HP: Embrace the Darkness

"Really, Severus, I heard that the Muggles have another saying about what practices are and what standards are."

Dumbledore tried hard to think about it, but he couldn't come up with any results.

"Oh, anyway, you have to try it yourself before you know the answer."

Snape looked at him with a sneer, "Are you sure it's not because you were defeated by him that you want me to try it too?"

Being exposed, Dumbledore's unfinished words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't spit them out. It took him a while to reconcile himself.

"How could it be, how could it be?"

"Well, I'm getting old and I really can't stand it any longer. Severus, please go back and rest."

As he spoke, he stood up.

"I'll try."

Dumbledore stopped standing up and looked at Snape in surprise, who didn't know what he was thinking, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

After a long while, he persuaded with earnest words:

"Severus, I was just joking. Hogwarts still needs you, and recently Poppy always asks me to reduce your workload, saying you are too tired."

So if something happens to you, what should I do? I'll be scolded to death by Bobby.

Dumbledore tugged at his beard worriedly, somewhat regretting his previous encouragement.

Snape didn't answer.

He would indeed try it, but not because of the old bee's instigation, nor because of the magic potion.

He chose Legilimency simply because he knew very well that no one would be willing to forgive someone who tried to invade all of his memories, emotions, and thoughts.

After nearly four years of getting along, even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit it.

He was used to having him around.

But compared to life, his habits are not that important.

Having made his decision, Snape seemed to feel much more relaxed, and at the same time seemed to be completely numb.

When he returned to the cellar, his face was horribly pale, with a hint of distortion in his paleness.

Miss Medusa cowered her head and hid on the edge of the door frame, not daring to make any sound.

"If Arces comes to the cellar, let him in."

A hoarse voice sounded, and Miss Medusa looked up in fright, just in time to see the suppressed emotion in Snape's eyes.

"Good... good!"

Miss Medusa will never forget that look in her eyes. She was filled with endless hollowness and numbness in her depression. She had no life at all and lived like a dead person.

Later, he shuddered every time he thought about it.

That's why it stopped Artes when he was going to find Snape.

It had an intuition that Snape's strangeness was because of Asseth.

It just didn't know what Snape would do.

……

At the door of the cellar, Miss Medusa became more frightened as she recalled it, and finally she was completely wrapped around the handle without looking up.

Asses had a change of thought and asked softly to Miss Medusa: "Do you really not know?"

Merlin! How does it know!

Who knows how you got into trouble with the dean! ?

Miss Medusa closed her eyes angrily, not looking at Ass's face, and happened to miss his movements.

A man and a snake faced each other in silence.

In the end, Miss Medusa couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore, so she raised her head while spitting out a letter.

"Don't say I didn't remind you, the dean is in a bad mood, so be careful what you say."

"Do you want to go in now?"

Aces gently touched the ring on his hand and felt a little more at ease, "Yes, open the door."

Miss Medusa had nothing to do, Snape had ordered it, and it had done its best.

"Good luck."

As Asses walked through the door, he heard Miss Medusa's voice as thin as a gnat.

Without looking back, he walked into the cellar without hesitation and approached Snape.

"I've always had good luck."

The cellar was even more gloomy than usual, with the only source of light coming from the oil lamp on the desk.

The dim light reflected on Snape's face, forming a mixture of light and dark, like a silent and solemn sculpture.

Artes sat down opposite Snape with a smile, "Professor? Why don't you light the fireplace?"

Snape lowered his head, his lips where Artes could not see, and said silently: "Goodbye."

"professor?"

Without waiting for a response, Artes leaned forward, trying to see Snape's expression clearly.

"What's wrong, Professor?"

Asseth asked not knowing why.

Snape finally raised his head and looked deeply into Ass's face. His expression was not very pretty.

Aces then asked.

"What the hell..."

The voice suddenly stopped, and Artes looked at Snape in astonishment.

Snape pursed his lips, forcing himself not to pay attention to Artes's expression, locking his eyes with him, magic gushing out, and legilimens forced into Artes' mind.

Wait, he also has alchemy tools on him!

Aces reacted quickly, ignoring the pain of being rummaged through his memory, and raised his hand to turn off the alchemy tools on his body that resisted mental intrusion.

Snape noticed this action out of the corner of his eye, his heart suddenly trembled, and then he felt uncontrollable bitterness.

Aces was also good at Occlumency. Now facing Snape's Legilimency, he calmly suppressed his subconscious desire to resist.

Show everything in front of Snape without reservation, including the loss of control that night.

The Mirror of Erised in the Room of Requirement and the Observatory hide nothing of their private thoughts.

This is?

Snape's pupils flickered, and then he suddenly disconnected Legilimency as if he had been burned.

He looked at Asseth in surprise and said dryly: "You..."

"Are you satisfied with what you see? Severus."

Asses leaned back lazily, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Snape opened his mouth and said dryly: "You are still young and can't tell the difference between dependence and -"

Aces raised his eyebrows and interrupted him.

"This won't convince you, and it won't convince me either."

"Of course, you can continue to make these excuses, but I don't accept them."

It was rare for Aces to be so aggressive in front of Snape, and he didn't know how to proceed.

He pursed his lips, his eyes gradually becoming hollow.

"Stop!"

"Don't use Occlumency."

Artes sternly stopped Snape's behavior. This was the first time he had shown a cold face to Snape.

An oppressive chill filled the cellar.

Snape was stunned and stopped running Occlumency, feeling inexplicably strange looking at Artes like this.

It didn't even spray the usual venom, and it seemed like it hadn't reacted yet.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Asseth sighed, took back his aura, and said gently:

"Sev, you don't have to be burdened. This is my business. I said you will always have the right to choose with me, and you don't have to make any choices now, so don't do this."

"Don't put Occlumency between us, okay?"

Facing Artes' gentle eyes, Snape rarely felt powerless.

But other than using Occlumency, he didn't know how to face him.