[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"It should be said that you have."

Snape frowned, for a moment he didn't understand what Tahlia meant, he was sure he didn't have what Hilton gave Tahlia...

Then he paused, and after a few seconds, he slowly took out the small box that he had put in Tahlia's hand just now from his arms.

"...I'm not sure it's going to work," he whispered. "He couldn't give it to you."

"But you leave it to me." Tahlia stared straight ahead, staring at Snape with a rare and sharp gaze. The light gray mist that had been covering her eyes before had disappeared, and he almost forgot about her. Can't see anything now. "That's what he meant."

Snape held the box tightly and looked at Tahlia. He didn't understand why she was so confident. In fact, the man didn't make it clear, especially since this thing couldn't be handed over to others in theory. It is absolutely unreasonable to say that it is entrusted.

"I'm still not sure what it is—"

"But you can try..." Tahlia said softly. "If it works... I mean,

You can tell at a glance whether it is working or not. With that, she reached out and touched Snape's hand, blinking and fumbling for Snape to open the little box.

Snape didn't speak anymore, in fact he couldn't think of anything else he could say, Tahlia had clearly made up his mind, he knew she would never change her mind, it should be said, if their roles were reversed at this moment, he wouldn't Determine if he would be willing to give up what Tahlia had given him, or what Lily had given him.

"At least there's no loss, is there?" Tahlia spoke again before Snape could respond. "In any case, these are of no... useless in the future." Her voice trailed off, the last syllable dissipating in the air.

That's right...it's useless.That thing now, only represents a future that Derek and himself will never be able to achieve.

Sensing that Tahlia had unknowingly started to sink into grief again, Snape sighed, suppressing the bitterness welling up in his heart, took out the two rings from the box, and casually threw the useless little box aside , and then put those two rings in Tahlia's hand.

"Try then," he whispered.

Tahlia shuddered, then nodded slightly.She clenched her palms tightly, then loosened them again, and then gently stroked the two rings in her palm, as if she was thinking about something, but after a while, she turned around and confirmed the position of the glass bottle containing the potion , and after throwing those two rings into the potion, the expression on her face no longer showed the melancholy just now.

Snape moved his eyes and saw that the originally transparent potion bubbled up like boiling at the moment the two rings fell in, and then gradually changed.

Tahlia was right, he could tell at a glance whether the potion had succeeded or not, and the liquid in the glass bottle had completely changed color, changing very - he had to admit - very much in line with the man's image.

"How?" Snape turned his head to see Tahlia's nervous face.

"I think you're right." He said flatly. "It can almost be said to be dazzling... brilliant gold." After finishing speaking, he wanted to pick up the bottle and hand it to Tahlia. "As I promised earlier."

Tahlia held the bottle carefully, opened and closed her lips a few times, as if about to say something, and finally, Snape heard a small sound. "Really thank you very much."

"That's what I should do," Snape said flatly. "I won't interfere with your decision either."

Tahlia stood upright, still clutching the potion tightly in her hand, and Snape didn't know what she was waiting for now, considering she didn't drink it right away.

"I... can I ask your question again?" After a while, Tahlia asked carefully.

Snape froze for a moment. "what is the problem?"

"Am I a coward?" Tahlia trembled, continuing before Snape reflexively tried to retort. "Don't deny me, Severus, I'm aware of this kind of behavior...think if only I could forget about it, pretend that nothing happened, that nothing ever existed, like you said earlier...run away." She closed her eyes, then set the potion aside. "And you're right, it doesn't solve anything, does it?"

"That's right," Snape said slowly. "It's true that escaping won't solve anything, but—"

"──But it will make me feel better." Tahlia answered softly. "So I want to ask, do I...don't have the courage to face...to face anything—"

"No." Snape replied curtly.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" Tahlia chuckled suddenly. "I'm asking for your thoughts, not for you to comfort me..."

"I think the last thing you need is comfort, Tahlia," Snape said, thrusting the potion bottle into Tahlia's hand again. "Many times, forgetting also requires courage──"

"Really?" Tahlia curled up one corner of her mouth. "Even though I know these are scene talk, it sounds very reasonable..."

"I mean, that doesn't mean you have only one path to choose..." Snape's tone remained flat. "It is precisely those memories that have made us. In any case, those things should not be forgotten casually."

"Yeah..." Tahlia murmured, looking down, seemingly gazing at the potion in her hand. "That's true too."

There was a brief silence between the two.

Just now, no one paid attention to the potion, and no one noticed that the originally bright golden liquid in the bottle had dimmed unknowingly, as if something had been mixed in, but the change Too subtle, not to mention the state of Tahlia's eyesight at the moment, even Snape couldn't detect anything wrong.

"I see." After a while, Tahlia spoke softly again. "I think I've decided."

Snape responded in a low voice, watched the woman in front of him take a deep breath, then tilted his head up, pouring all the liquid in the glass bottle.

"Oh..." Tahlia blinked a few times.

The next second, Snape strode forward, as if he had expected it long ago, and firmly caught Tahlia who suddenly lost consciousness, and the sound of glass bottles falling to the ground and shattering rang in his ears.

Snape didn't bother to pay attention to the broken glass on the floor. He brushed the glass aside casually with his toes, walked quickly to the sofa with Tahlia in his arms, and gently put her down.

Then all he has to do is wait.

She slept soundly.

It's been a long time since Snape looked at Tahlia like this, just waiting to watch her quietly and not in a state of anxiety, considering the dangers she was usually experiencing the previous few times when she fell asleep in front of him unsuspecting. after.

More importantly, he was not sure how Tahlia would react to him after waking up. Not long ago, she was willing to try to unload some heart from herself, but the premise was that she did it after suffering from the pain caused by the man. In the follow-up situation, perhaps the short-term relationship between them will no longer exist.

He wondered if he would be able to muster up the courage to try again...

"Well……"

Snape took a deep breath.

always have to face...

He sat on the low table next to the sofa, watching the woman lying on the sofa move, and he almost held his breath, Tahlia's eyelids moved, and then slowly opened, she looked She was a little dazed, which was natural, after all, she just drank a dose of potion.

Tahlia blinked a few more times, then looked in Snape's direction.

"Sev...Severus?" She opened her mouth uncertainly, but suddenly her whole body fell into panic, and she struggled to sit up from the sofa. "You...I...what's the matter with me?"

Snape frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Tahlia's flustered words.

"I... Did I cause you trouble again──" Then she moved her eyes and landed on the clock on the wall. "Merlin, have I slept through the day?" She turned her head, but for some reason, she couldn't look directly at Snape, and stammered. "I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong, did you teach me today? Did Albus ask you to do it? I'll...I'll go and tell him—he should...he should wake me up ──I shouldn’t bother you──”

Snape frowned even tighter, feeling faintly that something was wrong, but this action seemed to frighten the woman in front of him even more, her eyes widened, and the guilt in her eyes almost overwhelmed him.

"I really didn't mean to..." Tahlia lowered her head, clutching her robe tightly with both hands. "I'm not...don't be angry—"

"Stop." Snape finally couldn't hold back anymore and raised his hand.

Unexpectedly, Tahlia shut her mouth obediently, and Snape couldn't help but be astonished. The woman in front of him behaved like this many years ago, when Tahlia was accommodating to him in every possible way.

No, his gut told him that something was definitely wrong with Tahlia right now.

"You don't have to apologize," he whispered. "Besides, I'm not angry."

"You...you didn't?" Tahlia blinked, still frightened. "But—wait, I apologize...I shouldn't have guessed what you were thinking, sorry—"

"Tahlia." Snape had to say it again, to stop Tahlia from blaming himself endlessly, and he reached out and landed on her shoulder, pressing her down slightly so that she sat still. "I said, stop."

...Damn it.

Snape didn't really know what he was supposed to do now.

Seeing Tahlia sitting almost tremblingly, for fear that she would accidentally offend him again made him very uncomfortable.

"Severus?"

...Damn it.

Especially now that Tahlia obviously doesn't know what happened, and apart from nervousness in her eyes, she can only see innocence.

"Damn..." Snape finally couldn't hold back a low curse.

Of course, Tahlia heard.

"I'm sorry." Tahlia's apology reached Snape before Snape could say anything to explain it.

...Damn it.

How much he wished that Tahlia could go back to the time when he cared about him in the past, but at this moment, when he really faced the woman who was always cautiously standing beside him in his memory, he didn't know How to deal with it.

It's not her...

He couldn't help but realize that he didn't want Tahlia to go back to her old self, and that would be wrong.In any case, in a relationship, such an unequal relationship between two people is absolutely wrong-it is simply wrong.

"Tahlia, you're not wrong." Thinking of this, Snape spoke slowly. "It was me who was wrong, you don't need to apologize at all──"

"But you—"

"It's none of your business." Snape raised his hand and interrupted Tahlia who was about to say something. "In a sense, I'm angry with myself..."

"……What's the meaning?"

Snape paused for a moment.

There was a moment of silence, with the firelight from the fireplace reflected on their faces, and Snape suddenly noticed something very unusual, so important that he even forgot Tahlia's question for a moment.

"Tahlia..." He moved a little closer, and then noticed that the woman in front of him reflexively followed him and backed away a little.

But this is not right.

──As if she actually saw her actions.

"You...can you see me?"