[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"Nigel is actually... Tahlia's son, right?"

Lucius paused for a moment, then chuckled. "I said Severus, don't you think this is too absurd—"

"Tell me." Snape didn't waver at all, looking at Lucius quietly.

Lucius kept his mouth shut, seemingly in deep thought, not showing any absurdity from Snape's pressing questions, even though he had every reason to be flustered now...

Didn't expect Snape to ask him about this, and his answer at this moment was extremely important, if he messed up, he would miss the appointment - he promised Tahlia that he would not tell anyone about it, especially Snape...

"Honestly, I don't know." After a while, Lucius said slowly. "Believe it or not, Tahlia didn't tell me 'everything.'" A few of the words were emphasized.

"But you had doubts," Snape said, affirmatively. "And asked her—"

Lucius laughed mockingly. "Don't tell me you didn't ask—"

Snape scowled.

He did ask, though not directly, but more or less... and at the time Tahlia—

"...That's right, I asked her." Lucius admitted bluntly with the corners of his lips curled up. "What do you think she answered?"

Snape was silent for a few seconds, but the answer was already obvious. "She denies it," he whispered.

"Yes, she denies it," Lucius replied, clapping his hands exaggeratedly. "You're absolutely right—Severus...don't you believe it?"

"I believe it." Snape said darkly.He trusted Tahlia, what he didn't believe was that she would take a child like that for no reason and still love him so much. "But they are so close, and no one knows who his parents are... There can't be so many coincidences in this world—"

"That's enough, Severus." Lucius snapped abruptly, stood up from his chair, and stared down at Snape. "You asked me a question, and I've already told you what I know, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

Snape frowned. "I didn't say that."

"But it's on your mind," Lucius pointed out. "You asked me a question, but you only want me to give you the answer you want, so what else can I say? Huh?" He glanced at Tahlia again before turning back. "Actually, you just want me to tell you that Nigel is Tahlia's son?"

Snape scowled again, glaring at Lucius.

Lucius walked slowly to Tahlia's side, staring at her for a long time this time.

She wasn't the same Tahlia he remembered from school, when she had a face that seemed to have an energy that could infect anyone, and he didn't see her face anymore.

Now she always looks tired, even if she laughs occasionally, it's like throwing a pebble on the lake, although there are waves, it will eventually return to silence.

"If I really told you that Nigel is Tahlia's son, how would you react?" After a while, he turned around and spoke quietly.

Snape didn't answer, but he already had a very clear answer in his mind.

He still couldn't believe that Tahlia would have a child with someone else, and if Nigel was really Tahlia's own, the only thing he would do was try to find out who the child's father was—

He really wanted to know why the man would leave Tahlia alone to take care of Nigel while he disappeared, and why he didn't care about their mother and child at all.

"She was away for five full years, Severus." Even though Snape hadn't said anything, Lucius could guess what was going on in his mind, and that guess made him angry. "No one knows exactly how she lived during this period, or I should tell you clearly, no one knows who she was living with during this period-you can't expect her to always only look at you."

Snape's body froze for an instant, and the angry stare disappeared instantly, and he seemed to become extremely depressed all of a sudden.

"You heard what she said just now... She is always strong, but more than anyone needs a listener who understands her, encourages her when she feels she can't go on—when she needs you the most Where were you, Severus?" Lucius said in one breath without mercy. "You've forced her to be alone, and now you're going to question her about her love life? Just because you—how should I put it—just because you've suddenly realized that you should be in love with her, and you take it for granted that she should too." Always focus only on you?"

Snape remained silent, lowering his head slowly.

Seeing this, Lucius couldn't help but snorted coldly. "Even if you're right, Tahlia is really Nigel's biological mother—although we can't be sure, but anyway, you are not qualified to ask about it, Severus, do you understand?" After a pause, he Only then continued. "When you dismissed Tahlia's concern for you many years ago, you were completely disqualified."

disqualified.

Snape thought the words sounded strangely harsh, maybe Lucius was right, maybe Tahlia had fallen in love with Ling, maybe Nigel was Tahlia's child...

But in the future... in the future he has no intention of fading out of Tahlia's life──

Looking up, Snape looked directly at Lucius. "What do you really want to say?"

Lucius was silent for a few seconds, staring at Snape for a while before speaking slowly. "How do you feel about that?"

"What's the meaning?"

"I have to ask you a hypothetical question." Lucius asked flatly, the previous few conversations had only reached a point, and he still wanted to figure out...to figure out what Snape was really thinking right now.

He hadn't intended to bother about it - he wouldn't have asked if Cici hadn't been whispering in his ear all day that she still felt that Tahlia hadn't really let go of Snape.

And now, just in time...

"Supposing I knew who the father of this child was—"

"You know?" Snape raised his head and asked abruptly.

Lucius waved impatiently. "I mean hypothetically—no, wait...I'll put it another way—let's go back to the beginning," he said quietly. "Suppose Tahlia fell in love with someone else—"

"She won't." Snape blurted out again, but he regretted the words as soon as Lucius stopped talking and looked at himself coldly.

"Severus," he said. "This is the second time you've interrupted me...I don't want a third."

Snape lowered his face, nodded hastily, clenched his fists unconsciously, and secretly made up his mind that no matter what he heard afterwards, he would never say a word again──

"Suppose Tahlia falls in love with someone, and their child is Nigel──" Lucius paused for a moment, and suddenly an idea formed in his mind, causing the corners of his mouth to curl up unconsciously. "Who do you think Nigel looks like?"

Snape froze for a few seconds. "Feel sorry?"

"Who does Nigel look like?" Lucius smirked. "If you had to guess, who do you think Nigel's father would be?" After thinking for a while, he added another sentence. "If you insisted that Tahlia wouldn't just go out and live with a stranger, who would she choose? Among the people we know...who would she—seek warmth from?"

Lucius knew he was messing around, and Tahlia would be pissed if she knew about it, but she didn't say she couldn't confuse him as long as she promised not to tell Snape the truth...

He knew Snape must be completely bewildered by now.

And Snape was indeed taken aback.

Nigel... like who?

He once had the illusion that Nigel was uncannily similar to Tahlia as a child--that's why he doubted their relationship, but father?

Who will be his father?

Could it be that, as Lucius said, Nigel's biological father was someone they knew──

Merlin.

Snape's eyes widened. "That's your guess, Lucius?"

"Isn't my guess important at all, is it?" The smile on Lucius' face deepened, and he realized that Snape might have started to think in the wrong direction as he imagined. "I'm asking what you think, Severus."

Snape looked up, glaring at Lucius. "You knew about it all along?"

"Which thing?" Lucius raised his eyebrows and asked intentionally.

Snape stood up abruptly, completely forgetting the decision he had just made just now. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?" he yelled, but the first word he yelled reminded him that this was a hospital, and Tahlia was sleeping beside him, and he lowered the volume, even so, his voice was still full of anger Hoarse, he took a few steps forward and grabbed Lucius by the collar roughly with one hand. "Her and Black?"

"Calm down, Severus, I never said that, let alone..." Lucius didn't struggle at all, the smile still on his face. "As far as I remember, the Black family has two sons, which one are you referring to—"

"You know who I'm talking about!" Snape growled, his knuckles white with the force.

How could he be so stupid?

Black has always liked Tahlia, hasn't he?And the relationship between Tahlia and him has always been much closer than that of ordinary friends. He was so proud that he never expended any energy, and he easily had something that Black would never get no matter how hard he tried—at that time he had Tahlia Love.

But he was wrong.

How could he be so confident that Tahlia would love him forever, instead of giving up decisively and running into Black's embrace──

No, she did give up.

She doesn't talk to him anymore, she has been close to Black since she came back, and Nigel also regards him as a father, and now that I think about it, the answer is obvious, isn't it?

To love or be loved, she chose the latter after all—just because what he did in the past completely squandered all of her infatuation.

Snape had never felt so desperate, and Ben unconsciously let go of Lucius' collar.

"Looking at your reaction, I don't think I need to say anything more. You should be clear that I didn't tell you anything. It's all just a matter of assumptions, right?" Lucius said in satisfaction, taking time off After adjusting the collar, he found that not only the collar, but also the smooth robe had become messy because of Snape's violent actions just now, making him look a bit embarrassed, and he couldn't help complaining. "Not that I'm saying, Severus...you're a wizard, not one of those Muggles who just shake their fists stupidly, don't look like a fool."

Snape didn't respond.

It should be said that he doesn't know what to say now, is he too naive?Naively thought that Tahlia would still choose him in the end—perhaps the name Nigel was already the most favorable evidence of his blood relationship with Black.

She had already made a choice, and that person was not him.

Snape closed his eyes, and for a moment, he found it hard to breathe.

She picked Sirius Black.

She loves Sirius Black.