Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 83 Phoenix Headquarters (4K)

Dumbledore gently closed the door of the cabin; he had other things to attend to.

Before leaving, he told Snape and Lily that he would pick them up on time at noon the next day.

Snape brought Lily a brand new feather pillow and a dark blue dressing gown.

"Why don't you sleep in the guest room tonight?" he asked softly.

Lily nodded.

Just as Snape turned to leave, he suddenly felt a slight resistance. Lily was gently tugging at the hem of his clothes, the force so light it was almost imperceptible.

He looked down and met those dull emerald eyes.

“Get some rest tonight,” Snape said gently. “I’ll stay here with you.”

After saying that, he left the guest room and prepared to move an armchair from the living room.

When he returned, Lily had already changed into her morning clothes and was curled up in the thin blanket, her red hair scattered on the pillow.

Snape placed the chair next to the bed, adjusting it to a position where he could keep an eye on Lily without making her feel pressured.

He sat down beside her, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and took her cold hand that was sticking out of the blanket.

Lily suddenly gripped his hand tightly. She gripped it so tightly.

“Later…later, I noticed the changes in you…” Her voice was so low that Snape had to lean down slightly to hear her, “But…I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright, it’s all over now.” Snape gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “It was the old me who should have apologized to you.”

Lily turned slightly to face Snape. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating her pale face. She gazed at him for a long time, her eyes filled with an emotion Snape couldn't decipher.

As dawn broke, a series of light footsteps startled the two light sleepers.

Snape then realized that he had fallen asleep at some point, and his neck was stiff and sore from the awkward position.

Eileen stood at the door of the guest room, staring in astonishment at the scene before her: Lily lay on the bed, while Snape sat beside her. Their hands were still clasped tightly.

“Ah, Mrs. Snape.” Lily released her grip as if electrocuted, sat up abruptly, and said in a low, embarrassed voice, “Good morning, I…”

"It's alright, it's alright." Eileen took two steps back, seemingly a little uneasy about disturbing them, but her tone revealed a hint of understanding. "I'll go prepare breakfast."

Snape then stood up from his chair and rubbed the stiff muscles in his neck.

"I'm going out now," he said to Lily, then walked out of the guest room and closed the door.

Lily quickly changed her clothes, left the guest room, and went to the kitchen. She wanted to help, but Eileen stopped her.

"No need, you can just sit down." Eileen waved her wand, and a steaming glass of milk landed on the table in front of Lily.

The table was laden with a more abundant spread than ever before.

Snape watched as Eileen kept adding food to Lily's plate, then cleared his throat and said, "Mama, Lily will be staying here for a while. Is that alright?"

“Of course,” Eileen said, cutting Lily a few slices of white bread and spreading butter on them. “Lily, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl…”

“Thank you, Mrs. Snape,” Lily whispered. “I can’t eat that much…”

“Eat more,” Eileen said, adding two more sausages and three fried eggs to Lily’s plate. “I’ll make you a bedroom upstairs later; the guest room downstairs is too basic.”

“No need for that!” Lily nearly dropped her cup. “The guest room is perfectly fine…”

“Don’t be so polite with me, Lily,” Eileen insisted.

After they finished breakfast, Eileen suddenly turned to Snape and said, "Why don't you move to another room? The view from your bedroom window is the best."

Snape stared at her in astonishment.

“No, thank you so much, Mrs. Snape. I can stay in the guest room.”

“That won’t do.” Eileen casually tapped the table with her wand, and the dishes flew into the sink and began to wash themselves, making a clattering sound.

While Eileen went upstairs to tidy her room, Snape accompanied Lily to the small garden in front of the house.

The two stood quietly side by side.

Morning dew condenses into glistening droplets on spiderwebs, while bees busily flit among the flowers. In the distance, the faint sounds of a babbling brook and the calls of early birds can be heard.

Last night's storm seemed to have no impact on the world; everything remained the same as before.

"Lily!" After a while, a window upstairs opened, and Eileen poked her head out. "It's all packed up. Do you want to come up and take a look?"

Snape waved upstairs, then he and Lily turned back to the cabin and headed up the stairs.

When Snape reached the second-floor hallway, he found Irene standing at his room door, happily beckoning Lily over.

"Hmm... alright then," Snape thought, it seemed Eileen had indeed changed his room.

“Come here quickly,” she said warmly to Lily, “see if there’s anything you don’t like.”

“No,” Lily said, shaking her head gently. “It’s fine here.”

She walked into the room and looked at the newly changed sheets and blankets, the clean and tidy desk, and the gleaming floor. A trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.

"Can I stay here alone for a while?" Lily asked softly.

“Okay,” Snape stopped Eileen with a look and pulled her out of the room. “Just call us if you need anything.”

After closing the door, Snape thought it best to give Lily some privacy.

He and Eileen went downstairs to the living room.

“Mom,” he said softly after a moment’s thought, glancing towards the stairwell, “something happened yesterday… Mr. and Mrs. Evans… they’ve left this world. That’s why Lily is here…”

Eileen covered her mouth in disbelief.

After glancing towards the stairwell as well, she lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

“It was an accident,” Snape shook his head, deciding not to tell Eileen the truth. “Just be careful not to mention it in the background, and pretend you don’t know anything else.”

"Also, Professor Dumbledore will be picking up Lily at noon today to deal with yesterday's unfortunate accident. I'll go with her then."

Eileen nodded slightly, a look of pity on her face.

……

The midday sun shone through the clouds, casting dappled patterns on the lawn in front of the cabin. Dumbledore knocked on the door of the cabin right on time.

"Eileen, it's been a long time." The principal's face had regained its usual calm and gentleness.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Eileen opened the door, subconsciously wiping her apron, and said somewhat awkwardly, "You've arrived. Would you like to have lunch before you leave?"

“Thank you, Eileen,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “Time is a bit tight, so I’m sorry I can’t try your cooking next time. I’ll definitely have to try it next time.”

When Dumbledore appeared, Snape and Lily had already picked up their cloaks.

After saying goodbye to Eileen, they followed the headmaster out of the cabin.

The three of them descended the hillside, Dumbledore's robes fluttering in the wind.

After walking along the hillside for a while, they left the area covered by the Anti-Illusion Charm.

"Where are we going?" Snape asked.

Dumbledore did not answer, but instead extended an arm to both him and Lily.

“Hold on tight,” he said softly, “it’s going to be a little uncomfortable.”

They grabbed Dumbledore's outstretched forearms, one on each side.

When their feet touched the ground again, they found themselves on an unfamiliar street.

The street wasn't wide, and it was lined with various old buildings on both sides. Most of the buildings were made of brick and stone, and the walls were covered with the marks of time. In some places, the plaster had peeled off, revealing the rough stones underneath.

The street was lined with all sorts of shops, the most eye-catching of which was "Winstony Books & Stationery Store." It wasn't a large shop, but its window was filled with various books, stationery, and newspapers and magazines. The sign above the door was faded, and the lettering was illegible.

Soothing piano music played inside the store, creating a strange contrast with the dilapidated surroundings.

Besides the stationery store, there are other small shops on the street, such as a general store, a tailor shop, and a shoe repair shop. These shops don't seem to be doing very well, with very few customers. Occasionally, you can see one or two elderly people in worn-out clothes going in or out of the shops.

"Where is this?" Lily asked, releasing Dumbledore's arm.

Dumbledore took a parchment from his robes, unfolded it, and placed it in front of Snape and Lily: "Read it and memorize it."

On the parchment was written a line in a handwriting Snape had never seen before: “The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is ​​located at 421 Vauxhall Road, London.”

After they finished reading, Dumbledore lit the parchment with his wand. The parchment curled up and burned, its ashes falling to the ground.

Lily looked up at the surrounding houses, frowning in confusion. They were standing in front of the Winstanley Bookstore, number 422, below its sign.

She looked to her left and saw the old apartment building number 420, but when she looked to her right, she saw the tailor shop number 423.

"Where is it?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"Is this the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Magical War?" A knowing glint flashed in Snape's dark eyes.

“The Charm of Unwavering Loyalty,” he explained softly to Lily, then looked at Dumbledore. “421 Vauxhall Drive. Professor, aren’t you the Keeper of the Secret?”

“No, this is the Prewitt family’s residence,” Dumbledore shook his head. “Giddyon Prewitt himself is the Keeper of Secrets.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark brown oak door appeared out of nowhere between numbers 420 and 422, with the number "421" clearly engraved on the brass nameplate.

Immediately afterwards, the window above the door, with its curtains tightly drawn, came into view, looking as if an extra house had suddenly expanded, squeezing out the buildings on both sides.

The music was still playing in the Winstanley Bookstore, and the Muggles sitting by the window were still engrossed in their books, clearly oblivious to everything.

“Let’s go,” Dumbledore said, leading the way toward the door of 421 Vauxhall Drive.

He drew his wand and knocked three times on the door.

Snape heard many loud metallic clanging sounds, as well as a clicking sound like gears.

The door creaked open.

They stepped across the threshold and entered a brightly lit foyer.

"Albus, you've arrived." Moody's distinctive figure strode out from a door at the other end of the hall. "Hmm... they're here too. You're both adults now... come in, the meeting is waiting for you."

They walked down the corridor toward the door from which Moody had just come out.

Snape noticed portraits hanging on the walls of the corridor, depicting wizards and witches with dark blond hair. Some were dozing, while others had opened their sleepy eyes and were smiling kindly at Snape and his companions.

The door opened, and the room was filled with wizards and witches.

On the wall directly opposite the door hangs a huge, pale red tapestry. The gold thread embroidered on it flickers under the light, depicting a sprawling family tree that dates back to the Norman Conquest.

The tapestry is embroidered with the words: The Valiant Pewter Family – Unstoppable.

Snape glanced at the bottom line of the family tree. Next to the names of the brothers Fabian Prewitt and Gideon Prewitt, a double-stranded gold thread connected Molly Prewitt with Arthur Weasley, and then three single-stranded vertical gold threads ran from their names to William (Bill's full name), Charlie, and Percy.

Further up, the names of Ignatius Prewitt and Lucretia Black are also linked together by a double golden thread.

Fabian Prewitt, with his short, dark blond hair, winked at Snape; they had met before at Professor Slughorn's party. Sitting next to him was a man with similar dark blond hair who looked remarkably alike.

"It must be Gideon Prewitt," Snape thought.

Dumbledore strode over to the side with the family tree tapestry and sat down in the middle of the long table.

“Sit down.” His voice immediately silenced the buzzing conversation.

The wizards present immediately made room for Snape and Lily.

“I would like to introduce you to two new comrades,” Dumbledore said in a deep voice, “Severus Snape and Lily Evans. They are still students at Hogwarts.”

“They’re adults now,” Moody explained to the puzzled Order of the Phoenix members. “They’ll be in seventh grade soon.”

“But,” a wizard with a round face and light blond hair said to Dumbledore in a low voice from the other end of the long table, “they are still students.”

A beautiful witch with soft facial features gently squeezed his arm beside him.

“Frank,” Dumbledore raised his hand, his voice gentle but undeniable, “they all have reasons to join the Order of the Phoenix, just like you and me.”

Frank Longbottom offered no further objection and nodded amicably to Snape and Lily.

　Thank you Yagami Suigetsu for the donation.

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(End of this chapter)