Snape and Lily hung out together all day long, which directly led to the two originally unrelated families starting to have contact.
Especially after Eileen, who also started to plan ahead, noticed the two children getting closer and deliberately managed the relationship.
Now, the Snape family, having long escaped poverty, would help the Evans family in many places, and even helped Lily's parents gather money to buy a new house so they no longer had to live in Spinner's End.
Although the conditions of the new street were not as superior as White Kite Lane, it was enough to make Lily's parents grateful to Eileen and Tobias.
The friendship between the two families also warmed up rapidly from a nodding acquaintance, finally leading to the parents of both families often visiting each other casually on ordinary days, close enough to be called intimate.
Even on this significant Christmas day, they had long been prepared to eat together.
After the meal—
The large group would go to the church to attend Mass, watch sermons and wonderful performances, and had already agreed to drive skiing together the next day.
In general, Eileen had already cleared the biggest trouble for Snape if he were to get married in the future.
As long as the two children didn't have problems themselves, what happened in the end would just follow logically!
Snape didn't expect Eileen to consider so far ahead, but the closer relationship between the two families was also something he was happy to see.
The adults were talking in the living room.
Tobias's loud voice was simply too clear, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.
Lily, unable to bear it any longer, took advantage of the fact that no one noticed, ran upstairs familiarly in three steps, skillfully ducked into Snape's room, and didn't forget to close the door behind her.
"Severus, Severus! My sister has really changed a lot recently!"
The moment she saw Snape—
Lily couldn't wait to exclaim, sharing the joy in her heart with him for the umpteenth time.
"Clearly on the day I just returned home, Petunia was still arguing with me, but in these past few days, my sister has become more and more willing to be close to me!
And it's as if she doesn't care about magic anymore. Sometimes even when she sees me playing with the two-way mirror, she doesn't say much. If it were before, she would definitely have scolded me angrily and said she would kick me out of the house!"
Lily's words didn't pause at all; the surprise in them couldn't be hidden.
"Isn't this great? After all, what qualified sister would threaten to kick her own sister out just because of jealousy?"
"That's true, but like before, I would just get angry and let it pass. It's just better now."
Not knowing what she thought of—
Lily suddenly jumped up from the bed. A glittering Protean Galleon (modified) was taken out from where she hid it close to her underwear, the other end of the thin string circling her neck.
"Also, I received your gift! I like it very much!!"
"That's good. It took a lot of effort to make this Galleon. Even now, I'm not confident I can make another identical one."
Snape smiled.
Tapping his fingers gently on the desk, he subconsciously sighed with emotion.
"The world of magic is truly too vast. Just the field of Ancient Runes has countless mysteries to overcome. It's hard to imagine how those powerful wizards in the ancient era of the four founders created so many magical alchemical items.
Moreover, Ancient Runes is only a branch of magic. So many spells, so much Dark Arts are hidden in the remnant books from ancient times to the present, waiting to be explored.
If one is an ordinary person with mediocre aptitude, perhaps achieving something in a certain field after exhausting one's whole life would already be the limit!"
Lily seemed to understand but not fully.
Snape didn't say much more either. After chatting for a while, he went downstairs to help Eileen prepare lunch.
During this period, when Petunia saw Snape's figure, her eyes instantly revealed uncontrollable fear, and her body was still trembling slightly uncontrollably.
However, what relieved her was—
Snape, as always, seemed not to see her, not even sparing a glance. This performance, which would have made Petunia secretly curse in the past, now made her feel more fortunate than ever, even wishing Snape would never look at her forever!
After lunch.
Amidst laughter, everyone put on thick warm clothes and walked to the church in the town center to participate in activities.
In this era where entertainment facilities were not yet developed, whenever Christmas came, the church celebration was the liveliest time of the day.
Everyone's face was brimming with smiles, tasting the free food placed at the stalls outside the church.
No longer greasy fries and burgers, but some healthier food. Regardless of high or low status, everyone could enjoy the happy atmosphere brought by the festival together at this moment!
This was no different whether in the wizarding world or the Muggle world.
Everyone had joys and sorrows.
And everyone had unsightly scumbags, as well as noble and holy great people.
The sacrifices brought by war were not what civilians on both sides wanted to see. Only that small handful of ambitious people truly wanted to profit from it, bewitching the masses at any cost.
This was also why Snape never intended to truly be hostile to all Muggles like the Death Eaters, desiring to implement inhumane genocide against them.
All humans were the same species; it was just that wizards could do magic.
But how was this different from those scientists proficient in scientific research?
Technology could also develop to an incredible extent. By then, wouldn't scientists in their respective fields be just alternative wizards?
Snape knew better than anyone.
To what amazing extent these Muggles, who were hostile and looked down upon by all pure-blood wizards, would develop decades later.
By then, even the Obliviate charm would probably no longer be able to completely erase traces of wizards. The exposure of the wizarding world would just be a sure thing, a matter of time!
Would there be a second dark era of witch-hunting then?
Snape didn't know.
But at least for now.
In this shared festival, unknown wizards mingled among Muggles.
Bathed in the same snowflakes, drinking the same drinks, laughing and talking about the same topics, with no discrimination or malice seen, as if there was no more haze in the world!
A trance like heaven.
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