HP solves the mystery

Logically speaking, the Evanses would come to the train station to pick them up. However, due to the economic crisis caused by Brexit and inflation, they had to work hard to make a living, and they were afraid of being laid off in the heat of layoffs.

Lily had received letters before, otherwise she wouldn't have invited Severus back with her at school.

"Severus, I'm here." Lily stood on tiptoes and shouted to Severus. She had already changed out of her wizard robe and put on a beautiful skirt and a maroon coat. She looked very good-looking. .

Severus looked for a voice and approached silently with his suitcase in hand. His clothes were the same as the gray sky. Except for his white shirt, everything else was black.

The two of them walked out of the train station as promised and walked under the street sign to wait for the nearest bus.

It’s not that I don’t want to take the subway, it’s mainly because a subway crash occurred in the Gaozhi Station tunnel in February, resulting in numerous casualties. Therefore, the subway station was rarely quiet for a while after that.

It's very cold in winter, and there are still many pedestrians outside, either at work or at home. People on the street are all people looking for work. The extremely tall chimneys are emitting ink-like smoke, even in You can see clearly in the snow.

When their legs were almost frozen, the tall, bright red bus drove slowly in the snow.

He quickly stretched out his hand to intercept, fearing that the driver would drive away without seeing the person.

There were not many people in the car, but half of the car was packed.

Severus shook the snow off his shoes and stepped into the car, took out the ticket package and handed it to the driver. She stuck it in the corner and gave it back to him, then took Lily's ticket, and so on.

The bus was still very crude at this time, and it felt very cold when I was sitting there, but it was more comfortable than being blown by the cold wind outside.

Severus found a position to block the wind, rubbed his frozen face, and vaguely remembered that in later generations, who said that a thin down jacket could be worn all year round in England's climate. Now he neither bought a down jacket nor had an air conditioner to blow it. No wonder it's as cold as a dog.

"Severus, are you okay? It would be great if you could use magic." Lily sat behind Severus and asked with concern. She also rubbed her hands coldly and comforted herself, "It's okay, you'll be there soon." We’re home, if I had known better, I wouldn’t have taken the subway without fear of death!”

Severus nodded silently, buried his face in his scarf, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He didn't know what to talk about with Lily, and he had nothing to talk to Lily about.

Seeing that he had closed his eyes, Lily stopped talking and looked at the snow outside the window quietly, confusion flashing in her eyes.

The bus drove for nearly an hour and finally arrived at Cokeworth. The snow outside had stopped. Severus was glad that he didn't get motion sickness, otherwise it would have been a torture.

He was going to send Lily home first. It was the peak unemployment season and it was Christmas. There were more people hanging out, and the risk factor increased.

They walked down the main street. Most of the shops had signs with the words "Energy Crisis" and "Power Outage". Only a few shops were open. The small colorful flags hanging at the door added some color to the gray world. They used to run on the road. There were no traces of the children running around, and it was rare to see a smiling face on the faces of people walking on the street.

This was the case in Cokeworth, a wealthy town, and it was hard for Severus to imagine what it would be like in other places.

Wearing new clothes and rosy faces, he and Lily looked out of place here. People passing by would always glance at them, especially Lily with bright red hair. He noticed that the thinly dressed woman on the street corner looked in this direction several times. Until they were far away, the woman didn't make any move, which made him very confused for a while.

Lily was so overwhelmed by the joy of returning home that she didn't notice these strange eyes at all. She shuttled through the crowd like a lively lark and lingered in the open shop. The salesperson inside held a gas lamp to greet her. Looking at customers.

The price of the shirt was nine pounds and fifteen pence. Oh, no, now it's seventeen pounds and thirty-six pence.

Severus couldn't help but click his tongue. He had an understanding of the rising prices during this period, which led to the decline in the purchasing power of the pound. It is no wonder that prices in the magical world also rose.

Lily complained softly when she saw the prices of the clothes and food. The money in her pocket was not enough for her to buy some gifts for her parents and sister.

Severus listened quietly and soon walked near Lily's house.

Surrounded by clean and tidy single-family villas, the white mailbox is tied with a pink bow, a large mistletoe wreath hangs in front of the door, and the pillars of the porch inside are wrapped with three-color garlands. The Christmas atmosphere is very strong.

He watched Lily enter the house and continued walking towards the huge chimney. The winding river was frozen, the low shrubs were covered with snow, and the weeds on the ground were no longer visible. Occasionally moving pedestrians could be seen on both sides of the bank. .

He walked along the route in his memory to the other side of the river. A railing more than two meters high separated the river from a narrow cobblestone alley. He didn't know who chose the site for the construction. On one side was a clean and tidy wealthy street. On one side are the poor and gloomy slums.

Severus was thinking about where to start. He could smell a stink even before he entered. People in the slums were not so particular and open defecation was common.

He stared at the brick houses on the other side of the alley in a daze. Only a few windows in the rows of houses were dimly lit, and most of them were lifeless and lifeless darkness.

He took a deep breath and shook the rotten eggs and feces in his pocket. He tried his best to ignore the greedy eyes in the dark. He entered through the entrance, quickly walked through the alleys between the houses, turned into another street that was almost the same, and tried his best to He avoided the shining street lights and threw away the people behind him.

Because Severus had a good meal at Hogwarts, he only sweated a little after running for a while. The person following him had been hungry for several days, and coupled with the strenuous exercise, he soon collapsed in the corner. Panting heavily, he watched the 'prey' run away.

Severus pursed his lips and did not let down his guard at all. He quickly shuttled through the maze-like brick houses until he reached the street called Spider End Lane. He looked at the tall chimney and some surrounding buildings. Those familiar with it breathed a sigh of relief.

Those people were very surprised to see Severus. They thought that after the elder Snape and his wife died and the younger Snape was not at home for several months, they thought he had died outside. They didn't expect that he could change his temperament and dress so much. He came back glamorous, so they all smiled stiffly and greeted him.

Severus nodded impatiently with a cold face, his eyes roaming over the faces of the sallow and skinny neighbors. His boots made a clicking sound on the cobblestones, and his every move showed his irritability.

Those people didn't get a good deal and left unwillingly.

Severus came to the last house and looked at the dilapidated windows nailed with wooden boards. He recalled in his mind that when he was shivering in the cold wind, his mother Eileen dragged herself with a bruised face. A figure nailing wooden boards with a thin body.

He sighed slightly, took out the key hanging around his neck, opened the door, and pressed the switch. Then he remembered that the power was cut off due to arrears in electricity bills and the economic crisis.

The candle was in the cabinet. Fortunately, all the matches were not damp. After he struck a few, he finally lit them and the room became bright.

Only then did Severus see clearly that the small living room was crowded with a worn and fluffy sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table.

It was not much different from what I remembered. It could even be said to be older. There was nothing in this shabby place that a thief would be concerned about. The slightly more valuable items were all sold by Old Snape for money to drink.

Severus frowned and looked at the dusty home, thinking about the more than two hundred gold galleons in his pocket. Why did he come here to suffer when he could obviously live a wealthy life?

After thinking about the situation in the magical world and the discussions of people around me, I planned to stay in Spider End Alley first, and then go to Diagon Alley to see it.

It's really frustrating that underage wizards can't use wands outside of school.

He was thinking about something in his mind, but his hand movements were not slow. He took out the lantern stored in Hogwarts, lit it with a candle, and carried it up to the second floor.

Let’s clean up the room and go to bed today. We’ll talk about tomorrow’s affairs!

Severus originally thought that the second floor would be better, but the result was similar to the first floor. The master bedroom was locked with a lock, but the second bedroom was not locked, but there was only a bed, a wardrobe, and a small The desk looked very desolate, as if it was unoccupied.

He sighed. Unexpectedly, the first thing he did when he got home was to clean with a rag.

There was a bathroom on the left side of the second floor. He turned on the faucet and some red water mixed with rust came out. Thank God, there was still water!

After the red water turned clear and transparent, he took out a rag and wiped the small bedroom. When he thought that the small room could not hide any secrets, he dug out a small jewelry box from under the bed. It looked a little old. , the wood is not very good, it is carved with patterns similar to peonies, but I don’t know what is inside.

Severus tried hard to recall his original memory, and finally dug out the origin of this jewelry box from the corner.

I bought it from a second-hand shop in Diagon Alley for 2 silver coins. I originally planned to give it to Lily as a birthday present, but for some reason I didn’t give it out in the end and it was stuffed in the box. This corner.

He thought there was something mysterious inside, but he didn't expect to be overjoyed. However, this jewelry box with a strong oriental aesthetic caught his attention.

Severus sat on the bedside and thought hard, holding the jewelry box and turning it around to look at it, and finally discovered something strange.

The bottom of this jewelry box is hollow and is raised up.

He looked around, but there was no small mechanism that could open the bottom. It seemed that this thing was not made by Chinese, so he had to find something to pry it. When he was sweating profusely, he pried open a small corner, revealing some silver-white satin-like material. He touched the fabric and felt it was slippery.

Seeing that there was something inside, he increased his strength, and the jewelry box soon fell into pieces. A piece of cloth as big as a palm was taken out, and he spread it out layer by layer on the bed.

The silver-white cloth stretched out like moonlight, revealing the parchment inside. He patiently continued to peel it off, and the wrapped things finally revealed their true colors.

It turned out to be a porcelain white thing similar to the Metropolitan 1916 trench whistle, but in the shape of a snake, with the year and some letters engraved on it.

He moved closer and squinted.

993.SS……

Severus swore that if he hadn't taken the whistle-like object out of the jewelry box with his own hands, he would have thought it was given to him by someone else, and even thoughtfully engraved his initials on it.

He rubbed his fingers on the parchment, which had vague writing on it.

"When you...do this..., I must be no longer here. Please...the family's ancestral precepts, let...disappear...in...the family's glory...make good use of...magic..."

Severus read softly, his eyes full of surprise. This ordinary jewelry box was actually related to the magical world. He moved the parchment closer to the lantern.

"Blow...taming...sleep...H...S...bas...deed...good luck always follows...burn after reading..."

It can be seen from the vague information that the purpose of this whistle is to tame something. Unfortunately, the writing is unclear in key places, otherwise the exact creature would be known.

While he was thinking, his fingers seemed to be pricked by something, and the parchment was thrown to the ground.

Severus looked at his thumb. There were no marks on it. If the pain hadn't been there, he would have thought it was an illusion.

The parchment on the ground suddenly ignited spontaneously, which startled him. He took the wet rag aside and covered it, but it had no effect.

The fire penetrated the rag and continued to burn, but there was nothing wrong with the rag.

He stared at the fire in confusion until it was extinguished and turned into a pile of ashes, then he took a breath and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Severus thought that the 'burn after reading' was meant to be burned by oneself, but he didn't expect that it would actually 'burn by oneself' after being read. The magic in the wizarding world is really magical.

He walked over with a broom, scooped up the ash and poured it into the bathroom toilet. He flushed it down. Don't expect garbage bags in this slum.

When he turned back to the room, he didn't see some sparks coming out of the toilet where the ashes were poured, forming several large characters in the air.

"The contract is established."

It flickered a few times, then disappeared as if blown away by the wind.

In the far north, in the dark basement, a huge body was lifted from the ashes, a pair of giant yellow eyes as big as lanterns suddenly opened, yawned humanely, and wandered wantonly in the tunnel...

Severus returned to the bedroom unconsciously. After he had tidied up the room, he lay down fully clothed.

There is no heating in the room, so all the quilts can be piled on the bed to draw warmth.

He held the porcelain whistle in his hand and played with it. He wanted to try blowing it, but he didn't know how long it had been in the box, so he didn't try it rashly.

He put the porcelain whistle under his pillow, thinking about getting a chain to hang around his neck tomorrow, before falling asleep tiredly.

It was a dreamless night, and the next day was a rare day of good weather.

Petunia dragged Lily to help her mother cook in the kitchen. The high school she attended was very close and she didn't need to apply for accommodation, so she went home early.

Lily looked at the huge turkey, her beautiful face twisted, "Penny, do we really want to eat this turkey? I mean, roast pig... um, roast goose is fine... not even apple pie..."

Petunia rolled her eyes at her and concentrated on stuffing onions and potatoes into the turkey's belly. At this time, roasting a turkey was large, filling and cheap, so there were so many requirements.

"Oh, Lily, I'm really wronging you..." Mrs. Evans wiped the water on her hands and looked at her little daughter's unhappy look and said, "This is how it is these days. You can be patient and wait until the time comes. When the time comes, I’ll buy you a roast pig to eat…”

As she spoke, she put her arms around her little daughter's shoulders, held her in her arms, and whispered comfort. Why did she want to do this? It's not caused by the economic crisis.

Lily blushed. She was already an adult, and her mother still treated her like a child, but she just liked it. "The mother I know is... turkey is not very delicious..."

Petunia's hand holding the onions paused, dissatisfaction flashed in her heart, like this again, like this again! Do you really like eating turkey?

But thinking of her father who worked hard, she sighed and continued stuffing potatoes. As she grew older, she could understand the hardship of work. She had already found a part-time job as a typist in London, hoping to support herself.

No one knew what was going on in Penny's mind. She was always silent at home, and the family didn't take her occasional outbursts seriously. Anyway, the eldest daughter was always very well-behaved.

"Mom, can I ask Severus to come home for Christmas? You know, he is alone now..." Lily asked.

"No, Lily, you told me before, and I also read your school book. Sly... is the snake wizard. Didn't you say before that they are all evil? Why did you invite him? I don't Agree! Don’t even think about it!”

Mrs. Evans refused without hesitation. What good person could there be in Spider End Alley? Even if he escapes the possibility of becoming a criminal, he is still the bad little wizard in school.

"Okay, Mom, but Severus is good, although he also likes dark magic...and he hasn't played with those bad guys recently..." Lily defended weakly, and what her mother said was always right.

"That's not possible! Okay, go cut me some toast!" Mrs. Evans interrupted her sternly and assigned her a task.

Lily did it with a wilted head, and the red hair on her head became much duller.

Petunia watched everything from the side, feeling very angry with Snape, who was sharp-tongued and impolite. If he hadn't peeked at her letter at that time, she might have been as curious about everything in the wizarding world as her mother...