There was a stranger.
He broke into your room in the dead of night, then coldly said he wanted to make a deal with you.
Before her reason could react, Petunia unhesitatingly tore open her throat and screamed amidst the shock of terror!
Her sharp voice was extremely piercing.
However, after more than ten seconds of unbearable noise harassment, apart from Snape still sitting steadily in front of her, surprisingly, no second person came here to check the situation!
When Petunia finally sensed something was wrong and barely recovered her wits to cast a gaze of fear and hatred at Snape—
The boy who was slowly twirling the wand in his hand said casually and unhurriedly:
"Anti-intruder Jinx (modified for sound/privacy), an exceptionally practical defensive spell, just right for creating a space for a private conversation between only the two of us."
"...Wizards can't cast magic outside school. You are breaking the law!"
Petunia summoned her courage and clamored at Snape, fierce in appearance but faint in heart.
A look of wonder appeared on his face.
Snape observed Petunia repeatedly for a while before clicking his tongue in wonder and continuing:
"It seems Lily told you a lot of things. However, I need to correct one point: this law only applies to underage wizards. Once of age, there aren't so many taboos."
"But you aren't of age yet. Aren't you afraid I'll tell more freaks like you?!"
"That would require me to have used a wand."
Snape stood up from the chair.
Spreading his arms, he generously displayed his calmness in front of Petunia, the corners of his mouth curving up imperceptibly.
"I have to admit, such a profound skill as wandless magic is still too early for me right now.
But at least the hard training for so long hasn't been in vain. If I work hard, as long as the preparation time is longer and I fail a few more times, I can still cast most spells.
After all, I didn't trigger the Trace inside the wand. Even the Ministry of Magic can't know what I did."
Petunia was dumbfounded listening to this.
But soon she discovered the important information revealed by Snape.
Her eyeballs turned slightly. Not knowing what she thought of, even her body stopped trembling from fear.
"I guess you must be thinking now that as long as you control me before I cast a spell, it will be fine, right?"
Snape's eerie voice sounded abruptly.
Like a cold current in the middle of winter blowing into her collar, making Petunia feel like falling into an ice cave.
As Snape casually snapped his fingers, a small, wrinkled figure appeared from nothing in the corner of the room.
It was only draped in a ragged curtain, and the look in its eyes towards Petunia carried undisguised distrust and wariness.
"To prevent you from doing something stupid, and also to save some precious time for both of us, I need to grandly introduce my friend to you, namely this brave and loyal house-elf."
Snape's praise made Fran uncomfortable all over.
If Juliet hadn't instructed him in the letter delivered overnight that it was best to appear intimidating, Fran would definitely be tearful with joy and start crying happily now.
And Snape was also satisfied to see that Fran's ugly appearance, different from ordinary people, thoroughly dispelled some of Petunia's irrational thoughts, making her shrink at the foot of the bed and shiver uncontrollably.
Giving a signal with his eyes—
The loyal Fran disappeared silently again.
This threat of disappearing right in front of her face made Petunia sit on pins and needles, looking around the room in horror trying to find Fran's figure.
However, her efforts were destined to be futile. Snape didn't stop this inevitably failed attempt either. This setback close at hand could effectively deepen Petunia's fear of him, which would be very helpful for the conversation that followed.
"I know you hate all wizards, including your sister."
Staring into Petunia's eyes, Snape said irrefutably.
"Perhaps your parents will earnestly persuade you to let go of the jealousy in your heart, hoping to see you and Lily reconcile one day. This is the simplest wish stemming from family members."
"But I am not your family, Petunia Evans.
The person I care about is being hurt by you. This is something I cannot tolerate. In my heart, compared to her, you are nothing!"
"I don't care if your harm to Lily stems from jealousy or some other foolish prejudice, nor will I persuade you not to be jealous of the wonder of magic.
From beginning to end, there is only one thing I want you to understand!"
Snape looked down at Petunia contemptuously, the disdain in his eyes completely undisguised.
"Even if it's fake, starting from tomorrow, I hope to see Lily have a qualified sister. Otherwise, I will return the pain you inflicted on Lily to you a thousand times over!"
"...You know nothing, you freak! You and that monster will get what you deserve sooner or later!!"
Petunia erupted with a vicious scream she had never had before.
Snape's words tore open the wound she had whitewashed in her heart for more than two years, thoroughly lifting that bloody trauma. Completely unlike her family who tiptoed around Petunia's feelings everywhere, only giving roundabout reminders.
Uncontrollable jealousy, and the intense anger born from being unable to face her own ugliness, spewed out from the bottom of her heart!
Turning into a torrent that destroyed reason.
Making Petunia lunge forward recklessly, trying to make this bastard who dared to tell the blunt truth pay the price.
However, when Fran snapped his fingers crisply, Petunia instantly flew backward faster than she came, smashing against the wall with a bang and unable to move!
Not getting angry—
Snape sat on the chair, watching Petunia glaring at him, and said calmly:
"To prevent you from making irrational choices or revealing tonight's events, I think it is necessary to make you realize what the consequences of doing so are."
"Has Lily ever talked to you about minor hexes? No? Well, you can understand minor hexes as scraps from the dark side of magic. Although the effects are often aimed at humiliation and pranks, they can indeed bring people all kinds of pain.
Fortunately, some time ago, due to some personal reasons, I looked through quite a few books and happened to learn many novel and interesting minor hexes from them."
With a tone of thorough understanding, Snape skillfully introduced Petunia to various vicious spells she had never heard of one by one.
57 kinds.
This was the number of all minor hexes Snape currently learned. Such an astonishing number meant that explaining them from beginning to end would take quite some time.
But it didn't matter.
The night was still long, and Snape had plenty of time!
And when the last minor hex was introduced in detail—
Petunia's attitude towards Snape was like facing a living demon. She was so terrified that even without Fran's restriction, she only curled up in the corner shivering, not even daring to let her gaze touch Snape himself!
"Those introduced above are just minor hexes commonly seen in Hogwarts, causing at most irrelevant endings like disfigurement and disability.
Incidentally, as long as students have stayed in Hogwarts, they have all more or less mastered a few kinds of minor hexes, not to mention your sister has been taught by me for so long.
You might as well guess.
If you really make her angry, will Lily use these minor hexes to give you a taste of suffering?"
"But these are ultimately unorthodox ways. True Dark Arts will make your end much more tragic than this."
Snape's soft words sounded no different from the whispers of the Grim Reaper in Petunia's ears.
Just simply introducing a few cases of people wishing for death because of Dark Arts, Petunia, who was already scared beyond measure, was shaking like a sieve, incontinent.
Seeing the timing was about right—
An imperceptible strange color flashed in Snape's eyes as he leaned close to Petunia's ear and whispered grimly:
"I have already planted a deeply hidden Dark Magic inside your body, Petunia Evans.
As long as I say the next sentence, it will immediately bring you endless painful torture. At that time, you will know that in many cases, death is often a rare mercy!"
"But after all, you are Lily's sister, so I am willing to give you one last chance to make a deal.
If you are willing to undertake the obligations of a sister, and bury everything from tonight deep in your heart never to reveal it, then I can pretend not to know about this matter and let you spend the rest of your pathetic and boring life in peace and happiness."
"So... do we have a deal?"