Chapter 174: The Prince

Chapter 174: The Prince

"Make sure to wear your hat properly. The sun is quite strong today, and you don't want to come back with a tan."

Sherlock adjusted Amy's sun hat on her head.

"Are you still taking the pinwheel? Why don't you leave it in the room? There are plenty of other fun things to do at the amusement park."

But Amy didn't listen to him and insisted on taking the pinwheel with her.

Snape stood by the door, watching Sherlock fuss over Amy. He glowered and said, "How much longer are you going to dawdle? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return. I have potions to brew today!"

Sherlock glanced him up and down, noting that Snape was still wearing his usual black robe, which made him look like a large, dark bat. With his pale, sullen face, anyone at the amusement park who didn't know better would probably think he was a vampire who had escaped from a haunted house!

"Do you want to be the center of attention?"

Sherlock said, clearly disapproving.

"Walk into a Muggle amusement park dressed like that, and you'll probably get people asking for selfies within a few steps. Then the staff will think you're trying to steal their business and kick you out."

Snape was left speechless by Sherlock's remarks. He didn't have any other clothes to change into, and his wardrobe had been the same for as long as he could remember.

Sherlock noticed his predicament and compared their heights. Snape was about 7 centimeters shorter than him (based on the original text, Snape's height is estimated to be around 179 cm, while in the movies, it is 185 cm).

"My clothes might not fit you properly, so we should go to a clothing store and get you something new."

"You want me to wear Muggle clothes!" Snape raised his voice.

Sherlock gave him a sidelong glance.

"Is there a problem with that? Or are you prejudiced against Muggles?"

Snape wouldn't admit to being prejudiced against Muggles. While he might have had some such feelings in his younger days, at this point in his life, after experiencing so many ups and downs, he had long since seen through the pure-blood ideology.

There was no inherent superiority in blood or ability between Muggles and wizards. In some areas, wizards of Muggle descent might even have an advantage.

It was just that the idea of changing his clothes was psychologically difficult for him.

Sherlock didn't bother with Snape's minor resistance. After making sure Amy was ready, he prepared to leave.

"Come on, Uncle Toby. We'll get you some new clothes. Or would you rather have people gawk at you like a monkey?"

Snape's lips twitched, but he didn't argue further. He followed Sherlock, and the three of them left the Leaky Cauldron.

Sherlock and Amy were dressed normally, but Snape was still in his black, billowing robe, which drew plenty of attention from passersby on the hot summer day.

It had been over a decade since he had interacted with Muggle society, and he found the stares quite uncomfortable.

Sherlock patted him on the shoulder.

"So, stop hiding in your room and get out more. It'll make you more cheerful. Think about it—do you think Lily would have liked someone who was always so gloomy, like a moldy old bat?"

Snape slapped Sherlock's hand away from his shoulder and snorted.

"If Lily hadn't made that choice, do you think I would be like this now?"

"Who else can you blame? It's your own fault. You knew those people you associated with were prejudiced against Muggles, yet you still hung around with them. You knew Lily didn't like dark magic, yet you kept studying it. These are all your own mistakes."

Sherlock spoke earnestly.

"So, you need to be more open and cheerful. Don't act like the world owes you something. I know you're trying to distance yourself from Harry, but you also need to think about yourself. Even without Lily, do you really want to live without friends or a life?"

Snape continued to scowl, seemingly dismissing Sherlock's advice.

Sherlock sighed and didn't say anything more.

He knew that a few words from him wouldn't change Snape's character. That would be a miracle.

Amy was running ahead, holding her pinwheel and trying to make it spin in the windless weather, so she didn't hear Sherlock and Snape's conversation.

“I’ve managed to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic through some back channels, but I haven’t decided on a specific department yet. For now, I won’t be spending too much time in the bar.”

Sherlock gave Snape a brief update on his recent activities.

“I haven’t found any clues on how to return yet, but I did discover the source of the magic Lily used to protect Harry when the Dark Lord found the Potter family.”

At the mention of this, Snape’s breath caught in his throat.

“You plan to work on that magic?”

“It’s the only method I feel might actually be effective. Lily’s death was inevitable; her body was buried, and Harry’s life over the past decade has been without her. This means the event is irreversible.”

This statement made Snape agitated.

“Why is it irreversible? Couldn’t she have faked her death, and no one else noticed, hiding somewhere all this time?”

“Do you really think someone with her character would do that?” Sherlock looked at Snape. “She loved Harry and undoubtedly loved her husband, James. If she had a way to fake her death, she wouldn’t keep it from James. If James knew, would the plan to fake her death even be possible?”

Snape fell silent.

Sherlock was right. To fake her death, Lily would have had to be fully aware of the situation and cooperate. If she knew the details, she would have tried to save James, which would not be a deception of history but a direct challenge to it.

“People come up with solutions, and by my original intention, our return to this time was an accident. We need to erase this accident and return the way we came. However, since we came together, I need to consider your feelings. I’ll do my best to help without altering the major course of history.”

“I’m trying to understand your perspective, but I also hope you can look at this more objectively.”

“Following the normal timeline, even if the Dark Lord didn’t die, he would have lost all his power, and the Wizarding World would have enjoyed years of peace, leading to his ultimate downfall.”

“We can use some minor tricks to ensure certain unknown events become part of history, but we cannot change the fact that the Dark Lord’s attempt to kill Harry resulted in his own loss of power.”

He stared at Snape.

“These past few days, I’ve seen firsthand what the Death Eaters have done and how many people they’ve killed. You were once one of them; you should understand better than I what would happen if the Dark Lord hadn’t fallen.”

Snape didn’t respond, his lips pressed together, lost in thought.

Sherlock could only say so much. He feared that if he found a way back, Snape might disregard everything and use force to alter the course of history.

After leaving the Leaky Cauldron, they walked along the street and came to a commercial district, where there was a men’s clothing store.

Amy, looking tired, had a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. She clung to Sherlock’s arm and walked slowly.

When selecting clothes for Snape, he seemed like an unresponsive puppet, not saying a word as the shop assistant dressed him in a common summer outfit.

Naturally, Sherlock paid, as Snape didn’t have any pounds.

To be honest, Snape wasn’t bad-looking. He had a cold, handsome aura, and while his face was a bit gloomy, some might find that appealing.

However, his greasy, stringy hair made him look unkempt.

“Why doesn’t Tobias like washing his hair?” Amy tilted her head and asked, looking at Snape.

Snape scowled and replied dismissively.

“Only shallow people waste time on their appearance.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes and patted Amy’s head.

“Don’t listen to him. Looking clean and tidy is the foundation of a good first impression and a sign of self-respect. If you don’t wash your hair for a long time, it can get infested with lice.”

Amy tugged at her pale golden hair and brought it to her nose to sniff.

“Daddy said I couldn’t wash my hair for a while, but Amy’s hair is still clean.”

Sherlock didn’t ask why Eddie had forbidden Amy from washing her hair. Instead, he hailed a taxi, and they all climbed in.

It wasn't a holiday or a weekend, so the amusement park wasn't very crowded, and many of the attractions could be enjoyed directly without waiting.

Amy, though much more mature for her age, was still a child at heart.

When she saw the giant ferris wheel, she held up her pinwheel and let out an exclamation of awe.

"A giant iron pinwheel!"

"Shall we start with this?"

Sherlock took her hand and led her to the ticket window to buy tickets.

Snape, looking reluctant, followed Sherlock to the window and watched him buy three tickets.

The three of them got into the ferris wheel, and Amy immediately pressed her hands against the glass, gazing at the scenery outside.

Normally, a child from a wizarding family would have already played with toy broomsticks in their early years and wouldn't be so fascinated by flying in the sky. However, Amy seemed to have had little exposure to such things, lacking a mother's presence and seeing her father rarely. She probably didn't have any toys at all.

Sherlock was also quite interested, but when he saw Snape sitting across from him, the atmosphere suddenly felt strange.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He sipped his water and tutted, "In the Muggle world, the ferris wheel has a special meaning. I never thought my first ride would be with you."

Snape didn't look at Sherlock. Instead, he gazed through the glass at the city below, which was gradually shrinking.

"You had a girlfriend when you were in school, didn't you?"

"Spit!"

Sherlock couldn't hold it in, and the water he was drinking sprayed out of his mouth.

Fortunately, Snape was sitting directly across from Amy, or he would have been drenched!

"How did you know I had a girlfriend in school?" Sherlock asked, his mouth twitching.

Snape turned his head and gave a cold smile.

"Do you think no one paid attention to you at Hogwarts? The day you and Mary got together, Flitwick excitedly told everyone in the staff common room. Mcgonagall was almost in tears; they cared a lot about your affairs."

Sherlock looked confused.

He had always thought the original owner's diary recorded private matters, but it turned out that his first love had been common knowledge.

Snape seemed to enjoy Sherlock's discomfort and continued calmly.

"But then, not long after, you broke up. Flitwick and Mcgonagall discussed this at length. They believed that failed relationships, though sad, are the best medicine for personal growth."

"But I didn't see you looking particularly sad those days. You never really liked Mary, did you?"

Sherlock pursed his lips.

"Stop gossiping. You'll become a busybody as you get older!"

At that moment, Amy turned around, looking puzzled.

"Was John's girlfriend named Mary?"

"His ex-girlfriend", Snape added with a pleased tone.

Sherlock lightly tapped Amy's smooth forehead.

"Adult matters, don't pry."

Amy pouted and frowned, clearly unhappy with Sherlock's words. She shook her head and continued to look at the scenery outside.

After getting off the ferris wheel, Sherlock bought Amy a lollipop.

The candy wasn't particularly tasty, but its vibrant colors were appealing. Amy held it up with her pinwheel, hoping it would spin like the pinwheel.

To get back at Snape and satisfy his own mischievous side, Sherlock also bought a prince's crown and gave it to him.

"Ah, Prince, look at this. It suits your status perfectly", Sherlock said, mocking the name Snape had chosen for himself.

To Sherlock's surprise, Snape didn't throw the crown away in disgust. Instead, he took it without expression.

He held the crown, his eyes reflecting both nostalgia and a painful memory he didn't want to recall but couldn't forget.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end