[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Snape thought he'd already thought about the answer to that question.

But it doesn't.

At that time, he didn't even bother to think about it, so he hastily came to a wrong and outrageous conclusion. He admitted that he was wrong——

Tahlia is definitely not just a classmate of seven years to him, not to mention that she started trying to hang around him when she was a child, and after arriving at Hogwarts, she and other Slytherin students always regarded him as a different kind eyes are different.

He originally thought it was because her background was more inferior than him in the academy, but even in the later period, when the students were in awe of her, she always looked at him with the same eyes as at the beginning.

What kind of existence is Tahlia to him?

She's been trying to protect him, hasn't she?

He has never been so irritated by such a thing, even when Lily and him would be embarrassed when they first met, he didn't feel so unaccustomed──

Why exactly?

If Lily is still alive, she must have the answer──

Thinking about it now, she tried to tell him more than once, but he selectively ignored those facts that seemed so obvious now.

Standing up, he walked slowly to his desk, and opened one of the drawers. Inside was a photo frame with Lily's photo, but when he was about to take out the photo frame, he froze.

In the end, he didn't touch the photo frame, but took out an old iron box that he also put in this drawer at some time.

When she was very young, Tahlia gave—no, it should be said that she forced herself that old box full of ordinary little things.

That night, Snape didn't go into the potion room to study potions, but sat behind his desk and stared at the iron box all night.

And, the following nights, Snape would unconsciously take out the box and put it on the table, staring at it blankly, just looking at it, as if thinking about something.

Soon, the school ushered in the first snow of this semester, and the festive atmosphere was not affected by the increasingly cold weather, but more joyful.

Christmas has always been their most important holiday of the year, even in the wizarding world.

Tahlia sat quietly on the sofa, looking at the two children excitedly trying to decorate the Christmas tree in the living room at home, she couldn't help but smile.

"That's not how it hangs! Nigel!" Harry snatched the small decorative ball from Nigel's hand, because he was trying to get the little golden ball to the top of the tree, regardless of where the top of the tree should be placed. The big star that was sitting on the ground hadn't been placed on the ground yet. With his current height alone, it was impossible for him to accomplish this move. "This little ball just needs to be here!" he said, demonstrating that the little ball was hanging from the end branch of the Christmas tree.

"What about the top?" Nigel pointed to the top of the Christmas tree. "I want to put the tallest one!"

"Here it is," Harry said, then bent down and picked up the big star on the ground, and handed it to Nigel. "But you'll never be able to—"

As soon as he said that, he was surprised to find that Nigel floated up with the star in his hand, and slowly floated towards the top of the Christmas tree, which made him forget to continue talking for a moment.

"Harry! I'm flying!" Nigel exclaimed, looking excitedly at Harry who was already at his feet.

Harry turned his head and saw Tahlia sitting on the sofa with a mischievous smile that he had never seen before, with his wand pointed steadily at Nigel, and realized that it must be her magic. "It's not that you can fly! It's Tahlia that makes you float!" After a pause, he added immediately. "Talents can't fly by themselves! Otherwise, why would they invent the broom!"

"Anyway, I just flew up." Nigel was floating in the air, and he didn't feel scared at all from flying off the ground suddenly. Instead, he felt very fresh, and looked at Harry triumphantly. "Look, I can put stars—" He said, carefully placing the big star in his hand on the top of the Christmas tree.

After the release, Tahlia let Nigel descend back to the ground at a very slow speed. As soon as Nigel's feet touched the floor, he jumped up and down happily, turning around Harry. "Who said I can never let it go?"

"That's Tahlia...forget it." Harry touched his nose, turned around and took out a few more balls from the small box on the ground. "You are the best." He praised.

After a while, the Christmas tree was covered with colorful balls. Tahlia waved her magic wand after taking a look at their results, and some white cotton-like snow fell on the tree slowly, without any harm due to the warmth of the room. The fire melted and fell on the Christmas tree one after another, making it look more atmospheric.

"Wow! Tahlia!" Nigel's eyes were shining, and he rushed around the small living room, as if he could appreciate his masterpiece from all angles. "so beautiful!"

"Don't make it prettier, what will you show off to Sirius when he comes over later?" Tahlia asked.Glancing at the clock on the wall. "He should be here soon—you remember Sirius?" he asked again, addressing Nigel.

"Harry's godfather!" Nigel said quickly. "He's a good man! He won't bully you."

Tahlia chuckled, which had happened quite often recently, and Harry and the others could clearly feel the change in her, and they would no longer be startled by Tahlia's sudden laughter. "Yes, he won't bully me—"

And when the bell rang at two o'clock in the afternoon, Harry immediately jumped up from his chair and rushed out of the living room without Tahlia's order. After a while, he walked in with Sirius.

"Merry Christmas, Tahlia!" Sirius said as soon as he stepped into the living room.

"It's not Christmas yet, Sirius—" Tahlia smiled, stood up, and gestured for Sirius to sit down. "Regulus didn't come with you?"

Sirius froze for a moment when he saw Tahlia's smile before shaking his head. "He went to visit other people." He murmured again. "I originally planned to drag him here no matter what..."

"Okay, it's not like we won't see you in the future──" Tahlia said, then took out a small box and handed it to Sirius. "Here..." Seeing Sirius' puzzled expression, she explained. "I'll take the two little ones to Weasly's house in a few days, and I probably don't have time to send gifts, so I'll give it to you now—" He smiled again. "It seems like I haven't given you a Christmas present in years."

"Tahlia..." Sirius accepted the gift in a daze.

Now he's sure Tahlia is a little different again.

But this time he can pat his chest and promise that it will definitely be a good change-at least he won't feel that the smile on Tahlia's face is forced.

"Thank you." He also smiled. "I thought you haven't given me a gift for so long, and this time it should be made up once—" he said jokingly.

"It definitely satisfies you." Unexpectedly, Tahlia spoke seriously. "This gift is definitely enough to make up for my lack of contact with you in the past few years──" She stared straight at Sirius. "Sorry for making you worry..."

Sirius waved quickly. "Absolutely nothing!" he said. "You did nothing wrong! You—"

"Tahlia!" Nigel, who had been ignored for a long time, couldn't help shouting, and also interrupted Sirius. "I want to talk to Sirius too!" he said loudly.

Usually Tahlia allowed him to talk to too few people, and finally met someone who would never bully her, and was Harry's very important godfather, Nigel felt that he must seize the opportunity well.

"Hi! Nigel!" Sirius laughed, and picked up the little boy who had run to his feet, blinking at him, even though his mind flashed the face of some hateful person. "I think you've grown up a lot."

"Of course!" Nigel puffed out his chest. "Grow up to protect Harry and Tahlia!"

"Really?" Sirius patted Nigel's head with a free hand. "It's amazing, I'm still protected by Tahlia..."

"Then I can protect you too!" Nigel said seriously.

Tahlia laughed again. "Look, Sirius—" She took Nigel from Sirius. "Nigel's a good boy, isn't he?" he continued in a low voice to Nigel. "Okay, don't you still want Sirius to see the results of you and Harry's hard work all morning?" He said, gently lowering him to the ground.

Nigel immediately grabbed Sirius's hand, and excitedly pulled him to the Christmas tree where they had been busy all morning. Harry, who was equally excited, looked at Sirius expectantly, as if hoping that he would say some words of praise. .

Just thinking about how Nigel, a child, could suddenly drag himself, Sirius looked up and saw what they wanted him to see.

A smile appeared on his face.

This is good.

He couldn't remember the last time he saw Tahlia celebrate Christmas. It should be said that he couldn't remember the last time he saw Tahlia take the initiative to put Christmas decorations in the house.

Can he think, is this a sign that Tahlia is gradually regaining some vitality?

"It's absolutely the most perfect Christmas tree I've ever seen in my life," he said.And the two children in front of them also unconsciously showed complacent expressions when they heard this sentence, especially Nigel.

"I put that star!" He said proudly. "I let it go!"

"You're amazing, Nigel." Sirius said sincerely, and then smiled brightly at Harry who was confused.

Of course Harry wouldn't argue with Nigel, grinning too. "Sirius, will you also do that snowflake magic that Tahlia did?"

"Of course." Sirius said immediately, who wouldn't know such a trick?Thinking about it, he took out his wand and waved it lightly.

It wasn't just around the Christmas tree, but the whole little living room was snowing, in the city, and this obviously amused Nigel and Harry, two young children, after all, they had never seen snow indoors.

"If you let my house flood, you're responsible for restoring it," Tahlia joked.

Sirius turned around, looking hurt. "You put me down like that, Tahlia...you make me sad."

"Okay, you know I'm joking..." Tahlia laughed a few times, and then added. "But remember to restore it for me later—"

It wasn't that she said it on purpose, but because when she said it, some water had accumulated on the ground due to the melting of falling snowflakes.