Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

"Leaving aside that fat walrus, let's talk about my understanding of the old bees. I know them much better and more thoroughly than you do."

"If he really didn't want me to leave Hogwarts and take Harry away, he wouldn't need to stop me in this roundabout way. Since he made such a request, it means that it is a possibility."

Ghost Snape disliked arguing with people, and seeing that Severus was determined to try, he continued to keep a cold face and shut his mouth, waiting to see Severus run into a wall and be embarrassed.

Severus didn't care what he thought; Harry had already been accepted, and how far things would go from there depended on fate and Dumbledore's arrangements.

After carefully putting away Dumbledore's reply, Severus waved his wand, and the black robe that had been hanging on the clothes rack flew over and was put on him.

“Let’s go, Harry, let’s go to Diagon Alley to buy some things.”

Harry, who was organizing his clothes in his suitcase, quickly stood up and followed Severus.

When the two came downstairs, there were only a few customers left in the Leaky Cauldron bar.

Severus and Harry didn't linger. They went to a small courtyard behind the bar, surrounded by walls, and saw a trash can standing in a pile of weeds.

Severus easily found the brick he remembered; it was the second one across the third row from the top.

After the wand tapped the brick three times, the brick shook and began to move.

A small hole appeared in the middle, and the opening grew larger and larger. Before long, a wide archway appeared in front of them, leading to a winding, endless cobblestone street.

It was a commercial street with somewhat crowded buildings. Even though it was already evening and a light rain was falling, it was still bustling with many pedestrians.

Following behind Severus, Harry walked along the smooth, wax-like cobblestone path, washed clean by the rain, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at the various shops lining both sides of the road.

Severus opened his black umbrella, and fearing that Harry might get lost, he deliberately grabbed Harry's arm with one hand and led him toward the central block of Diagon Alley, toward a tall, snow-white house.

They walked past all sorts of people. Because it was summer vacation, many families would take time during these two months to bring their children shopping.

Harry saw all sorts of young wizards, some of whom were wearing what looked like the uniforms of a magic school, with wands in their pockets, running around the streets in groups.

Harry's eyes clearly showed envy when he saw these older children.

Severus's attention wasn't entirely focused on Gringotts; he noticed Harry's eyes were fixed on those things.

So, upon arriving at the gates of Gringotts, Severus took the initiative to inquire.

"If you don't want to go into the bank with me to withdraw money, perhaps I can introduce you to some new friends?"

Harry opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Severus's ability to notice and care about Harry's feelings at this moment left Harry with mixed emotions.

Before he could speak, Severus glanced around the street and, quite conspicuously, spotted a few bright red-haired people.

“Percy! Percy Weasley!” he called out.

Percy Weasley, who always wore his Hogwarts uniform even when traveling during summer vacation, was getting annoyed by the twins who were sticking to him like little shadows. But when he heard that familiar voice calling his name, he subconsciously looked up.

Then I saw that familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

Percy's eyes widened noticeably when he saw Severus!

He certainly knew Professor Snape, but he had never seen Professor Snape dressed like this before.

Even though his heart was in turmoil, his innate good student genes made him react immediately. The next second, he waved to Severus in response and then jogged towards the Gringotts gate.

Following behind Percy, the Weasley twins, George and Fred, who would also be starting their first year at Hogwarts this year, also noticed this scene.

They exchanged a glance, and George winked.

"The only person who could make Percy so serious must be a professor from Hogwarts!"

"Follow him. We have to use this opportunity to pry information out of Percy about how the freshmen are sorted into their houses!"

The two instantly reached a consensus and continued to stick to Percy like glue.

As they saw the three redheads approaching, Severus patted Harry on the shoulder and whispered something.

"Just remember that you are Dudley Dursley, and don't feel too much pressure."

Harry nodded, but still took a deep breath nervously. Just then, he suddenly felt his pocket sink slightly, and heard the clinking of coins inside.

Harry was somewhat stunned as he looked at the dozen or so silver coins that had appeared in his pocket.

"teacher"

"Take this to treat your new friends to food. You should be generous when making friends."

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

Reason reminded Harry that the teacher beside him was his enemy, but emotion made Harry unable to hold back his tears after feeling this respect and care.

Severus didn't see what Harry's expression was like; he only noticed that the boy kept his head down and assumed he was embarrassed about the money.

"Don't be afraid to spend money. Your teacher, as a potion master, may lack many things, but he has no shortage of money."

Harry sniffed and nodded, trying to speak in his usual voice.

"Thank you, teacher."

As the two were talking in hushed tones, Percy had already trotted up to Severus and greeted him cautiously.

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

“Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley. Did you bring your two brothers to Diagon Alley by yourself?” Severus met the eyes of the twins who were peeking out from behind Percy.

Percy also turned to look at his two younger brothers, then pushed them back with obvious disgust before turning back to reply respectfully.

"We ran out of magical cleaner at home, so Mom came to Diagon Alley to buy some. I also wanted to buy a new quill pen, so I came along with her. As for George and Fred, they were just making trouble and insisted on coming over!"

"Just to buy a new quill pen? Then why do people spend so much time getting ready in front of the mirror before going out, and even insist on wearing Hogwarts uniforms?" Fred, one of the red-haired twins, deliberately raised his voice.

George also winked and said.

"Who is it that bought all the quill pens a long time ago, but instead of going to their mother, is walking around Diagon Alley in their Hogwarts uniform?"

Percy glared at the two sarcastic men, but Severus, after carefully examining Percy, praised him earnestly.

“Very neat attire, Mr. Weasley, especially the lion embroidery on the shoulders, was that your mother’s handiwork?”

Percy's face immediately turned red. Since entering Hogwarts, he had never seen Professor Snape be so polite to any student or say such things!

This made him stand up straight, like a soldier being inspected by a general, and answer loudly.

"Yes, Professor!"

"Although you are not in Slytherin, I still think you are a very good student and often mention you to Dudley so that he can take you as a role model."

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

Harry was visibly a little awkward, but after taking a deep breath, he still made eye contact with the three Weasley brothers without any hesitation.

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

"Could you take him and your brothers for a walk around Diagon Alley? If so, I'll pick him up in 40 minutes, right here."

Percy agreed almost without hesitation.

“It is my honor, Professor Snape!”

Chapter 12 Auror

Just when Severus thought that by temporarily handing Harry over to Percy, the matter was temporarily over.

The twins, George and Fred, who had been hiding behind Percy, suddenly asked loudly.

"Professor Snape? Are you Professor Snape, the Headmaster of Slytherin at Hogwarts?"

Upon hearing them speak, Percy's expression changed, even though his attention had been focused on Harry.

He immediately glared at his two younger brothers with an extremely stern look, trying to stop them from talking nonsense.

But clearly, if they were truly afraid of him, then George and Fred wouldn't deserve to be called by those names.

Severus didn't shy away from this at all; instead, he looked at the Weasley twins with great interest.

"Yes, I am Severus Snape."

George looked at Severus, his eyes darting back and forth between excitement and curiosity.

“But you look nothing like Bill Charlie and Percy, who describe you at home!”

Severus was intrigued by his words.

What do they say about me at home?

Percy suddenly went berserk and tried to cover his brother's mouth, but George and Fred were not afraid of him at all, dodging left and right while shouting.

"Bill says he's never seen you wash your hair!"

Charlie said you definitely only have one robe in your closet!

"Percy told Mum that you're a biased monster! You're always harsh on Gryffindor and reward Slytherin!"

Percy was so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Harry stared wide-eyed, glancing between the twins and Severus.

Snape the Ghost's face, which had already darkened because of Severus's comment, "He has everything but money," turned even darker.

He's so dark-skinned that if he were to stand up and speak at this moment, he would definitely yell on the spot that he'd lose 200 points from Gryffindor when school starts!

Severus burst into laughter, looking particularly pleased, especially after seeing Snape's discomfiture.

"Hahahaha! They're right! They're all right. In the eyes of students outside of Slytherin, that's exactly who I should be!"

Seeing Severus's reaction and his genuine smile, George and Fred exchanged bewildered glances.

Fred asked in surprise.

"But if you really are as they say, shouldn't you be angry now after hearing these comments?"

"Angry? It should be more like being embarrassed and furious."

Severus appeared to be answering Fred's question, but was actually mocking the ghost Snape inside him. However, he then answered the question directly.

"If I were still the same person I was before, I would definitely be furious."

"But people can't stay the same forever. Some things are prompting me to change myself and face my past flaws. When I'm truly willing to accept my imperfect self from before, I'll only find it interesting when I hear others talking about their past selves."

At this point, Severus patted Percy, whose face was full of shame.

"So there's no need to feel embarrassed, Percy. Your previous assessment of me wasn't wrong. The one who should feel embarrassed is not you."

Even after Severus said that, Percy didn't dare to look him in the eye again.

George and Fred, however, had a very good impression of Severus at this time, finding the legendary Headmaster of Slytherin to be a rather interesting person.

So Fred rubbed his hands together and asked.

"Professor Snape, we're going to Hogwarts this year, but neither Mom and Dad nor Percy will tell us what the Sorting Ceremony is like. Could you tell us about it?"

Severus immediately understood why they were bothering Percy so much.

He looked at George and Fred, who were looking expectant, and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Perhaps I do know some inside information about this year's freshman orientation and college selection ceremony."

Upon hearing this answer, both George and Fred showed excitement and anticipation in their eyes. However, Severus quickly changed the subject.

"Why don't you take good care of Dudley for me first? If he has a good time in Diagon Alley later, I might tell him something."

Before Severus could finish speaking, George Fred had already put his arms around Harry's shoulders on either side, patting his chest as he assured him.

"Then you've come to the right person!"

"Percy has no idea how to play with kids! Even our little brother Ron doesn't like him!"

"You'll have to stay with us. Don't worry about Dudley, Professor!"

As they spoke, they escorted the flustered Harry down the Gringotts gates, and Percy hurriedly bowed to Severus before following his two brothers.

Watching their noisy departure, Severus couldn't help but smile, and he turned and walked into Gringotts.

As a celebrity in the magical world and a major client of Gringotts, the goblins guarding this wizarding bank would naturally not neglect him.

Soon, a goblin greeted him and led him to Snape's private vault.

Severus wasn't lying to Harry. As a Potions Master, how could he possibly be short of money in the wizarding world?

Under the cold gaze of the ghost Snape, Severus marveled at the various rare potions, materials, and alchemical artifacts in the vault, and casually grabbed two handfuls of Galleons from the pile of gold nearby and stuffed them into his robe pocket.

"Potions and ingredients aside, how come you have so many alchemical artifacts?"