Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 9 Fame
When McGonagall questioned him, Dumbledore did not immediately offer any explanation.

He simply gazed in the direction where Severus and Harry had gone, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“Often, we do have to consider age and take children’s feelings into account, but in some cases, this does not apply to a very small number of people.”

“Harry Potter was an extraordinary child, and after experiencing those things, his future was destined to be extraordinary.”

"So maybe it's not a bad thing for him to know some things earlier?"

McGonagall clearly didn't agree with Dumbledore's explanation; her face was tense.

“But you definitely saw it before I did—that Snape was suspicious! This is something he wouldn’t do, and something he wouldn’t say!”

"We have absolutely no idea who he is, or where Snape, whom we used to know, has gone! To just hand Harry over to him like this is too risky, too uncertain!"

"Sometimes, uncertainty is better than certainty, who knows?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes were so deep that McGonagall had no way of knowing what he was thinking.

"As for who Severus Snape is now, and what his purpose is, haven't we just seen and heard what he's planning to do?"

McGonagall shook her head.

That's just his side of the story!

"That's right. When we want to see a person clearly, we shouldn't focus too much on what they say, but rather on what they do."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, he paused for a moment, then raised his right hand.

In the rain-soaked clouds, a furtive owl flew down from a distant rooftop, circled above the two men, and finally landed on Dumbledore's arm.

It looked quite soaked from the heavy rain, but the parchment in its paws was well protected.

Dumbledore opened the letter that had been sent out after Severus picked Harry up from his aunt's house; it was clearly a report to Hogwarts.

The letter was brief, simply stating that he had successfully obtained permission from Harry's guardian and Harry himself to take him out.

He formally requested a long leave of absence from Dumbledore in writing.

At least when Hogwarts reopens in September this year, he will be temporarily unable to return to his positions as Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin. Dumbledore should find someone else suitable.

This is a very thorough and impeccable reporting letter.

Taking the quill that had somehow appeared in his hand, Dumbledore gently shook the parchment, erasing the words that Severus had written on it.

"The magical world has been quite peaceful these past few years, but there have been some minor incidents," the old man with a sweet tooth muttered.

Subsequently, the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts history, under the cover of rain, wrote a reply to the Slytherin headmaster who had abducted the savior of the wizarding world and was planning to skip work and run away.

The reply was short; the quill pen danced across the parchment, and raindrops dodged above it.

Soon, Dumbledore slipped the completed reply into the owl's claws.

As usual, the Hogwarts communal owl saluted with its wings before taking flight under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore and McGonagall.

London, Charles Cross Road.

This normally bustling street was almost deserted due to the heavy rain.

When the two black umbrellas, one large and one small, came to the side of the road, Harry could see three strange people dressed similarly to Severus talking under the awning that extended outwards from the shop.

Those people were chatting and laughing, but when someone saw the two of them walking over, their smiles immediately disappeared.

One of them stared at Severus for a long time before recognizing the man with the slicked-back hair and neat ponytail. He then nudged his two companions with his elbow.

“Professor Snape,” someone called out, bowing their head.

Upon hearing this address, Severus couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Those faces were not unfamiliar to him; they were Hogwarts students who had graduated just two years prior.

"Brown, Guerrero, and Smith? Since they've all graduated from Hogwarts, there's no need to call them professors anymore."

The three graduates were clearly stunned to hear his friendly reply with a smile, and that he still remembered their names.

Is this the Professor Snape they know?

But someone soon reacted.

“You have taught us for seven years, and no matter what, you will always be our professor.”

The young man, whose clothes and demeanor were quite good, said respectfully.

The other two, though they soon realized what was happening and agreed, couldn't help but mutter curses under their breath.

Shameless lackey, a sycophant who only knows how to say nice things!
Snape, as head of the house, is obviously biased towards students from his own house. You are a Slytherin graduate, so it's understandable that you say good things about us, but why do you have to include us?
Severus waved his hand, said nothing more, and simply called out before leading Harry into the middle of the street, to the Leaky Cauldron, a run-down pub that only wizards could see.

The three Hogwarts graduates exchanged knowing glances as they watched Harry's retreating figure alongside Severus.

They were all clearly curious about the young boy, but because of Severus's "reputation," none of them dared to ask him directly.

Harry, who had already taken off his large black-rimmed glasses and was being asked by Severus to wear contact lenses, and who had used a little trick to cover the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, was amazed by what had just happened.

It was only then that he vaguely understood the value of the position of Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts.

As the only magic academy in the UK, being a professor or even the dean there means that the next generation of magicians in recent years or even decades are all their students!
His teacher seemed to be very prestigious among the students.

But soon, his attention was drawn to the interior of the bar he had just entered.

This is clearly a secret gathering place for wizards, and only wizards can enter!

Compared to the deserted streets outside, the dilapidated old bar was much more lively, with people sitting at almost every table. These people were all dressed in wizard robes, and some even wore pointed hats.

They talked about all sorts of bizarre stories that sounded like the complete fantasy to ordinary people.

Magic, divination, alchemy, unicorns, dragons, and so on—those things that only exist in children's picture books—are described by them as ordinary things that can be seen everywhere.

Some people were trading potions that could regenerate bones, some were drunk and boasting that they had fought werewolves, and others were holding up crystal balls and rambling on about a fantastical future to their drinking buddies.
If a normal person were to accidentally wander into this place, they would only think it's a gathering of mentally ill people!
Just as Harry followed Severus through the door, many people in the bar turned to look at them.

The next second, Harry could clearly feel that the lively atmosphere of the bar had dropped a notch.

Some people tipped their hats to their teacher, some glanced at him and then immediately pretended not to have seen anything and turned back to continue drinking, and a few, like mice seeing a cat, immediately got up and hurriedly left the bar.

The bar owner, a disheveled old man sitting behind the bar, put down the glass he was wiping and came over to greet her.

"Professor Snape? It really is you! Your new hairstyle is great, welcome! What would you like to drink tonight?"

Seeing this, Harry felt even more surprised and heavy-hearted.

What was surprising was that his teacher was not only a highly "renowned" figure among Hogwarts graduates, but also in the entire wizarding world.

The heavy thing is that such a famous figure was not only his teacher.

He is also his enemy.

(End of this chapter)