chapter 4 This is not cohabitation

"Professor Dumbledore knows we're in trouble?!"

Hermione looked over at the Hogwarts coat of arms with a look of surprise.

"Here's the Hogwarts acceptance letter, idiot."

Snape raised his hand and tore open the envelope, glanced at it, and threw it aside.

He almost forgot that the rule of uniformly sending admission notices by owls will not start until eight years later.

Due to Voldemort's pure blood theory and the frequent activities of the Dark Lord, Hogwarts suspended the owl delivery of admission notices to the Muggle living areas.

"But the address on it—" Hermione picked up the envelope curiously, looking at the ink on it.

"It's just a superficial positioning spell, and it will be truly confirmed when it is sent."

Severus waved his hand absently and explained casually.

It was Irene who received the letter at the beginning, so he didn't know whether there would be an owl messenger in the original situation.

Lily would definitely have a school professor come to explain, but Severus still preferred to get in touch with Dumbledore directly.

After all, regardless of time travel and rebirth against the current, such weird things are probably only the old man who will not be too surprised.

Owls are not hard to find, and the courier at the Owl Post Office in Diagon Alley can fly hundreds of miles for a few nats.

As a freshman at Hogwarts this year, Snape had to go to Diagon Alley to do some shopping.

However, this meant that he had to go back to Spider's End first.

Not to mention a wand, he didn't even have a Copper Knut for a copy of the Daily Prophet.

In addition, the acceptance letter sent by Hogwarts had better be seen by Irene.

As far as Severus could remember, this was one of the few times when his mother was happy.

Severus glanced at the dark mill chimney in the distance, he hadn't figured out how to face his parents yet.

It would be nice to have the chance to see Eileen again, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist killing that goddamn Muggle father.

Or maybe...

Severus turned his head and gave Hermione a meaningful look.

"Cough, Miss Granger, how much money do you have now?"

"I mean... coins issued by goblins."

"Um?"

…………

London, Charing Cross Road.

The streets of London in 1971 were not as bustling as they were decades later.

The road paved with gray bricks is full of potholes, and the monotonous old cars emit black exhaust.

"Professor, are we going to the Leaky Cauldron now? Shall we have lunch first?"

Standing at the corner of Charing Cross Road, Hermione held Snape's hem with one hand, looking around excitedly.

Spanning hundreds of miles, tossing and turning between shaking trains and buses, the novel and short journey quickly dilutes the girl's hesitation.

"Miss Granger, we don't have a penny in our pockets combined."

"But we have wands, and your Confusion Charm is so..."

Hermione's eyes fell on Snape's right pocket, and she made a quick gesture in anticipation and amazement.

Maybe the journey itself is not that interesting, but adding the "universal currency" of the confusion spell is very exciting.

Whether it's train tickets, meals, even hotel accommodation, London maps...

Professor Snape can get rid of all bills with just a confusion spell.

"We're wizards, not clever Muggle circus clowns."

Severus replied coldly, glancing at the little witch following behind.

Gryffindors were mostly lawless and problematic students, and he was well aware of the little guy's excitement.

However, now is not the time to focus on basic rules and student education...

"Listen, from now on, don't call me a professor."

As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed to the black broken cauldron sign not far away that was gradually becoming clear.

The Leaky Cauldron - a centuries-old enchanted tavern, the entrance from Charing Cross to Diagon Alley.

"There are more guys here who like to eavesdrop than there are rats in the gutter—"

"Nasif—"

Hermione looked at the slumped face of the "young professor" and quickly changed her words.

"Um, I mean, Snape?"

Snape snorted noncommittally, tentatively agreeing.

He drew out his wand with his right hand and tucked it inside his cuff.

"stay close--"

…………

The Leaky Cauldron never seemed so dark and cramped.

Beside the smoky bar, two withered and gloomy witches were smoking long pipes one after another.

On the other side, three strange guys wrapped in cloaks are playing poker with a goblin.

The slightly bald tavern owner was wiping his glass while chatting with a small wizard in front of the bar.

Hearing the sound of the door, the tavern owner looked over expectantly and couldn't help being startled.

A very odd pairing—

Well, it's not uncommon to see strange guests at the Leaky Cauldron.

The combination of a fat big melon mix-and-match little boy and a junior Hogwarts witch...

"Two rooms, Tom—two days first."

Severus went straight to the bar, took out two Galleons from his pocket, and said in a hoarse voice.

The bar owner glanced at the gold coins on the table and continued to wipe the glass in his hand.

"One and a half days at most, one room, two without a fireplace."

"For two days, just the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. Give me an extra quilt and mattress."

Severus added three more silver coins while talking, "Someone will come later, please light the fireplace for me first."

oh?

Are you a regular customer?

The bar owner raised his eyebrows, glanced at the silver coins on the counter, and put down the glass he was wiping.

Every year, there are a few unlucky people who go wrong with their magic, there are familiar faces, and there are also unfamiliar faces...

The Leaky Cauldron is undoubtedly a suitable temporary stop, and it is also close to Diagon Alley and St. Mungo's Hospital for Wizardry and Wizardry.

"...Look at you," the barkeep studied Snape's face carefully, "Age Reduction Potion or Reversal Curse? What a mess, man—"

"It's none of your business, Tom," Snape said coldly.

"Ah, sorry, sorry—just curious—"

As the tavern owner, Tom doesn't care who this person is, as long as he makes sure the other party understands the basic rules of the tavern.

He shrugged, casually collected the coins, and took a key from the wooden board behind him.

"The guest room will be cleaned up in a quarter of an hour, you can order some drinks at the bar—"

"No, I have to go to Diagon Alley first."

Severus took the key and tossed it to Hermione behind him.

The Leaky Cauldron isn't exactly a comfortable place to live, but it's at least secure in terms of security.

The Aibo family has been in business for centuries, and they haven't heard of any major problems.

On the other side, Hermione, who was holding the key, encountered a problem.

"one room……"

Last night at the Railway View Inn as well...

Today at the Leaky Cauldron...

Despite the current situation, she really shouldn't be separated from Professor Snape.

but……

Hermione raised her head, and her peripheral vision quickly glanced at the black-haired boy in front of her.

No matter what angle you looked at, Professor Snape couldn't match the image in her impression.

With sensitive ears, she vaguely heard witches and witches whispering around, as if they were speculating about the relationship between her and the professor.

She will be 15 years old when school starts in September this year, and some things have begun to be heard.

this……

Doesn't count as cohabitation? Doesn't count?

Besides, Professor Snape looked so young...

wrong! wrong!

Now is not the time to think wildly!

The immediate priority is to find Professor Dumbledore as soon as possible, and find a way to return to the time when she came.

"Of course, she lives with me—"

At this moment, Professor Snape's hoarse voice deliberately lowered came from not far away.

"We may have to stay here for a few more days, don't worry about the room fee."

"Well, register the name?"

Severus glanced at the girl and replied without thinking.

"You write about that, Arthur Weasley, as for her—Molly, Molly Prewett."

In this uncertain time and space, it is best not to use real names directly.

If they had to stay in this past time, someone would definitely investigate their background.

Especially in a place like the Leaky Cauldron, Severus didn't want a little detail to ruin the whole picture.

At the same time, a certain little witch holding a key suddenly froze.

Huh? !

Registered for...

The names of the Weasleys... couples...

The wild thoughts that Hermione had finally suppressed exploded again.