Where does Snape live?
Some might say Hogwarts, and that's both right and wrong.
Most of the time, Snape is indeed at Hogwarts. But during the holidays, he chooses somewhere else—his old home in Cokeworth, a notorious slum town in England.
Years ago, Snape lived there with his mother, Eileen Snape, and his father, Tobias Snape. With his abilities now, Snape could easily go to far better places, but he doesn't. Every holiday, he returns to this rundown town.
Why? Because it's where he and Lily once lived.
The Snape family home is on a suburban street in Cokeworth called Spinner's End. It's the slum of slums, and the surrounding area can only be described in three words: dirty, messy, awful.
Even Dudley, who's seen a bit of the world, was shocked by the grim conditions. It's hard to believe this is the pristine England described in magazines like Witch Weekly or The Quibbler. If this were Japan, they'd probably claim the toilet water here is clean enough to drink.
A massive chimney towers into the sky, a relic of an abandoned mill, looming ominously and reeking of decay. Rows of dilapidated brick houses line the street, their windows dark and lifeless in the night.
Most of the Muggle residents have long since moved away, leaving only a handful of elderly folks too poor to leave. Nearby, a foul-smelling river flows, its surface littered with green, blue, and yellow substances nobody can identify. Fish? Forget it. If a mutated water creature popped out, Dudley wouldn't even blink.
This is a textbook industrial town—maybe it was thriving once, but now it's just forgotten. It's nothing like the charming Godric's Hollow, where the Potter family home stands.
Dudley stopped in front of one particularly run-down house. It looked like it had weathered years of wind and sun, with peeling walls that gave the impression it might collapse at any moment. Surprisingly, it was sturdier than it looked.
Knock, knock, knock.
Dudley rapped on the door. After a moment, it creaked open just a sliver, and a pair of cold, piercing eyes filled with suspicion peered out. When they recognized Dudley, the gaze softened slightly.
There stood Snape, dressed in a faded black nightshirt and a worn, dark green nightcap, his hair as greasy as ever.
"Mr. Dursley, I believe it's the holidays," Snape said, his tone icy and distant. Still, he opened the door fully and gestured for Dudley to come inside.
The interior was far more spacious than the exterior suggested. The floors and furniture, though old and steeped in history, were spotlessly clean and tidy. Dudley followed Snape into the sitting room on the left, which was essentially a library. Every wall was lined with bookshelves stuffed with all sorts of books—every single one about magic.
"Lily always loved reading," Dudley recalled his mother mentioning once.
Snape sat in a chair and motioned for Dudley to do the same. Fixing him with a steady gaze, he said, "I don't recall ever telling you where I live, Mr. Dursley."
"Petunia told me," Dudley answered honestly.
The chair Dudley sat in, much like the house, bore the weight of years. It creaked ominously under him, as if it might give way at any moment.
"Surprising that she remembers," Snape said softly, almost to himself.
"My mother really misses you, her old friend. She'd love for you to visit us sometime," Dudley said earnestly. This wasn't just politeness. Ever since Dudley started at Hogwarts, Petunia's old grudges had softened. When she learned Snape was a professor there, she expressed a genuine desire to reconnect with her "old friend."
Snape's eyes remained dull, but a flicker of nostalgia passed through them. Petunia, Lily's sister, used to get in the way when Snape came to see Lily as kids. She was protective, always worried some shady boy would steal her sister away. But Lily loved spending time with Snape and rarely listened to Petunia's warnings. It became a routine: Petunia trying to block them, Lily sneaking off, and Snape waiting to meet her.
Over time, the three of them grew familiar with each other. Looking back, those days were kind of fun. But Petunia never got her Hogwarts letter, and Lily did end up with a "bad boy" who wasn't Snape—James Potter. Their little trio fell apart, and now, years later, everything had changed.
If only time could've frozen in those carefree days. Or if none of them had ever received a Hogwarts letter, living as Muggles, blissfully unaware of the wizarding world. Maybe things would've turned out differently.
"I need your help, Professor," Dudley said, getting straight to the point. He explained his request carefully.
"You want to treat two wizards who've been hit with Memory Charms and forgotten their pasts? That sounds serious," Snape said, slightly surprised but still composed, a side effect of his Occlumency training. "Why not take them to St. Mungo's? The Healers there are the professionals."
"I used to think so too," Dudley thought, "until I actually visited St. Mungo's."
"If their Healers were any good, I wouldn't be here," he said aloud. Most of them could barely handle a scratch, let alone anything serious. Honestly, their skills didn't even match Madam Pomfrey's at Hogwarts.
"When it comes to potions, you're the best wizard I've ever met. If anyone can help, it's you," Dudley said, not holding back on the praise.
"Lily was better," Snape replied without hesitation.
Dudley blinked. "Right, of course, Aunt Lily was the greatest Potions Master ever. Totally unbeatable."
Realizing he'd slipped, Snape coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment and quickly changed the subject. "Where are they now?"
"Tulip Gardens, in London," Dudley replied.
Snape frowned slightly. "Why there?" He racked his brain but couldn't recall any wizards living in that area or any magical significance to it. It seemed like a purely Muggle neighborhood.
"I own a property there," Dudley said simply.
Snape stared at him, momentarily speechless.