"So Snape was the one who overheard the prophecy back then. Snape was the one who told Voldemort about it, which led Voldemort to hunt down my family." Harry's eyes widened in shock as he muttered.
Dumbledore had never told him about this. No, Dumbledore had not dared to. He had not dared to tell him these things.
"Harry, are you all right?"
Harry's pale face made Hermione worried and afraid.
"But why did Snape side with Dumbledore in the end?" Ron was even more puzzled. "That's very strange, isn't it? I mean, Dumbledore actually chose to believe Snape's lies. I don't believe Dumbledore knew nothing about it. He..."
"You can treat this as a story, since most of what I know about it is limited to speculation." Albert raised his wand and gave it a light flick, conjuring several steaming cups of milk tea out of thin air. He picked one up, took a sip, and began recounting what he knew. "Snape's mother was called Eileen Prince, a pure-blood descendant of the Prince Family. I remember she left behind a copy of Advanced Potion-Making. She was a highly gifted Potion Genius. Snape probably inherited that book later on, and much of his talent in Potions came from his mother's legacy. Of course, he also inherited her talent in that regard. I believe that copy of Advanced Potion-Making is still at Hogwarts."
"It should be your copy of Advanced Potion-Making." Hermione turned to Harry. "The Half-Blood Prince should refer to Snape."
"What a disgusting title," Harry said with revulsion.
"Don't you have some grand title of your own?" Ron tried to change the subject.
"Do you think I need to give myself an impressive new name?" Albert curled his lip disdainfully. "And don't change the subject. Your time is limited."