HP solves the mystery

After Severus left Petunia's house, he did not go back to Spider End Alley directly. Instead, he bought some daily necessities in a nearby store before returning home.

In the past three or four days, Lily didn't come to see him. Instead, he received an unexpected letter and a package from Lai Pao Owl.

In fact, there was only a small bottle of Fuling Elixir inside. The oversized package was just due to over-packaging.

The letter came from Lucius Malfoy, a senior who had graduated a long time ago. At the beginning, he apologized for not having time to give gifts at Christmas, and then analyzed the current situation in the wizarding world. His words were all meant to win over.

It seemed that he didn't know what happened before. Severus thought to himself that he was planning to make a fool of himself, and he didn't send him a Christmas gift. He almost forgot that he had such a 'friend'?

Voldemort returned to England in 1970 and began to rise.

Then Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix was established to fight Voldemort.

Now that Voldemort is in his prime, he recruits talents in an eclectic way, and he doesn't hesitate to poach people from Gryffindor.

According to some gossip that Severus had read somewhere, in the original book, after Lily and Potter graduated, Voldemort also thought about recruiting them to eat Death Apostles, because their talents and strength were good, but they were attacked by Refused.

This letter from Lucius was to tell him that he would use his talent in potions to make a name for himself, so that he could use it to recommend people to Voldemort. He also asked if his injuries were healed, and even gossiped about his relationship with the Black family. How did the relationship between the heirs become good? In the end, he gave some encouragement, and his words were full of care for the underachievers.

Severus didn't know what expression to make for a while, but he still took out the parchment and wrote a reply, declining his recommendation. In the text, he revealed his intention to travel around the world after graduation, and included a Rubik's Cube bought in the supermarket. .

Not to mention how someone would react after reading the letter, Severus himself was very happy to have written it. Unfortunately, the house in Spider End Alley did not have a TV, air conditioner, or washing machine.

As soon as the owl flew away, Lily and the two figures appeared not far away, and Petunia was reluctantly pulled over by her.

"Severus, let's go play in Diagon Alley! I've finished my iced mice and candies, so let's go shopping with Petunia!" Lily waved to him excitedly, as if she had found a soulmate. , "It's so boring at home! I've listened to PL's album several times, and I can't help but hum!"

Petunia pursed her lips and said nothing, but did not struggle to open her sister's hand, perhaps because she wanted to repair the relationship.

Christmas is also celebrated in the magical world. Although the holiday has passed for several days now, there are still many wizards playing there.

Severus looked at the two sisters curiously and nodded. Even if Lily didn't come today, he planned to go to Diagon Alley in a few days.

"Wait for a while, I'll change my clothes." He said this, but in reality he just put on a gray coat, touched the wand hidden in his sleeve shirt, and walked out of the house.

The weather today is good, no rain or wind, but the sun has come out and the snow has melted, making it even colder.

Lily heard that the subway tunnel where the car crashed had been repaired long ago, and a new policy had been introduced. She didn't like taking buses very much, so after hearing this, she shouted to take the subway.

Severus nodded indifferently, and Petunia remained silent. She took the subway when she came back.

Cokeworth is not too far from London. Taking the subway is very fast, half an hour faster than taking the bus, and there is no need to be blown by the cold wind outside.

Severus walked out of the crowded subway, his tied hair loose and messy on his shoulders. They shouldn't have chosen this time to go out when there were only eight people in the morning.

Lily and Petunia found a small corner and took out a small mirror to straighten their hair and clothes. After they recovered, they went up the stairs, passed the ticket office, and walked onto a wide street with Georgian-style buildings on both sides. Unknown statue.

The streets are full of young fashionable men and women. The popularity of working people and rock music has made them perm, dye their hair and wear strange makeup. They all wear large jeans and leather tops, and punk-style patchwork T-shirts underneath. They look particularly unique. .

Just play some music and the street will instantly transform into a disco bar.

Severus just felt that there was nowhere to put his eyes. These people were so shiny. To be honest, he wouldn't be surprised if he saw a chimpanzee dancing with a hat on.

Lily looked at them curiously. After all, she spent most of her time at Hogwarts and was not very keen on the trends in the Muggle world. But why do these people have red combs and don't their scalps get cold? ?

Petunia was used to these people's madness when she was a student in London. She had even been borrowed an iron to iron her hair.

The three of them had different ideas, but they all walked quickly among the crowd, following the route in their memories to Charles Cross Road, where they could find the Broken Ax Bar.

"Penny, here, I'll drag you in." Lily found the Broken Ax Bar located in a big bookstore and a record store, and pulled Petunia inside. As a Muggle sister, she couldn't find the Broken Ax Bar. Small bar.

Severus followed closely, skipping the drinking guests, and went straight to the small patio at the back.

The wall was opened instantly, and when Lily saw him following him, she couldn't wait to pull Petunia and go inside.

The dazzling sunlight shone on a stack of pots outside the nearest shop. Severus immediately took a fancy to the self-stirring and foldable crucible. He tried his best to suppress the urge to itch his hands. Students at Hogwarts Can't use this yet.

Except for Lily, who came to Diagon Alley the year she entered school, Petunia never came again because of conflicts. She looked around and looked at these interesting people and things.

She had the impression that many owl shops were still open. The gray forest owls and snowy owls made a low and soft cooing sound. Some of the windows were filled with baskets of bat spleens and eel eyes. It was disgusting and curious...

"Penny, Gringotts is here. Let's go in and change the money. The magic world mainly uses gold Galleons." Lily looked at the tall snow-white building, leaned close to her and whispered, "Look, that's it." Elf, you didn't come to Gringotts with me before, so you didn't see it..."

Penny looked around and saw a figure wearing a uniform with black silk and gold standing next to the shiny bronze door. He was short and had a dark face. Most importantly, he had pointed ears and a beard... This was something she recognized. The beautiful elves in it are completely different!

Lily laughed a few times, her sister's behavior was the same as when she saw the elves from Gringotts for the first time.

They followed the goblin into Gringotts, found the exchange counter, and were about to exchange pounds for gold galleons, the currency of the wizarding world. However, they were told that the previous exchange rate was 5 pounds for 1 gold galleons, and now only 8 pounds can be exchanged for 1 gold galleons. .

The handling fee is not much and it is just a formality, but the goblins will not give up any opportunity to get money.

Severus didn't need to change. He hid the gold galleons he had received at home and brought twenty galleons himself.

Lily took the pocket money given by her parents and exchanged it for 4 Galleons and 10 Silver Sickles, while Petunia only exchanged 3 Galleons. She was not often in the magical world, and pounds were her main currency.

They wander around the shops in Diagon Alley just like they are on a sightseeing trip. Whenever they see something they like, they will pay generously to buy it.

When they visited Giggs' drug store, Severus replenished some materials needed for the potions course, packed some for home, and added some money for the owl to send to Spider's End Alley.

"Penny, this is a beauty pharmacy. Let me tell you, I have learned how to make a beauty potion to eliminate acne, but the effect is not very good...I heard that the glory potion is more effective, but it is too difficult to make..." Lily and Petunia bit her ear and quickly picked out a bottle of lily perfume that was said to last a week once sprayed. She also bought some pills that would make her eyes whiter or make her eyes bigger. She also recommended that Petunia buy one in the shape of a lily of the valley. A small wind chime, this wind chime can predict the weather by changing its color.

The two girls always lingered longer on beautiful things. Severus winked, agreed to meet them at the Broken Ax Bar, and went shopping alone.

Thrift stores and second-hand robe shops are places frequented by wizards who are not well-off. It is not ruled out that some people come here specifically to pick up leaks, depending on their character.

Diagon Alley is mostly white, with very few black people, let alone Asian faces.

Severus wanted to pick out a second-hand wand in a thrift store that was not so shabby, so he looked at it carefully and finally chose an old oak wand. After trying a few basic spells, it felt good, at least the core inside was good. Not exposed.

I found a few travel notes with faded covers and a badly damaged magic book in the corner, and then I paid with satisfaction. I didn't notice the word 'T·M·L' on the corner of the book at all.

While shopping, I went to the Magical Creatures store and bought some owl feed for Charles, and then went to the stationery store to buy parchment paper and color-changing ink.

He looked at his watch and saw that half an hour had passed. Thinking that they should go to the Broken Ax Bar soon, he rushed over with the book in his arms.

As a result, when we arrived at the Broken Ax Bar, the sisters had not come over yet.

There were many people in the store, so he ordered a butterbeer and sat in the corner to drink it while looking at the book he had just found.

This is a travel journal about the beautiful scenery and food in Albania. The wonderful descriptions in it made him read with gusto.

"Hello, can I sit here? There is really no room in this store..."

A gentle and magnetic voice woke up Severus who was addicted to travel writing. He looked up and met a pair of indifferent dark eyes. The owner of the eyes was wearing a simple black suit, with thin cheeks and slightly long hair. He is extremely handsome.

"Um, it's okay sir, this seat doesn't belong to me." Severus looked around, and before he knew it, those seats were filled with people. No wonder this person wanted to come over to share the table.

"Thank you, I'm disturbing your reading anyway... I've invited you to have a glass of wine..." The handsome man smiled lightly, making people feel like a spring breeze. The hand holding the wine glass tapped on the body of the glass. He spoke through He glanced at the book in his hand and said, "Do you like Albania? The scenery there is really nice..."

Severus coughed embarrassedly. He had never traveled abroad in his entire life, which was really embarrassing.

"The people who write travel notes are so good. When they see me, they want to fly there immediately..." He said with admiration, his face was a little red, and the lack of vocabulary was not his fault.

The handsome man drank gin, feeling the sweet and sour fruity aroma on his tongue, his eyes flashed red, and then he regained his composure.

"Are you a student of Hogwarts, right? I was one too. I studied in Slytherin. Are you a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff? Have you ever explored the Forbidden Forest?" He asked casually. , with scrutiny in his eyes.

"Yes sir, I am a Slytherin. It is easy for Filch to find out when traveling at night. I rarely go there, but it is really mysterious..." Severus answered honestly. There is nothing to hide. Most wizards in England are Hogwarts alumni.

"There are unicorns and centaurs inside, and maybe there will be a dragon at some point... After I graduated from school, I went to Albania alone, where there are beautiful beaches, spectacular mountains and lakes..." The man said in a low magnetic voice He tells about his experiences in Albania, with many adventures mixed in, drawing people into the world of his words every minute.

Severus was mesmerized by what he heard, drinking butterbeer sip after sip, without even realizing it there was a circle of foam on his lips.

An unconscious smile flashed in the man's eyes. He took out a handkerchief from his chest and handed it over. Everything seemed polite and caring.

Severus was still immersed in the story and took it blankly.

"It's a pleasure chatting with you. I don't know your name yet. My name is Marlo Robinson. I like traveling very much." The handsome man introduced himself, "Is the book next to you also a travelogue? Can you lend it to me? ?”

"Oh, okay, I don't know if it's a travelogue. I bought this book in a second-hand store." He finally came to his senses, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief randomly, and took out the badly damaged magic book. He handed it over and said, "I bought it because it looked interesting. The title of this book is even visible on the torn cover..."

The handsome man took the book, rubbed it with his fingertips, and then let out an unknown laugh.

"I like this book very much. Can you sell it to me for free?" He looked through it, noticed the mark in the corner, and made a request, "I can buy it for 10 times the price."

Severus accidentally caught a glimpse of the scar on his wrist and was stunned. He glanced at him uncertainly and asked hesitantly, "Are you serious? I only spent 12 silver coins on this book. If you really like it, , just buy it at the original price..." He had a good impression of this person, but he looked like he was being taken advantage of.

"Is this what you do with other people who, um, I mean, find things they like?"

The handsome man looked at the honest young man in front of him, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and he showed a sincere smile.

"I just think that you can choose this book from many books, which shows that you are very discerning. Buying it at the original price would not be worth your efforts." It was rare for the handsome man to explain so much. This book was a book he studied carefully when he was a boy. It is full of his annotations.

His purpose of retrieving it was not to be nostalgic, but to destroy it. It contained his own secrets.

"No, you can take it if you like. It will be considered as reward for the story you just told me..." Severus smiled with crooked eyebrows. He was more open-minded in front of strangers and didn't have to pretend to be indifferent.

The handsome man opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a crisp female voice.

"Severus, I guessed you were here. We're almost done shopping!" Lily waved her arms and shouted as she walked. Seeing that all the wizards in the store looked back at her, she smiled sheepishly and pulled her sister over. Go to the counter and order your drink.

Seeing this, Severus looked at his watch. It had been an hour since he arrived at the store. Needless to say, shopping was a tiring job.

"Mr. Robinson, my friend is here. I'm sorry that I can't continue chatting with you. Goodbye. The book is for you." He turned to the handsome man and said apologetically. He picked up the book and stood up and walked over. There was butterbeer on the table. He had already drank it all.

After Severus sat down, he turned around and looked over there, only to see that the place was empty. If there wasn't a wine glass, it seemed like no one had ever sat there.

Is that person walking so fast? He thought doubtfully, and drank another cup of butterbeer with the two sisters before going home with the 'trophy' in his arms.