstances of her death are unknown, but it is clear she had passed away before [[Harry Potter]]'s time at [[Hogwarts]].
=====Physical Appearance and Personality=====
As a young girl, Eileen was described as "a skinny, sallow-faced, sour-looking girl." In adulthood, her appearance reflected her unhappy life; [[Harry]] saw her in a memory as a "thin, sour-faced, slutternly woman with long, dank hair and an expression of mingled sadness and resentment." Her personality appears to have been defined by bitterness and sorrow, likely stemming from her difficult marriage and her fall from the status of a [[pure-blood]] [[witch]] to a life of squalor in the [[Muggle]] world.
=====Magical Abilities and Skills=====
While the full extent of her magical talent is unknown, Eileen was a fully qualified [[witch]]. Her most notable known skill was her proficiency at [[Gobstones]], a popular wizarding game, evidenced by her role as Captain of the [[Hogwarts]] team. She owned a copy of the textbook //[[Advanced Potion-Making]]//, which she passed on to her son, though it is unknown if she herself had any particular talent in [[Potions]].
=====Possessions=====
  * **//[[Advanced Potion-Making]]// textbook:** Eileen owned a copy of this N.E.W.T.-level [[Potions]] textbook during her time at [[Hogwarts]]. She later gave it to her son, [[Severus Snape]], who filled its margins with his own改良 potions, jinxes, and hexes, and identified himself within its pages as "The [[Half-Blood Prince]]".
=====Relationships=====
  * **[[Tobias Snape]] (Husband):** Eileen's marriage to the [[Muggle]] [[Tobias Snape]] was miserable and fraught with arguments. [[Snape]]'s memories suggest that [[Tobias]] was verbally abusive towards her.
  * **[[Severus Snape]] (Son):** Eileen is the parent from whom [[Snape]] inherited his magical ability. Her unhappy life with a [[Muggle]] profoundly shaped her son's childhood, leaving him in a neglectful and loveless home. [[Snape]]'s choice to use her family name for his "[[Half-Blood Prince]]" title indicates a clear allegiance to his magical heritage from her side of the family, and a rejection of his [[Muggle]] father.
  * **[[Horace Slughorn]] (Former Teacher):** [[Slughorn]] remembered Eileen fondly as his student and the [[Gobstones]] Captain. However, he also held a prejudiced view against her for marrying a [[Muggle]], demonstrating the class and blood-status biases prevalent in parts of the wizarding world.
=====Etymology=====
  * **Eileen:** A name of Irish and Gaelic origin, often an anglicized form of Eibhlín, which may derive from the Norman name Aveline. It is also sometimes associated with Helen, from the Greek for "torch" or "bright, shining one." This is deeply ironic given the descriptions of Eileen as sallow, sour-faced, and living a grim, resentful life.
  * **Prince:** The surname is directly related to royalty and nobility. It establishes her [[pure-blood]] wizarding lineage and stands in stark contrast to the impoverished and powerless life she ultimately led. This name is the key to understanding the "[[Half-Blood Prince]]" mystery.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2]]//, a young Eileen Prince appears briefly in a flashback sequence. She is portrayed by actress Ariella Paradise (film).
  * On the official Wizarding World website (formerly Pottermore), it was confirmed that Eileen Prince was a member of [[Slytherin House]] during her time at [[Hogwarts]] (Pottermore).