Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 4 Snape, Brother Dursley
Penny's face looked terrible, like a half-melted pat of butter.

But the Dursleys did not ultimately turn Severus away.

This isn't to say they were particularly polite, but rather that the neighbors who were mowing their lawns had already seen what was happening in their yards.

Neither Penny nor Vernon wanted to lose face in front of their neighbors.

Moreover, upon learning that the visitor was that kind of freak, they were all afraid that if they simply turned Severus away, he would do something terrifying in public.

Penny, looking embarrassed, silently took her son Dudley's hand and turned back into the house.

Vernon then gave Harry, who was staring at Severus, a nudge, which finally made Harry, full of curiosity, take a step forward.

They did not extend any invitation to Severus, but he still gladly placed his teacup on the chair and followed the last person in the house into the house.

"Long time no see, Penny."

Penny, who was sitting on the sofa holding Dudley tightly, didn't say a word. Of course she knew who Severus Snape was, and that's why all her thoughts were now focused on protecting Dudley!
Severus didn't seem to care about Penny's indifference, and he didn't feel embarrassed when the scene became frozen and silent.

Instead, he smiled at Vernon and offered his hand.

“Mr. Vernon Dursley? It’s nice to meet you. My name is Severus Snape.”

Vernon was somewhat at a loss due to Vernon's neat attire, friendly greeting, proper etiquette, and Severus's sunny smile.

This was completely different from the freaks he had in mind.

He instinctively reached out his hand and shook hands with Severus.

“Your wife and I have known each other since we were children. We were neighbors in Cockworth. But as you can tell, Penny has never really liked me.”

Inside Severus's body, Ghost Snape's face was as cold and stiff as a mermaid submerged in the Black Lake.

For Severus to say such things makes it seem as if Penny is the only one looking down on him.

But in reality, unlike Lily, Snape and Petunia looked down on each other from the very beginning when they first met.

This aversion is clearly bidirectional!

If Ghost Snape could get his hands on a wand and cast a spell right now, he would definitely use a swift and deadly strike on Severus's mouth!
But these words only made Vernon more at a loss.

“Penny, um, Penny sometimes, um.”

As if sensing his unease, Severus deliberately changed the subject.

"I heard you work at a drilling company?"

Vernon was somewhat surprised that he had mentioned the word "drilling rig," but after hearing about his job, he finally spoke fluently.

"Yes, a drilling rig company that mainly focuses on offshore operations. Um, do you know what offshore operations are?"

Severus feigned surprise.

"Could it be Groningen? In Britain, it's the largest manufacturer of offshore drilling rigs!"

Vernon couldn't help but laugh. He laughed heartily and even reached out to pat Severus on the shoulder, but unfortunately he wasn't tall enough and could only pat his back.

“Our drilling rigs are indeed renowned. Now, customers who can set up drilling rigs at sea have high requirements, and they have no better choice than us.”

"Are you a drilling rig salesperson?"

"No, I am the manager in charge of sales operations."

"To have risen to a management position in such a company is enough to prove your exceptional talent, Mr. Dursley!"

'A venomous snake with sweet words!'

Ghost Snape cursed inwardly, coldly watching the conman who had only crammed for the last minute before arriving, discovering that Groning was the only drilling company in Surrey, and then started spouting nonsense, completely fooling that pig-headed Muggle.

Vernon, however, did not think that Severus was flattering him. On the contrary, after a few words, he was convinced that Severus was a witty and polite gentleman!
Where does Mr. Snape work?

"Just call me Severus. I wasted a few years in my youth and now I'm just a professor and dean at a vocational school."

Vernon couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"My God! You look so young!"

"Alas! I can't compare to you, my friend, with your happy family and successful career!"

They flattered each other, as if they had formed a deep friendship in a short time.

Vernon even gestured to Penny from time to time toward the kitchen liquor cabinet, seemingly eager to have a drink with Severus and have a good chat about the bright prospects of the drilling business.

Penny didn't look at her husband's gaze; she was shocked and bewildered by Severus's skillful socializing, just like a real Muggle!

This made it impossible for her to reconcile the man in front of her with the sharp-tongued, cold, and arrogant Severus Snape from her distant memory!
Dudley was still sulking with Penny, annoyed that he wouldn't be able to play computer games today, whether he went out or not. Harry, meanwhile, was staring blankly out the window.

He was astonished to discover that the chair outside the Dursleys' house, where the man who called himself Severus had been sitting by the door, had mysteriously disappeared!

Apart from a teacup with leftover black tea dregs, there was only a small pebble on the ground.

He swore he had specifically looked at the pattern on the back of the chair before entering the room, but the chair disappeared in less than a minute after he entered!
Did someone sneak into the Dursleys' yard and steal the chair?

Should we tell Mr. Snape about this?

Harry was torn.

At this moment, Vernon and Severus, who had become sworn brothers and were having a pleasant conversation, sat down at the dining table.

After Vernon gestured to Penny several times, asking her to pour a glass of water for his brother Snape, but to no avail, he had no choice but to get up and pour two cups of tea himself.

"This must be your son, brother. He looks exactly like you and is as strong as a calf."

'This is clearly a piglet! Only feeding it pig feed every day could make it like this!'

Listening to Severus, disguised as himself, spouting nonsense and offering insincere flattery to Muggles, made Ghost Snape unable to suppress his urge to mock him.

But ultimately, only Severus could hear his words.

Dudley heard Severus talking about him, and already angry, he turned around and glared at him.

When talking about his son, Vernon couldn't help but show a proud expression.

"Dali has always been healthy, and he is our pride!"

“Oh, right,” Severus said with a smile, as if he had just remembered something. “I brought gifts for the children this time.”

As he spoke, he extended his right hand toward Dali, but his hand was empty.

Dudley felt he had been tricked.

“You have nothing in your hands!” he shouted.

Severus smiled.

"Sometimes, seeing is not believing, right?"

Upon hearing his words, Penny and Vernon were momentarily confused, but then panicked appeared on their faces!
They all knew Severus's true identity; they longed for normalcy and hated anything abnormal.

Severus's previously normal behavior had almost made the two of them forget his abnormal identity, but what was he planning to do now?
To demonstrate that kind of witchcraft in front of two ignorant children, especially Harry?

However, just as the Dursleys' atmosphere suddenly became quiet, and Petunia and Vernon held their breath, Severus suddenly reached out his left hand, which he had somehow slipped into his robe pocket.

He was holding two boxes of candy in that hand.

"Ha! But this time what the eyes see is real; the gift is actually in this hand!"

He smiled and handed Dudley a box of Bibi Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that he had swiped from a principal's desk, which made Pene Vernon, who had been on tenterhooks, breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the other box of Bibi Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Severus stuffed it into Harry's arms, who had been sitting to the side like an outsider the whole time.

"And yours, Harry Potter."

He called out Harry's name, which startled Harry. He hadn't quite grasped the situation yet. If Severus and his Aunt Petunia had known each other since childhood, then Severus would definitely know his mother as well.

But Harry didn't forget about the chair.

"Thank you, thank you for the gift, Mr. Snape, and for the chair outside."

“A chair? Where did you get a chair?” Severus winked at him. “Remember what I just said? Seeing is not always believing.”

Harry didn't know what a Riddler was; he just felt that Mr. Snape seemed to be talking about something profound, and nodded as if he understood but didn't quite.

When Severus truly communicated with Harry for the first time, the ghost Snape inside him also saw the boy with incredibly complex emotions.

Those emerald green eyes, exactly the same as he remembered, made him stare blankly for a long time. Their appearance, almost identical to the one in his memory, made him unconsciously clench his teeth. And the faint lightning-shaped scars under the messy black hair made him subconsciously purse his lips.

Seeing that Severus had actually prepared a gift, Vernon, who truly felt respected, was now beaming with a deep, almost purplish-red hue.

"Did you come all this way today specifically to visit Penny, Severus?"

Severus continued to smile, but his answer once again froze the previously harmonious and relaxed atmosphere.

"No, I came here specifically for your nephew, Harry Potter."

(End of this chapter)