Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 113 Quietly Passing Through the Tulip Garden

After leaving Felix's small house, Snape walked through the winding alleys and returned to the bright sunlight of Diagon Alley.

At this moment, he still had one last procurement task—Muggle experimental equipment.

The Leaky Cauldron was packed with all sorts of wizards, as usual.

“I need a single room, Tom,” Snape said to the thin, toothless bartender behind the bar, walking up to the counter. “Just one night.”

His voice was higher than expected—the aging agent was slowly wearing off, and his vocal cords were returning to the state of a seventeen-year-old.

“Room 11 is empty, sir,” Tom said, looking up and turning to take a key from the wall. “One Galleon. I think you’ll be quite comfortable.”

After paying, Snape took the key and strode toward the passageway next to the bar, through the narrow, wallpaper-peeled corridor, up a creaking wooden staircase, and came to a door with the brass number 11 on it.

When he opened the door, the room was better than he had imagined: a bed that looked quite comfortable, several pieces of gleaming oak furniture, and even a small fireplace.

He closed the door, and Snape waved his wand at the fireplace, causing a burst of crackling flames to erupt from the grate.

He took off his robe and lay comfortably on the bed.

Outside the window, the London sky was changing rapidly, from a velvety deep blue to a cold gray.

He closed his eyes, feeling the effects of the aging serum gradually wear off. It was a strange sensation—his bones were slowly contracting, his muscles were becoming firm again, and a tingling sensation spread through his scalp.

Half an hour later, he sat up and walked to the mirror hanging on the wall. Seventeen-year-old Severus Snape had returned.

“Great,” he muttered to himself, “now it’s time to go to the Muggle world.”

He pulled a set of Muggle clothes from a small bag he carried, which was enchanted with the Unseen Stretching Charm: a pair of dark jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a black jacket.

After dressing, he put on a robe and hood over his clothes to make sure the wand was safely hidden in the sleeve of his jacket.

As he went downstairs, Tom gave him a questioning look with his cloudy eyes, but said nothing.

Pushing open the small door of the bar, Snape arrived at Charing Cross Road. He quickly took off his robe and hood, stuffed them into his bag, and stepped into the bustling Muggle world.

Charing Cross Street was lined with shops and bustling with people. It was just an ordinary street, crowded with ordinary people, and seemed to have nothing to do with anything mysterious or strange.

On the streets of London in 1977, no one would give a second glance to a tall, thin boy dressed in ordinary clothes.

Snape wandered aimlessly down the street, passing bookstores, record stores, hamburger joints, fish and chips shops, and movie theaters. He didn't know where to buy experimental equipment, but there was no need to rush.

"If it weren't for magic, this place would have enjoyed at least several decades of peace and prosperity," Snape thought, watching a mother push a stroller past him and a young couple walk hand in hand into the movie theater.

There were also rows of nice little cars parked along the roadside.

After passing the movie theater plastered with posters of James Bond and Bond girls, Snape finally spotted his target: a shop with a sign that read "Science Lab Supplies (SLS)". The window display showed various glassware and metal instruments.

“This is it.” Snape pushed open the door and entered, the doorbell ringing crisply.

The store was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside, with rows of shelves filled with instruments that Snape couldn't name. A middle-aged clerk wearing thick glasses looked up from behind the counter.

"Hello, young man, do you need any help?"

“Hello, I need some lab equipment,” Snape said, trying to make his voice sound like a normal student. “Mechanical scale, thermometer, timer.”

“We have all of those,” the salesperson pushed up his glasses and answered enthusiastically. “Aren’t you interested in the latest electronic scale? It’s much more accurate than a mechanical scale.”

“No need, the mechanical scale will suffice,” Snape insisted. Magic and electronic devices never really get along.

The shop assistant nodded and turned to get the goods from the shelf.

"Do you need anything else, sir?"

“Various sizes of volumetric flasks,” Snape mumbled, staring at the labels on the shelf, “Kjeldahl flasks, Griffin flasks, conical flasks, 5000 ml round-bottom flasks, and these laboratory protective equipment.”

“Young man,” the shop assistant suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked up warily, “why do you need these things? Who sent you to buy them?”

“It’s for experiments,” Snape said, trying to sound calm. “Uh—my school chemistry teacher asked me to buy it.”

"What's your chemistry teacher's name? Which school does he/she go to?" the shop assistant pressed, his/her finger already subtly moving towards the telephone under the counter.

Snape's mind raced. He quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper from the counter and secretly slipped his wand from his sleeve.

“My chemistry teacher’s name is Heisenberg,” he said casually, handing the paper to the clerk. “Here you go. I think you’ll understand everything once you see this. My purchase was reasonable and legal.”

As the clerk looked down at the paper, Snape quickly waved his wand and silently cast the Confusion Charm.

The shop assistant's eyes darted around for a moment, then he focused again. He looked at the paper carefully for a while and nodded.

“It seems to be in perfect order,” the clerk said calmly, handing the papers back to Snape. “I’ll go get you what you need.”

Ten minutes later, the clerk handed Snape a large cardboard box filled with glassware.

He took the cardboard box, carefully secured it further, and then stuffed it into the small bag.

“Thank you very much,” Snape said. “How much?”

The shop assistant, standing behind the counter, absentmindedly uttered the price and then absentmindedly accepted the pounds sterling Snape handed him.

Even after Snape had been gone from the shop for quite some time, he still stared blankly at the banknotes in his hand, completely unable to recall what had just happened.

Just as Snape was passing by the fish and chips shop, a very well-dressed black car parked on the side of the road caught his attention.

Just moments ago, the car was empty. But now, two familiar figures sat inside—Penny Evans and the burly young man he had met in Cockworth, Vernon Dursley—two people far more ordinary than the street itself.

"What are they doing here?" Snape's curiosity got the better of him. He quickly looked around to make sure no Muggles were watching him, then went to a corner and cast an Illusion Charm on himself.

He approached the car silently.

The scene inside the car was clearly visible: Vernon was excitedly waving a fried sausage, while Penny looked preoccupied.

“Penny, that James Bond movie was really good, wasn’t it?” Vernon exclaimed.

“Yes, darling,” Penny replied, but her eyes were fixed worriedly on a spot outside the car window, and she seemed somewhat distracted. Snape noticed a nearly untouched plate of fish and chips on the small shelf in front of her.

“That ‘underwater city’ is truly magnificent,” Vernon continued, “Of course, to be honest, I would never want to get involved in such bizarre things in my entire life. I just wish we could live a normal life…”

Upon hearing Vernon's vision, Penny seemed to have made up her mind and interrupted him:

"Vernon, there's something I have to tell you. I hope you won't be angry after you hear it."

"What is it, darling?" Vernon's voice suddenly softened. "Why am I angry with you?"

Penny seemed a little touched; she opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“Vernon,” she took a deep breath, “you met my sister last time in Cockworth.”

“Yes, I’ve seen her.” Vernon’s expression turned puzzled. “What is it?” “My sister, Lily… she…” Penny’s voice was almost inaudible. “She’s a witch, and she’s in a school where they learn magic.”

“Witch? Magic?” Vernon was shocked, his voice rising two octaves. “Darling, are those the words I thought they were?”

Penny nodded slightly.

“Ah… darling,” Vernon stammered, “how could she be a witch? Are you serious?”

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you…” Penny’s eyes welled up with tears. “I was just worried that if you found out, you would leave me…”

Snape held his breath, awaiting Vernon's reaction. How would he react upon first hearing the news?
Unexpectedly, Vernon remained silent for a few seconds, then awkwardly reached out and wiped away Penny's tears.

“I will never blame or distance myself from you because you have a weird sister.” He paused, as if searching for the right words, and then solemnly said, “You will always be my… my little Nini.”

Penny suddenly threw herself into Vernon's arms, nearly knocking him onto the steering wheel from the unexpected enthusiasm. Vernon's fried sausages fell onto the car seat, but he didn't seem to care, simply patting Penny's back and whispering words of comfort.

After a while, Penny finally calmed down and wiped away her tears: "Thank you, darling."

“It’s my pleasure,” Vernon said with a chuckle.

Having witnessed all of this, Snape felt as if he were glowing under the Illusion Charm.

He stepped back a few paces, dispelling the spell in the blind spot in front of the car, and then pretended to have just spotted them as he walked toward the black car.

“Petunia, and Mr. Dursley, what a coincidence,” Snape asked in his most neutral tone, “how are you?”

Vernon visibly tensed up when he saw Snape. He turned to Petunia and whispered, "This is your sister's friend, right? We met him last time, isn't he also—?"

“A wizard,” Petunia answered softly, looking at Snape warily, and raised her voice to ask, “Why are you here? I thought you should be at school.”

“I was just out for a stroll and happened to run into you guys, so I came over to say hello.” Snape shrugged, observing Vernon’s reaction. He looked both confused and curious, like someone facing an unknown beast.

Just then, Vernon did something that shocked Snape.

He poked his head out and said, "Mr. Snape, would you like to have dinner together?"

“What? Dinner? Me? You guys?” Snape stammered, a rare occurrence for him. He looked at Petunia and saw her eyes widen in shock as well.

“Yes,” Vernon took Penny’s hand and gave her a reassuring look. “There’s a nice restaurant nearby. Do you have time?”

"Uh... okay." Snape scratched his head in confusion.

“Well then,” Vernon said, “get in the car.”

Snape, somewhat flattered, opened the car door and got in. He even began to suspect that Vernon had been switched.

When Snape sat in the back seat of Vernon's car, he felt as if he had entered a completely unfamiliar world.

The car was filled with the scent of leather and cologne, and the radio was playing Nick Lucas's old song from forty or fifty years ago, "Walk Quietly Through the Tulip Garden."

Through the car window, he saw the London sky turning into a pink hue streaked with golden light, which looked exceptionally beautiful.

The restaurant Vernon chose was far more upscale than Snape had anticipated. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light from the ceiling, and gleaming silver cutlery sat on white tablecloths. Vernon was clearly a regular, and the waiter immediately led them to a quiet corner table.

"Fish and chips, beef kidney pie, Yorkshire pudding..." Vernon ordered skillfully, then looked up at Snape, "Mr. Snape, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Looking up at the stars?" Snape asked tentatively. He had never seen the actual dish before.

Upon hearing the name of the dish, Vernon gave Snape a meaningful look. But he simply nodded and told the waiter, "Add another Stargazing Pie."

Next, the waiter brought over a bottle of sparkling wine and poured half a glass for each of the three.

After the waiter left, Vernon picked up his glass and took a large gulp, then looked directly into Snape's eyes: "Penny just told me that you're a..."

“A wizard?” Snape interjected. “What is it, Mr. Dursley?”

"So what's so special about you?" Vernon's voice suddenly hardened, the muscles in his hairy forearms tensed, and he placed one hand protectively in front of Penny. "I mean, how can you prove it?"

Snape's lips curled into a slight smile: "Look at your wine glass."

He placed his hand under the table, revealing the tip of his staff from his coat sleeve, and pointed it at Vernon's half-empty glass from under the table, casting a silent refill spell.

The glass was immediately filled, and bubbles rose merrily in the golden liquid.

Vernon's jaw nearly dropped to the table. He rubbed his eyes, looked at the glass in disbelief, then at Snape, and finally, with trembling hands, picked up the glass and took a deep sniff. The rich aroma of the wine immediately filled his nostrils.

"Don't drink!" Penny suddenly stopped Vernon as he brought the glass to his lips, snatched the glass from his hand, and put it back on the table. "Who knows what's in there now?"

“It’s alright, it’s just ordinary wine, Miss Evans.” Snape picked up his glass, took a big gulp, then refilled it with magic, took another sip, and said, “See, no danger at all.”

“Penny,” Vernon’s expression shifted from shock to a strange fascination, “I just thought your sister was some ordinary freak, but—”

Penny pursed her lips, looking at Vernon with a mixture of worry and sadness in her eyes.

“It’s alright, Penny,” Vernon turned to Penny and took her hand, “and I will never blame or distance myself from you because you have an unusual, freakish sister.”

Penny threw herself into Vernon's arms again and hugged him tightly. This time she cried even harder.

Looking at the two people in front of him, Snape felt that the wine no longer tasted good, and he didn't want to eat. He felt like he was being a bit superfluous.

He stared down at his wine glass, unable to help but ponder Vernon's strange behavior. Why did tonight's events seem so inconsistent with his uncle's aversion to magic?
At this moment, the waiter began to serve the food, and Snape coughed twice.

Vernon and Penny awkwardly let go of each other, and the three of them began to eat in an odd silence.

“Mr. Snape,” Vernon shifted his massive frame, breaking the silence. He pulled a twenty-pound note bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II from his purse, “could this increase the amount?”

"..."

Snape understood exactly why Vernon was behaving this way.

“Unfortunately,” he shook his head and said, “this is illegal.”

“Well, you guys have laws too.” Vernon looked somewhat disappointed, yet also relieved. “I should have known better, otherwise the world would have been yours long ago…”

“However, thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Dursley,” Snape said. “I have a joke about Japanese golfers that I’m sure you’ll find interesting…”

　Thanks to Pig Can Fly, Xuanqing, Yuebing, and Book Friend 20231101463_De for the monthly tickets.

　　------

　　Vernon & Petunia Dursley, By JK Rowling:
　　Penny and Vernon's first meeting with Lily and her boyfriend James Potter was disastrous, and their relationship quickly soured. James found Vernon ridiculous but acted rudely. Vernon tried to retaliate, asking James what kind of car he drove. James described his racing broomstick. Vernon then assumed wizards must be living on unemployment benefits. James explained to Vernon that his parents had left him a large sum of gold at Gringotts. Vernon, unsure if he'd been tricked, grew increasingly angry. The meeting ended badly, with the Dursleys storming out and Lily crying her eyes out.

　　James (with a hint of guilt) promised to reconcile with Vernon as soon as possible. This promise was never kept. At the wedding, Penny refused to let Lily be her bridesmaid—she was fed up with being overshadowed, which deeply hurt Lily.

　　Uncle Vernon's dislike for Harry stemmed in part from his similarities to James—just like Severus Snape.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)