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Where did Snape live?
Perhaps someone would say Hogwarts. This answer was both right and wrong.
Usually, Snape was indeed at Hogwarts.
But during the holidays, he would choose another place: his former home.
Cokeworth, a famous poor town in England.
Many years ago, Snape had lived here with Eileen Snape, his mother, and Tobias Snape, his father.
In truth, with Snape's current ability, he could absolutely go to many better places, but he did not do that. Whenever the holidays came, Snape still returned to this town.
Because this was where he and Lily had once lived together.
The specific location of Snape's house was on a suburban street in Cokeworth: Spinner's End.
This place was the slum within the slum. The nearby environment could be described in three words.
Dirty, chaotic, awful.
Even Dudley, who had seen plenty, was shocked by the terrible environment when he arrived.
It was hard to imagine this was the same England that glossy travel magazines always described as spotless and refined.
A huge chimney thrust straight into the sky. It was a relic left behind by an abandoned mill, standing high and gloomy, giving off a rotten, ominous air. Rows of old brick houses stood nearby. Their windows looked dark in the night, completely lifeless.
Most ordinary people who had lived here had already moved away. Only a very small number of elderly people who did not have the ability to leave remained.
Beside it ran a dirty little river that gave off a foul stench. Unknown green, blue, and yellow substances floated on it.
Forget fish. If a mutated sewer creature suddenly jumped out of the river, Dudley would think it was normal.
A very standard industrial town.
Perhaps it had once been glorious, but now it was only a forgotten place.
It could not compare with Godric's Hollow, where the old Potter house stood.
Dudley came to one of the run-down houses.
It looked as though it had suffered wind and sun for many years. From the outside, large patches of wall had peeled away, giving the illusion that it might collapse at any moment.
In reality, it was still fairly sturdy.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Dudley stepped forward and knocked on the door.
After a while, the door slowly opened a crack. A cold, deep, vigilant gaze looked out. After seeing it was Dudley, it softened a little.
Inside the door, Snape wore a faded black nightshirt and an old-looking dark green sleeping cap. His hair was as greasy as ever.
"Mr. Dursley, I believe it is currently the holiday."
Although his words carried a coldness that kept others at a distance, the door was fully opened, and he indicated that Dudley should enter the room.
The room inside looked much more spacious than the outside. The floor and furniture looked old, but they were very clean and orderly.
Dudley followed Snape to the room on the left. This was the sitting room. Dudley's only impression of this place was books. There were bookshelves everywhere in the room, filled with all kinds of books.
Without exception, they were all about magic.
'Lily loved reading when she was young.'
Dudley remembered a detail his mother had once mentioned.
Snape sat in a chair and first indicated for Dudley to sit. Then he stared into Dudley's eyes and said, "I do not remember telling you where I live, Mr. Dursley."
"Petunia told me," Dudley answered honestly.
The chair in Snape's house, like the house itself, clearly showed its age. When he sat down, the chair creaked under the weight, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Rare that she still remembers," Snape said lightly.
"Mum actually misses you very much. She still thinks of you as an old friend. If you have time, she hopes you can visit our home."
This was not polite talk from Dudley. Ever since he had truly gone to Hogwarts, Petunia's knot in her heart had also been loosened. After learning from Dudley that Snape was a professor at Hogwarts, she also wanted to see this "old friend" again.
Snape's eyes still had not the slightest spark, but a trace of reminiscence flashed deep within them.
Petunia was Lily's older sister. When Snape had gone to find Lily as a child, Petunia often blocked him. As for the reason, naturally, she was guarding against Snape. She watched Lily very closely and did not want her younger sister to be carried off by some bad boy from who knew where.
However, at that time, Lily liked staying with Snape very much, so she basically did not listen to Petunia.
And so Petunia blocked the way, Lily sneaked out, and Snape came to meet her. This continued for a long period of time.
After enough back and forth, they became familiar.
Thinking about it now, that period had actually been rather interesting.
Although in the end, Petunia had not gone to Hogwarts, and Lily had indeed been taken away by a bad boy other than Snape, the relationship among the three of them naturally broke off.
Looking back now, everything had changed.
How good would it have been if time had stopped in that carefree childhood?
Or if none of them had received letters from Hogwarts, if they had not known about wizards and had lived their entire lives as ordinary people? Perhaps everything would have been different.
"I need your help, Professor."
Dudley went straight to the point and slowly explained his request to Snape.
"You want to treat two wizards who were struck by Memory Charms and have completely forgotten their pasts? It sounds somewhat serious."
Snape was slightly surprised, though his expression still did not change much. This was an aftereffect of Occlumency. "But why not send them to St. Mungo's? The Healers there are the professionals."
'I once thought the same, until I actually went to St. Mungo's.'
'If St. Mungo's Healers were reliable, I would not have come here.'
That group of Healers could at most treat some superficial injuries. Anything slightly more serious and they were no good. The level of most Healers was not even equal to Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron.
"In terms of Potions mastery, you are the strongest wizard I have ever seen. If you take the lead, there will certainly be no problem."
Dudley did not hold back his praise at all.
"Lily was stronger than I am," Snape blurted out without thinking.
Dudley: "..."
'Ah, yes, yes, yes. Aunt Lily is the strongest Potions master in the world. Aunt Lily is invincible.'
Perhaps realizing he had lost composure, Snape coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment and quickly changed the subject.
"Where are they now?"
"Tulip Court in London."
Hearing this unfamiliar address, Snape frowned slightly. "Why are they there?"
He thought for a long time and could not remember any wizard living there, nor any wizarding building or the like.
It seemed to be purely a Muggle residential area.
"I own a property there."
Snape: "..."
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