[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Severus Snape's mind was in turmoil right now.

Even after a group of short-sighted students bumped into him in the corridor, he just yelled at the group of students who knew they had caused trouble, and even forgot to deduct their points, leaving those students because The students who were so shocked that they froze into statues in the corridor left.

His mind was now full of what Dumbledore had just said to him after calling him over.

How dare he!

How dare Dumbledore just order Tahlia to go find the Dark Lord!Especially after learning that the Dark Lord has murdered Tahlia!

And he only found out about it through Dumbledore's mouth, and Tahlia never mentioned it to him...

Snape didn't know how Tahlia managed to maintain such a calm attitude, the Dark Lord clearly couldn't tolerate her anymore... and she even decided to smear her neck on the opponent's knife.

damn it!

The footsteps moved faster and faster, and it didn't take long before he came to the Slytherin living room. A blond head stood out on a sofa in a corner. Snape walked over without pausing.

Draco felt that there seemed to be a shadow moving in front of him, and he raised his head unconsciously. It was okay if he didn't look, but when he looked up, he found that it was his own dean, and his face was dark enough, and he was obviously angry.

"Teach, professor!"

Merlin... He shouldn't have done anything to make him angry, right?It's just... the first day of school!

"Give me your Portkey."

Draco didn't react at all, looking dazed. "What, what portkey?"

"I said." Snape took a deep breath, and his face became even uglier. "The Portkey that Lucius gave you to Malfoy Manor, you should have it with you, right?"

Oh, that portkey!

It took Draco a few seconds to understand exactly what Snape had said. "But my father said—"

"I know what he told you - but I need that right now…" Snape said impatiently, one hand already stretched out with pressure, palm up. "Hand it over, don't make me say it a third time." Of course he knew that a Malfoy would not easily hand over the Portkey to freely come and go to their manor, and what he could have, apart from the members of their own family, was only enough to gain their approval several people.

Everyone knew that Tahlia had one, given to her by Abraxas Malfoy.

And he had to get to Malfoy Manor right now, if it was too late...

"Mr. Malfoy!" he snapped.

Draco was so yelled that he almost jumped up from his chair, but he still didn't want to take out the key. After all, when Lucius handed him the key, he had warned him that it must never be given to anyone else. people use. "Sir... Father said—"

"Draco Malfoy..." Snape bent down suddenly, leaning closer to Draco's ear, and said in a volume only the two of them could hear. "If you don't want your dear godmother to die in a corner of the world for no reason, you can continue to stick to your father's broken principles..."

Tahlia?

Draco's eyes widened.

What did he hear just now...

Tahlia will... die?

Before his head could fully react, his body acted subconsciously, and without any hesitation, he pulled off a ring on his left finger and handed it to Snape.

"Thank you."

The next second, Snape disappeared into the saloon out of nowhere.

In the next second, Draco Malfoy jumped from his chair and also ran out of the living room.

Snape was stepping down one of the corridors in Malfoy Manor at this moment, and he cursed silently in his heart at all the Malfoys who had made this place so big.

I don't know how long it took, the door to their living room he was looking for finally appeared in front of his eyes, his pace quickened a lot, and then──

boom!

The door was knocked open before his eyes with a flick of his wand, and Snape strode in, straight to the two sitting inside who couldn't hold back their astonishment for a moment, it should be said, their mouths were slightly open In front of the shocked Tahlia, he looked down at her.

"I was right, you're going to be here first," Snape said.

Tahlia had told Dumbledore to arrange for him to meet Lucius.

He couldn't believe that Tahlia would rush to the Dark Lord without getting this done first.

"Snape…" Tahlia frowned, shifting slightly. "What are you doing here?"

After being stunned, Lucius looked unhappy. "I'd rather know how you got here, Severus…"

Snape threw something casually for Lucius to continue, ignoring his reaction, and continued talking to Tahlia. "Where are you going in a while?" He asked without thinking.

Tahlia froze for a moment, but then smirked. "Is this about you—?"

"Answer me." Snape felt particularly oppressive now, and he was not at all shaken by Tahlia's attitude.

Tahlia closed her mouth briefly, staring at Snape, before opening in exasperation. "Where do you think I'm going? I'm a Potions assistant now! Of course I'm going back to—"

"lie."

"What?" Tahlia froze.

Snape didn't seem to be able to hold back his emotions anymore, and his mouth was a growl. "You want to die like that?"

Knowing the Dark Lord's plan, but rushing forward foolishly regardless of everything, this is not something Tahlia would do at all...

"What do you mean, Severus?" Lucius asked in a deep voice, frowning.

Snape turned his head sharply. "What do I mean?" he growled. "What could I mean?" He turned back again, staring at Tahlia, even though he was staring back at him indignantly.

"Tahlia, what's going on?" Lucius also turned his head and asked calmly.

"Nothing." Tahlia answered quickly.

"Tahlia, you're too quick to deny it." Lucius said without hesitation. "When did you panic like this?"

Tahlia shuts her mouth.

The three of them fell silent too, but Snape's angry gasps could be heard constantly.

I don't know how long it took, Lucius gradually felt that the atmosphere in the room had become almost breathless, whether it was Snape's imperceptible aura that could not be refuted, or Tahlia's unwillingness to show weakness, as if she wanted to stare at Snape The gaze made Lucius feel almost suffocated.

"Enough, you two." He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Who will tell me what's going on here?" He deliberately spoke in a more serious tone than usual. After all, he was the senior of the two in front of him when he was in school. Lose in momentum. "Severus?"

Snape pursed his lips, turned his head slowly, and said in a hoarse voice after a while. "The Dark Lord wanted to kill Tahlia—"

"Even—"

"Just thinking!" Tahlia growled. "I'm still useful! He didn't intend to kill me now! Do you really think I'd be so foolish knowing I was going to die?" There was a pause, giving Lucius and Snape no time to speak. "I don't know what this has to do with you, Snape... wouldn't you be happy if I died?"

"No!" Snape yelled back. "I never—"

"Oh? You never?" Tahlia said sarcastically. "That's right, you forgot..."

"Of course I forgot—" Snape started, but closed his mouth immediately, his eyes widened. "You—"

So, he really had said that to Tahlia.

He still hasn't been able to get that memory back, but so far he's been trying to piece pieces together from some of the things Tahlia said to him.

He might have cursed Tahlia for being the same type of Death Eaters.

He may have misunderstood Tahlia's secret research into the dark arts.

And now, he knows something more——

He once told her himself that he didn't want her to live...

"What about me?" Tahlia's voice came into his ears again. "I've told you over and over again that you meddle too much, obviously you never listened to me, did you?"

"Tahlia, I don't think it's meddling." Lucius sighed, glanced at Snape, whose expression had become abnormally ugly, and said afterward. "I'm also worried about—"

"Yeah, you're worried, you're all worried!" Tahlia waved her hands impatiently. "Do you know how many people in this world use the name of worry and concern, but the purpose is to control?"

"Tahlia." Lucius noticed that there was something wrong with Tahlia.Tahlia is too... how should I put it, too prickly... "You should calm down."

"I'm calm." Tahlia said coldly. "It's not me who gets emotional first, Lucius."

"And you can see, Severus doesn't intend to continue to question you now, does he?" Lucius sighed again, he never thought that one day he would stand here, serving as a peacemaker between the two in front of him, considering The words he's blurting out now are so unbelievable that he's been sick of Snape's treatment of Tahlia.

"You're on his side." Tahlia narrowed her eyes.

Lucius was guilty of being stared at by that look. "That's not what I meant."

"That's what it sounds like to me." Tahlia stood up abruptly. "I see you're getting along very well...I won't bother you any more──" He quickly walked towards the door without giving Snape any more glances at the side who didn't know when he was confused. "Oh, yes...Lucius." She stopped at the door. "Remember what I told you just now—" With a flick of his wand as he stepped out of the room, the door snapped shut behind her.

"Severus, I think you should explain it to me in detail." Lucius looked at the closed door and said incredulously. "Don't miss a single word..."

Snape finally came back to his senses, slumped on the sofa in desperation, and buried his face in his palms. "Explain what? No, it won't solve the problem, Lucius."

"I can't." Lucius leaned back in the chair, crossed his legs, and curled up his mouth. "But it cleared my mind." The conversation between Tahlia and herself was still in her mind, but Snape... the man in front of him just didn't know anything about it.

He certainly couldn't break his promise to Tahlia, especially since he wasn't quite sure that Snape was a threat at all.

Snape looked up, sighing. "Intellectually, I know that the Dark Lord will not kill Tahlia now, she has always been able to meet his wishes, and has always been able to get out of the way, but emotionally, I can't accept-"

"Emotionally?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Severus, are you kidding me?"

"Looks like I'm joking?" Snape growled. "No! This is not a joke! I care about her!"

"But you hurt her." Lucius pointed out mercilessly.

Not surprisingly, Snape lowered his head again after hearing this, looking extremely depressed. "I see."

"How do you convince me, Severus..." Lucius reached for a teacup on the side table and took a sip. "How do you convince me that Tahlia won't get hurt again?"

"I can't." Snape replied slowly. "It's like you never proved anything to anyone, but you love Narcissa, we all know that." There was a pause, and this time, he looked up again, looking straight at Lucius. "I love her, Lucius..."

Ignoring Lucius' mouth opening at the words. Snape said it again firmly.

"I love her... Lucius... I love her..."