Spinner's End (extra-long two-in-one chapter)

4 Privet Drive

Standing in the messy bedroom, Harry was hurriedly packing his luggage.

Inside the room, various miscellaneous items were scattered about.

Hedwig's strawberry-shaped feces; a half-eaten apple core; a spellbook haphazardly sprawled among her robes;

There are also various covers that are actually colored comics for practicing Transfiguration, but the contents are actually just that—comics for practicing handicrafts.

Of course, there were also several dating guides that Ron had given him, such as:

"Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches," "Don't Start with 'Are You There?' - Smart Men's Opening Lines," "Thirteen Ways to Pursue Someone Else's Girlfriend"...

Harry hid these secret manuals, along with thick notes he had made, in a hidden compartment of his suitcase.

He looked around, then picked up the newspaper on the table and began to read it carefully.

The photo on the front page of the newspaper was also very eye-catching:

William held up the Dark Lord's wand.

Harry is probably happy about this news.

He remembered that when he first went to the wand shop, Ollivander told him:

His wand and Voldemort's wand are twin wands, both made from the tail feathers of the Fawkes.

Harry had been feeling uneasy, and now, well, Voldemort's wand had been destroyed by William.

In his view:

William... forever a god... no arguments allowed!

So Harry has read this report several times over the past few days.

But reading newspapers can't compare to the excitement of watching a match live.

Ron wrote to him yesterday, boasting:

"I was there; I just put down my broom."

Although Harry knew Ron was exaggerating, he was still a little envious of his good fortune.

Even if you're not physically present, the Burrow is so close; you could easily observe it remotely using binoculars.

Indeed, Christmas should never have come back!

Harry really felt he had miscalculated.

His main purpose in returning was not to spend Christmas with the Dursley, but to ask his aunt about Snape and his mother.

The woman was looking for her mother's older sister to inquire about her mother's relationship with another man... It certainly sounded strange.

But Harry believes that Aunt Petunia definitely knows the truth.

The idea was good, but the result was terrible.

On his first day back, he asked this question and even showed me a picture of Snape.

To everyone's surprise, Aunt Petunia denied it immediately after seeing the photo, saying she didn't know the person.

She flew into a rage, as if she'd been shot.

That evening, Aunt Petunia even burned the rice, which was quite unusual for her.

Even Uncle Vernon's suit had a burnt edge from the ironing.

Dudley's game console was also thrown into the trash can.

Harry's painstakingly copied homework was also put in the washing machine and thoroughly mixed and agitated.

In the days that followed, Aunt Petunia was also distracted, completely ignoring Harry and treating him like a stranger.

Seeing this, even a fool like Dudley couldn't believe it; the two of them didn't know each other.

She knew, but she wouldn't say it!

This immediately sparked a flood of thoughts in Harry's mind.

Snape and Lily have known each other since childhood, so he and Petunia are probably friends as well.

But she loses control of her emotions when Snape is mentioned.

Could it be... that Aunt Petunia once had a crush on Snape?

Or perhaps the two were lovers, but after breaking up, they became enraged?

However, judging from Snape's appearance, he didn't seem like the type to be popular with girls when he was young.

Could it be that he pursued both Lily and Petunia?

You Snape, trying to take down both sisters at the same time!

Isn't this William's behavior?!

(William: Meow meow meow?)

Harry grew angry, recalling that timeless quote from Hogwarts, and muttered to himself:

"Don't be like a Stark!"

After packing his luggage, Harry stopped overthinking.

He pressed his cheek against the cold windowpane, observing the movements outside.

A puff of warm breath hung on the windowpane, Winky under the orange-yellow streetlights outside.

Under this unnatural lighting, his face was bloodless, and his black hair was disheveled, making him look somewhat like a ghost.

Since he couldn't get the answer from his aunt, he went to a place where he could find it.

That's right, after much deliberation, Harry decided to run away from home.

After observing for a while, it was decided that we could not continue.

Harry put everything into a ring with Undetectable Extension Charm that he had bought from Akali's Mystery Shop.

He then took out the Invisibility Cloak, draped it over his shoulders, and tiptoed downstairs.

As Harry passed Dudley's room, he peeked through the crack in the door and saw him playing computer games.

However, after dying several times in a row, he became furious and yelled, smashing the computer screen with a punch.

Harry chuckled and slowly walked down the stairs. He entered the living room, where Dursley and Petunia were sitting on the sofa watching the news.

However, this isn't domestic news. United Kingdom has been in a mess lately, so Prime Major will definitely need to find some international news to divert attention.

At this moment, the BBC was showing war footage in a somber, dark color palette.

It turns out that Israel and Palestine have started fighting again.

Various missiles bombarded the area in succession, and there was also an Iron Curtain defense system; it looked like fireworks were going off.

Uncle Vernon started pontificating again, criticizing the Jews for a while before turning to look at his wife.

Petunia was wearing a simple light orange coat and was knitting, but she was actually distracted.

My uncle frowned, got up, and paced back and forth in the room.

He was also a little curious about who Snape really was.

Unlike Harry, he wouldn't believe that his wife had any relationship with Snape.

He knew better than anyone that Petunia hated wizards.

In fact, they had considered accepting wizards.

Years ago, after he proposed to Petunia, she confessed to him that her sister was a witch.

Although Vernon was quite shocked, he assured Petunia that he would not distance himself from her because of this and that he was willing to accept his sister.

But that first meeting with Lily and her boyfriend James Potter ruined everything.

The two parted on bad terms; he and Petunia stormed out of the restaurant, while Lily was in tears.

Since then, the two families have had no further contact.

Until that night, he found the tiny baby with a lightning bolt scar on its forehead at the door.

Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks because he heard his uncle speaking.

Vernon stared at Petunia and asked cautiously, "Darling, you really don't know this Snape?"

Petunia didn't want to hide it from her husband. He hesitated for a long time, looked around to make sure Harry wasn't there, and finally nodded:

"I recognize him. Just by looking at the photo, I recognized him immediately. He's that terrifying boy from back then."

He used to live in Spinner's End near my house, and he was very close to my sister.

Petunia briefly recounted what had happened before, then whispered:

"My sister went with him and only comes home during the holidays each year. I always thought they were a couple."

Petunia pondered for a moment, then continued:

"After Lily finished fifth grade, that awful boy came to our house, and Lily had a fight with him."

I never saw him again.

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he recalled that memory:

Snape was hung up by his father James with magic, Lily stood up for him, Snape called his mother Mudblood.

Did this incident cause them to completely break off their relationship?

Harry eavesdropped for a while longer to confirm that Snape did indeed know his mother before leaving the house.

He quietly walked towards a small house on Magnolia Crescent.

He needed to go to one last place.

But Harry didn't have Muggle money on him.

Although there are Galleon, you can't ride the Knight Bus. It's too dangerous; it would be too easy to give away your position.

In the past, Harry might have acted without considering the consequences.

But the lessons learned in the past two years have been too painful.

Or perhaps it was the harm caused by his recklessness that ultimately helped Harry mature considerably.

He needs a safer, more discreet way to travel.

Apparition would be the first Apparition, but Harry wouldn't do that; he needs to find a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

He knew that members of the Order of the Phoenix were secretly protecting him.

After several inquiries, Harry was fairly certain about the wizard who was looking after him and when he would change shifts.

This is why Harry is out now, because out of all the members of the Order of the Phoenix, only one will agree to his request.

And at this point, that person is on duty... assuming they haven't abandoned their post.

Harry walked toward the gravel-covered wall and, sure enough, saw a wizard dozing off in a corner.

He was a short, stout wizard with a stubble beard, short bow legs, and long, messy ginger-yellow hair.

"Hello, Mundungus Fletcher." Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak and shook the other person's hand.

"I wasn't sleeping... Mrs. Figg, I was just... resting with my eyes closed."

Mundungus Fletcher hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth, and only breathed a sigh of relief after realizing it was Harry.

"Oh, hello, Harry," Mundungus Fletcher said, trying to sound very cheerful, but it didn't sound like it at all. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to leave here."

Harry's words startled Mundungus Fletcher. "What? You're leaving?"

"Are we going to the Order of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, the Burrow, or Hogwarts? But it's not time for school to start yet..."

"No, I'm going to Cokeworth," Harry said.

What are you going there for?

Harry decided to tell a little lie, "I'm going to see Professor Snape. He lives in Spinner's End in Cokeworth."

"No, Harry." Mundungus Fletcher shook his head.

"Snape forbids anyone from going to his house; if anyone is found out, he will kill me."

"Is that so?" Harry said coldly. "Don't forget, you stole a lot of valuables from Black's old house while Sirius was away."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, threateningly. "If I tell Sirius all this, what do you think he'll do?"

"I didn't..." Mundungus Fletcher stammered, his face slowly turning a deep liver color.

"Get me there quickly," Harry's tone softened.

"I'll leave soon, then you take me to the Burrow, where no one will find out."

I won't tell Sirius about you stealing. If he finds out, I'll put in a good word for you.

I'm his father's tutor, and he listens to me the most.

Mundungus Fletcher nodded hesitantly; he was convinced.

Harry smiled with satisfaction.

Last summer, after being attacked by Dementor, he also felt some resentment towards Mundungus Fletcher's irresponsibility.

But now I've come to appreciate that quality.

Grabbing Mundungus Fletcher's arm, the two vanished into thin air.

Cokeworth

It refers to the England region of the United Kingdom.

It sits beside a dirty river, with industrial waste scattered along the banks.

This place has been largely abandoned, and many residents have moved away.

In addition to the increasingly deteriorating environment, the decline of traditional industries has led to the town's bankruptcy.

This place is very similar to Detroit, the world's largest bankrupt city and Motor City.

Harry suddenly remembered that he had been here before.

Six years ago, Uncle Vernon moved his whole family here to avoid letters from Hogwarts.

Following his memory, Harry headed towards a certain neighborhood.

In a dilapidated house, he left Mundungus Fletcher at the door while he climbed in through the window.

This is my maternal grandparents' house. Since they passed away, it has been completely abandoned.

Harry walked up to the second floor and stopped in front of a room with a sign that read "Lily".

Harry pushed open the door, expecting to see some traces, but there was nothing inside.

But the floor was surprisingly clean, with little dust, and there were no cobwebs on the walls.

Harry was certain the Dursley wouldn't come to clean, so...

Standing at the window, he looked out and could see a dirty river.

The river meanders and twists, its banks overgrown with weeds and littered with garbage.

A huge chimney, a relic of an abandoned mill, stood tall and sinister, exuding an ominous aura.

That's Spinner's End.

Harry hesitated for a long time, then, as if possessed, pulled out Firebolt, quietly mounted it, and flew in that direction.

There was no sound from any direction except for the sobbing of the dark river, and no sign of life.

The alleyway was lined with rows of dilapidated brick houses, their windows appearing dark and lifeless in the night.

After landing, Harry wandered aimlessly, not knowing what he was looking for.

Several streetlights were broken, and as he strolled, he was sometimes illuminated by their light and sometimes shrouded in darkness.

As I walked past the dilapidated windows boarded up with wooden planks, my footsteps echoed on the cobblestones.

These houses look like they've been uninhabited for a long time.

Harry found it hard to believe that Professor Snape... lived here all by himself.

Is he still guarding that long-abandoned little house?

Harry didn't Taoism lived, so he kept walking along the road and soon came to the last house.

He stopped.

Only this house had dim light shining from its windows.

He stood at the doorway, looking up at the wooden door, breathing heavily, and smelling the stench of the sewage river carried by the evening breeze.

Harry raised his hand, wanting to knock on the door, but stopped, frozen in mid-air.

Just then, the door was suddenly opened, revealing a sallow face.

Her greasy long hair cascaded down her sides, and in the middle were a pair of dark eyes.

Harry realized for the first time that Professor Snape's eyes were so dark and bright, like black pearls in the night sky.

But Snape's expression was so terrified that it was almost distorted.

He grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him into the house, growling:

What are you doing here?! Did you know he was here too?!

Are you looking for death?!

(An outbreak has occurred in Hefei, and the school urgently needs students to get vaccinated. The lines are several kilometers long. Sigh.)

(A combined 4,000-word text is provided.)

Recommended new book by renowned urban fiction author Lao Shi: