The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

[What right do you have to tell him these things?! He shouldn't know any of this! What does any of this have to do with you?!]

[You vile thief!! Shameless plunderer!!!]

The roars echoing from within Severus's body continued relentlessly.

However, Severus remained utterly unmoved, as if he had unilaterally muted Ghost Snape inside him. His expression stayed cold and unchanging, his gaze fixed solely on Harry, who was scrambling backward through the pouring rain.

The boy, who was drenched all over, finally managed to pick himself up from the ground.

He looked at Severus in fear, then turned around and started running out, not even caring about the suitcase that fell on the ground!

At this moment, he had lost all the relief he had when he was freed from the Dursley's house. Now, his body was trembling, and the only thought in his mind was to escape!

Run back through this alley, through this freezing rain!

However, before he could take more than a few steps, Severus's voice rose in his mind, echoing in his ears as though spoken directly into his soul.

"I begged that Dark Lord on my knees to spare your mother. He agreed."

"And he truly intended to honor that promise. But your mother refused to step aside… she chose to die rather than let him reach you."

"Lily feared nothing when it came to protecting you. And now, faced with just one of the men responsible for her death, all you can do is run? Harry."

As Severus's voice faded, the boy's fleeing footsteps slowed in the downpour.

Gasping for breath, Harry turned around, rainwater streaming down his face.

His glasses were fogged and dripping, blurring the dark figure standing at the end of the alley.

The gloomy sky had darkened as if evening had fallen prematurely. The streetlamps, whether from disrepair or some other reason, remained unlit.

"Have you come to kill me in that Dark Lord's place?"

Harry's voice, thick with hatred, cut through the rain.

'Stop yelling, will you? Don't you see how gullible your precious Lily's boy is? He believes every word I say. A single taunt, and he falls right into the trap. If I really were here to kill him, he'd be dead already."

Severus' body was in chaos at this moment. The complained he made were accompanied by the roar of Ghost Snape, as if he had entered a nightclub.

But no matter how much he complains, Severus certainly wouldn't say that to the outside world.

He remained still, standing rigidly in place. Though he had no real need for the umbrella, he kept it open, the black fabric shielding him from the rain.

The damp wind tugged at the short ponytail at the nape of his neck, and with every breath, he inhaled the scent of wet earth carried on the storm.

"Kill you?"

"If I wanted you dead, I could have done it at your aunt's house. There was no need to go through the trouble of bringing you here."

Severus said calmly.

Harry took off his glasses, collapsing onto the muddy ground. His heart felt like it was being crushed under a boulder, his nose stinging as if he'd been punched.

It seemed as if some liquid was flowing out of my eyes, but mixed with the rain, he couldn't tell whether it was tears or not.

He couldn't even name the emotions tearing through him right now.

Grief for the parents he'd never known. The suffocating weight of eight years under the Dursley's cruelty. The raw, burning hatred for the man who now stood before him, claiming to be one of their killers!

The dark figure strode forward, closing the distance between them.

The umbrella's shadow fell over Harry once more, shielding him from the relentless downpour.

"You are her son. It was the magic she placed upon you that destroyed that Dark Lord. You are the Wizarding World's savior, the hero in every witch and wizard's eyes."

"But now, you are just living in that cramped cupboard, crawling with spiders, abused and despised by your aunt's family."

"She is the light in my life. I feel sorry for her and only for her. If there is any way to atone for the unforgivable sins I had committed, it can only be through you."

Harry looked up in shock, meeting the gaze of the man looming over him beneath the umbrella.

Severus stared back into those eyes, which is so much like his mother's.

At this moment, Ghost Snape suddenly became quiet, as quiet as a ghost.

"You know nothing of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter. Nothing of your enemies."

"But of course, you can wait until you are 11 years old, until an owl arrives with your Hogwarts's acceptance letter, to learn about that world, about everything that happened."

"But right now, an opportunity stands before you."

Severus drew his wand. With a flick, he repaired Harry's taped-together glasses, the fractures sealing seamlessly. Then, he waved it at Harry himself, and the next second, Harry, who was like a drowned rat, turned back to his original clean and refreshed appearance!

Magic… real, undeniable magic was unfolded before the wide-eyed nine-year-old. The kind of wonder he'd only read about in storybooks now alive before him.

The caster of these spells, however, remained impassive. Severus simply extended his hand at Harry.

"Come with me."

"I will be your teacher before Hogwarts. I will show you the Wizarding World in all its color and strangeness. Introduce you to its witches and wizards… the good, the vile, and everything in between."

"I will teach you everything I know. Potions. Charms. Transfiguration. Even the Dark Arts."

"And if one day you can grow up and become a truly great savior, then raise your wand against me."

"Use every spell I taught you. Fight with everything you have."

"And kill me."

"Do you have the courage for that?"

"Lily Evans and James Potter's son-"

"Harry Potter."

Looking at the hand reaching out to him, Harry gritted his teeth and stared at Severus.

He first lowered his head and wiped his tears with his sleeves, then he grabbed Severus' hand without hesitation and pulled himself up.

"I'll go with you!"

A smile appeared on Severus' face. With a wave of his wand, the discarded black umbrella soared from the ground back into Harry's grip.

"A wise choice."

After saying that, he turned around and strode towards the Surrey Station, just like before, no longer caring about Harry's emotions or appearance.

"From this moment on, you will address me not as 'Mr. Snape.' You will call me 'Professor'."

Harry tightened his grip on the umbrella. He sniffed, took a deep breath, and finally trotted on behind Severus, his magic teacher.

Their figures, one tall and one small, gradually faded into the downpour.

The heavy rain did not stop because of their departure. The wind was blowing, and the figures of the two people completely disappeared.

The street lights that hadn't been lit suddenly lit up one by one!

From the shadows, a tabby cat emerged, shaking rainwater from its fur. Beside it stood an elderly man with half-moon spectacles and a long, silver beard.

"I don't understand why you stopped me, Albus! He's too young… he shouldn't be hearing any of this now!"

The tabby cat twisted abruptly, transforming into a stern-faced witch with a tall hat and emerald-green robes. She's none other than the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the Head of Gryffindor House… Minerva McGonagall!