Severus froze mid-step.
Juliet’s piercing cry echoed across the hillside, instantly bringing the sisters’ argument to an abrupt halt.
Silence fell.
After taking a slow breath, Severus chose not to worry about the awkward situation immediately.
Instead, he slowly turned his head and looked at the raven perched on his shoulder.
His eyes narrowed.
Since when did you learn to talk?
“…” Juliet offered no response.
She merely tilted her head innocently, blinking her brilliant violet eyes as though she couldn’t understand a single word he was saying.
She looked exactly like an ordinary raven.
If not for the fact that he’d just heard her loud and unmistakable voice, Severus might have believed the act.
He let out a short, helpless laugh.
Reaching up, he flicked Juliet lightly on the forehead.
“So, you enjoy causing trouble?” “Fine.” “No dried rats for you tonight.” “Gah!” Juliet immediately spread her wings and squawked in protest.
Unfortunately for her, Severus remained completely unmoved.
Ignoring the raven’s indignant cries, he calmly stepped out from behind the old willow tree.
The two girls instinctively took a step back.
Both were clearly on guard.
Severus glanced at them before speaking in an even tone.
“Hello.” “My name is Severus Snape.” “I live on Spinner’s End.” “And yes…” “I’m the wizard you were just talking about.” A few days earlier…
Lily Evans had finally gathered enough courage to tell her older sister her greatest secret.
She was a witch.
Not only that, she wanted to share the joy with the person she trusted most.
At first, everything had gone exactly as she imagined.
After secretly experimenting for months, Lily had gradually learned to control the strange magic that had always surrounded her.
She didn’t possess a wand.
She had never received formal magical education.
She wasn’t even certain whether other witches and wizards truly existed.
Yet magic responded naturally to her.
Simple feats that ordinary people considered impossible came as easily as breathing.
With a wave of her hand, a flower bud slowly bloomed in her palm.
It wasn’t a spell.
Rather, it was instinctive accidental magic brought under conscious control.
To Lily, it was something wonderful.
To Petunia…
It shattered everything she believed about the world.
Magic was real.
Her little sister truly possessed it.
But…
Why Lily?
Why not her?
Why had she never experienced anything remotely similar?
The confusion in Petunia’s eyes quickly gave way to jealousy.
Then resentment.
Finally…
Anger.
“You’re a freak!” “I’m telling Mum and Dad!” Lily’s expression immediately changed.
“No!” “We promised you wouldn’t!” Petunia folded her arms proudly.
“Fine.” “I won’t tell them.” “But you have to admit magic isn’t real.” “It’s just…
some trick.” “A magic show.” Lily stared at her in disbelief.
“But it is real.” “I don’t know why I can do it.” “I just…
can.” “If you don’t like it, I won’t use magic in front of you anymore.” “No!” “You’re lying!” Petunia shouted.
“You’ve fooled yourself!” Then, as though she’d found the perfect argument, she raised her chin triumphantly.
“If witches and wizards really exist…” “Then where are they?” “Why are you the only one?” “If magic is real, why hasn’t anyone else ever seen it?” Lily opened her mouth.
No words came out.
She simply didn’t know.
She had no answers.
Seeing Lily speechless only strengthened Petunia’s confidence.
“There.” “I knew it.” “There isn’t any magic.” “You’re just making everything up.” The more she spoke, the more aggressive she became.
Jealousy had long since drowned out reason.
Just as the argument threatened to spiral completely out of control— A harsh, grating voice suddenly rang out from the hillside.
“Gah!” “Severus is hiding here eavesdropping on girls!” The strange voice sounded almost human, yet not quite.
It was rough, distorted, and strangely unsettling.
Both sisters froze.
They instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
Above them, standing beneath the drooping branches of the willow tree, was a pale black-haired boy with a raven perched on his shoulder.
For a brief moment…
Time itself seemed to stand still.
A cold shadow quietly settled over the hill.
An inexplicable chill crept down the backs of both girls.
Petunia and Lily instinctively stepped backward, their eyes fixed on the ancient willow tree from which the strange voice had come.
Their expressions were a mixture of vigilance and barely concealed fear.
The silence was suffocating.
Every passing second felt unbearably long.
Petunia’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, yet nothing emerged from behind the swaying branches.
The unseen presence felt like an executioner’s blade hanging above their heads, ready to fall at any moment.
Goosebumps spread across her arms.
She instinctively glanced at Lily, only to find that her younger sister was just as tense.
Lily’s face had gone pale, and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Seeing that, something inside Petunia changed.
The jealousy and resentment that had consumed her moments ago seemed to disappear.
Whatever was hiding behind that tree…
It wasn’t something Lily should face alone.
Taking a deep breath, Petunia gritted her teeth and stepped in front of her sister, shielding her with her own body.
Whatever it is…
let’s just get this over with.
Perhaps someone really had answered her silent prayer.
A figure slowly stepped out from behind the willow tree.
As the owner of the mysterious voice revealed himself, the oppressive atmosphere instantly eased, and both sisters stared at him in surprise.
It was a boy around their age.
His slightly wavy black hair brushed against his neck, framing a pale face that carried an unusual calmness.
His appearance wasn’t particularly striking, yet there was something about him that naturally drew attention.
He gave off a quiet, distant air that made him seem difficult to approach, but at the same time impossible to ignore.
His composure was unlike that of an ordinary child.
Most unforgettable of all were his eyes.
Dark as the deepest waters, they betrayed neither excitement nor nervousness, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
The boy stopped a few steps away and spoke in a calm, even voice.
“Hello.” “My name is Severus Snape.” “I live on Spinner’s End.” His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly across the quiet hillside.
For some reason, the moment they heard him speak, the panic raging inside both girls gradually settled.
A gentle breeze swept across the hill.
The willow branches swayed softly overhead.
As if responding to an unseen command, a slender willow leaf drifted down from the tree, landing perfectly in Severus’s open palm.
He looked at it for a moment before gently blowing across its surface.
The leaf immediately rose into the air.
It danced gracefully on the breeze like a living butterfly, circling lazily before floating toward Lily.
Her emerald-green eyes widened in amazement as she watched the leaf glide effortlessly through the air.
The beautiful scene was quietly engraved into her memory, one she would never forget.
Only then did Severus finish his introduction.
“And…” “I am also what you would call a wizard.”