Revisiting an Old Place

"We're here. Goodbye."

An old man with wiry gray hair and a beard said somewhat brusquely.

"Thank you, Mr. Aberforth. Thank you very much."

Snape steadied himself and offered repeated thanks. He truly hadn't expected that the person bringing him back to Spinner's End would be Aberforth.

After watching Aberforth vanish with a soft pop, he walked home, carrying a large birdcage and a box of owl nuts in his hands.

"Bang—"

The moment Snape knocked once, the wooden door flew open.

Eileen stood inside, her face full of worry.

Snape quickly raised the birdcage in his hand and said, "Look, this is the prettiest Screech Owl from Eeylops Owl Emporium."

Hearing the commotion, the owl poked its head out from under its wing.

It rustled and fluttered its wings, hooting softly at Eileen.

Eileen took the birdcage, still a trace of concern in her expression:

"Are you all right? Last night I received a letter from Dumbledore saying you two had matters to discuss."

"Oh, that." Snape set the nut box on the table. "I ran into him in Diagon Alley, and we talked about my future career choices. I haven't decided what to do yet, so he wanted me to think carefully about which N.E.W.T. subjects to take next term.

"It got a bit late after that, so I stayed the night at the Leaky Cauldron." He yawned continuously. "But I didn't sleep well—the bed was too hard.

"I need to go upstairs and catch up on sleep. See you later."

"Tap, tap, tap."

Hearing a noise at the window, Snape looked up and saw an owl pecking at the living room window with its sharp beak.

He quickly set down the box he was packing, walked over, and opened the window.

The owl swooped in through the window, folded its wings, landed on the wooden table, and gracefully lifted its right leg.

Snape stepped closer and removed a large square envelope from its talons, with his name written on it.

"Who sent a letter?" Eileen asked.

She held out a small handful of owl nuts, offering them to the little messenger.

Snape tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment inside.

"Ah... my O.W.L. results!"

Ordinary Wizarding Level Exam Results

Passing Grades: Outstanding (O); Exceeds Expectations (E); Acceptable (A)

Failing Grades: Poor (P); Dreadful (D); Troll (T)

Severus Snape's results are as follows:

Astronomy: A; Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: O; Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: E; Study of Ancient Runes: O

Transfiguration: O; History of Magic: P

Herbology: O; Potions: O

He handed the parchment to Eileen and said, "Only History of Magic didn't pass—I got six Outstanding!"

"I failed History of Magic too..." Eileen glanced down at Snape's results and broke into a smile. "Well done, that's brilliant—you passed nine O.W.L.s. Let's go out for a meal today; this is definitely worth celebrating."

Over the next few days, aside from repeatedly flipping through the few old books he'd brought back, Snape slowly packed his belongings.

Eileen sometimes helped him pack, but during the day she was often out at the new house she'd bought. She refused, however, to tell Snape where the new house was, saying she wanted it to be a surprise.

Not long before school started, Eileen finally finished setting up the new house.

"All packed? We can move over tomorrow!" Eileen closed the door and smiled at Snape.

Snape replied weakly, "I've been packed for ages. Are you still not going to tell me where it is?"

"You'll know when we get there. You're going to love it. We'll set off first thing tomorrow," Eileen said.

"Fine. I'm going out for a walk."

Snape decided to take one last look at this place.

Stepping over the rusted railing, he entered a playground bathed in sunset light, with a large chimney towering in the distant skyline.

The playground was empty. Weeds taller than his ankles grew from cracks in the asphalt ground, scattered with weathered plastic bags and scraps of paper.

Two worn-out swings hung silently in the middle of the playground.

The seats of the swings had lost their original color, their wooden surfaces covered in cracks.

Only when the wind blew gently did they creak and groan.

Snape walked past the playground, then through a stretch of woods where a small river wound its way, letting his feet carry him wherever they pleased.

"Good evening, Severus."

A greeting suddenly jolted him awake; he had unknowingly wandered right up to the Evans family's house.

"Uh—good evening, Mr. Evans!"

Mr. Evans gently pushed the car door shut, looking as though he had just come home from work.

"Long time no see. You've changed a lot, Severus."

"Mm... Mr. Evans, is Lily home?" Snape asked.

"You're here to see her? She and her mother have gone out of town, but Penny's home," Mr. Evans said warmly.

"Penny?" Snape suddenly felt a desire to see her, and asked, "May I see her?"

"Of course, go on in. I'll go buy you all something to eat!"

Mr. Evans opened the door, and before Snape could refuse, he drove off in a flash.

From the doorway, looking into the living room, he could see Penny sitting on the sofa watching television.

Snape called out her name: "Petunia."

Penny turned her head toward the door.

When she saw it was Snape, she snapped the TV off with a click and sprang up from the sofa.

"What are you doing here?!"

She shrieked in shock, then her face twisted into an expression of disgust.

"I'm sorry. I want to apologize for what happened in the past."

Snape stopped in his tracks.

"I don't need your apology!"

Penny grabbed a book and hurled it at Snape in fury.

Snape stood still, not dodging, only swaying slightly as the corner of the book struck his forehead.

Pages fluttered through the air; a small gash opened on his brow, and blood seeped out from his forehead.

A flicker of panic passed through Penny's eyes. She stepped back slightly, her clenched hands loosening involuntarily.

"I'm sorry, if that makes you feel any better."

Snape said calmly, though inwardly he smiled: if Penny hadn't thrown that, this visit would have been pointless.

"Why didn't you dodge!"

Penny rushed into the kitchen, pulled a roll of gauze from a cabinet, and hurled it at Snape.

"Thank you." Snape pressed the gauze to his wound and said lightly, "Don't worry, it's just a small injury."

"I have to apologize to you. Tomorrow I'm moving away from Cokeworth, to a place far from here."

"That has nothing to do with me!" Penny's tone remained harsh.

"Yes, I agree. After all, I was a jerk back then. I thought I was special, but I was just a stupid kid."

"I hit your shoulder with a branch, and I peeked at Dumbledore's reply to you." Seeing Penny's face darken, he quickly added, "It was all my fault. I overlooked the harm I caused you. I'm sorry."

The hum of a car engine came from the yard.

Snape, holding his forehead, hurried toward the door, saying, "I have to go. Can't let Mr. Evans see this. If he asks, just tell him I went home."

"Also, Lily isn't a freak. She's your sister."

At those words, Penny looked as though she had just swallowed an entire lemon.