The Mortal

But I don't know if you'll wake up one morning and realize how unreal and exhausting it all is.

Harry didn't understand her then.But it's different now.

He faced Ginny alone under the opportunity Molly deliberately created, and the enthusiastic elders still hoped that they could walk together.But Harry just looked her in the eyes and apologized, saying to himself that it took me so long to understand what I wanted.She looked at him for a long time, her eyes were moist but she smiled, and she said I understand, we should all wake up and live a real life.

Afterwards Harry turned down the dinner invitation, feeling strangely warmer than ever when he said "someone is still waiting for me".So he rushed home, pushed the door open hard and knocked, and after hesitating for two seconds, he still couldn't help kissing the man who was busy with the potion, and then promised in the other party's angry reprimand that there was no end in sight Date of labor service reimbursement for loss.

That's it.He knows, this is it.

The first thing to emerge is a cutout pumpkin with an awkward expression.

Legilimency made it difficult for both of them.For a moment Snape wondered if he had been enchanted by something to do something so laborious and stupid - years ago Potter had secretly read his memories in the Pensieve, and now it was his turn to do something similar in reverse.

It's like they're forever doing things that hurt each other.

"No harm," Harry said as he checked whether he really wanted to continue. "Except for the sake of learning... I have something to tell you, professor, and I think the best way is for you to find it yourself, so you will know how it happens, without half a fake."

Harry finally admitted his extra intentions, and Snape had a vague premonition that everything would turn upside down and be different.

The image gradually builds and stretches from around the jack-o-lantern.It was Halloween, and Snape saw more details that he didn't pay attention to at the time. They were huddled in the kitchen preparing the festive dishes that the young people insisted on adding. The overhead lights were warm yellow, and Harry's eyes were looking up. He immediately fell into a bright golden spot.

"Can you make a salad?" Harry said. "The sauce is in the second cabinet."

"I thought we didn't have any guests." Snape frowned and rummaged through the ingredients he needed, speaking in a bad tone. "If you insist on completing all the contents on the menu, they will probably not escape the fate of the trash can in the end."

"This is our first holiday together, sir, and I believe nothing is too much."

"Celebrating the great savior... who saved another lost black sheep?" Snape asked, drawing out the syllable.

Harry blinked, seemingly needing time to digest the deeper meaning of the sentence.And Snape was surprised to find that he didn't have much sincere sarcasm at the time, it was more like casual teasing, so novel, for a Potter.

"I don't remember the color," Harry mused, "but Jesus probably wouldn't care if he was white or black*. And I like black (Black pun)."

"But I'd rather crucify someone else." Snape heard himself snap back casually. "For example, you, how is the scenery above?"

"Well, it was a bit cold, so I climbed down," Harry said solemnly.

Then the young man started laughing, purely and genuinely amused, and maybe his mind automatically made up the scene of sneaking down the cross naked and shivering. Snape's expression softened, the corners of his mouth curled up a little, and he sliced ​​the tomato into neat slices almost freely.They often ran into each other in a small space, and no one complained. Harry sometimes casually talked about the difficulties that occurred when he first dealt with these kitchen utensils of various shapes. He looked bright and fresh, without any haze, and he was 20 years old. The boy was supposed to be - and he was, in that moment.

"It's like a dream." After a long silence, Harry said cautiously. "You, me, here."

And what did he answer?He was too busy stirring the sauce into the bowl at the time and didn't look to the side, but that didn't matter, didn't matter anymore, now he could see clearly. Harry turned his head to stare at him, his voice was soft, and there was a soft smile on the corners of his eyes and brows. Snape was suddenly shocked by his undisguised, pure love and longing for himself, he wanted to reach out his hand to make sure it was true, and imagined how many such expressions he had missed, imagined what would happen if he would never be there again for the rest of his life To preserve this precious moment.

He suppressed his trance and did what he had to do.

More memories bubbled up like boiling bubbles, and Snape looked for those parts that could cause more mental fluctuations in the probed.This time, what he saw was more recent. The previous experience made him sure that the target message was not in the wrong direction.It's pretty much all shared memories between them: from the childish quarrel they had on the first day here, where Harry was always giving in to him, and they argued constantly but never really had an irreparable rift; worth it What he noticed was the way the boy looked at him, Harry unconsciously grew closer to him, something was gradually accumulating in his eyes, and he always nestled next to him to pass the time in his free time, Snape clearly felt that everything happened so early and so silently ;he saw the stubborn rip on Harry's naked back again, and he told him that I'm not done yet, I don't know what I can and dare to believe (*see Chapter [-]), and the picture suddenly flashed back Arriving in an unfamiliar suburb, Harry saw a little girl with jet-black hair and eyes, she said, sir, you shouldn't believe me (*see Chapter [-]); then it was the day they tried Legilimency for the first time , Harry opened the door with his back to him, and this time Snape saw genuine sadness on his face (*see Chapter [-]).

At least they have something other than hurting each other. For the first time, Snape was eager to find something to prove, he wanted to find it again, but was afraid of seeing Harry's frank and frank expression at the moment.

They end up back on Halloween again.

The arrival of Kent and others broke the rare atmosphere, and the rapid development was staged again. Snape noticed that Harry's rage was on the verge of losing control, and the act of pressing on the boy's wrist prevented something worse from happening in time, and he didn't have to look to see how Harry was arguing for him- Now, there is an indisputable fact before his eyes: before that, no one would stand by his side without hesitation; before that, no one could firmly defend him without asking any questions.

Snape still remembered how he disapproved and scolded the boy for his ill-advised behavior afterwards, the red eye sockets and trembling body when Harry turned suddenly, the first kiss between them that was caught off guard and that no one could back away from. .

It was suddenly clear to him that he had never been loved.

He has never been loved so deeply.

Snape walked in a white mental space.He was about to find the final message, and he knew it.

It was a rare good weather in London, the afternoon sun was warm and comfortable, and there was no heavy cloud cover. Harry came back from work early, opened the door, and relaxed when he saw Snape on the sofa in the living room with his eyes closed.

"professor?"

no respond. Harry hesitated for a moment near the entrance, then approached slowly.He saw the book open on Snape's lap, bent down and gently pulled it aside, and then paused at the moment when he was about to get up.

Snape had no recollection of the memory.

He watched Harry look up at him for seconds, minutes, and more, and finally he spoke in his ear, softly, low-

So that's what he needs to look for.That's what Harry wanted to tell him.

Snape disconnected from Legilimency.

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked him with a smile.

Snape saw again the boy's unabashed, pure love and longing for him.I hear, he thought silently, I hear-

The reality and the two voices in the memory overlapped, and Snape was powerless to know that he had long doubted the young people's hotheadedness, had reservations about the history that lay between them, and was only acquiescing to each other without being clear about himself. The cruel control made... all of these are crumbling and disintegrating inch by inch.

He heard him say I'm in love with you.He said I love you.

An owl was pecking at the Burrow window.

The Weasley's house was unusually clean, Molly was out shopping, and Arthur hadn't left work yet.Several older brothers were also away for various reasons. Ginny was awakened by the pecking sound of the window to take a nap. She yawned and went downstairs. When she passed by the kitchen, she took some owl favorite snacks and broke them into pieces.

She didn't know whose pet it was, it might have come from a public owl shack.

It was a post-it note that was simply folded twice. Ginny took it off the paw curiously, and found that the side opening was simply pasted with a pink sticker that was obviously used by girls.

"Please pass it on to Harry Potter" was written on the paper.

Human curiosity is everywhere.Especially since there is no one else here, and the woman from