[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"I do not believe."

Snape was stunned for a moment, then spoke.

"I'm not lying, child," Dumbledore said softly. "She's been with us...from the beginning."

Snape shook his head. "You haven't seen how she looks in front of the Dark Lord, it's definitely not what you said..." Yes, no one has seen it, only he knows how that woman flattered that man and how she treated her He obeyed... Even, her admiration for the Dark Lord...

"It never occurred to you that those were just the appearances she made on purpose?" Dumbledore asked back.

Snape froze for another moment.

"She hates me." He didn't know when it started, but he knew it very well.

Dumbledore said shaking his head. "She made you think she hated you, Severus—"

Snape snorted coldly. "What reason does she have to make me think she hates me?" Besides, how could such an indifferent attitude be pretended?

"You know Voldemort appreciates her."

"I don't see any connection between the two."

"Have you thought about it?" Dumbledore said quietly. "Voldemort appreciates her, but she doesn't want you to get close to him, because I think you have a deep understanding of it? He is dangerous and not worthy of allegiance."

"She knows Voldemort, she knows what he wants to see──It's nothing more than people under his command competing with each other for power. He never dismisses the so-called concerted efforts between partners. In his eyes, only one person can He achieves everything—and the loser is his stepping stone to success."

Sensing that Snape seemed to be seriously thinking about it, Dumbledore continued. "So she made everyone think she hated you, yes, including you—" There was a pause. "Severus, she didn't want you to get too close to Voldemort, and she couldn't let anyone find out what was going on in her heart, so she took this extreme method-yes, in my opinion, this is indeed extreme-once Voldemort Believe that she hates you, and then no one will hurt you because of her concern for you." Seeing Snape's surprised face, Dumbledore continued to speak the last sentence.

"She has always liked you, Severus."

For a while no one spoke.

Snape just sat there, not going to say anything.

Tahlia liked him.

But what she showed was quite different.

Could anyone really suppress their true emotions for that long?

For some reason, he suddenly had the urge to question Tahlia face to face...

So, two days later, Snape stood in front of the small apartment where Tahlia lived, which he found by memory, and cursed Dumbledore inwardly.

Why did Merlin compromise and agree to his request when he knew it?Must have been too confused at the time... to be persuaded by Dumbledore's deliberately pathetic expression.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and rang the doorbell, and then waited quietly.

Tahlia was watching Harry sitting on the floor playing with some small toys. When Harry was first brought here, because of the sudden change of the environment and the lack of familiar parents by his side, Tahlia suffered for a long time. After all, now Harry finally got used to her taking care of him, and became much more obedient. When playing with toys, he would subconsciously turn his head to see if she was still there, and then gave himself an extremely cute smile.

But what to do after that?She has to go back to work—although the goblins valued her very much and said they could let her take another long vacation, but since the deaths of James and Lily, she has already taken a vacation for nearly two months. She even invited her for the Christmas holiday...but if she went to work, who would take care of little Harry?

The working hours of the curse breaker are very irregular, unlike ordinary jobs where you can commute regularly, but will anyone still want to hire themselves now?Hiring someone who, despite escaping trial, was already branded a Death Eater by everyone...

The doorbell rang, and Tahlia was instantly on guard.

Quickly carried Harry into the inner room, tucked the wand into the sleeve and hid it, so that if it was just an ordinary neighbor who rang the doorbell, they would not notice the wand hidden in her sleeve, walked forward, and opened the door a small crack---

"Severus?"

Ben was surprised how anyone knew where she lived, but then remembered that he had been here before... Although he was kicked out by himself, he obviously already knew the place.

"What are you here for?" Tahlia didn't fully open the door, still looking out at Snape who was standing upright through the crack of the door.

"I thought it would be very impolite for a guest to stand outside the door and talk." Snape raised an eyebrow and spoke.

Tahlia opened the door unconsciously, took a few steps back, and watched Snape walk into the room.

What happened to her?I feel very wrong with my emotions today... and Snape's behavior is also very wrong.

"You... sit?" He said dryly, pointing casually at a small sofa.

And Snape actually sat down without saying a word.

As if she didn't expect Snape to sit peacefully in her living room like this, Tahlia looked a little at a loss, after all, she thought, if Snape saw her, he should not say anything, just cast a curse...

"I think I need some tea," Snape said flatly. "It's not easy to find you here."

"Of course it's hard to find..." Tahlia said dryly. "Otherwise, a bunch of people will definitely come to the door."

Falling into embarrassment again, now she knows what is going on with this weird mood today...

It's all because of the inexplicable things Dumbledore said to himself the day before yesterday, and he had to explain it to Snape...

Damn, how could she tell...

Now it's hard to even maintain a distant attitude in front of him──

Resolutely turned around and entered the kitchen, calmed down while waiting for the water to boil, and settled down emotions...

So, when she came out of the kitchen with tea, Snape had been sitting there for a while, with an expression of impatience clearly written on his face...

He still didn't intend to kill himself, which made Tahlia very puzzled. How should I put it, she hasn't seen him like this for a long time... looking at herself calmly.

She put down the plate she was holding, poured him a glass, pushed it in front of him, and sat down.

Snape spoke almost the moment Tahlia sat down. "The principal said that he wants you to be the school's professor—Defense Against the Dark Arts..."

"I've already turned him down," Tahlia said, looking at him, trying to be as normal as possible. "Didn't he tell you?"

It's not... Snape's face was half black. "In short, I have made it very clear to you that he wants you to serve. You should not refuse the request of someone who has helped you."

Tahlia was silent.

"Even though I don't quite... agree with his decision."

Tahlia still didn't speak.

"He also told me a reason why you shouldn't say no." Snape frowned slightly. "He said you liked—"

"Wow ───"

Loud cries came from the room on the side, and both of them stared in that direction in a daze.

Tahlia jumped up instantly. "Sorry, I have to take a look..." Saying that, without waiting for Snape to say anything else, he hurried into the room, and the crying stopped.

After a while, Tahlia came out with a baby in her arms. Snape caught his breath and stared into the baby's eyes...

clear, beautiful...

Lily's eyes.

"He is..." He struggled to utter a word, and the words he planned to say to Tahlia were completely thrown aside.

"His name is Harry Potter." Tahlia said flatly. "James and Lily's baby, or—you know—the papers... the boy who survived—"

"And he's here with you now?" Snape frowned.

"I went and brought him, I don't think you forgot."

Snape fell silent.

"So, what were you trying to say?" Tahlia asked as she sat down with Harry in her arms, seeing Snape's expression as if he had just come back from a memory.

"He said, you like me."

Tahlia froze and spoke immediately.And you believe it? " She said deliberately indifferently, but she felt that the tone was full of flaws when she heard it, "Do you really believe his theory of love? "

"Although I've always been skeptical about this, that doesn't stop me from trusting him," Snape said coldly. "Based on this, I should also give a little... affirmation to his opinion of you."

"Plus, you're already taking care of Lily's baby—" Snape continued. "Could it be that the job of a curse breaker allows you to take good care of him?" Sneered. "It's better to let him go and show that Black."

Tahlia fell silent again.

Unexpectedly, Dumbledore would send Snape over, and Merlin realized how determined she must be to refuse Snape's request, and the reasons he gave were damn reasonable.Even Harry was used by him as a bargaining chip to persuade her...

Now she really had to take good care of Harry, based on her promise to Lily.

She really needs a relatively stable job to be able to take good care of Harry.Teaching at the school was definitely the best option, and it shouldn't be a problem, if she didn't care that Snape was there too...

That's right, Snape...

He got it.

He knows he likes him.

The masks that had been put on before now looked really ridiculous.

When he already knew what he was thinking.

He just sat there, talking about it flatly, without even expressing anything, as if the fact that she liked him was not worth mentioning to him at all.

"You've told me so much... Is it your point of view, or Albus's?" Even though she already knew the answer in her heart, she still held on to the glimmer of hope that maybe after Snape knew her emotions, he would somehow A little bit of a change, not hating myself like that...

"Of course it's the Headmaster's wish." Snape said flatly. Tahlia's face darkened instantly. "However, I think I can try to endure your time as a Hogwarts professor—"

"What?" Tahlia looked up, a moment of astonishment flashing across her face.

Seeing Tahlia stare blankly at his face, Snape added. "It can also be said, that's right... Although I don't quite agree with you going to teach in the school──but it is still within the acceptable range."

Tahlia was still stunned.

Snape's attitude was too mild that day for her to react at all.

“If you ask me, purely in terms of academics—then I can’t deny that if you can be a professor, it’s definitely helpful to students,” he continued. "Meaning, I don't hate working with you, Tahlia."