[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"You mean, after you finished the potion, you woke up in the living room the next moment, and it was already late at night?"

Facing the frowning Dumbledore in front of him, Snape recounted the day's events again, only to find that no matter from which angle he looked at it, this matter was weird—

How did he ignore it so naturally?

"I think so." He replied dryly.

"In other words, your memory was blank for a full twelve hours that day, Severus—" Dumbledore said slowly. "I'm surprised that you haven't even aroused the slightest suspicion—"

"I was... focused on other things..." Snape looked away. Although Dumbledore's tone was soft at this time, the aggressiveness revealed in it was very obvious. "The potion is very precious──" especially the Tears of the Eternal Restoration he found with great pains, he felt that the only remaining drop in this world had already been thrown into the potion by him, that is to say, unless he got another Once, otherwise he would not be able to make that potion again...

"But that doesn't excuse your negligence—" Dumbledore began again. "Have you ever wondered why there is a gap in your memory?"

"I..." Snape closed his mouth after only one word, and said in a low voice after a while. "What do you want to say?" He instinctively thought that the old man in front of him didn't really want to know his answer, the answer had already been formed in his mind.

"Maybe..." Sure enough, after hearing Snape's question, Dumbledore mused for a while and said softly. "Related to Tahlia's departure—"

"Impossible." Snape retorted immediately, subconsciously. "She never came to my place."

"But her original plan was to meet you, wasn't she?" Dumbledore still said softly, and his tone was flat and natural, as if they were only talking about the weather today or something. "Assuming she did meet you..." He stared suddenly at Snape, his eyes sharp. "Why do you have no impression at all?"

Judging from Snape's sudden frowning and dark expression, it was obvious that they were thinking of the same thing, and before Snape could speak, Dumbledore continued. "Because your memory was erased...or should I say, erased by Tahlia—"

There was silence—except for the whirring hum of the silverware, large and small.

"You said she... did it to me... and forgot all about it?" Snape didn't know how long it took before he spoke, and found that his throat was unusually dry. "That doesn't make sense at all—" He shook his head.

"But that's the only explanation, boy." Dumbledore said wearily.

"If you're right, Headmaster—" Snape waved his hand. "Then we will never know the truth." The Forgetting Curse cannot be restored unless it is cast by the caster himself—

"Unless Tahlia chooses to restore you in the future..." Dumbledore said slowly, sounding somewhat disappointed. "The question is, how determined are you to retrieve this memory?"

Snape was silent.

In fact, he didn't know.

It should be said that he is very contradictory.

Of course he wanted to know what happened during that blank time, and why Tahlia left, but there was also a big voice in his heart, every time he opened his mouth to say the words to restore his memory, he stopped abruptly over him.

That memory is dangerous, the voice said.

Snape felt that if he'd had a good talk with Tahlia, it wouldn't bother him so much - maybe she'd just tell him all about it.

As long as he and she can have a good talk, all the current problems will no longer be problems.

He stood up slowly, ignoring Dumbledore's obviously reproachful gaze, and spoke. "You'll keep looking for her anyway, won't you?" And he didn't believe that Dumbledore would ever lose track of Tahlia.

"Severus—"

"I know what you're trying to say..." Snape looked annoyed. "I know she likes me, you've reminded me countless times—" He frowned. "I've forgiven her too, isn't that enough?" He's already decided that he'll try to get along with Tahlia, and until then, he can't be sure of anything.

"I'm sure it would be more effective if this was left to you, Severus," said Dumbledore. "As long as you're willing to find her—"

"Me?" Snape's eyes widened in disbelief.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm sure you'd be the best choice—"

"No." Snape refused straight away, so fast that Dumbledore couldn't help but be astonished. "What do you expect from me, Dumbledore?" he said stiffly. "Falling madly in love with her after knowing the truth?"

"That's not what I meant—" Dumbledore replied flatly. "I was just thinking, maybe you would be willing to pay something for it... Obviously I was wrong." There was a pause. "But you really think so in your heart?" he asked, seeing Snape's momentarily stunned expression. "My feeling is that you're just avoiding her—because you're not ready, am I right?"

"Then you should know that it's a ridiculous decision to leave her to me—" Snape said dryly.

"I think it's the right decision, but if you don't want to, I won't force it, Severus—" said Dumbledore. "So yeah, I'll keep trying to find her...Hope you've figured it out by then? About how you're going to handle your relationship?"

Snape nodded slowly, this time the meaning of the nod was completely different from the last time Dumbledore nodded after advising him, when he was just perfunctory, but this time, he was serious.

Then, he left the principal's office.

Then, Snape saw that Dumbledore had sent two letters to Tahlia and returned them unopened, and realized that two years had passed, and she still had no plans to come back.

This made him wonder, maybe something really happened in his blank memory... Tahlia has never been out of contact with him for so long, or even spoken to him.

Before the Dark Lord disappeared, even though Tahlia tried her best to belittle him as soon as she saw him, which made him very angry, but thinking about it now, her eyes often flashed various things when no one noticed. At that time, he had never thought about such a complicated emotion, and at that time, he himself was also occupied by anger, and he didn't even care about the reason for the flash of guilt or sadness.

Only now did he understand what he was seeing.

In fact, what he had been seeing all along was just completely ignored by him.

The semester is coming to an end, and today is this year's Quidditch House Cup championship match, Gryffindor vs Slytherin, as the headmaster, he really can't find a reason not to attend, even if he has no interest in that sport at all, just like Tahlia... …

Besides, since the second son of the Weasley family joined the Gryffindor team, the group of lions seemed to have added powerful wings, crushing opponents on the court to their heart's content. This reminded him of Potter's glory days when he was on the team He looked so proud, and this was only the second year of playing Quidditch for Charlie Weasley, that is to say, probably until the kid graduated, Slytherin had no chance of becoming a Quidditch champion.

The final result was just as Snape expected, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Champions Cup with an overwhelming score, he forced a smile and congratulated the excited McGonagall, but he didn't forget to remind her, Even so, this year's Academy Cup will still be won by Slytherin if there are no accidents.

He had hardly imagined the hall decorated in colors other than silver and green.

Since the school days, the annual final banquet has always been decorated with Slytherin's symbolic animals. Even in the year when Black was deducted so many points for the Screaming Shack incident, they still thrilled to win by a few points. The narrow win over Ravenclaw is all due to Tahlia's good performance in class, and the bonus points for coming up with such an inspiring duel that year...

Dueling meeting.

Snape thought darkly.

That duel saved everyone from the Dark Lord's attack, but Tahlia herself-

Damn.

He found that he would always think of her uncontrollably, could not help comparing people with her, could not help thinking of some of her actions through some trivial things that had nothing to do with her, and could not help recalling what she said If you pass──

what happened to him?

"Ah, don't say that, Severus—" McGonagall wasn't too angry after hearing his words, in fact, she still looked very happy. "Charlie is a really talented kid, it always reminds me of James, who made Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup at that time──" Seeing Snape's face sinking instantly, she closed her mouth immediately, Tried to change the subject. "By the way, there is still no news about Tahlia's child?"

Snape nodded grimly. "The principal sent a letter a few days ago." The school year is coming to an end, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts class seems to be really cursed, and the teachers who barely find it every year leave quickly , and some didn't even last a year, which gave Dumbledore a good excuse to send Tahlia a letter about it every year, even if the letters never got a response.

McGonagall nodded. "I really hope that there will be news this time. She is the only person I have seen in recent years who is really qualified to be a professor." Then, she showed a worried look. "Where did she go? Severus, you said she was a woman with a child—"

"Not sure." Snape replied coldly. "Sorry, Minerva, I still have something to do, I have to finish grading those assignments before the end of the semester──" McGonagall seemed to feel that Snape was not very interested in continuing this topic, and didn't care much, waved his hand and He said goodbye when he arrived, and the two separated and returned to their respective offices.

Snape returned to the cellar, but he didn't have the slightest thought of grading homework, he just sat on the chair in the office, staring at the air in a daze.

I am very puzzled, why Tahlia would leave just when he finally knew all the truth, and what did he do at that time, so that Tahlia, who has always been very good-tempered towards him, would choose to cast a spell on him, this problem has already troubled For five full years.

Five years is neither long nor short.

Five years is enough for him to establish his prestige in the whole school. No student has ever dared to disobey him, and the students of his own college also respect him as the dean.

Five years also made him think carefully about what to say when he saw Tahlia, although he still has no idea... There are too many questions to ask and too many words to express──and he still Considering whether he should ask everything first, or tell her what he thinks first—

Just as he was thinking about it, a silver phoenix suddenly appeared in his office, instantly making Snape straighten up.

Is the patron saint of Dumbledore.

I saw the phoenix staring at Snape calmly, if it wasn't for its somewhat transparent silver body, he would almost have had the illusion that the animal in front of him was alive. Under Snape's perplexed gaze, it opened slowly Mouth……

Hearing Dumbledore's voice through the mouth of the phoenix was a very strange sight, but Snape didn't have time to think about it...

The moment he heard those words, his body had already taken a step forward, stood up from the chair, and walked out with big strides, heading straight for the principal's office──

And the phoenix disappeared without a trace as early as the moment he finished delivering the message, but the old man's old voice still seemed to be echoing in the office...

It had been a long time since Snape walked by this fast.

The black robe rolled behind him, and every student subconsciously stepped aside when they saw him, not wanting to stand in front of him at this time──

Not long after, he stood at the door of the principal's office, pushed the door open without even knocking, and stepped in.

And the woman sitting on the chair with her back to him turned her head slowly, glanced at him and opened her mouth lightly. "Just in time, Snape—"