Lord Qualifications
Today was the day! The goblin at Gringotts had confirmed a meeting with the Prince account manager and probably his grandfather too. He had never met the man. But he had died sometime between the start of his fifth year and Severus gaining his potions mastery. His grandfather always came for a Wizengamot vote but Severus did not remember exactly when he died. He did know that his grandfather had written some letters to his Mom asking her to marry a proper pureblood lord. He also knew that when he established a vault at Gringotts for revenue from his first and only patent in Britain he inherited the Prince estate.
That day had been one of the best days of his life. He had finally achieved a lifelong goal and suddenly had a windfall of money. It was overwhelming. He looked in a shop window just outside Gringotts checking his appearance; his shoes looked nice and polished, his clothes looked neat were pressed properly, the robe had no patches, if looked at closely it looked worn and not the greatest quality but it was the correct size, his hair was in a neat reverse necktie showing off his full face. He looked like a poor but proper heir.
***
He had miscalculated his grandfather was dead and he was already heir Prince. This changed everything. Severus sat there for a few seconds dazed and then his mind began to race. He was still too young to be allowed to transfer schools. But he could still change his name! In his second year as a professor the heir to Oleander became heir. He inherited through his mother as the only living wizard to inherit so he was presented with a choice. He remembered it clearly because as the boy’s head of house, his first year as head, he had to escort him through all the paperwork as the inheritance happened during the school year. The boy was given the option to change his last name or keep the same name but have all his children with the last name Oleander. The boy ended up deciding to change his last name which triggered lots of paperwork. As he was a 7th year he had to change what name his apparition license was under and go through mountains of paperwork to get his OWLs registered under his new name. Which Severus learned at the time he could have avoided by just retaking the OWLs under his new name but no, the boy had to make him go through all this paperwork to make his OWLs registered under his new name instead of just taking the test again. At least changing his school records had been easy. All he had to do was talk with the deputy headmistress, Leslie Hawthorn, and she signed a paper, performed a spell and it was done. Leif Falcon was no longer enrolled at Hogwarts Leif Oleander was. She did not even need to involve Albus. The records did not delete Hawthorn just as him having withdrawn attendance and Oleander as a separate student who had attended the same time as Hawthorn had been.
He could do the same in fact his switch would be easier. He could just redo his OWLs. He had been tutoring as head of house twice a week for OWLs and NEWTs for his whole teaching career; he knew those tests backwards and forwards. He didn’t have an apparition license yet. He could schedule to meet Professor Hawthorn over the summer. He could make this work. Plan forming Severus focused back on the goblin. His internal crisis had taken less than a minute.
“As heir, what do I have access to?”
“The heir vault. You don’t get access to anything else until you turn 17 then you can claim the lordship and get a full listing of properties and holdings. However according to Aurelius Prince’s requirements of inheritance you only get access to certain properties if you gain a Potions Mastery by the age of 25. Due to the stipulation of gaining a mastery the former Lord Prince has set up a fund that can be used to purchase potions ingredients and pay for a Potions Apprenticeship. You will get this card to be used for buying potions ingredients, which I will check regularly to make sure it is only spent in apothecaries. If you find a master willing to take you on, schedule a meeting with me and we will settle on a price I won’t pay over the standard apprenticeship price.”
Severus couldn’t believe that he would have access to money to get an apprenticeship. As an apprentice he could sell potions he made and have them count towards his mastery while getting a steady income. There were two reasons he had joined the Dark Lord: protection and sponsorship. The Dark Lord sponsored his apprenticeship and found him his master Hyatt Bottlebrush. This time he did not need the Dark lord to gain his mastery! This was a dream come true. It was frustrating to have lost all that work but being able to start over had it's own benefits. Maybe it was a blessing that his grandfather was dead. He wanted to start on getting his old mastery as soon as possible.
“If I find a master willing to take me on this summer, will you be available to iron out the contract?” The goblin showed his teeth and offered confirmation that a letter would be sufficient in scheduling a meeting. Acting as though it wanted to end the meeting after giving him his potions ingredient card
Severus realized the goblin had not mentioned changing his name “As heir I would like to change my name.” The goblin raised its eyebrow but reached under the desk and pulled out a form and a new special quill.
It pointed at a line “Write your new name legibly here. Then sign on this line here.” This was a big turning point in his life. He carefully wrote in neat letters Septimus Prince. As the letters formed he felt the ache on the back of his hand as it drew out his blood. His blood signed his name glowed gold. “All your vaults at Gringotts are now registered under Septimus Prince and the new identity has been filed with the ministry along with your birth date.”
Just to check his memory Severus now Septimus asked “Do I need to do something about my O.W.Ls.” The goblin seemed impressed. “You need to either retake them or go to family services for help on transferring. I am an account manager not your caretaker.”
“Well as my manager, How do I access the heir vault? How much does it contain?” The goblin handed him a key. “The heir vault like all Prince vaults can be opened by either this key or your magical signature. Do not lose it! It costs 3 galleons to replace. The heir vault currently contains 300 galleons; any galleons used will be replaced up to 200 galleons from the family vault biannually on December 1st and then again on May 1st.” Severus nodded and took the key placing it into his charmed pouch.
“That concludes our business today. If you would like to withdraw money, approach a teller.”
Gathering his things Septimus went to wait in line. The lack of a grandfather totally changed the trajectory of this second chance. He had access to funds. He did not need to convince some person of his competency to get potions ingredients. This sped up his timeline immensely. Theoretically this summer he could get an apprenticeship. Usually an apprenticeship took one and a half to seven years and on average a potions apprenticeship took 4. Last time he took 2 and a half years to complete his apprenticeship. There is a reason he was known as the youngest Potions Master. Having been a potions master and remembering all his published work he could complete it in 1 and a half. But there was no rush; he could take two years to complete his mastery and still finish around graduation. He could republish his old papers with the guild while working on new discoveries. There was an unused potions lab he discovered in ravenclaw tower during his first year. The mastery was only useful in ordering certain potions ingredients, getting his work recognized, and getting a job or setting up an apothecary or lab. As long as he was under 17 he could not get a job or set up an apothecary or lab. The tab just for potions ingredients would mean a potions master discount on certain potions ingredients would not mean anything to him. Plus most of the dangerous ingredients you could not work with without a mastery he could put off working with for two years. As long as he stayed at Hogwarts through graduation he could have as much fun experimenting as he liked with access to its library, the forbidden forest and its greenhouses.
Until just that moment Severus had not decided if he was going back to Hogwarts. However the free access to the library and forest would make it worth most inconveniences. He would have to.plan something to protect him from Lupin's condition and mitigate interactions with the self dubbed marauders. If only for their protection. He may be mentally a grown man but he still had a deep hatred for those boys especially Black and Peter.
He would have to retake his OWLs and NEWTs which would be annoying but something he would have to live with regardless of what he did. To be enrolled as a Hogwarts student you had to take a minimum of 5 classes 2 of which had to be offered by Hogwarts. But it did not have to be any of the main courses. One of his Slytherin students had only taken Care of Magical Creatures and Runes after fifth year and taken 3 ICW correspondence courses. Professor Hawthorn the current deputy headmistress taught Spellcraft which he was definitely taking again. He had loved that class. He loved crafting but seeing sectumsempra used on the battlefield made him stop crafting. It had been years since he tried to make something. Maybe taking the class again would allow him to gain that spark again. It would be one of his in person classes, the prerequisite OWLS being an exceptional or higher O.W.L grade required in Charms, Arithmancy, and Transfigurations
Come to think of it Professor Hawthorn also taught two classes Dumbledore removed before his employment that he did not take: Metallurgy and Wood craft. He was a slytherin but part of him would always be a bit ravenclaw. He loved learning new things and making discoveries. He had been so unhappy as a spy and a teacher because those roles did not invent what they did was nurture and destroy. It evolved lots of subterfuge but not much creation. If he had to go back to school he would not retake the courses he knew and had beaten to death reviewing with his Slytherins.
That was a recipe for boredom which might have him fall into memories. This life was about his desires not his regrets. He did not want to let his brain wander to the past. He would take new classes. Things to exercise his brain. Things that would excite his academic curiosity. They might even be helpful in coming up with ideas for new potions. He would have to look into both classes' prerequisites. Not that it truly mattered.
The witch in front of him moved up to the till. He was next in line. If he spent the next two years working on getting his mastery for this timeline he needed both OWL and NEWT results. No master would take on an apprentice without seeing proof of high NEWTs or parents with deep pockets. Most potions Masters required O NEWTs in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and of course Potions some also required at least an EE in Astronomy and/or transfiguration.
Passing these tests did not worry Severus. Most people his mental age would be worried having never looked at the material since graduation. But as a head of house Severus knew these tests back and front he could pass OWLs and NEWTs in Runes, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and Defence Against the Dark Arts in his sleep. Almost any class offered at Hogwarts in his tenure. Arithmancy and history he could easily pass the OWLs for. Passing was not his concern. Paying for the tests was. Taking the tests at Hogwarts were seen as part of the tuition. Taking them over the summer cost something.
Fortunately, since it was the start of June, timing was not a concern. He still had time to sign up and take the tests while the ministry offered them. The ministry offered it for those few homeschooling students and those who needed to retake it or decided to get an additional degree after completing their education because some job needed it. Before the start of the second wizarding war each test cost 20 galleons. Multiple times what he had available monetarily without withdrawing more funds. It cost several times his rent till Hogwarts started.
To apply for a mastery at minimum he needed 5 NEWTs which in order to get he needed at least 5 OWLs as well. If he wanted to take the extra classes at Hogwarts he would also need OWLs in Charms and Arithmancy. There was no saying how much the tests cost today compared to 1996. It would not cost more but he was on limited funds. He had a total of 300 galleons he could withdraw with an additional 200 galleons added to his account in December and then again in May. He only had 40 galleons left from his mother's stash. So estimating based on 1996 numbers he would need a minimum of 240 galleons to take the minimum required tests for his new life.
240 galleons! That was practically all his money. That would be painful! But to be established as a truly separate person he needed these tests. Plus taking these tests would have the added benefit of leaving no wizarding paper connection between Septimus Prince and Severus Snape. The goblins knew but the wizards would be none the wiser. He didn't actually need to be seen as a separate person. However paying the money would probably be less painful then the long paperwork process of transferring test result identity.
Now how much to withdraw. He should leave some in case of emergency. He needed an estimated 240 galleons. Plus he had an idea for dealing with Lupin. 250 galleons that should cover everything and leave his mother's remaining 40 galleons for incidentals. By next summer he would have an additional 400 galleons to live that summer off of. It was not like he needed to save money for food or housing prior to Hogwarts. Nor did he need t9 save up for food or housing during term. He could take a risk. “Next”
Severus stepped up not bothering to wait for the goblin to talk. They liked efficiency. “I would like to withdraw 240 galleons.”
“Key” the teller grunted gruff as ever. Severus handed over his key and received money in exchange. As he counted the money into his charmed pouch Septimus did not let the goblin turn to its next customer. “I received a card from gringots for use only in buying potion ingredients as dictated by the bank. Do you happen to have a list of accepted apothecaries?” The goblin handed him a list from under its desk. How did it just have that hand? That was not a normal question for a teller.
“Next” it grunted and Severus hurried to move aside. His business was concluded. Goblins were a weird bunch. They valued efficiency and knowledge. They never lied to clients but they never revealed more than asked. They knew all wix secrets and probably knew how their world functioned better than most wix did. But they did not share that information. Wizard culture demanded polite small talk and niceties while goblin culture was to say what you want as fast as possible so you could iron out the terms. Trick language, loopholes, battle, and efficiency. No self respecting goblin would use long introductions or elaborate sayings. That is what made Gringotts work. Today was efficient. His life was turned on its head but he got in and out all within an hour. There was something comforting about the goblin's gruff straightforward manor. But it was also annoying. How different his life would have been if the last time the goblins had contacted him about his grandfather's passing instead of waiting for him to ask about the Princes…