Hogwarts: The Savior's Strong Cousin

Because he did not reveal his Parseltongue, Harry was not looked down upon. Instead, he was enthusiastically surrounded by Gryffindor students and received endless praises.

Of course, some people wanted to thank Dudley, but Brother D just waved his hand, looking nonchalant.

Justin Finch-Fletchley wanted to come up to express his gratitude, but when he saw the snake head in front of him, he could only smile at Dudley with gratitude and ran towards the Hufflepuff underground common room like a flash.

Anyone who is stared at by a snake will be afraid for a long time. This is engraved in human instinct.

In the office of the headmaster's tower, Dumbledore, who was wearing pajamas, looked at Severus, who had a strange expression on his face, and smiled gently.

"It seems that this is to be expected."

"Severus, are you saying that Potter wanted to talk to the snake?"

Instead of accepting Dumbledore's invitation to sit down, Snape took two steps forward and his expression became extremely serious.

"If it weren't for the Dursleys' intervention... I think I would still be able to hear the first syllable of Parseltongue."

"Oh, relax, Severus, we already know this."

Snape's eyes widened when he heard Dumbledore's tone, which showed that he didn't care at all.

"What...when..."

"Mr. Potter showed this unintentionally when he went to the zoo with his cousin's family just before he started school, didn't he?"

Dumbledore smiled, slowly sat down on the wide chair, picked up a lemon snowball and put it into his mouth.

"I would have thought you would have paid more attention to him."

Snape was stunned, and then he stammered in defense: "No... I... I mean, I can't possibly care about the descendants of Potter, Albus."

The smile on Dumbledore's face became more and more brilliant and strange.

"So, that includes Lily Evans?"

Snape's expression became particularly interesting.

A full moment passed, until Dumbledore was about to grab the second candy, before he spoke with forced calmness.

"I mean, could Harry Potter... be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin?"

"After all, during the Sorting Ceremony, he almost became a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor."

"Albus, the writing on the wall has not yet faded, and people on campus are in a panic..."

A sharp light flashed behind Dumbledore's glasses, and Snape subconsciously closed his mouth. He finally realized how pale and powerless his explanation was.

Admit it, Severus, you're all about those pretty green eyes!

If not, why would you care about the life of a Gryffindor student?

If not, why do you always speak up for him at unexpected moments? Isn't a troubled Gryffindor more in the interests of Slytherin?

If not, why do you always stare into those familiar eyes in Potions classes and at parties?

Seeing Snape's torment, Dumbledore slowly stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Sometimes even Occlumency can't hide one's true feelings, Severus."

"Perhaps at some point you'd like to have someone over for a drink?"

Even with a relaxed laugh, there was still an unanswered question in Dumbledore's mind.

Where is the snake?

In the kitchen, amid the adoring cheers of the house-elves, Dudley skillfully hefted the huge, heavy wok a few times, then served a bowl of fragrant, refreshing-looking soup.

"See? Just remove the skin, head, tail and internal organs, and cook it, and it'll be prime meat!"

"Remember to tear the snake meat into thin strips! Otherwise it will affect the taste!"

"Come on, take out your chopsticks and have a taste!"

Dudley picked up the chopsticks - Hogwarts apparently didn't have this kind of tableware, he secretly ran to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, got an axe from Hagrid, and made it by chopping down an old oak tree.

The house-elves also started to move. Some of them scooped some soup with a public spoon, some picked up some shredded snake meat with chopsticks, and they all shook their heads while eating.

"I can't believe that something this horrible can be made into such a delicious dish!"

A house-elf exclaimed loudly.

Dudley gave a thumbs up - this snake soup was cooked very skillfully, thanks to the house-elves who cleanly washed and cut the side dishes, and the complicated side ingredients were also quickly prepared, which allowed the complex snake soup to be completed in a short time.

The chef was eating with his mouth full of grease, but he was stunned by Snape who came quietly into the kitchen.

In his impression, the kitchen seemed... never as lively as it is now?

When he was still the "Half-Blood Prince", those house-elves all had sad faces. Although the food they cooked was just as delicious, no one wanted to see their faces, as it would even affect their normal appetite.

But now, these house-elves were gathered in front of the tall man, talking about cooking?

"Ah, Professor Snape, are you here for a midnight snack as well?"

"Try it now, this freshly cooked snake soup is so refreshing and smooth!"

Dudley saw Snape clearly, but he did not express his disgust like Harry and Ron did. Instead, he warmly invited him to have a bite.

Looking back at Snape's life, wasn't it one of suffering?

Of course, the past cannot be compensated for, so it is better to focus on the present.

Snape took two steps with difficulty - the fragrance lingering in his nose made him suddenly realize that taking two steps forward was not a difficult thing.

"Excuse me, please, I mean, give me a bowl of this...soup."

Dudley smiled.

"You really should get out more often, Professor Snape."

“There are many beautiful things in life, such as good food and good wine - of course, you may not accept beautiful people.”

"Well, how about a couple of drinks? I have some Chinese liquor here. You know, snakes are full of treasures!"

Amid the cordial invitation and the slightly surprised and frightened looks of the house-elves, Snape sat down at a table in a daze, mechanically picked up the wine glass that Dudley had diligently filled, and drank it in one gulp.

An hour later.

"You are Lily's nephew...ah...what an honor. Isn't the last name Evans much better than that Potter?"

Severus Snape, with a flushed face and the calmest man in Hogwarts, whose scheming was second only to Dumbledore, put his arm around Dudley's shoulders like a good brother and spoke loudly and drunkenly.

"Who knows? Even my mother's last name is Dursley now. The bad habit of taking the husband's last name is as bad as the British 'food'."

After making a witticism, Snape laughed without his usual grace.

Dudley also smiled, but he was regretting in his heart. Why did he pretend to be generous just now?

I finally drank a bottle of snake blood wine! And snake gall wine!

It’s hard to buy 60-proof sorghum liquor in the UK!

Looking at the two glass bottles with heartache, Dudley sighed.