The Mortal

nape answered smoothly.

This was far more effective than "everything will be fine", Harry thought.Everyone likes to say that, but everything is never going to be all right. Sunny days will rain, stars will fall, and human growth is better attributed to forgetting, to endure until the flood is wiped out into ashes, and the traces of the pretended agitation are smoothed out, like this to cover up all the bad things.

But it’s okay to admit it’s bad.He knew Snape was telling him it didn't matter.

"So what does this have to do with you?" asked the man, who hadn't gotten an explanation for a long time. "Don't tell me that there are still people who are holding you accountable."

"No. It's not that exaggerated." Harry clearly received Snape's grievances involving the entire Ministry of Magic, and now he could easily read the concern hidden behind the twists and turns. "Maybe there may be a little disagreement, but overall there is no problem with the reform. What we need to worry about is the vacancies of the two directors. The minister has given me a difficult problem."

"two?"

"Two." Harry repeated with lowered eyes.He reached out to feel Snape's hand resting on the hardback book, his thumb casually caressing over the protruding knuckle, and the palm finally slowly closed on the back of the other's hand. "The Auror Division needs a new Director, too," he whispered.

"It was the Wizengamot who thought he—"

"He's dead." Harry explained bluntly. "He held me at Stanley's instructions that day, and later put the Aurors on our side, completely against Stanley's wishes, and that led directly to our quick and efficient victory," he recounted calmly, "Wait until the next day He was found dead in the office when someone went to the office early in the morning when they were about to celebrate. They heard that the body was completely cold, and St. Mungo's judgment was suicide."

Snape felt the tension tighten on the back of his hand.

"I don't understand him." The young man continued in his usual tone.This is the time when he talks the most in a few days. "It's like I can't understand you until you die in front of me." Harry looked up at Snape, but the latter thought he was looking far away. "Until I saw the framed picture on his desk, until I remembered his daughter and no one could tell me where she was, until I,"

I hope she grows up to be like you.

Until I fucking dug enough out of Stanley's brain and found the girl in a deserted abandoned factory - she's starving and the mastermind who got her here has long since forgotten or cared that victory was near It was such a small thing, and Robards was holding back until the last moment, hoping that his daughter would come back.

people like you.

Someone like me?People like me who failed to detect hints in letters I received months ago (*see Chapter [-]), people like me who missed the last chance to reveal the truth, people like me who thought they were doing their best The victory that came with it - but a fluke thanks to the desperate counterattack of a father who has been struggling for two years and finally waits until the moment when the magic of the blood is cut off.

They seem to win everything, but it is based on innocent lives.No one is a winner.there has never been.

"Harry?"

Snape's voice brought him back to himself. Harry belatedly realized that he was pushing so hard (but that's not why Snape called him that name) that his hands were trembling slightly, he might have raised his voice or spoken too frantically, because now he needed to go deep breath.

He suppressed the emotions that were almost overflowing with a long breath.

"So the Minister wanted me to go back to Aurors," Harry said, leaning back on the sofa, his voice weak and weary. "He even thought about asking me to be the head of the Auror Division, and I refused. But he hasn't given up on letting me go back."

Snape looked at his expressionless profile, and looked down at Harry's grip on his hand.Like a man in the water holding on to driftwood and letting the waves wash over his head helplessly - he shouldn't be like this.What would that look like?A voice asked, smiled and said good morning to you when nothing happened?Oh yeah he did say good morning to you - Snape finally got a firsthand glimpse of the acquired control the boy had honed, he even looked a little tired, other than that it didn't show any signs of it, making one wonder if there was a There was more, more-crying, Snape was trying to say, and you needed to cry and not take the brunt of death several times in a few days and keep the hell calm.

"What are you going to do?" But he just asked hesitantly.He hated himself right now.

"I don't know." Harry said, staring at the pristine wall opposite. "They want to close the connection between the wizarding world and the Muggle society, and return to the nearly closed state of the past. I'm not sure if that's good, but wizards have hit the pain point, and changes are inevitable. The best result is probably Keep an eye on and vigilant against the outside world, and the possibility of cooperation is very slim.”

"So there's no need for a committee," Snape concluded. "Perhaps you should accept the minister's offer."

"You want me to go back?" Harry raised his voice slightly.

"That's what's best for you."

This may have ignited some of the anger among young people.

"What's best for me," Harry said repressedly, "so now you know what's best for me again."

"What do you mean by that?" Snape asked uncertainly.

Harry didn't speak for a while.He pursed his lips, and Snape had never found silence so unbearable.

"You'd better stop helping me decide what's best for me, sir." Harry finally dropped the sentence stiffly, then pulled his hand back and stood up. "I'm going back to my room, good night," he said.

Snape's hand caught the air half a beat too late.He couldn't figure out what Harry was thinking, and couldn't stop him.So he's sure, there's more, and there must be more of it - on top of Mrs. Anderson's death, on top of Chief Auror's death, but the boy's going to take it all alone .

"You've got to make it clear, Potter," he said disapprovingly, stopping the young man in another way. "Speak up if you have a problem, don't be like a kid asking someone to play guessing games with you. Just be an adult please, or are you still getting nowhere after all these years?"

Snape guessed his tone must be annoying enough.It was even enough to start a fight, a smash, or a random fist and scuffle, but if, that would make Harry stop-

He did stop, barely by the bedroom door. Snape stared at Harry's back, the boy's shoulders heaving, probably ripping back and forth between his mounting rage and the weight of reason.

"I'm not fine right now," Harry said hoarsely. "I'm afraid I have nothing good to say. When I calm down, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow."

It was probably the most sensible thing he had ever said in his life.

Harry wanted to close the door, but Snape wasn't about to let him go.The door lock was suddenly re-opened just before it was locked, and Harry took half a step back due to the opposite force.

"What are you doing?" he asked in surprise, looking up at Snape, who seemed equally angry.

"I thought you didn't understand me." Snape was closing in on him, and Harry backed away in panic - damn it, was it his fault again? "I want you to speak clearly now, not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, Potter. Did you understand this time?"

"You..." He had already retreated to the wall. Harry stared at Snape incredulously, the fire in his green eyes so blazing, his chest heaving so fast, that for a moment Snape thought he was going to cry out - he looked beyond the limit of what he could bear. "You just have to," the young man uttered a few words in a forced tone.

Snape threatened him to continue with a look that showed no mercy.

"Okay." Harry took a deep breath, his tone calmed down briefly. "Okay. Then answer me first, since when did you know about recording magic?"

"At first," Snape said flatly. "Given your porous cover-up, it's hard not to notice."

"So," Harry stared at him intently, syllables slowly coming out of the back of his throat. "So that day you also planned to use Kent's words from the very beginning, collect as much evidence as possible and die generously. You think that will help me, don't you?"

"Is that why you're angry?" Snape said sharply. "I just considered the most correct option. Don't play dumb, Potter, I don't believe you don't understand."

"Yeah, I get it. I just fucking get you, Snape, selfish old bastard," well, he's finally failed, as if there's nothing stopping this man from pissing him off, "you think Own me, you think you're doing something good for me, fuck it, self-sacrifice is fun? Worth it twice?" He shoved the man in front of him hard, his jaw and his entire body The body trembled because of the intense emotion.

"Otherwise what do you want me to do?" Snape held the boy's arm that was still trying to push him away, and pressed Harry back against the wall with even greater strength. "In the doomed