Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 87 Funeral
Aside from a few more reports in The Times about gas leaks and car accidents, the deaths of the Evans and others seemed to have caused no ripples in the Muggle world.

On the day of the funeral, Kirkworth Cemetery was shrouded in a somber, leaden sky, and the damp air was filled with the scent of earth.

Snape's gaze passed over the rows of somber tombstones and landed on the pair of brand-new oak coffins in front of him.

In the front row, Lily and Penny were spaced a distance apart.

Lily's thin shoulders looked particularly fragile under her black mourning clothes, and her red hair had lost its fiery luster, clinging to her pale cheeks.

“It’s really sad,” a man’s voice suddenly rang out beside Snape. “They’re so young.”

Snape turned his head and saw a tall, chubby young man wearing a tight-fitting suit, with almost no neck.

“Hello,” he said. “My name is Vernon Dursley, Penny’s colleague and fiancé.”

“Hello,” Snape shook Vernon’s large hand and replied briefly, “My name is Severus Snape, Lily’s friend.”

"What do you do for a living?" Vernon asked, his eyes scanning Snape up and down, puffing out his chest slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of arrogance. "I work in the drilling rig business at Glenning in London, as a junior manager."

He specifically emphasized the word "supervisor".

“Uh…” Snape’s lips twitched. “You really are your Uncle Vernon.” He said slowly and deliberately, “I don’t need to work. I have more money than I can spend, far more than I can spend.”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Vernon's face.

The crowd began to move, approaching the open tomb.

“Let’s talk later,” Vernon said, and began to walk forward, his muscular body carving a path through the crowd.

Snape's gaze returned to Petunia. She had changed so much he almost didn't recognize her. The girl he once knew was now wearing a well-tailored black dress, her blonde hair neatly styled in a bun, her face displaying an expression of both grief and anger.

When her gaze swept over Snape, a clear hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.

The priest began to recite the prayer, and Snape saw Lily's shoulders begin to tremble, but she stubbornly did not cry out.

As the last handful of earth fell onto the coffin, the crowd began to disperse. Snape noticed several oddly dressed people standing conspicuously at the edge of the cemetery, pretending to adjust their ties or briefcases. One of them met Snape's gaze and nodded slightly—they were from the Order of the Phoenix.

Snape and Erin finally had a chance to approach Lily, but Lily walked toward Penny and Vernon.

“I’m so sad, Penny, I’m so sad! Listen to me—” Lily grabbed her sister’s hand and held it tightly, while Penny tried desperately to break free.

“Lily,” Penny’s voice was cold and clear as she tried to pull her hand away from her sister’s, “It’s ridiculous, talking about a gas explosion. It’s good that you were willing to tell me the truth. You freak have finally brought misfortune to the family. Mom loves you so much.”

Penny finally pulled her hand away, and Lily's eyes were full of tears.

Vernon looked at everything in front of him in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.

"What truth?" he stammered, looking at Penny.

Penny fell silent, her gaze shifting between Snape and Lily before finally settling on Vernon.

“Vernon…it’s nothing…can we talk later?” Her voice softened; Snape had never heard her speak in such a tone before.

She then looked coldly at Lily: "I'm going back to London."

Lily looked up, her green eyes brimming with tears. "Penny, you can't just leave like this... We need..." "No," Penny interrupted her, "You need to. I have my own life now. These... memories are for you."

Snape saw Lily's face turn deathly pale.

“You mean…you’re not coming back?” Lily whispered.

“That’s right.” A deep sadness appeared on Penny’s face. “Here…” She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the tombstones and the damp grass, finally settling on Lily. “There’s nothing left here for me to cherish.”

“Penny,” Lily’s voice trembled with pain, “Mommy and Daddy love you, Penny. They always wanted us to—”

“Can you?” Penny said sharply. “Can you pretend nothing happened? After you became… after all this happened?” She gave Lily a look of disgust. “Look at what your choices have brought to this family, Lily. This is your choice.”

Vernon Dursley cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the argument: "Darling, shall we go?"

Penny nodded and walked away without looking back. Snape noticed a tear glistening in her eye as she turned away, but she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Lily reached out to grab her sister's arm, but Penny had already turned and walked away. Her hand hung in mid-air, then fell limply to her side.

Her body swayed. Snape instinctively reached out to steady her. Lily buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed silently.

He could feel Lily's tears soaking through his suit, warm and damp.

“I hate myself…” Lily said in a muffled voice, her voice breaking from crying.

Snape gently patted her back.

"It's not your fault," he said softly.

After the funeral, they returned to the village of St. Cachipol. Lily became increasingly silent, often sitting alone in the garden, lost in thought.

When Charlie came wobbling up on his toy flying broomstick to tell them, Snape and Erin remembered that they had made plans to go on vacation to Albania with the Weasleys.

“Let’s go together, Lily?” Eileen said, helping Charlie off the broom. “It’ll be a good way to clear your head; you’ve been spending so much time alone lately.”

Lily thought for a moment, forced a smile, and softly agreed.

Eileen quickly packed her luggage and stuffed everything into Snape's small purse, which had a Threadless Stretch Charm.

“That’s convenient,” she said. “Did you make this yourself? I’ve never been able to learn this spell. Why don’t you make a couple more?”

“Cough, cough,” Snape tried to explain, though he had no idea how to do it and all his previous attempts had failed. “It’s very difficult to cast the Unseen Stretching Charm on something this small. It can’t be done in a short time.”

"Really?" Eileen examined the texture on the wallet closely, asking doubtfully, "If your craftsmanship is this good, it shouldn't be like this, right?"

“Let’s go,” Snape quickly pulled Charlie over, “Mrs. Weasley and the others are still waiting for us.”

So they walked across the courtyard toward the humble dwelling.

The midday sun scorched the hillside, sending up waves of dry heat. Occasionally, a gust of wind would sweep by, rustling the dry grass.

(End of this chapter)