[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Quirrell stepped out of the shadows slowly, smirking. "Of course, Tahlia... I never intended to—"

"I think so. So—" Tahlia narrowed her eyes, then glanced at Snape before speaking again. "my office?"

Quirrell nodded and glanced at Snape as well. "Snape... the professor too?"

"As much as I don't want to waste time with you, I think I'll have to... Quirrell too," Snape replied coldly.He had no intention of getting along with anyone, least of all this one, if he hadn't had to.

He'd been a little short of being able to continue talking to Tahlia just now.

I didn't expect everything to be messed up so easily by this person.

Snape is not at all sure that he won't accidentally kill this completely unconscious young man in front of him one day──

"Snape, are you coming or not?"

Snape came back and found that Tahlia and Quirrell had walked a short distance, and she turned her head with an expression of impatience, and quickly scowled to follow.

Yes, maybe he should have killed Quirrell first tomorrow...

It didn't take long before they arrived at Tahlia's office in the cellar, and there was only one person in it at this time, a child to be exact.

"Nigel, go to the room." Tahlia spoke as soon as she entered the door, and said to Nigel, who obviously didn't expect to see extra people entering and was stunned.But he quickly reacted, nodded and quickly walked into the small room inside, closing the door.

"Brilliant kid," Quirrell said, turning to look at Tahlia.

"Probably..." Tahlia replied flatly, took out her wand and pointed at the closed door. Snape knew it was a spell similar to the Silencing Charm. Then, Tahlia turned and pointed at the door facing outside. They cast the same spell before speaking again. "So, Quirinus...do you have anything to discuss with me?"

Quirrell smirked and didn't speak right away. Instead, he looked around and sat comfortably on one of the couches before answering. "It's nothing... just want to pay attention to your progress──"

"When do I have to report to you about my progress?" Tahlia said, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't get excited." Quirrell waved his hand. "I'm just expressing concern, not what you said..."

"Really…" Tahlia narrowed her eyes.

"Of course it's true!" Quirrell frowned again. "But really, you can choose not to tell me, I don't think I mind that much—"

"Of course I know you don't mind." Tahlia cut him off. "But he will mind. I don't need you to remind me of this—" After a pause, he lowered his voice and continued. "I have already mastered the method of sneaking in. If you want, you can tell him like this—"

"I'll tell you the truth..." Quirrell shrugged and stood up slowly. "Besides, as he told me—you're really good, Tahlia," he added, with an unintelligible smile.

"Thank you." Tahlia nodded slightly.

"Then, it's time for me to go back..." Quirrell pretended to be relaxed, and glanced casually at Snape who hadn't said a word since just now. "What about you, Snape?" he asked.

"Sorry?" Snape asked back with a dark face.

"Are you still here?" Quirrell asked.

Snape didn't want to bother to explain anything to Quirrell at all, but since their current relationship couldn't be too tense, he still spoke patiently. "I thought it was clear to you that it was our conversation you just interrupted, Professor Quirrell."

"Ah, that's right..." Snape suddenly felt that the smile on Quirrell's face that had been on his face since just now was unnaturally beating, almost on par with Lucius Malfoy's hypocrisy. "Then I won't bother you, you go on—" As he spoke, he walked out of the office with that unexplained smile again, not forgetting to close the door.

"What do you mean by that?" Tahlia demanded as soon as Quirrell left, turning around and glaring at Snape. "Don't you think you should leave with him? Then you admit to him what we were talking about—"

"We're 'really' talking about something, Tahlia." Snape cut her off, emphasizing a few words. "Although I understand your reluctance to admit..."

"Is there anything I don't want to admit?" Tahlia said coldly. "Isn't it because you haven't been able to finish the potion that Voldemort gave you?"

"I think Quirrell is weird, Tahlia," Snape said.

A silence.

Tahlia's non-response made Snape slump too. "But with your reaction, I can guess that you already know Quirrell's weirdness? It's definitely not as simple as the fact that he is actually the Dark Lord's subordinate, since you and I know it well—"

I couldn't help feeling a little angry in my heart, and unconsciously raised my voice, mainly because I was angry that Tahlia knew something, but until now, she still kept it from him and didn't mention anything to him.

Uncharacteristically, Tahlia didn't follow his sudden anger, just looked at him peacefully.

The two fell into silence again.

"How did you find out?" After a while, Tahlia spoke slowly, but instead of answering Snape's words, she threw out a question.

"He's staring at your expression as if thinking of something, Tahlia..." Snape mused after a moment of thought. "It's more like... thinking about how to hurt you, you understand? Quirrell's gaze—"

"Thanks, but I know what it's like to be stared at like this. I don't need your description." Tahlia interrupted coldly. "Perhaps I should thank you—"

Snape shut his mouth.

After a while, Tahlia shook her head before continuing. "Forget it... I don't want to dwell on this topic anymore, or I'll probably quarrel like before──I don't want to waste time on this at all." After finishing speaking, I was surprised to find that Snape's expression seemed Looks very... injured?

But how?

Snape shouldn't be like this...

"I think Voldemort is going to let Quirrell find a chance to kill me."

Before she could stop herself, the words came out of her mouth somehow, and reached Snape's ears clearly.

"You said the Dark Lord—" Snape's eyes widened, and all the conversation just now was completely forgotten by him. The Dark Lord wanted Tahlia's life..."Why? You never showed your weakness, you—"

Tahlia smiled sarcastically. "Just because I never showed myself, Snape..." There was a short pause. "Apparently, our dear master considers me a possible threat in the future, and any threat—"

"He'd kill him in the crib, yes." Snape said calmly, his fists clenched tightly.

Could it be any worse?

He thought that Tahlia would be able to survive smoothly, and he believed that his potion would definitely be useful, but what he didn't expect was that now it was the Dark Lord's turn to kill her──

"Oh, come on, Snape…" Tahlia didn't care. "Did you think Quirrell would kill me so easily? I've been through worse—"

"I know very well that Quirrell's not up to it, Tahlia." Snape frowned. "But you have to understand that the Dark Lord wants to kill you now, not Quirrell." Although he didn't want to admit it, until now, except for the accident ten years ago, what he wanted to do had never failed...

"Of course I'm very clear!" Tahlia growled, seeming to be a little annoyed. "I've always been mentally prepared. I knew that one day he would want to get rid of me. Now it's just a little earlier. What's the big deal?" After a pause, she lowered her volume again. "For now, we still have the upper hand, Snape... As long as you succeed in making that potion, with his ego, there is absolutely no way but failure—"

Snape opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but was stopped by Tahlia's hand.

"I don't intend to listen to what you have to say... besides, Quirrell will not do anything to me at the moment. I am still useful to Voldemort. He will kill me only after he thinks he has regained his power. It won't be now—" he said, glaring at Snape. "Don't tell me you never thought you'd have to face this one day..."

Snape didn't speak right away.

Of course he knew it too.

The Dark Lord will want them dead one day, that's for sure.He's always understood this—

He just, for a moment, overreacted to hearing about Tahlia's danger.

"I'm not unprepared, Tahlia." After a while, he said in a deep voice.

"Really?" Tahlia snorted. "Then don't act like you're an immature—"

"—I just don't want you in any danger."

"──what?"

Tahlia froze.I forgot what I was going to say in an instant, and abruptly turned it into a question.

"I'm not as cold-blooded as you think, Tahlia…" Snape forced a smile, though he didn't know if it would backfire. "You have always blocked many things for us, for me, and I did something wrong before." After a pause, I found that Tahlia was still sitting in a daze, so I couldn't help but leaned forward and looked straight at Tahlia. "In the past, because of prejudice, maybe I did many things wrong, including... hurting you──" Tahlia's body trembled clearly. "But I won't do that again."

Tahlia sat there as if her whole body was frozen, with her mouth slightly open, but she didn't react at all, except for one thing, she looked at Snape with shock in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tahlia," Snape said again. "I shouldn't—"

"enough."

Snape didn't continue talking, but sat quietly, waiting for Tahlia to speak again.

He knew Tahlia had something to say, even though she was glaring at him after she cut him off, he knew.

"Are you sorry?" Snape was right, Tahlia finally spoke after a long silence, her tone was soft and seemed to be trembling.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Snape said slowly.

Tahlia laughed out loud, and in a split second, Snape noticed that her expression was no longer shaken, and now she was putting on a false smile.

again.

Once again, Snape watched as Tahlia suppressed emotions in front of him, but there was nothing he could do.

"Is there anything I need you to apologize for, Snape?"

Tahlia deliberately let her soft voice reach her ears.

Snape frowned.

"Should ask, do you really know what you're talking about?"

Snape seemed to understand what Tahlia meant, took a deep breath, and said. "Maybe I really don't understand..." He stood up. "But you know, now we have to trust each other—" he said slowly, moving towards the door. "I've already given my..." He opened the door of the office, but didn't step out immediately, but stood by the door and turned back.

Tahlia sat blankly, as if anything Snape said had nothing to do with her.

"I trust you, Tahlia," Snape said again, before taking a few steps back. "Whether you believe it or not—I do trust you now."

After speaking, he hurriedly exited without waiting for Tahlia's response. It should be said that he was not mentally prepared to face Tahlia's response.

After closing the door, the last thing I saw was Tahlia's thoughtful expression.