[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Nigel kept following at the same speed, never falling behind, and never getting any closer to Snape.

Neither of them spoke.

Although Nigel could probably guess what the man in front of him was going to say to him...

But he won't tell him.

Never tell him!

After a while, Snape led Nigel to a door, he pushed the door open, beckoned Nigel to go in first, and then he followed behind, gently closing the door.

This is supposed to be the Potions classroom?

Nigel hadn't been to this place at all when he was in the castle, but the strong smell of potion ingredients that he smelled from the moment he stepped into this classroom was not deceiving, and if you looked carefully, you would find There are many burn marks on the surfaces of the tables and chairs lined up side by side.

Snape didn't stay longer in this classroom, but walked towards another door further back with big strides.

Nigel pursed his lips, and silently shuffled after him into the Potions Master's office.

Snape turned slowly and looked down at Nigel, looking down.

But no one spoke for a while, and the two just looked at each other in silence, staring with big eyes.

"So what's the matter? Professor?" After a while, Nigel opened his mouth lightly, and after a pause, he continued to ask slowly. "Wanna ask me where is Tahlia?"

Snape froze for a moment, but then he answered. "No."

Do not?

Needless to say, Nigel was confused.

Didn't he want to ask him about Tahlia in the dark?

"That's—"

"I have something for you." Snape interrupted Nigel abruptly. For some reason, Nigel always felt that Snape's expression was a little weird.

Snape quickly walked to one of his large bookcases, and his eyes moved there for a long time before finally locking onto a book.

He pulled out the book, walked up to Nigel again, and handed the book to him. "I think this will work for you."

Nigel didn't take it, and only glanced at it. It was a tattered potions textbook, and the words "Advanced Potions Preparation" were blurred and hard to read.

"...This is a textbook of NEWTs difficulty." He stared at Snape and spoke slowly. "I'm only in the first grade...professor."

"Don't think I don't know that you borrowed some empty classrooms two years ago to make potions beyond your age, Nigel—"

"You shouldn't call me by my name...sir." Nigel said abruptly, the meaning of this sentence was obvious, the relationship between the two of them was just an ordinary professor-student relationship. "And there's a big problem…" Still glaring at Snape. "You're talking about two years ago, and I haven't touched this thing for the rest of the time. How could you think I'm still interested in this thing?" He paused, then added sarcastically. "Professor Snape?"

For some reason, he suddenly felt inexplicable anger.

How could Snape take it for granted that he was still messing with these things?Did he think he'd be in the mood to study potions while Tahlia was unconscious?Or did he think he had taken the cauldron with him when he left with Tahlia?

After Tahlia told himself that she was actually his biological mother, he wondered who his father was...

He can't accept it at all, and it still does until now, but his talent reminds him of a fact all the time, reminds him that he is the biological son of the man in front of him, and also reminds him that this talent is completely inherited from the man in front of him .

But he doesn't want it!Now he doesn't want to have anything to do with this person at all, whether it's interest or anything else, he doesn't want--

"I hate potions." After finishing speaking, he added angrily. "Very annoying."

Snape froze for a few seconds.

"No, I'm pretty sure you have a talent for making potions—"

"Being talented doesn't mean I should like it!" Nigel growled. "I'm not a kid anymore, if I say I don't like it, I just don't like it!"

Snape still kept handing out the book, but Nigel never took it.

After a while, he slowly lowered his hand and put the book aside casually, without any emotional ups and downs on his face. "Never mind. Then let's talk about something else."

"What?" Nigel replied stiffly.

"I did want to ask you about Tahlia."

Nigel jumped when he heard this. "I knew it! You really—"

"But I'm not going to ask you for the answer," Snape said in a low voice.

"what?"

"I said, I didn't intend to ask the answer from you." Snape said again calmly. "It should be said that I really wanted to do this, but I can't now."

Nigel froze, not knowing how to reply for a moment.

He had already figured out what to say if Snape really wanted to get Tahlia's whereabouts out of him, but now...

Now Snape actually—

"Why?" After a while, he managed to squeeze out a word.

"Because if I did, I would never forgive myself in my life."

"So why?" Nigel looked up slowly, staring at Snape. "Why did you change your mind?" He said word by word. "You are a professor, you have plenty of ways for me to give you answers, don't you──"

"But I'm also your father." Snape answered quietly.

"No." Nigel's eyes widened instantly, and he took several steps back quickly.Turned up the volume. "you are not!"

"Nigel—"

"I don't have a father!" he yelled suddenly, almost snarling at Snape. "Don't you try to pretend to be my dad—"

"I'm not pretending." Snape said still calmly, walking forward slowly. "I am indeed your father, you are a Snape, Tahlia still gave you the last name Snape...follow me."

"That's her mistake." Nigel shook his head vigorously and continued to back away. He was almost touching the door of the office. "My name doesn't mean anything - we just..." He flustered a little, thinking of something Harry had said to himself so long ago. "We just happen to have part of the same name." When he finished speaking, he also felt his back hit the door heavily.

"Nigel—" Snape frowned, and spoke again, only to be interrupted by Nigel's sharp voice this time.

"I said don't call me by my name!" He groped to open the door of the office, turned around and rushed out of the room in the next second, regardless of whether the man behind him might catch up.

Right now he just wants to escape...

Now he was more sure, what he hated most in his life was his blood relationship with Snape, he was a bad guy, he was always bullying Tahlia, always making Tahlia sad, he didn't have such a father...

Snape would never be his dad!

never!

"Nigel!"

Nigel didn't run very far, and was caught up by Snape. After all, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't run faster than a grown man. Snape grabbed his hand so hard that he had to stop. .

"No running in the corridors, Mr Snape."

Nigel heard the deep voice behind him, but he didn't look back.

"No matter what you think now..." The voice came to my ears again. "As you should know, I'm a professor now, Nigel."

"Don't call me by my name—" he whispered.

"And what a professor wants to call a student is not something you can interfere with."

Nigel stood still, shutting his mouth again.

"Let me answer your question in a different way..." Snape slightly exerted his hand, turning the child in front of him to face him. When he saw Nigel's face, he couldn't help but froze. After a while, he cut off the robe with his wand He turned the piece of cloth into a handkerchief, bent down slightly, and wiped away the tears that fell down the boy's face lightly, before continuing. "I'm a professor. I have plenty of ways to get you to say the answer I want to know, but I won't do that. You ask me why?" It pierced clearly into Nigel's ear.

As soon as Nigel realized what Snape had done, he immediately turned his face away, dodging his hand, and he actually started crying... He shouldn't have cried in front of the darkness at all──this realization made him It felt even more awkward, and even the movements of struggling became more intense.But what he didn't expect was that although Snape wiped his tears gently, his attitude was so strong that he didn't have any chance to dodge.

"──Because I shouldn't have done this to you, even if it means I have to come up with the answer on my own, it doesn't matter." Snape continued speaking slowly. "Do you understand, Nigel?" There was a pause. "I'll never... never do that."

Nigel didn't try to dodge Snape's handkerchief anymore, and just lowered his head silently, making his expression invisible.

"As for whether the two of us are really as you said...just happen to have part of the same name──" Snape paused. "I think you will have a better answer in the future."

"I don't have a father." These words seemed to be a switch. Nigel, who had already settled down, raised his head suddenly after hearing these words, and then, he threw Snape away with a force, and stumbled back a few steps. , staring at him warily.

"Everyone has a father, whether you want to admit it or not." Snape didn't move on, only slowly straightened up and said flatly. "Perhaps you should think carefully about my words before giving an answer." He turned around. "Good night, Mr. Snape." With that, he strode into the darkness.

Nigel was stunned for a while, and then suddenly came back to his senses, turned around, and ran away quickly.

Pushing out what Snape said to him just now, he is now extremely grateful that he has lived in the castle for a while, at least he knows where the entrance to his house is, and this is the time he sneaked behind Harry under the cloak of invisibility. Found it while walking behind two Hufflepuff students who were complaining about the darkness.

Based on his impression, he found the corridor that should be the entrance to the Hufflepuff Academy's lounge in his memory. To his surprise, there was a tall boy sitting on a step in the distance holding a book.

And the boy seemed relieved when he saw Nigel approaching, jumped up the stairs quickly, and closed the book with a slam. "Hi!" he said.

Nigel looked dazed. "Diggo—I mean, Cedric?" he said in a daze. "Why are you sitting here?"

"Waiting for you." Cedric replied as a matter of course, with a gentle smile on his face. "You were called by Professor Snape on the way, if I hadn't waited here, you would have been stuck in—why are your eyes so red?"

"what?"

Cedric blinked, looked at Nigel's still confused face, laughed, and reached out to pat Nigel on the shoulder. "Forget it, maybe I read it wrong, you should know... I have to take you back to the dormitory, if you are trapped outside, who should I explain to?"

"But you..." Nigel stuttered suddenly. "But you... you sat outside waiting for so long—"

"...It's actually okay." Cedric thought for a while, then shrugged. "I took a shower before I came out. At first, Jack was waiting outside. Ah, Jack is—"

"I know." Nigel smiled weakly. "The prefect of the fifth grade."

Cedirc nodded, then turned around before speaking again. "Then let me tell you now, our academy doesn't pass the secret language, but you have to hit the rhythm on these wooden barrels correctly. Come on, let me demonstrate to you..."

Nigel stood aside silently, feeling inexplicably moved, and couldn't help but start admiring this gentle and handsome senior. He always felt that no matter what happened, Cedric would take care of them well. It was really great to be sorted into Hufflepuff Bravo!All the unpleasantness of being called away by Snape not long ago disappeared in this instant.

Tahlia would be happy too, right?