Petunia Dursley walked along the long stone bridge into the gate of Hogwarts Castle, trying her best to keep a calm tone.
However, Petunia Dursley's right hand tightly grasping the hem of her clothes betrayed her true thoughts - even though she had heard too many stories about Hogwarts from Lily before, when those suspended candles would
When the moving stairs and creaking armor appeared in front of her eyes, she still felt like she was in a dream, as if she would fall back to reality accidentally.
"Lily would talk about you from time to time when she was in school. After all, our two families lived very close to each other at that time, and you two were both wizards——"
Petunia opened her mouth, like a catfish that had just landed, and greedily took a few breaths of the air in the castle.
She had met Severus Snape when they were still living in Cokeworth.
This boy who lives in Spider End Lane and wears clothes made out of baggy maternity clothes has unusual abilities similar to her sister.
And when Lily Evans received the letter from Hogwarts, Petunia understood that this was what people called "magic" and the reason why she and Snape had not dealt with each other from the beginning - unlike Snape
With Lily, she is just an ordinary "Muggle" without magical talents, and the most cruel thing is that there are two people around her who show off magic all day long.
In fact, she tried her best to write a letter to the then headmaster Albus Dumbledore, asking if she could also study at Hogwarts.
Although Dumbledore's reply was tactful, Petunia still felt hurt and left out.
Lily's abilities can make her parents proud, but she cannot - she, like all ordinary people, does not belong to "that world".
As she grew older, Petunia thought about breaking off from the wizarding world more than once. She often mocked Lily and her husband in front of her husband as "freaks".
But when the owl sent her a letter inviting her to Hogwarts Castle, she seemed to be suddenly possessed. She even lied to visit her aunt far away, and also sneaked out of Privet Drive to visit here...
For her, this is not only the place where her sister and nephew go to school, but also the magical castle full of mystery that she wanted to reach on countless nights in her childhood.
"After so many years, I didn't expect you to become a professor..."
Petunia Dursley said with emotion that she heard more than one student calling each other "Professor Snape" on the way.
Snape's lips moved, but he still had an indifferent expression without any expression, and answered calmly.
"It was ten years ago——"
"Ten years ago?" Petunia repeated thoughtfully.
"Yes." Snape said.
Petunia glanced at Snape's expression, and the two couldn't help but fall into silence.
After a long time, Petunia Dursley looked around, frowned slightly and took the initiative to break the silence.
"Well, I received a letter saying that Hogwarts held a parent-teacher meeting today...I saw that other parents seemed to be directly connected by students-"
"The parent-teacher conference will be scheduled after four o'clock in the afternoon, and there will be a college competition before that. You can see it in the handbook."
Snape seemed to be relieved and walked up the castle stairs without any pause, explaining casually.
Manual? Oh, that instruction leaflet that Dr. Granger was looking at earlier?
Petunia Dursley opened the pamphlet that came with the letter with some confusion.
"Gryffindor VS Slytherin, a house match. Similar to a middle school football match?"
"It's not the same. This is a competition between wizards...a magical confrontation. Harry Potter is one of the contestants of Gryffindor House. He is currently in the common room of Gryffindor House with his
Friends, let’s discuss tactics, I guess. This is your identification tag, please be sure to carry it with you... You can use this to seek help from any student or professor."
Snape said quickly and expressionlessly, taking out a slightly modified Gryffindor house emblem pin from his arms and handing it to Petunia.
While talking, the two came to a huge magic oil painting.
The portrait shows a very wealthy medieval woman wearing luxurious pink clothes.
"Password?" she said.
"Enjoy the delicious food." Snape's face twitched and he said coldly.
Compared to Gryffindor's temporary password, although Slytherin's was not that stupid, it was not much better.
The "headmaster" of Hogwarts originally had no right to change the password, but if the acting headmaster and the "Home-School Linkage Day" were added, there would be no choice - Snape was not going to do it for such a trivial matter.
After provoking that troublemaker, Dumbledore's recent heart problems were probably attributable to the white-haired witch's anger.
As Snape spoke the command, the huge picture frame swayed to the side, revealing a circular hole hidden in the wall behind.
"The Gryffindor common room is inside. You can go there and explain the situation to the 'prefect'."
Snape turned around, glanced at the little witch on the stairs below who was temporarily serving as the castle's commentator, and thought for a while before adding.
"Or, you can go directly to Miss Granger."
"Gryffindor House, ah, I heard Lily say this too..."
Petunia Dursley looked at the cave entrance in front of her in some trance, and the sounds of children laughing and playing could be faintly heard from inside.
"Aren't you going in? Severus. Aren't you studying with Lily? I see it says campus guidance -"
"I'm the Head of Slytherin House. Not a good fit."
Snape took a deep breath, turned around and looked elsewhere, waving his hand distractedly.
"As for campus guidance...this was originally Miss Kaslana's job. I just gave a little temporary help when she was too busy..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the two stone statues at the other end of the corridor with a dark face.
That old fellow, Albus Dumbledore, is now simply a tongue-tied woman with a mouth full of sieves.
"I heard that you and Harry's aunt have known each other since childhood, so can you help Mrs. Dursley to receive her?"
A few hours ago, a certain white-haired dumpling stopped him at the door of the auditorium and asked him seriously.
Snape did not believe that a child who grew up in an orphanage in the Scottish Highlands would know the past events that happened in Cokeworth decades ago.
Perhaps a few people in the castle now know that he and Lily Evans knew each other before school started, but regarding these things about his acquaintance with Petunia Evans, it is obvious that only Albus Dumbledore is becoming more and more open-minded.
Only then did the old guy find out - after Dumbledore came back, he had to go to the principal's office to block the door and ask for an explanation. The old guy was really going too far!
Of course, before that, he had to find a way to tell that careless little witch not to spread these things as gossip.
Although that girl Kaslana is difficult to deal with, she is at least worth ten Dumbledores when it comes to keeping her promises.
…………
At the same time, at the door of the Slytherin common room.
Lucius Malfoy stood in front of the stone wall and looked at his wife beside him with emotion.
"Narcissa, do you have the illusion that you are back to the past -"
"That sounds a bit...my dear Mr. Prefect."
Narcissa Malfoy rolled her eyes at her husband, a gentle look suddenly flashed in her eyes, and she said with a chuckle.
"I seem to have forgotten the password again. Would you like to open the door for me?"
Ever since the news of Voldemort's comeback came, the haze lingering between the two of them had finally subsided a little with the lights of Hogwarts Castle.
No matter how the Dark Lord views them, at least at this time and place, they don't have to worry about a sudden knock on the door.
Hogwarts Castle is the safest place in the world. Even the Dark Lord and Death Eaters think so. This ancient castle with a history of thousands of years contains too many beautiful memories of their youth.
As for whether these changes are in line with the position of the Hogwarts School Board and the position of the pure-blood family, these are not things Narcissa Malfoy has to consider.
As a mother and wife, all she cares about is her family, no matter what.
"Of course, it would be a pleasure. My lady."
Mr. Malfoy puffed out his chest, imitated a handsome gesture when he was young, and cleared his throat.
Even though the password was a bit strange, no one saw it anyway...
"Another world--"
squeak——
Before Lucius Malfoy could finish his words, the stone wall in front suddenly opened.
"There is no discussion of tactics. I said I would win -"
Draco Malfoy said impatiently, ignoring the boring and trivial combat discussions that followed.
Although he did not run for shadow prefect, most Slytherin students would not look down upon him - he was one of the original "Moonlight Seven".
Even though he didn't show his fangs like other students in the past semester, this kind of dormancy is more dangerous in the eyes of many people because no one has seen him take action.
In fact, Draco Malfoy's competitive spirit has not disappeared.
The most obvious evidence is that he firmly occupies the top three positions in this year's "Point Contribution" list of Slytherin House.
However, after he joined the "Foundation", the school's honors and rankings were like playing house to a five or six-year-old child in his eyes.
He saw with his own eyes how the arrogant Lord Voldemort (the remnant soul) was played around with applause, he personally touched the walls of the Steel Sky Castle, and he heard with his own ears the eldest sister chatting and laughing with the top wizards and making decisions in just a few words.
The direction of the wizarding world...and under these stimulations, little Malfoy also hid some more shocking ambitions in his heart:
I don't know if he has forgotten it, but the "false memory" that Mr. Lockhart "implanted" in his mind has not faded over time.
That dreamlike memory supported his continuous participation in the "Memory Magic" project. Even if he was in a trance and felt unwell, he gritted his teeth and endured it little by little.
Just like the simulations of Gilderoy Lockhart, Nico Flamel and others, the initiation-style memory burning is effective, and Draco Malfoy can clearly feel the changes in himself.
In less than half a year, his knowledge of spells and magic has reached the level of a fifth grader.
Perhaps there is still some lack of understanding, but in terms of pure ability and knowledge, he has the capital to ignore those ineffective social interactions.
He finally understood what Elena said, that Slytherin House, at least the Slytherin House he had been with now, did not have any aristocratic social rules.
As a Slytherin, if you must find something to motivate you, then there is only one: a family connected by blood.
"Listen, Marcus - my parents are at the castle and I have to pick them up."
Draco Malfoy said in a calm tone, the wand in his hand swaying from side to side like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity.
"If you have any objections, I don't mind spending two minutes knocking down...eh? Dad? Mom?"
The rest of his words were stuck in his throat, and he stared blankly outside the stone wall.
Right in front of everyone, his father, who he remembered as always being steady and serious, was posing in a strange posture, facing the door of the Slytherin lounge.
As for mom——
"Hmm? Did you have any conflict with your classmates? Draco."
Narcissa Malfoy smiled slightly, and the wand appeared in her hand at some point.
Ignoring her husband who was still desperately clearing his throat to get rid of the embarrassment, she quickly walked into the lounge and put her arms around her son's shoulders.
"It's not good to argue, Draco. Oh, Mr. Derek, Mrs. Renata, you're here too - this is my son, Draco."
Mrs. Malfoy looked around at the young wizards in the lounge while greeting the adult wizards who arrived first in the lounge with great ease.
Although there was no edge or uncomfortable strength, Narcissa Malfoy naturally became the focus of the crowd just by standing there.
And Lucius Malfoy also returned to his former decent and arrogant gentleman appearance, and walked quickly to his wife's side.
"I heard that you are going to participate in the college competition later? Do you know who your opponent is?"
…………
"Malfoy brat?! Well, this is a bit tricky-"
In the Gryffindor House lounge, Arthur Weasley touched the stubble on his chin and said thoughtfully.
"Harry, I don't think you are not talented, but you are only in the second year - at this age, it is definitely an advantage to be exposed to magic first, and that guy Lucius may have secretly taught his son some weird black magic at home...
...Although the school does not allow you to teach you magic before entering school, most wizarding families will not abide by this matter..."
"Hey, obviously, it seems that we are the group outside the majority of families?"
Ginny Weasley interrupted casually as she hugged a big gold-red cushion and curled up on the sofa by the fireplace.
"Anyway, I'm going to put a spell on it. If I can't win, I'll just admit defeat——"
"The innate gap is too big, we can't beat..."
Miss Weasley glanced at her father who seemed to be trying to preach, but before he could speak, she blinked.
"Irina's grandfather is the former principal of Kodosdorez Magic School. Mr. Ivanovich is called the Dumbledore of the Soviet Union..."
"Well--"
Arthur Weasley's preaching words choked in his throat. He turned his head and looked at his eldest son who was sitting next to him and was responsible for heating water.
"Ginny is right - in terms of magic dueling skills alone, Fred and George might be able to..."
"Hey, hey, Bill! That's too much!" Fred and George instantly became furious.
"Don't worry, I have analyzed it carefully and our winning rate is very high——"
At this moment, Percy calmly pushed up his glasses, put down the notebook in his hand, and said confidently.
"The lower grades just have to do their best. Slytherin is no match for us in doubles and team competitions, especially in team competitions - we have Bill and Charlie here!"
"Uh...yeah..." The corners of Bill Weasley's mouth twitched.
With the witch personally supervising the battle, he saw the outcome from the moment he saw the list of participants for the opponent's team competition.
As a researcher who is about to be promoted to A-level, Bill is very aware of the combat effectiveness of that group of "WIBs (Wizards in Black Robes)".
Even if it is just the assessment period, it is not something that a "civilian" like him can compete with. He just hopes that the guys on the opposite side will attack as quickly and neatly as possible without creating any combat effects, otherwise it will be too difficult for him, Charlie and others
, that would be too painful...
"By the way, where's mom, didn't she come today?" Charlie Weasley looked around and asked curiously.
As time went by, many parents of students arrived at Hogwarts one after another, and most of them were accompanied by their parents.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall seems to have something going on and wants to talk to your mother alone..."
Arthur Weasley replied casually, glancing at his children, "You didn't get into any trouble at school, right?"
"Well--"
"No no."
…………
On the other side, Professor McGonagall's office.
Molly Weasley took a deep breath and slowly put down the parchment in front of her.
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, I may have to think about it again..."
"It's okay, Molly."
Professor McGonagall smiled and shook her head, firmly pushing the parchment in front of Mrs. Weasley.
"You can take it back and think about it slowly - this is just an intention. Regarding the matter of adding new subjects, we have to wait for Professor Dumbledore to come back before it can be officially finalized. But my personal suggestion is that this is indeed a good idea for you.
It’s an opportunity, don’t reject it so quickly——”
"All right--"
After hesitating for a few seconds, Molly Weasley rolled up the employment letter signed by the principal.
Lecturer on "Everyday Used Magic" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?