The Mortal

He was still together with Ron and Hermione, but the atmosphere was not as harmonious as before.

"That's not a good idea," Hermione said disapprovingly. "You can't just fight the Wizengamot out of thin air."

"She was right, Harry," Ron said. "If you want to overturn Snape's case, you have to produce tangible evidence, and those guys won't turn an important eclipse... er, into a positive person just because of your one-sided statement. Seriously, both I don't even believe in the face of spies, if it's not you who said that."

"But that's the truth," Harry said. "How could it be successful if there was any evidence left? That was Voldemort, not some stupid fool who would die if he showed any flaws."

"You see, that's the problem. You were as unfriendly to him as we were before his accident, but then it changed - I don't know when, but after You-Know-Who died you suddenly started pursuing this." Ron said according to his shoulder. "If something changes your perception, I think it should work for other people as well. Why don't you speak up?"

Hermione looked at him with the same searching look.There was a small crackle of wood in the fireplace, and Harry was silent for a long while, while his friends remained patient and understanding.

"At that time...he gave me the memory."

Harry, who was watching in embarrassment, suddenly felt a strong emotion, similar to anger, there must be others, but covered by the anger, he was almost kicked out of his head-although this description is a bit funny, but it is true, Snape's emotions overwhelmed his mind at once, and then he caught more - panic, disgust and even... hate.

He hadn't figured out what was going on before he was shocked by the real emotion that couldn't be faked.Hate, he thought, only a few gritty moments, but he felt it, and he was pretty sure it wasn't for his father or anyone else, just for him, right now. Harry suddenly felt sad, uncomfortable and bewildered by this.He didn't ask any questions, just huddled quietly - if consciousness also had a form.

stop here.Maybe it's time to stop here.

He may be able to love someone who is hating him, but how can he lie to himself that someone who hates him will love him?

"What did you see?" Hermione asked.Ron next to him widened his eyes in surprise, and then said, "God, I can't believe it. He showed you..."

"It's enough to prove his innocence." Harry's tone was firm. "But I'd rather take it to the grave than tell anyone."

And he kept that promise.No one knew what happened to the double agent and he still had the charges against Snape wiped out of the official record, although the Savior's reputation suffered a little because of it, but that didn't matter.

The mood on Snape's side started to fall back, not as smooth as before but much better, a bit like fine bubbles bubbling in a simmering cauldron - mixed with shock and surprise, and uncomfortable apologies for misunderstood each other, Many, many mixed together.Maybe he didn't realize that their spirits were still connected, otherwise the apology would never have appeared so easily.

But Harry didn't notice, he didn't want to feel any more, he just sat in the corner empty-handed.Then the picture began to become messy, and the interlaced images and emotional information emerged quickly, presenting a dazzling state.

He pushed Snape out.

"Potter?"

They were still in their previous position, and Harry saw himself in the black eyes.He swallowed the bitterness in his throat and stepped back a little, his heart hurting every time he moved away.He hated me and he still hates me.There was nothing wrong with that, Snape had always disliked him, and Harry knew that, but this time the realization was especially... hard to accept.

Snape looked at him puzzled.Then he belatedly noticed that the boy's eye sockets were red.

"It's nothing." Harry raised his hand and gently brushed Snape's hand off his shoulder, not at all deliberately.But Snape still found it odd. "I just suddenly thought of another question. What should I do if I want to find inaccurate information? I can't read the other person's memory from beginning to end, but dig out the hidden part of the connection... If I catch A suspect, I need to know if he is the end point or if there are still untapped related people."

"It's complicated." Snape put his doubts aside for a moment. "When you read, you don't necessarily go forward in chronological order. The most important thing is to diverge from one point to all associated branches until there is no way."

Harry thought about it carefully.

"So if I set up a message to just tell you what it's about, you can find everything that's connected."

"That's understandable."

"Then we'll do it." Harry made up his mind.

"Are you sure?" Snape's question was thick with warning. "If the information you set is not appropriate and clear, I will involve quite a lot of your memory."

"It doesn't matter." Harry said bluntly, "I won't stop you no matter what - that's the real meaning of teaching, isn't it?"

And how do you know that what you finally find won't be what I want to tell you.

"I already have an idea, and we can talk about the specifics next time." He continued. "I want to stop here today, and you should rest earlier."

Harry was called when he reached the door.His hand was already on the handle, and the door of the room opened a crack.

"Anything else?" He didn't look back.

There was silence for a while, and then the voice echoed in the room again.

"You didn't... mention to anyone,"

"I didn't mention to anyone why you protected me or hated me, or how your spy status came to be, and all the memories you stuffed into me. If that's what you mean." Harry gripped the metal tightly handle.He had already thought about why Snape had been angry before, and he could understand why intellectually - it was no surprise that Snape would take for granted that the way Potter treated him prioritized humiliation.

He won't care about such trivial matters after sleeping.But before that, before forgetting the hatred he personally felt, he still couldn't help but want to ask-

"You think I'd be so badass as to go around proclaiming your privacy. I don't mean to criticize, sir, but sometimes I really can't stop the ludicrous thought - have you seen me?"

He left the room and the door closed again.The lock cylinder clicked softly in Snape's ear.

I won't ask too much, I swear.We just get along normally, you treat me as...me.Is this okay?That's all I'm trying to do. (*See Chapter [-])

Harry made such a simple request in front of him a few months ago, then smiled like an eleven-year-old boy touching a broomstick for the first time when he got a response that wasn't a no.

Just a few months later he turned his back and asked, have you seen me.

Snape suddenly realized that after 20 years, he might be making another big mistake.

TBC

【nine】

Ed went to apply for a search warrant from the old Duke (*see previous chapter). Harry, of course, left himself to deal with troublesome people like his bald boss and prosecutors, and then used his rare free time to date girls.Intellectually, there are really good reasons to date the most beautiful and intelligent girl in the world, so what's the use of Ed's eyes rolling out of their sockets.

"Why are you here?"

Hermione walked across the wide square to her friend, and she looked around while asking.

"Because there's a fountain here. Coffee, music, pigeons. It's all good." Harry pulled the chair out for her. "Relax. There's no one chasing you or me with spells and bullets, I ordered you crepes."

"It's really strange to hear this from you. I'm not the one who is nervous most of the time." She said as she sat down. "But I thought you would rather stay close to someone, at least than looking at the scenery?"

"Don't forget that I'm already healed." He shrugged helplessly. "It's just that occasionally there may be a little... some buffer time is needed. Besides, there are two formally trained Aurors acting as guards outside the door. I really don't have much to worry about."

"How do you convince them to give up monitoring you?"

"Let me see. Snape's notoriety, and the savior's charisma, the perfect combination to set me free."

So Hermione bit the muffin for his head.But she hesitated to accept that for now - just for dessert's sake.And Harry rested his chin and continued to look at his fountain, as well as the people coming and going in the square and the gray-white pigeons busy running around with their short legs to eat.This kind of ordinary scene is rare in his life. It should be said that he had no chance to meet them before he was an adult. He was too busy with magic and the Dark Lord, and he had no time and didn't want to see what the outside world looked like- Probably not much different from the yard of his aunt's house, he thought at the time, within a fixed range of sight, a small piece of houses