The Mortal

One of the Aurors involved in the investigation, who hates Slytherin to the core.

"Maybe he's dissatisfied with my position." Harry shrugged. "Plus I'm relatively young?"

"Fool." Hermione condescended to make a comment. "Ignore him."

At this point Ron was just trying to get his head around Snape's home life, and hurried into new topics. "Speaking of recent news, a few days ago my dad found an abused Muggle item from a small pure-blood family member."

"What did you say?" Harry asked, putting down his glass.

"Oh, it's just a weird-looking thing with a lot of colored lines on it, and a small screen with numbers counting down. But my dad was afraid of any accidents, so he took the thing to the Prohibition of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts before the countdown was over. Dropped it, and when asked later, the person didn't know anything about it," Ron said.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, and vaguely felt that there was something wrong, but couldn't tell the specifics.If it was a ticking time bomb - which it most likely is - then there would have been casualties had Mr Weasley not intervened, and pure-bloods at that, most likely to be the "righteous" who had gone to extremes.But Harry thought about what the Director of the Ministry of Magic said to him last time, and suddenly felt that it should have some unknown connection with the Muggle victimization incident.

"What's that look on your face?" Ron poked his arm with the end of a long steel spoon. "It's as serious as thinking about important things in life. Speaking of which, Ginny also mentioned you, and she asked me why you don't have a girlfriend until now."

Hermione interjected vaguely as she filled her mouth with cream. "Didn't she have a new boyfriend?"

"Yeah yeah." Ron nodded back at her. "Maybe it's a girl's comparability, I don't know what it means. Anyway, she is still very enthusiastic about Harry's emotional situation, and seems to suspect that he is because of someone who has moved on. If you want me to say who is there? He is always on the top Don't stare at me except that old man--OK, there's no one else but Snape." He turned his head again and said, "You hear me, if this goes on, you're going to be a bachelor."

The corner of Harry's mouth couldn't help twitching, "Thank you for your concern. I'd better think about how to get the jack-o-lanterns before this, because tomorrow is Halloween."

"Are you sure Snape won't put a pumpkin on your head?" Hermione couldn't help laughing.

"Then I'll cook pumpkin pie for him for a month." Harry said slyly.

In the end Harry took the time to go home again, and Ron laughed at him, saying that he was like a poor child who was disciplined severely, and then sweetly lived a two-person world with his girlfriend.

Harry didn't explain that in fact he would get flustered after being out for too long, always worrying about some danger at home - Merlin knew what danger could be. Dr.Green said that he was too insecure and couldn't trust others, and now he piled all his dependence on Snape - he didn't comment on this statement, if Dr.Green knew that the man left his childhood How many shadows to stop thinking about it - well, it doesn't look like a shitty shadow anymore.

But the production of pumpkin lanterns was going on as scheduled, and he made up his mind to add a festive atmosphere at home to make up for the turbulent Halloween when he was a student.On the day of the festival, after wrestling with pumpkins for an entire hour, he had no choice but to go downstairs to ask the helpful Mrs. Anderson for advice. Later, he successfully climbed upstairs with two hollow pumpkins with different expressions. Snape watched him calmly inside. The candle was lit, and the orange light reflected the boy's smile extraordinarily softly.

That night they huddled together in the kitchen preparing dinner, although the Potions Master's excuse was to resist someone's urge to cook a whole pumpkin feast. During the cooking break, Harry looked up at the man who was seriously stirring the salad, and suddenly wanted to keep this moment forever.

He thought it would be a perfect day.

They were talking at the dinner table about how miserable Halloween used to be, Harry resented his misfortune as a child, and determined to spend every holiday in the future comfortably, Snape scowled at the pumpkin on the table grinning straight at him He raised his glass, sighing hopelessly at his straight and crooked life - but the red wine he looted from Malfoy wasn't bad at all, at least reviving some of his hopeless faith in his hopeless life.

Harry sipped the crimson wine, wondering what he wanted for the rest of his life.

He was interrupted by the untimely ringing of the phone.He picked up the phone and wanted to say happy holidays, but Ed's urgent voice came first.

"Terrorist suicide bombing on the East Side. More than [-] casualties. Now, we have a suspect."

"A clue so soon?" Harry said calmly. "You are calling now, I guess it has something to do with us."

"That person is Severus Snape." A distant voice came from the other end of the phone. "Someone is on the way to your place, you have to be careful..."

Harry didn't react right away.He maintained a still posture for several seconds, as if ice was spreading inch by inch in his veins.

Then he let out a slow breath amidst the worried inquiry on the receiver.

"I see. Thanks for reminding me."

He hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Snape was keenly aware of the difference.

And Harry wondered how he was still able to smile a little here - after hearing such a serious accusation.He doesn't need to know how the specific circumstances point to this step, or how much evidence supports this point of view-he doesn't need to, as early as two years ago at the Wizengamot Tribunal, he knew how cruel and brutal human beings can be. To what extent - at that time, Snape, who was seriously injured and comatose, was still lying silently in the ward under strict guard, facing fifty interrogators in purple robes alone, defending Mr. Spy's crumbling reputation.

But he still couldn't control the anger and pain that shot up from his heart in a thousandth of an instant - the glass was smashed hard on the floor with a crisp sound.

Hold.They're all fucking sons of bitches.

He suppressed the trembling of his anger.The laughter of children begging for candy after successful pranks can be heard outside the window, and the fire in the jack-o-lantern burns quietly.He glanced at the scattered sharp shards on the ground, then raised his head to make a sound as smoothly as he could.

"Someone gave us a big gift," he said. "I was wondering, which is the more polite way to reply, Avada or Cruciatus?"

TBC

*KingsleyRobards: A dark-skinned wizard who originally belonged to the Order of the Phoenix and is very good at getting along with Muggles.In the original book, he served as Minister of Magic from 1998 to 2017.

【Fives】

The high efficiency of Apparition made it too late for Harry to make too many guesses and explanations.

And Snape's abilities as a double agent were not lost one bit, he didn't waste time on the sudden behavior of the young man - in fact, this level of control was much better than the reckless and impulsive boy he remembered , just a cup.

"Anything," Snape said carefully and calmly, with no sign of flinching from the impending event on his face. "Finding out your motives and purpose will make it easier for you to get closer to the truth."

He reassured Harry with his usual mentorship.It was strange, Harry knew he wasn't a docile and obedient student, in any subject.And he had a long history of confrontation with the former potions master, but whenever Snape asked him - or guided him - no matter how much resistance he had, no matter how late he was, he always accepted.

He has only discovered this now, especially now that this unhesitating acceptance is so easy and natural.

There was no time for him to think deeper. Harry opened the slamming door, his wand, which he usually throws around, at his waist.

"Mr. Potter." Kent greeted deliberately from outside the door.

Harry glanced quickly at those present. Kent brought two Aurors with him as head - not surprisingly, he was one of the captains of the Auror Order.There was also a woman with short brown hair who looked like a clerical worker, and Harry recognized which department she was from from the logo on her clothes, and her role was probably similar to that of a clerk - which made him a little puzzled.

Four people, Harry thought.Then he put the thought aside.

"I don't think it's a formal social event either." He stepped back a little, but didn't back away completely to Snape's side.The latter was still sitting at the table smoothly, as if they were only temporarily interrupted during the meal. "So please save the redundant opening remarks and directly explain the purpose of coming." He said.

"I like directness," Kent said, surveying everything in sight. "By order from the Ministry of Magic, we need to arrest him." He pointed at Snape.

"Why." Harry asked calmly.

"My duty is to carry out the order, as if I have no obligation to explain it to you."

Kent took advantage of his height to look down from above.But apparently he didn't get the desired effect because he applied