Snape stood alone on the platform, isolated, but he was used to solitude, and he hadn't left room for anyone else beside him.
While waiting, a few students' parents came up to chat with him briefly. While Snape was deeply resented by his students, the parents didn't mind. A Potions Master in his early thirties was a rarity across the globe. Such a powerhouse was worth it, even if his classes were severe—as long as their child could learn something from him.
It was only after leaving school that people realized, belatedly, that the professor's lessons they'd desperately wanted to skip were now practically impossible to hear, even if they offered a pile of Galleons. Once they entered the working world, they finally understood the unbridgeable class difference between themselves and the professors who had taught them.
"Severus! I almost didn't recognize you!"
A blonde man, arm-in-arm with a woman, walked toward Snape. He carried a distinguished cane and was dressed in fine, luxurious robes, setting him apart from the other parents.
"Lucius," Snape acknowledged with a slight nod. "And Narcissa. How have you been lately?"
"Wonderful, my friend, wonderful."
Lucius Malfoy approached warmly. Even setting aside the fact that Snape was his former schoolmate and current colleague, Snape's current 'value' was enough to warrant Lucius's enthusiasm.
"How is Draco doing at school? He's performing well, isn't he?"
A flicker of pride crossed Lucius's face as he mentioned his son.
"Not particularly well," Snape replied coolly, shaking his head. "If you don't pay closer attention to him, he'll be wasting away before long."
The unexpected bluntness of the answer made Lucius's expression freeze, and a sudden panic rose in his chest.
"What's wrong with Draco?" Narcissa let go of Lucius's arm and asked anxiously. "Has something happened? Is someone bullying him?"
"I believe you, like me, are keenly aware of the influence of one's environment."
Snape squinted slightly, seemingly scrutinizing Lucius's pale face.
Lucius swallowed hard and forced a weak smile. "It can't be worse than our time, surely?"
"Of course not."
Lucius relaxed slightly at this, but then his heart sank again.
"We didn't have so many fools around us back then, Lucius. You know perfectly well who your son has been spending the most time with."
"Stupidity—it's a contagious disease, and there is no cure."
"I wouldn't interfere if it weren't for your sake, but whether he chooses to listen to me or not is no longer my concern."
"Thank you for the warning, Severus." Lucius, who had considered many things in that brief moment, nodded slightly, his expression troubled. He had already guessed who those 'fools' were, and no one knew their predictable behavior better than he did. "I will have a serious talk with Draco."
Compared to his son, nothing else held much importance to Lucius. The fact that Snape had made the issue sound so severe meant it was time to take it seriously.
After saying goodbye to Snape, the Malfoy couple were visibly preoccupied.
The train whistle sounded closer, and as the scarlet steam engine slowly pulled into the station, the platform immediately became a flurry of activity.
"Professor Snape, over here!"
Holly happily waved to Snape through the crowd. But even as she stepped off the train, Snape was already walking toward them.
"Hello, Professor Snape."
Lynn and Cho also greeted Snape, their eyes involuntarily taking in his appearance.
Today, Snape was wearing a high-collared black trench coat over a black wool sweater and a gray scarf. His hair was meticulously styled. Compared to his school look, Snape seemed like a different person. He even had a subtle, upward curve to his mouth, making him appear much warmer.
"Is that really the Professor Snape we know?" Cho asked, whispering to Lynn.
"That's Snape: The Cozy, Affectionate Home Edition 2.0," Lynn whispered back. Snape's outfit today scored an 8.5 out of 10. The score would be even higher if his features weren't naturally so shadowed.
"Unbelievable…" Cho murmured softly. "He's a completely different person than he is at school…"
"I have to go, Lynn. Remember to come over before Christmas!"
Snapping back to reality, Cho waved goodbye to Lynn and hugged Holly before melting into the crowd.
"The Professor is taking me to Godric's Hollow today, but we're going to Diagon Alley first. I told my aunt and uncle they didn't need to pick me up today."
"Let's go, Lynn." Holly linked her arm through his. "I heard Apparition is really uncomfortable. Is that true?"
"It's kind of like being squeezed out of a tight rubber tube. Or, if you prefer, being pulled out of some creature's backside, that works too."
"Ugh, that's disgusting," Holly said, making a face of distaste.
"You can use Floo powder instead," Snape interjected, his gaze calm as he looked at Holly and Lynn. "Apparition can be quite unpleasant."
"Then let's try Floo powder! You just have to clearly say where you're going, right?!" Holly asked curiously. "I read about it in a book! I don't mind getting a little spinny."
"Over here. There is a public Floo network fireplace," Snape nodded, leading them to one side of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where many wizards were moving in and out. An attendant nearby was selling Floo powder—a small handful for one Sickle, enough for one person.
As the shimmering powder was tossed into the fireplace, green flames instantly erupted.
"Remember to state your destination clearly. Lynn, you demonstrate."
Snape motioned for Lynn to go first, as he would leave after Holly, just in case.
"Absolutely, Professor."
Lynn stepped into the green flames and clearly spoke, "Diagon Alley." With a burst of fire, Lynn's figure vanished into the fireplace.
"Don't be nervous, Holly."
Snape fussed over her like an old father.
"I know, Professor! I'm heading over now."
Sprinkling the Floo powder into the fireplace, Holly mimicked Lynn's demonstration and disappeared into the green flames the next second.
Diagon Alley was especially bustling during the students' holiday break. Pedestrians flowed like a river, and Christmas decorations were everywhere.
Squeezing through the crowds, Lynn and Holly arrived at Gringotts, and with a goblin escort, they returned to the Potter family vault.
"Is this enough?"
Holly looked at Lynn skeptically after he only took two gold bars from the chest. "Maybe take a bit more? We have so much, over a dozen chests! Do you want some of the silver bars? The chest they're in is practically falling apart."
"I can't decide if you're being incredibly wasteful or incredibly generous."
Lynn tossed the gold bar in his hand. Each one weighed 400 troy ounces, or 12.44 kilograms. If he didn't have his power supporting it, Lynn wouldn't be able to handle it so casually.
"Just these two bars in my hand are worth over a hundred thousand pounds. You could buy your aunt and uncle's entire house outright with just one more of these."
"Oh."
Holly, who wasn't sensitive to money, didn't have any particular reaction. She hadn't seen much money before and had no concept of its value. The visual impact of these dozen chests containing over three metric tons of gold was less striking than the mountain of Galleons stacked twice as high as Hagrid nearby.
"You should just take one whole chest. It's too much trouble to come back if you run out. If you don't use it all, just keep it for me. Oh, and can you pack a few Galleons for me too? I might need to spend some money. I saw in the newspaper that the Nimbus 2001 is about to be released! Lynn, can you pre-order three for me? You can bring a broom to school in the second year, and then we can play Quidditch together!"
"Did you forget that I can fly without a broom? Don't waste your money," Lynn said, floating effortlessly into the air. He pulled out his pocket and scooped a few thousand small coins from the top of the mountain of Galleons—three or four thousand at least—into it.
"It must be so convenient to fly on your own…" Holly pouted, a touch of envy in her voice.
"Once I figure out how to fix this thing, I'll let you use it."
Lynn shook the broken 'Superpower Training Box' in his hand. He hadn't yet found a way to fix the Doraemon black-tech parenting gadget. At least, pointing his wand at it and saying Reparo showed absolutely no effect.
"You absolutely have to find a way to fix it!"
Holly said, full of anticipation. But just as the two were about to leave the vault, Holly tugged on Lynn's sleeve.
"There's something I wanted to ask you, Lynn."
"What is it?"
"It's about… seeing my mum and dad this time… I have Mum's gift ready, but for Dad… do you think a Golden Snitch would be okay?"
Holly pulled a well-used Golden Snitch from her pocket. Though still bright, the marks of wear were visible.
"It's the one I caught in my very first match. I asked Madam Hooch if I could buy it as a keepsake, and she agreed. Dad loved Quidditch a lot back then. Do you think it's a good gift?"
"That's a brilliant idea," Lynn said, smiling and ruffling Holly's hair. "I thought you only got a gift for your mum."
"No way…" Holly shook her head. "Even though Dad wasn't a great student at school—he bullied people, he ran with a gang, he caused trouble—Mum still chose him in the end. That means Dad certainly made mistakes, but he changed. I can't deny the good he did just because I found out about his faults."
"Mum was the smart, good student that all the teachers praised. She wouldn't have been fooled by a silly person. If Dad was truly an irredeemable jerk, Mum wouldn't have married him, right?"
"That's right." Lynn confirmed, hearing Holly's words. "I'm so glad you see it that way."
"Hehe, I'm not an idiot, you know."
Holly put the Snitch away and leaned in close.
"But getting your head patted turns you into an idiot, you know."
"Huh?" Holly was momentarily stunned, then clenched her little fist and chased after him: "Lynn, don't run! Let me pat you back!"
Laughing and joking, they left Gringotts. Lynn and Holly parted ways at the entrance. Snape took Holly to Godric's Hollow to see the memorial statue of the Potters and their graves, while Lynn walked deeper into Diagon Alley, pushing open the door to Ollivander's Wand Shop.
"Mr. Ollivander, I'm back."
After the chime of the bell, Lynn's voice echoed in the empty shop.
"Welcome back, welcome, welcome."
Ollivander's soft voice drifted from behind the counter. His pale, large eyes in the dimly lit shop looked like two small moons.
Ollivander was delighted to see Lynn again after a few months.
"I finished all the books you gave me before. I noted down all the questions I had about wand-making, and I came today to ask for your advice."
"Hagrid gave me some materials for making wands, but I tried a few times at school and couldn't get it right. Could you take a look for me?"
"Of course, my boy."
Ollivander looked at Lynn with satisfaction. While he didn't worry about lacking successors—his son and grandson were already competent wandmakers—he was genuinely happy to see someone passionate about the craft.
After taking the prototype wand Lynn handed him, Ollivander didn't need to examine it closely to point out the reason for its failure.
"The problem lies in the fusion of the magical substances. Every magical wood has different properties, and there are subtle differences even in wood from different parts of the same tree. Harmonizing the magic is a task that requires extreme care. Its difficulty is no less than brewing a Potion."
"The hair of a mature male Unicorn, comparatively, is better suited to the heartwood of the tree. This is because a male Unicorn's magic is stronger and more aggressive, requiring more containment, and the heartwood, compared to other materials, can better withstand that power. However, things are never absolute. If you could fully master the technique of magical harmonization, all these problems could be ignored."
"For a novice, someone just starting out in wandmaking, I recommend this practice method: wrap the Unicorn hair core around the wood and attempt to fuse the magical substances of the two first. Once you have a firm grasp of that, then you can attempt the more advanced steps."
"Hagrid gave you quite a bit of Unicorn hair, didn't he?" Ollivander chuckled good-naturedly. "I know he's misplaced several sacks at home. Most of it isn't suitable for making standard-sized wands; only the long tail hair is useful. But it's certainly better than using it to twist ropes or knit sweaters. That Hagrid, what a wastrel."
"Nearly a third of all Unicorns in Europe live in the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest. It's difficult to spot even one or two in the wild; only in the Forest do they gather in herds. He has a remarkable talent for raising magical creatures."
As a friend of Hagrid for decades, Ollivander knew him well. He had personally crafted Hagrid's own wand.
"There's actually one more thing I'm curious about."
"Tell me, child."
"Why does a wand have to be a combination of wood and a magical creature core?"
"Are you asking about other materials for the wand casing?"
"More accurately—why can't other materials be added?"
A different kind of light shone in Lynn's eyes.
"In the Mirror of Erised, I saw a completely different possibility."
"And I want to make it happen!"