Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone monster automatically jumped aside, proving that the sweet-toothed old bee still had a special fondness for honey cake and his taste hadn't changed.

Severus entered the entrance guarded by the stone monster, ascended an automatic spiral staircase, and at the top pushed open the gleaming oak door with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin.

Behind the door was a spacious and beautiful circular room, with portraits of the former male and female principals hanging on the walls, all of them gently snoring in their respective frames.

There was also a huge table in the room with claw-shaped legs, and a golden-red bird perched on a shelf behind the door.

Dumbledore was sitting behind the table, wearing his strange crescent-shaped glasses, intently studying a letter sent to him by an unknown sender when Severus arrived.

It seems that even during summer vacation, the old bee is still diligently performing the duties of the Hogwarts headmaster.

Well, it would be even more convincing if it weren't for the cream residue still clinging to his gray beard.

Upon hearing the noise at the door, he looked up, his blue eyes possessing an unfathomable depth, and his crescent-shaped lenses shimmering with a light that seemed to see right through people.

Severus met his gaze. His gentle eyes held no aggression, yet somehow gave one the inexplicable feeling that he could see through everything.

"Oh--"

"Severus? Is the process of brewing Felix Felicis not going well? Would you like to come and share afternoon tea with me? Of course, I can generously share some delicious cake and lemon honey soda with you."

Severus didn't try to imitate Snape's cold, hollow face, as if everyone owed him a fortune. Instead, he naturally and casually sat down in the chair opposite Dumbledore.

“I think you must be mistaken, Dumbledore. I finished the Felix Felicis two days ago. I remember you asked me about it once at dinner yesterday.”

Dumbledore was speechless for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile.

"As you get older, your memory will inevitably decline. Perhaps you should prepare some memory aids for me?"

“Your own Pensieve is more than enough.” Severus unceremoniously picked up the lemon honey soda that had appeared out of thin air in front of him after he sat down, took a big sip, and couldn’t help but frown.

This stuff is a bit too sweet.

He put down his soda and looked at Dumbledore again, only to find that the old man was not paying attention to the letter in his hand either, but was just watching him with a smile.

Severus did not avoid his gaze, but met those blue eyes and brushed his slicked-back hair off his shoulders.

"I've recently figured some things out and want to make some changes, like washing my hair properly. What do you think?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Your arrival today has already shown me an amazing change in you, but—learning to take care of your hair is indeed a profound art."

"Not only that."

Severus never avoided Dumbledore's gaze, and he spoke earnestly and solemnly.

“I want to make some changes to some of the things and plans we agreed on before.”

Dumbledore held his hands together, fingertips touching, his brow slightly furrowed, revealing an expression of attentive listening.

"For example, in which aspects?"

“It’s about Harry Potter,” Severus said calmly. “I want to take him away from his aunt’s house for a while so he can learn some things from me in advance, to prepare him for the future.”

Upon hearing his words, Dumbledore's already slightly furrowed brows furrowed even more deeply.

"This is why?"

“You should know that he didn’t have a good time at his aunt’s house. There’s nothing worth remembering about his terrible childhood.”

Severus said, "This is not good for any child's development. If you really care about him and really want to do what's best for him, I think you could give him a try."

Dumbledore's clasped hands were fidgeting restlessly. He frowned and said with difficulty.

"But we both understand that Harry Potter will receive the best protection from his own blood relatives."

“But that man hasn’t come back yet, has he?” Severus didn’t avoid Dumbledore’s eyes; instead, he chose to be honest with him.

"We cannot jeopardize this child's future with something uncertain, gambling that his childhood experiences will not affect his character and personality."

The principal's office suddenly fell silent.

Even the portraits on the walls had stopped snoring softly at some point. The past principals pretended to be taking a nap, but in reality, they were all eavesdropping on this conversation that had surprised everyone.

Dumbledore seemed to be thinking.

He pondered this for a long time, and his gaze never left Severus, until his voice rang out again.

"So what kind of educational plan do you have for Mr. Potter, who is only 9 years old? I'm very curious about that, Severus."

“I think the first step to changing yourself is to go out and see the world again. This applies to me, and it certainly applies to Harry Potter.” Severus and Dumbledore looked into each other’s deep blue eyes.

"I want to leave Hogwarts for a while and go on a trip, and this trip happens to require a companion."

For some reason, Dumbledore's brow gradually relaxed.

"Change might actually be a good thing."

Severus sensed a softening in Dumbledore's tone, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Did you agree?"

Dumbledore simply smiled and shook his head.

“I think you’ve asked the wrong person, Severus.”

"If you want to invite Mr. Potter to take a trip, you should get permission from him and his current guardian, not from some unrelated old man like me."

Severus inwardly scoffed, muttering a few words of disapproval about the old bee's pretentiousness.

But on the surface, he reiterated his statement.

"So, you're agreeing to this as long as I get Harry Potter's and his guardian's consent?"

"If they all accept it voluntarily, what impact can my opinion have?"

"Then take that as a yes."

Severus stood up from his chair and turned to leave the principal's office without any hesitation.

"I'm going to the Potters right now!"

But before he had taken two steps outside, he suddenly turned back and, under Dumbledore's raised eyebrow, casually took two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from the corner of the desk!

Finally, he strode out of the principal's office.

Meanwhile, inside Severus's body, the ghost Snape was completely stunned.

Chapter 3 Sincere People

"Dumbledore must have already discovered that you are not me!" Ghost Snape said coldly from inside the body.

Severus shrugged as he walked down the Hogwarts corridor.

"I bet he noticed me the moment he saw me."

"Then you still dare?"

"You still dare to see him? You still dare to mention Harry Potter in front of him?"

Severus could naturally guess what Ghost Snape wanted to ask, but he simply asked in return.

"Can I guarantee I'll never see Dumbledore again in my entire life?"

Ghost Snape remained silent; he didn't want to waste words answering a question with only one answer.

Severus ignored his silence and continued talking to himself.

"Obviously not."

“Since I can’t guarantee that I’ll never see Dumbledore again, and I can’t possibly keep him from finding out that I’ve replaced you, then I might as well just take the initiative to see him.”

“We all know him. Old Deng is a riddle-maker. He likes to talk about all sorts of random things. As long as I don’t say anything, he probably won’t ask me what happened to me. Instead, he’ll just go along with what I’m saying and observe my words and actions. Then, of course, I’ll make my request.”

"What if he exposes you on the spot?" Ghost Snape finally spoke again, unable to imagine just how audacious the mysterious person possessing him was.

“Since you’ve exposed me, I’ll just tell you the truth. You can see for yourself that I didn’t intentionally want to possess you. Besides, Dumbledore needs the identity of Severus Snape to do things for him. As long as he has a need, he can’t really do anything to me.”

Severus has returned to his underground office.

"Look, I was in a good position no matter what, choosing to see Dumbledore, and now I'm making a killing. Although he didn't give a clear answer, he did soften his stance on Harry Potter. Dumbledore just wanted to see how I would persuade Harry Potter and his guardian to take him out, in order to judge who I really am."

Upon hearing this, Ghost Snape became somewhat impatient, staring intently at Severus.

"So who exactly are you! What do you want from bringing Potter out here?!"

Severus simply picked up a small pinch of Floo Powder from the fireplace in his office and smiled slightly.

Do you know what kind of person is most worthy of admiration, trust, and reliance?

"what?"

"A sincere person."

"A sincere person! A sincere person! I've always hoped that through the influence and upbringing of our family, you will become a sincere person, Harry Potter!"

At 4 Privet Road, Little Huigkin, Surrey, Aunt Penny's shrill voice, like a broken gong being constantly struck, made one's eardrums vibrate along with the sound waves early in the morning.

"I didn't eat it!"

Nine-year-old Harry was still loudly defending himself, pointing at Dudley, who was sitting on the sofa, staring with small eyes and already as chubby as a ball at such a young age, "It's Dudley! I saw some cream left on the corner of his mouth this morning!"

“It wasn’t me, Mom!” Dali shouted.

“Of course it wouldn’t be you, my little angel! You’re so sensible, you always keep your promises!” Aunt Penny’s voice would become especially gentle when she was talking to her son.

But this tenderness lasted for less than three seconds.

“But some liars are different! My God! Potter! Stealing food is one thing, but you even have to slander Dudley!”

Harry felt a little powerless. He shrugged, his head down, as if it were a habit.

"Fine, say whatever you want."

Just then, Vernon, carrying the mail from the mailbox, pushed open the door and returned to the living room. He heard Harry's words and gave him a fierce warning.

"Don't talk to us like that! You should at least learn to be grateful!"

"Does washing your socks count?" Harry asked, looking down.

“That’s what you should do!” Vernon roared.

But soon his attention shifted from Harry to the letters he had just retrieved from the mailbox.

"They actually think our drilling rig isn't powerful enough. If they insist on this idea, they won't be able to find a suitable product in the entire Surrey County."

"Oh, Maggie is coming the day after tomorrow; she misses Dudley terribly."

"Damn it, another collection notice! We've paid so much municipal property tax, but the fire hydrant by the door has been broken for two months and no one has come to fix it!"

Vernon grumbled, complaining after every letter he read.

Harry was engrossed in studying the button, imagining how he would beg for forgiveness if Uncle Vernon suddenly shrank to the size of a button, which made him feel a little better.

But this feeling of self-comfort instantly worsened and made her feel more depressed after hearing the news that Aunt Maggie would be coming the day after tomorrow.

Harry tried to make an effort.

"Can I go to Mrs. Figg's the day after tomorrow? She seems to have lost one of her cats. If it's not found soon, it might run into our house. It, it poops in the yard, yes! It poops in the yard, and Aunt Penny might accidentally step in it. I can go help look for it and save everything!"

Mrs. Figg was the Dursleys' neighbor. She was a strange old lady; her house was full of cats and smelled of cabbage.

Harry didn’t like going to her house, but compared to the Dursleys’ house with Aunt Maggie, it was heaven!

However, after reading the letter in his hand, he suddenly found another letter from Vernon through the crack in the door, which decisively shattered all of Harry's illusions.

"You must stay home for the entire day after tomorrow!"

After saying that, he didn't even look at Harry, who was pale and slumped in a chair, and shouted towards the kitchen.

“Penny, here’s a letter for you.”

"Who sent it? Annie?"

Penny walked out of the kitchen, wiping the water off her hands onto her apron.

As she passed by Harry, she didn't forget to loudly instruct her nephew to fish out the pillowcase that was soaking in the basin.

Harry stood up from the chair as if he had lost his soul, and walked past Dudley, who was gesturing at him with a neck that wasn't actually there. Before he even reached the bathroom, he suddenly heard a soft sound behind him, the sound of an envelope falling to the floor.

Not only Harry, but even Dudley, who had been focused on his cousin and wanted to retaliate against him for his tattletale, was also drawn away and turned to look in Petunia's direction.

They saw a terrifying expression on Penny's face that they had never seen before.

It's like seeing Mrs. Figg's cat pooping on her freshly washed blanket.