Hogwarts 1991

Chapter 457
Cokeworth, located in the central part of England, is an ordinary industrial town in the 90s.

In the 60s and [-]s, the period just after World War II was its most glorious time,

At that time, everything in Cokeworth was developing at a rapid pace...the highway was constantly extended, cars of coal came and went, long and tall chimneys were erected continuously, the gray-black river never stopped, and the smog and dust covered the sky...and workers from all over the UK gathered here to start the endless heavy work...

At most, they take a break every day and come to afternoon tea after three o'clock.

But just like other similar industrial towns in England or Europe, after the iron lady set off the banner of 'neoliberalism' in the 80s and dashed forward, there are only rags left behind by the wheel of history and left behind by power and money...

—Whether it is a thing... or a person!

Spider's End Lane is the most dilapidated and outdated place in Cokeworth, where the smell of decay and despair is everywhere.

Nobody wants to be here.

Whether it is a Muggle or a wizard, unless he has no place to live in this world, he will live in such a broken place.

Spider's End Lane, which is located in the most fringe suburb of Cokeworth, is full of abandoned mills and factories. Looking from the river, you can see the huge dilapidated and tall chimneys, which are still in place... This is the only thing left from that year.

This is also the place where the workers lived most concentratedly. The surrounding environment is very messy and dirty, next to a stinking river.

The river twists and turns, and the water in the inner river turns green and black, with a layer of unspeakable substance sticky on it, without any fluctuation... It's like dying.

Every few years when the election comes, people from government departments will clean it up, but once the election period is over, the water that started to be a little bit clear immediately becomes dark again, without any sign of life.

Weeds are overgrown on both sides of the river, garbage is piled up, and when the wind blows garbage bags and waste papers of various colors, mixed with some unknown substances, they fly and rotate along the downwind of the river... When the wind is low, with that stench... Garbage bags and waste paper will fall down again, all of this... It's like the end of the world.

All the people who live here can't wait to leave this 'dirty dump', but some 'things' will be left in place after all and cannot escape.

Just like the meaning of the name Spider's End Alley.

— dead end!
A place of hesitation, no choice, no way to go.

As the only wizard living in Spider's End, Severus Snape's life was in line with this fate. Maybe he also understood something, so he didn't leave this childhood home.

This house at the end of Spider's End... has always been deserted and empty, and Snape came back to live in Hogwarts every summer vacation almost like an emotionless ghost, living a life of sadness and regret.

But now, for the first time in the house in Spinner's End, Severus felt a strange emotion.

That is--

anger!
He was about to explode, - by these two idiots in front of him.

"Just for one night, are you going to make my house like this?"

Snape looked coldly at bald Arthur and Fatty Black.

He growled at the two of them standing in a small living room.

Originally, the feeling here should be a dark cell with soft walls.

There are a few wooden boards nailed to the surrounding walls... There are old books with black and brown covers standing upright; the only candle chandeliers, shabby shabby sofas, old armchairs, rickety tables and chairs... The poor furnishings in these rooms should add some mysterious, strange and desolate atmosphere to this place.

Of course, that's how the living room looked in the first place.

As for now...

——there is no such atmosphere at all.

If you have to describe it...

It was a kind of madness bordering on hysteria...

By the way, it's almost like a mental hospital for Muggle lunatics.

The tables and chairs that were already a bit shaky were creaking and shaking from side to side, and the wooden legs were about to break; the old-fashioned TV set on it was singing along with the picture of its own demonstration (a certain Muggle concert); there was also a refrigerator that opened and closed the door back and forth, blowing out hot air; and the electric kettle that was jumping up and crazily biting Blake's fat ass... and more...the radio with two antennas doing push-ups, and the various parts and tools that bald and bald were running around in various places. ...

(They were [activated spell] cast by Arthur Weasley. Weasley originally wanted these electrical appliances, parts to reassemble themselves...the result was like this)
The only good news among them is that Snape's collection of precious magic books has not been damaged by the catastrophe.

"Tell me, what are you going to do!"

Snape's voice echoed, wind blowing.

With a blank expression on his face, he pulled off the screwdriver and needle-nose pliers that were banging on his hair, and smashed them against the wall.

"Severus, it's my fault!" Arthur said with a heavy tone, "It's none of Black's business... I have nothing to say when Fudge asks a question, and I will bear it all. As for the Muggle items in your house, I will find you some identical electrical appliances..."

"No, it's me..." Blake interrupted Arthur hastily, "I encouraged you..."

"Forget it! Don't give me a Muggle soapy sentimental drama... I've had enough of it as a kid... that's enough... bloody, disgusting Muggle stuff."

Snape waved his wand once and for all, roaring loudly, shattering the refrigerators and TV series with electric sparks, and fell completely silent.

"And that's not what I'm going to say..."

"These things left by my Muggle father, they were broken and just thrown away. Anyway, I don't want to keep them for a long time. Originally, these rags were stored in the attic. Who told you to take them out again..."

"The point is... don't you know that you are a wanted criminal? Sirius!"

"I know you, Blake!
"You did it, you inspired Weasley. I know it was you!" Snape screamed.

"You are still the same as when you were in school... Only you can do such a mindless thing..."

After half a day of 'howling the storm', Snape finally stopped out of breath.

(During the period, Snape was so angry that he choked on nosebleeds a few times... It seems that after teaching the MacGuffin [Occlumency], Snape left this unlucky sequelae, and this incident made him so angry that it made the symptoms worse)
"Then what do you think we should do?... I just want to buy Harry a birthday present, and his birthday is coming up soon." Black said in a deep voice, he is not afraid of boiling water.

This was the most useful way Black got to deal with Snape after 'cohabiting' with Snape for a while these days.

Anyway, before Wormtail was caught, or Fudge's thoughts changed, Snape couldn't drive Black out, at most he could make things difficult for him.

Sure enough, Black's brazen behavior made Snape so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time, he wished he could drive this guy out on the spot.

At this time, there was a sudden crackling sound in the room.

An owl is tapping its talons on the window, and it has a small straight tube tied to its leg, which appears to hold a small twig.

Snape walked over sullenly, opened the window wide, and took the note from the owl's leg.

The owl flew away without stopping.

He glanced at the note,
That was written to him by Dumbledore, saying that he was asked to return to Hogwarts to configure a bottle of potion.

The above is unclear,
Snape cursed secretly, he didn't understand what that old fox Dumbledore was thinking.

But under such circumstances, he could only keep out of sight and out of mind...for the time being let these two guys go.

In fact, in the case of Arthur Weasley, he really couldn't do anything about Black. (I can't use my magic wand to cast some small curses to correct this guy's 'bad habits' according to my usual thinking...)
Besides, except for Weasley, there is no one more reliable person who can keep an eye on Black now... so we have to keep these two guys here again... However, we must be careful that these two guys sneak out again...

After a while of meaningless scolding, Snape told the two coldly that he could not pursue this matter, as long as they threw out these rags, restored the living room to its original state, and did not go out again during his absence.

"Forget it, I don't believe you, Blake!...I'd better make sure that you don't go out!"

"Chasing shadows!"

Snape swung his wand, and a shiny silver ring tightly wrapped around Black's left ankle.

"This time, I will keep an eye on you... Black, there will be a next time... No matter what Fudge says, I will definitely send you to the new Azkaban... let you and your friend Lupine the Prong get together... except that one is a prisoner and the other is a guard..."

After casting the Tracking Charm on Black, Snape walked out of the house and slammed the door behind him.

……

Ever since Severus the Batman left Spider's End because of Dumbledore's note, Black's life here has been surprisingly easy.

Seriously, it was better than he thought.

Without Snape's cynicism, and from time to time threatening Black with a wand to do this or that... There is no design drawing of that Muggle crossbow every night, to build a crossbow, looking for a chance to shoot Snape through the head...

Black finally had time to think about what to give Harry for his birthday, as well as write and communicate with him normally.

As for Mr. Weasley, he was also relieved by the successful conclusion of this matter... The broken home appliances that Snape didn't want made him very excited, and he even left his job (he asked Fudge for a special leave for his own benefit) to conduct research in this house...

Those discarded home appliances have a new life directly in his hands.

A new life in the true sense can be said to be alive.

Refrigerators, TV sets, radios, and telephones were tightly tied up with ropes, and they were put in the corner of the living room (Arthur Weasley wanted to take these things back to his home)... Even a powered lamp and plug, he could mutter for a long time alone, studying how these things work.

Most of the time, Black is in contact with Harry... or Dumbledore, Lupine writes and communicates... He has been using various channels to confirm the whereabouts of Wormtail and the Death Eaters.

I don't know if it's because of the many years of living in Azkaban that made him very suspicious. Black always felt that Dumbledore and Snape...even the little wizard McGuffin Albert was hiding something from all of them.

Although Lupine didn't mention it clearly in the letter, he also mentioned that he should pay attention to that little wizard... Blake, he was sure that this was closely related to the fact that Risnape went to Azkaban to interrogate the Death Eaters that night.

In the following time, Snape would occasionally come back to this house. He was very restless and anxious to search for some rare potion books that he had collected in the past...or some of his potion notes.

During this process, Snape actually didn't embarrass Black, and even treated Arthur and Black directly as air.

Once in the middle of the night... this guy even came back with a smell of blood. Although there was no blood on him, the smell was so strong that it was like taking a bath in a pool of blood, and even after Snape left in a hurry, the smell couldn't go away for a long time.

This made Black even more suspicious and worried about what Dumbledore and the others were hiding. Although he was sure that Dumbledore would not do anything against Harry, such signs were very suspicious.

Besides, the good news that made Black most happy was that during the rest of this summer vacation, Harry would stay at Weasley's house for a period of time to watch this year's World Cup Quidditch final in England.

This was good news for Harry too, as Black knew that the Dursleys were not exactly friendly to Harry.

And after getting along for so many days, Arthur Weasley confirmed that Black was indeed not the vicious criminal that the newspaper said, so he said that he would find a way to sneak Harry here before the game...let him meet with Black...let Black deliver the birthday present to Harry himself.

It puts Blake in a good mood these days, and especially—after he read the message one morning.

He was even happier, and he felt a sense of revenge in his heart.

"Arthur, great news!"

Blake handed the Daily Prophet to Arthur Weasley.

The two of them are having breakfast now,
The kitchen here is extremely small, so small... The wooden table with a big hole in the middle almost occupies the entire space here.

The breakfast was made by Black, and of course he could only make some sandwiches, grilled bacon, boiled eggs and other things... Of course, Mr. Weasley was not much better... So most of the dinners were brought home by Arthur to eat the extra dishes Mrs. Weasley made.

"what's up?"

Arthur Weasley reached out to take the newspaper with a puzzled look on his face. With half a sandwich in his mouth, he struggled to move his eyes away from the Muggle electrical design blueprint (given by McGuffin's father Longman), and looked at the news pointed out by Black.

— Bellatrix has been put to death!
"what!"

(End of this chapter)