Chapter 943 - 383: Sisterly Bonds Are Weaker Than Plastic Flowers (2)

Chapter 943: Chapter 383: Sisterly Bonds Are Weaker Than Plastic Flowers (2)

"How can it be proven?" Lily’s interest was piqued.

"You can sneak into her room," Snape said with a smile, "Wouldn’t it be clear if you took a peek at the letters she receives?"

"Isn’t that... isn’t that bad?" Lily said hesitantly, "After all, it’s Penny’s privacy, doing this doesn’t seem right."

"Doesn’t seem right?" Snape said disdainfully, "When she calls you a freak, do you never think that’s wrong? Or do you enjoy being insulted by her like that? Listen, if you can uncover the truth, then you’ll have the words to fight back next time, instead of silently shedding tears on the side! Lily!"

Lily fell silent.

She admitted that Snape made a fair point.

Why should Penny get to call me a freak all the time, and I have to just take it?

It’s crucial to find a way to fight back.

With that thought in mind, she finally made up her mind.

"Tomorrow, Dad and Mom will take us shopping, and I can say I’m feeling unwell and don’t want to go," Lily said, her eyes gleaming, "Wait for me here, and after they leave, we’ll sneak into Penny’s room to see if there’s a reply from Dumbledore, okay?"

"You could just go look yourself." Snape’s voice was deep but not sluggish like Harry remembers—when with Lily, Snape never had the dragging oily tone he used with classmates.

"Come on, let’s go together, Severus," Lily coaxed, "I can’t be the only one doing something bad, right? Am I right? I need someone to come with me, then I can dare to sneak over..."

"Alright." Snape raised both hands in surrender.

"Whoa." Vivi shook his head in amazement, "I never thought there’d be this kind of thing? No wonder, no wonder you said Aunt Penny becomes so resistant whenever magic is mentioned... It’s no wonder her relationship with your mom isn’t great. If I’m not mistaken, maybe this was the start of their sisterly split."

"Perhaps." Harry opened his mouth, thinking Aunt Penny indeed wasn’t reasonable—who calls their own sister a freak?

Once, someone talked to Harry like that, and it was a follower from the Fire Ash Snake Faction.

Harry’s reaction was understandably fierce.

Dare to talk to me like that?

Your mom’s a mass production?

"By the way." Harry didn’t turn around, speaking to Vivi, "If Gellert peeked at the reply I sent you, what would you do?"

"Peeking at a reply?"

Vivi laughed, clearly bright but it made Harry feel an eerie chill.

"I’d make him regret ever being born."

Harry shivered.

Too terrifying, this woman...

Memories of the world passed through a day, and by the next morning, Lily indeed feigned illness, opting not to go shopping with her parents and Penny.

After the Evans left, she walked out of the house towards the amusement park.

"Come on, Severus," Lily invited Snape, "Dad and Mom have left, Penny went with them, now let’s go to her room to see what’s going on!"

Harry and Vivi followed the two into Penny’s room.

Snape was about to start searching when Lily stopped him.

"Let me do the searching," Lily said, "Penny would be furious if she knew I asked you to go through her things."

Snape uttered an "oh" and stood aside obediently.

Soon, Lily found the letter.

"Look," Lily picked up the letter, saying to Snape, "I’ve found it—Dumbledore’s reply to Penny."

Lily and Snape held the letter together, with Harry and Vivi peeking over their shoulders, uncovering all of Penny’s secrets.

"I must say," Vivi whispered to Harry, "Dumbledore’s wording is indeed tactful, if it were me, I probably wouldn’t even reply to Penny."

"That’s the difference with Dumbledore, I guess." Harry shrugged.

"But it would actually be better not to reply." Vivi said, shaking his head helplessly, "Dumbledore... really, no matter how tactful the words, it’s essentially no different than scolding her, it’ll just make Penny feel despair."

Harry thought for a moment, realizing it was indeed true.

At this moment, the scene shifted again, he and Vivi came to King’s Cross Station.

On Platform 9 3/4, Snape stood beside him, slightly hunched, close to a thin, sallow-faced woman who looked very much like him with a brooding expression.

Snape was staring at a family of four not far away, the two girls standing apart from their parents—Lily seemed to be begging her sister.

Harry and Vivi moved closer to listen.

"...I’m very upset, Penny, I’m very upset! Listen to me—" She seized her sister’s hand tightly, but Penny struggled desperately, "Maybe when I get there—no, listen to me, Penny! Maybe when I get there, I can find Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

"I wouldn’t want to go—" Penny said, desperately trying to pull her hand from her sister, "You think I’d want to go to some absurd castle and learn to be a—a—"

Her pale eyes looked at the platform, at the cat meowing in its owner’s arms, at the owl flapping its wings in a cage, calling loudly to one another, at the students—some already wearing black robes, loading their luggage onto the bright red steam locomotive, happily shouting to classmates after being apart for a summer.

"—You think I want to become a—a freak?"

Penny finally pulled her hand away, Lily’s eyes filled with tears.

"I’m not a freak," Lily said, "That’s really mean to say."

"That’s where you’re going," Penny said forcefully, "A school for freaks. You and that Snape boy... freaks, both of you freaks. Luckily, you’re separated from normal people, and that’s for everyone’s safety."

As she spoke, Penny’s face twisted in extreme disdain, looking as if she hated Lily.

"She deserves it." Vivi said cheerfully, "Even if she got into Hogwarts, she probably wouldn’t have a good relationship with Lily."

Harry was silent, agreeing with Vivi’s point.

Lily glanced at her parents, who were watching the platform’s scene with genuine joy, taking in the picture.

Lily recalled the letter she saw days ago—the one Penny sent and Dumbledore’s reply.

She turned back to her sister, lowered her voice, her tone becoming intense.

"When you wrote to the headmaster asking him to accept you, you didn’t think it was a freak school then."

Penny’s face turned red.

"Beg? I didn’t beg!"

"I saw his reply, it was written quite tactfully."

"You shouldn’t have peeked—" Penny’s face turned bright red, furious, "That’s my privacy—how could you—?"

Lily glanced at Snape standing nearby.

Penny realized what had happened, gasping.

If only Lily saw, but with Snape, this outsider, Penny felt truly betrayed.

"That boy’s discovery! You and that boy snuck into our room!"

"It wasn’t—it wasn’t sneaking—" Now Lily was defending herself, "Severus didn’t believe Muggles could contact Hogwarts, that’s all! He said there must be a wizard infiltrating the postal system, secretly tampering—"

"It seems you freaks just like meddling!" Penny said, her face turning pale white from earlier redness, "Freak!" She spat, turned sharply, and ran towards her parents...

"I feel." Harry suddenly remarked sharply, "The relationship between my mom and Aunt Penny isn’t as good as yours with Cassandra."