The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

Severus took the reply letter from Dumbledore from the owl's talons.

Without delay, he handed the task of feeding the owl to Harry and immediately opened the letter.

It only took him a dozen seconds to read the entire content of the letter, and then he showed an expression of 'just as I expected'.

Ghost Snape inside his body also followed his gaze and read the entire contents of the letter, curling his lips into a mocking sneer.

[I told you there was no way you could just take Potter away that easily.]

To this, Severus could only reply helplessly.

"Hey, hey, no need to sound so gleeful about it, alright? Didn't we already agree? We're in this together now. What good does it do you if I hit a snag?"

Ghost Snape didn't bother responding to his words, merely letting out a cold snort.

[So, what do you plan to do now?]

Severus flicked the letter with his finger.

"What else can we do? That old geezer has already pointed the way for us. We'll just follow his instructions."

[Follow his instructions? You do know who he's telling you to find… and what kind of temper that person has!]

"In my memory, he's a rather decent old man. He was quite fond of me during my school days."

Hearing Severus speak so casually, Ghost Snape couldn't help but continue speaking in his sinister voice.

[That's because I showed an extraordinary magical talent, which he loves more than anything else! And precisely because of that, he would never agree to replace you!]

"We have to at least try, don't we?" Severus sighed, "Let's give it a shot first before deciding whether it's possible."

[There's no point wasting time on something with a foregone conclusion.] Ghost Snape insisted stubbornly.

However, Severus disagreed with this.

"Leaving aside that fat walrus, when it comes to understanding Dumbledore, I know him far better than you do."

"If he really didn't want me to leave Hogwarts and take Harry away, he wouldn't have bothered stopping me in such a roundabout way. Since he's made this request, it means there's a possibility it could work."

Ghost Snape didn't like arguing with Severus. Seeing that Severus was determined to try, he simply continued to keep a cold face, shut his mouth, and waited to see Severus hit a wall and suffer embarrassment.

However, Severus didn't care what he thought. After all, Harry had already been taken out of the Dursley's home. As for how far things could go from here, it was up to fate… and Dumbledore's arrangements.

After tucking away Dumbledore's reply letter, Severus waved his wand, and the black robes that had been hanging on the coat rack flew over and draped themselves over him.

"Come on, Harry, let's head to Diagon Alley to buy a few things."

Harry, who had been organizing the clothes in his suitcase, quickly stood up and followed Severus out.

When the two men came down from upstairs, there were only a few customers left in the Leaky Cauldron.

Without stopping, Severus led Harry to the small, walled courtyard at the back of the pub, where they spotted a trash bin standing amidst a patch of weeds.

Severus easily located the brick he remembered. It was the second brick from the third row up and across.

After tapping it three times with his wand, the brick began to tremble and shift.

A small hole appeared in the middle, growing wider and wider until soon, a broad archway stretched before them, leading to a winding, cobblestone street that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

It was a bustling commercial street, with its buildings packed closely together. Even though it was already evening and a light rain was drizzling down, the place was still lively, filled with pedestrians.

Following Severus, Harry walked along the rain-slicked cobblestones. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he kept looking at the various shops on both sides of the street.

Severus held up a black umbrella, and fearing that Harry would get lost here, he grabbed his arm with one hand and led him towards the toward the central district of Diagon Alley, which is a towering, snow-white building.

They passed through all sorts of people. Since it was summer vacation, many families had taken the opportunity to bring their children out shopping during these two months.

Harry saw all kinds of young wizards, some still dressed in what looked like school uniforms, with tucked into their pockets, running around the streets with their friends.

Seeing these older kids, Harry's eyes were filled with obvious envy.

Severus's attention was not entirely focused on Gringotts. He noticed that Harry's eyes were on those things.

So when they arrived at the entrance of Gringotts, Severus took the initiative to ask.

"If you'd rather not come inside the bank with me to withdraw money, I could introduce you to a few new friends instead?"

Harry opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.

The fact that Severus had noticed and cared about his feelings even at a time like this left Harry with a complicated mix of emotions.

Before he could say anything, Severus scanned the street and immediately spotted those very conspicuous bright red hair.

"Percy! Percy Weasley!" He called out.

Percy Weasley, who insisted on wearing his Hogwarts uniform even when traveling during the summer vacation, was originally annoyed by the twins who clung to him like a follower. When he heard the familiar voice calling his name, he instinctively raised his head.

And then he saw the familiar, yet unfamiliar, figure.

The moment Percy spotted Severus, his eyes widened in shock!

Of course he knew Professor Snape, but he had never seen him dressed like this.

But even though his heart was in turmoil, the model student instinct engraved in his bones made him react immediately. The very next second, he waved back at Severus and then jogged toward the entrance of Gringotts.

Following behind Percy, the Weasley twins, George and Fred, who will be starting their first year at Hogwarts soon, noticed the scene as well.

They exchanged a glance, and George winked.

"Anyone who makes Percy act that serious has to be a Hogwarts professor!"

"Let's follow him. We have to take this chance to pry out of Percy how the Sorting Ceremony really works!"

In an instant, they reached an agreement and continued sticking to Percy like glue.

When he saw the three red-haired guys approaching them, Severus patted Harry's shoulder and whispered, "Just remember you are Dudley Dursley now. No need to feel too much pressure."

Harry nodded, but still took a deep, nervous breath. Just then, he felt his pocket grow slightly heavier, accompanied by the jingling sound of coins clinking together.

Looking down, he saw that a dozen or so silver Sickles had appeared inside, and Harry was a little stunned.

"Professor..."

"Use it to treat your new friends to something. When making friends, it's good to be generous."

Harry's eyes were a little red. He always had to use the leftovers of Dudley and Vernon at the Dursley's house, not to mention pocket money.

His mind reminded Harry that the man next to him is his enemy, but his heart swelled at the unexpected kindness and respect, making his eyes prickle with tears.

Severus didn't see what expression Harry had at the moment. He just noticed that the boy kept his head down, and just thought he was embarrassed about the money.

"Don't be afraid to spend it. As a Potions Master, your teacher lacks everything except money."

Harry sniffled quietly and nodded, forcing his voice to sound as normal as possible.

"Thank you, Professor."

While they were speaking in low tones, Percy had already reached Severus' side and greeted him cautiously.

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape. It's a pleasure to see you here."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley. Are you here in Diagon Alley with your brothers?" Severus' gaze shifted to the twins, who are peeking over Percy's shoulders.

Percy glanced back at his brothers, then pushed them away with visible annoyance before turning back to answer respectfully.

"We ran out of magical cleaning solution at home, so Mum came to Diagon Alley to buy some. I also wanted to buy a new quill, so I followed her here. As for George and Fred... they just had to come along for no reason!"

"Just buying a new quill? Then why did someone spend ages preening in front of the mirror before leaving, and insist on wearing his Hogwarts robes?" Fred, one of the red-haired twins, deliberately raised his voice.

George then added with a smirk, "And who, after buying said quill ages ago, still didn't go find Mum, instead strutting around Diagon Alley in his Hogwarts uniform?"

Percy glared at the two of them, but Severus, after studying Percy's appearance, gave a genuine compliment.

"Very neat attire, Mr. Weasley. Especially the lion embroidery on the shoulders… Was it your mother's handiwork?"

Suddenly, Percy's face turned red. Since entering Hogwarts, he had never seen Professor Snape speak to a student so politely, let alone give such praise!

This made him straightened his back, like a soldier being inspected by a general, and then he answered loudly, "Yes, Professor!"

"Though you're not in Slytherin, I've always considered you an outstanding student. I often mentioned you to Dudley here, encouraging him to look up to you."

As Severus spoke, he gently nudged Harry, who was standing next to him, forward.

Harry was obviously a little nervous, but after taking another deep breath, he met the eyes of the three Weasley brothers with quiet determination.

"Let me introduce you, this is my friend's son and my student, Dudley Dursley. He is not old enough to enter Hogwarts yet, but he has always wanted to learn more about the school."

"Would you mind taking him around Diagon Alley with your brothers? If it's alright, I'll come back to pick him up here in about forty minutes."

Percy agreed immediately without even a second's hesitation, "It would be my honor, Professor Snape!"