Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 184, page 182: Professor Snape, Mother misses you, her old friend.

Where did Snape live?

Some might say that at Hogwarts, this answer is both right and wrong.

Snape is indeed at Hogwarts most of the time.

But during holidays he would choose another place, his former home.

Kirkworth, a notorious slum in England.

Many years ago, Snape lived here with Erin Snape (Snape's mother) and Tobias Snape (Snape's father).

In fact, with his current abilities, Snape could have gone to many more and better places, but he didn't. Whenever he had a holiday, Snape would still return to this small town.

Because this was where he and Lily used to live.

The Snape family home is located on Spider's Tail Lane, a suburban street in the town of Kirkworth.

This is the slum of slums, and the surrounding environment can only be described in three words.

Dirty, messy, and bad.

Even Dudley, who had seen the world, was shocked by the harsh environment.

It's hard to imagine that this is the spotless England described in magazines like Yi Mumu and Du Zhe.

Thankfully it's not in Japan, otherwise I'd have to add at least one more toilet bowl with clean, drinkable water.

A massive chimney shot straight into the sky, a relic of an abandoned mill, towering high, eerie, exuding a decaying, ominous aura. Rows of dilapidated brick houses stood nearby, their windows appearing dark and lifeless in the night.

Most of the ordinary people living here have moved out, leaving only a very small number of elderly people who are unable to leave.

Right next to it was a filthy little river that emitted a foul stench, with unidentified green, blue, and yellow substances floating on it.

Let alone fish, even if a mutated water monkey suddenly jumped out of the river, Dali would think it was normal.

A very typical industrial town.

It may have once been glorious, but now it is just a forgotten place.

It's nothing like Godric's Hollow, where the Potters' old house is located.

Dudley arrived at one of the dilapidated houses.

It looks like it has been exposed to the elements for many years, with peeling paint in many places, giving the impression that it is about to collapse at any moment.

It's actually quite sturdy.

"Clang, clang, clang"

Dudley stepped forward and knocked on the door.

After a long while, the door was slowly opened a crack, and the cold, deep, and wary gaze softened somewhat when it saw that it was Dudley.

Inside the door, Snape was wearing a light black nightgown and a somewhat worn-out dark green nightcap, his hair as greasy as ever.

"Mr. Dursley, I think it's a holiday now."

Although his words carried a cold indifference that kept people at arm's length, the door was opened completely, and he was gestured to enter the room.

The room looked much more spacious than the outside, and although the floors and furniture looked historic, they were very clean and tidy.

Dudley followed Snape to the room on the left, which was the reception room. Dudley's only impression of the place was of books. The room was filled with bookshelves, all kinds of books, and without exception, they were all about magic.

Lily has loved reading since she was little.

Dali recalled a detail his mother had once mentioned.

Snape sat down in a chair, first gesturing for Dudley to sit down, then stared into his eyes and said, "I don't recall ever telling you where I live, Mr. Dursley."

"Penny told me," Dudley answered honestly.

Snape's chair, like the house itself, had clearly weathered the test of time. When he sat down, the chair creaked and groaned under its weight, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"It's rare that she still remembers," Snape remarked softly.

"My mother really misses you, her old friend. If you have time, she hopes you can come and visit us."

This wasn't just Dudley being polite. Ever since Dudley actually went to Hogwarts, Petunia's inner conflict had been resolved. After learning from Dudley that Snape was a professor at Hogwarts, she also hoped to meet her "old friend" Snape.

Snape's eyes remained expressionless, yet a hint of reminiscence flickered in them.

Petunia is Lily's older sister. When Snape went to see Lily when they were little, Petunia often stopped him. The reason was naturally to keep an eye on Snape. Petunia kept a close eye on Lily and did not want her sister to be kidnapped by some bad boy from who-knows-where.

However, Lily really enjoyed spending time with Snape back then, so she basically didn't listen to Petunia.

With one person blocking the way (Penny), one sneaking away (Lily), and one providing backup (Snape), a long period of time passed.

They gradually became familiar with each other.

Actually, thinking back on that time, it was quite interesting.

Although Petunia ultimately failed to go to Hogwarts, and Lily was indeed lured away by a bad boy other than Snape, the relationship between the three naturally ended.

Looking back now, everything has changed.

How wonderful it would be if time could stand still in the carefree days of childhood.

Or perhaps, they never received the letter from Hogwarts, never knew about wizards, and continued to live as ordinary people; maybe everything would have been different.

"I need your help, Professor."

Dudley got straight to the point and slowly explained his needs to Snape.

"You want to cure two wizards who have been cursed with an oblivion spell and have completely forgotten their past? That sounds rather serious."

Snape was slightly surprised, but his expression remained largely unchanged, a side effect of the Occlumency procedure: "But why not send them to St. Mungo's? The healers there are the real professionals."

"I used to think so too, until my knee... no, until I actually went to St. Mungo's Hospital."

"If the healers at St. Mungo's were reliable, I wouldn't have come."

Those healers could only treat minor injuries; they couldn't handle anything more serious. The vast majority of healers were not even as skilled as Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts school doctor.

"In terms of potion-making skills, you are the strongest wizard I have ever seen. With you in charge, there will definitely be no problem."

Dudley showered him with compliments.

"Lily is better than me," Snape blurted out without thinking.

Dali:

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, Aunt Lily is the strongest potion master in the world! Aunt Lily is invincible!"

Perhaps realizing his blunder, Snape coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment and quickly changed the subject.

Where are they now?

"The Tulip Quarter in London."

Upon hearing the unfamiliar address, Snape frowned slightly. "Why would you be there?"

He thought for a long time but couldn't recall any wizards living there, nor any wizarding world architecture or anything like that.

It seems to be a purely Muggle-inhabited area?

"I own a property there."

Snape:

(End of this chapter)