[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Tahlia was right.

Early the next morning, the moment Peter opened the door and walked in with the disgusting object in his arms, Voldemort's voice reached their ears, and as she expected, he said exactly what she had guessed.

"Tahlia…" the thing said, with unmistakable excitement in its tone. "Back... when you were at...Gringotts...should... be familiar with that place?"

Tahlia nods. "Yes, Lord... at least I'm familiar with those goblins..." After a pause, he continued. "Then the Philosopher's Stone is really in Gringotts?"

Voldemort chuckled a few times before speaking to Tahlia in satisfaction. "As expected...it's me──" Just halfway through the words, the wrinkled body began to cough violently.

At this moment, Tahlia hoped that the thing would cough to death like this, then everything would be much easier, but the reality would not go her way at all, Voldemort stopped coughing very quickly, but still seemed to be panting in pain.

"Pettigrew! Is this how you treat the Lord?" Tahlia snapped.

Peter was so frightened that he almost jumped up in an instant, helplessly looking back and forth at the crowd, his mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't say anything.

"It seems...it's...this body...has reached its limit..." Unusually, Voldemort didn't get angry at anyone, he seemed to have anticipated this situation long ago, and just spoke plainly. "Tahlia...you know...the urgency...of the...things?"

Tahlia nodded immediately. "Lord, I will definitely do my best to accomplish this for you." He said, turning his head to look at Snape. "I guess Snape must have thought so too, right?"

Snape nodded quickly, but said nothing.

"Then..." Voldemort raised the corners of his mouth and pointed to Peter who was beside him.

Peter understood immediately and said. "Lord's...meaning that you can go back...back—" There was a pause. "And it's going to be done within . . . within a year."

One year.

Tahlia was already sitting on the sofa in Snape's living room again, her brow furrowed, and of course, Snape across the way was the same.

She knew this was the most time Peter could buy for them.

He was the one who got that body for Voldemort back then, and he knew best when it would reach its limit, but it was only one year...

Regardless of when she'd be able to get the Philosopher's Stone, Snape's research on the potion would take an incredible amount of time... Could they really do it in a year?

Thinking, she suddenly stood up from the sofa.

"What?" Snape blurted out.

"Nothing." Tahlia replied flatly. "I think I should go see Albus..." How could she forget?When she was in school, it was seeing Albus Dumbledore on the Chocolate Frog that she knew he was a very powerful wizard and that she had to ask for his help.

It clearly stated on it that he knew, and probably even knew Nicolas Flamel, who was famous for his alchemy—considering their research together.Or it should be said that she was convinced that the only remaining Philosopher's Stone in the world must have come from that Mr. Flamel.

Maybe she didn't even have to go into Gringotts to get a Philosopher's Stone. That way, Snape could start researching earlier, and their chances of completing the mission on schedule would be much higher.

"I'll go too," Snape said, standing up too.

Tahlia frowned again. "what are you going to do?"

"I think, anyway, I should assist you," Snape said slowly. "Besides, I happen to have something to discuss with the principal..."

Tahlia didn't speak any more, just moved quickly to the fireplace, glanced at it and turned back with a strange expression. "You never used your fireplace?"

"I don't stay here very often." Snape replied dryly, and also walked forward, and found that the fireplace was dirty, and even the small box of Floo powder that was usually placed beside him had long since run out, and he didn't even He can't remember when he runs out.

Tahlia sighed. "I think you have to come with me..."

It never occurred to Snape that he would be able to set foot in Tahlia's small apartment in his life, and even standing in her living room seemed to be his hallucination.

Apparently, neither did the two furry creatures that stayed inside.

Nigel expressed disbelief that the black lacquer had followed Tahlia into the door, his mouth was wide open, and he stared at Harry in surprise, as if he wanted to ask him what was going on.

Harry smiled helplessly.

He knew what Nigel wanted to ask, but it was a question he wanted to know too.

Tahlia had never let Snape in, he was sure of that, the memory of the last time he was kept out was still vivid, Tahlia obviously didn't want to have much contact with Snape, especially Snape - well, he knew he should Call him a professor, after all, he will go to Hogwarts in less than a month, and Professor Snape even hurt Tahlia before, if he is, the iron rule will ignore him, and he will continue to be with him Talking... not to mention Tahlia's increasingly erratic behavior after meeting Snape.

"Professor Snape." Harry called out a little, knowing in his heart that it was absolutely impossible for Nigel to follow him.

Snape just nodded slightly, then looked around uncontrollably, he had never looked carefully at Tahlia's place before, and now he just wanted to know everything about her...any-

"I didn't ask you to come here for you to visit." Tahlia's voice came into her ears coldly. Snape pulled back the expression on his face and turned around.

"The fireplace is over there, you go there first." Tahlia tapped a fireplace on the right with her chin.

Snape didn't say anything, but nodded again, then walked to the fireplace, and moved to the headmaster's office first.

As soon as Snape left, the two children became restless, and immediately ran to Tahlia's side, chattering non-stop, almost making Tahlia unable to hear the content of the question. Sentences that are all jumbled together can be used to figure out what they are asking.

"Don't be nervous, he's just going to Hogwarts by the fireplace here..." Tahlia explained, but it didn't calm the two kids down.

It's just a fireplace, isn't it?There's no need for him to come in here!

It's been just them and Tahlia, and of course, Sirius!There should be absolutely no darkness! Nigel pouted angrily, he felt that their and Tahlia's territory had been violated...

"Nigel, should I take Snape to Lucius' house for such a trivial matter? Or Sirius' house? You should know that Sirius doesn't like Snape..." Seeing Nigel's angry expression on his face, Tahlia quickly comforted him.

"You don't like the dark either...we don't like the dark..." he muttered under his breath.

Tahlia laughed and patted Nigel's head. "Okay, even if he is dark...he may still be your professor in the future, and I need to cooperate with him...you can't call him dark in front of others, can you?"

"I just want to call him dark!" Nigel growled angrily. "He is dark! The most hated, the most annoying black!" It would be best for people all over the world to know that he is the black who bullies Tahlia, and hate him together!

Tahlia didn't speak any more, just smiled, patted Nigel on the head again, and whispered to Harry to take care of him for a while, before turning around and moving to the fireplace, stepping into the flames.

In just a few moments, Snape had told Dumbledore everything.

That's why when Tahlia just stood firm, she saw the expressions on the faces of the two people in front of her were extremely serious.

"Tahlia, what Severus just said is true?" Dumbledore asked slowly.

Tahlia nods. "I think that using the power of the Philosopher's Stone can indeed restore him, and we can kill him..."

"Are you sure?"

A chuckle. "You know that, don't you?" Tahlia said. "Although the Philosopher's Stone is powerful, it is not permanent. There is no inexhaustible energy in this world, let alone a Philosopher's Stone made by manpower... I thought you should know best—"

"Looks like that's why you came to me, kid," Dumbledore said knowingly. "You know Nicolas has the Philosopher's Stone...and he put it in—"

"Gringotts."

Dumbledore didn't look surprised that Tahlia already knew where the Philosopher's Stone was, nor was she surprised that he knew Nicolas well, he said flatly. "So, can I ask what you plan to do?"

"I want the Philosopher's Stone," Tahlia said directly. "Snape will use him to make enough potion for Voldemort to regain his body."

Dumbledore froze for a moment before realizing it. "So you're serious?" He looked back and forth between the two. "Are you really planning to use this method to restore him?"

"We can only defeat him if he regains his body, can't we?" Tahlia replied flatly. "Don't forget that he's the only one left now... We can't destroy his soul when he's so useless living in a body that doesn't belong to his soul." She clenched her fist unconsciously as she spoke. "As long as we are prepared, we will definitely be able to kill him completely when he thinks he has regained everything."

"And what if it fails?"

Tahlia frowned. "I never knew you'd say we were going to fail before it even happened...One more year, no? We'll be able to plan everything...I've waited long enough for this day..."

"No, what I'm asking is, what will happen to you if you fail?" Dumbledore looked straight at Tahlia.

"What else?" Tahlia asked back, then smirked.

Dumbledore was silent.

"We're going to die." For a moment, Snape stood aside, calmly answering for Tahlia. "Obviously, the Dark Lord is determined not to spare anyone who dares to betray him."

"It should be said that if we fail, not only us, but all of us... have only one end." Tahlia added. "All of us! Albus…" After a pause, she smiled. "So I won't fail, they won't die, I've made this determination a long time ago."

If one of them really had to die, it would only be her... She would protect the people she cared about no matter what.

So a year from now, they'll be successful, she's confident, and that means it's not too far away when she'll be free from it all.

I can finally leave everything behind and leave here...

At the same moment, in the hut in the distance, the two people were vaguely reflected in the flickering firelight, if one of them could barely be considered a human being.

"Quirinus...do you know...I asked Peter out...to tell you something?"

The pale young man shook his head in confusion, waiting quietly for the thing on the sofa to speak again.

"What do you... think... Tahlia of her... this person?"