[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"What do you mean?" Snape cursed inwardly, Tahlia guessed right... Quirrell had already known about this - but he asked coldly.

"Oh, Severus...of course you know what I mean, but—" Quirrell smiled maliciously. "It's really hard for you this time."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Um?"

"Is Tahlia back at school?" Quirrell didn't answer, but asked another question.

"Of course not." Snape blushed. "You think I have the heart to take care of that woman?"

Quirrell looked surprised, as if he thought Snape just ignored Tahlia completely, and blurted out. "He didn't ask you to kill her, you—"

"I dumped her at St. Mungo's." Snape cut Quirrell coldly. "There will be someone to keep her alive. She can't die there."

"I see." Quirrell nodded understandingly. "This method is smart enough."

Snape snorted disdainfully, then turned around and continued walking forward.

He was angry.

Even so, he had to bear it, he couldn't yell at the idiot behind him, and he couldn't show any emotion that he cared about Tahlia, and he even had to talk about her in a disgusted tone, which he couldn't bear.

But his purpose was achieved, Quirrell was not too difficult to dismiss, it was easy to confuse him, and he was sure he had succeeded in convincing the mindless man that he would like to leave Tahlia in the wilderness to fend for itself .

The only one they had to manage to face was the Dark Lord.

He just couldn't figure out why the Dark Lord would suddenly want to take Tahlia's life--they were clearly sure before, at least for now, Tahlia was still his most capable subordinate.

And for some reason, the Dark Lord would give him another mission while planning to kill her.

And Nigel...

Black...

Thinking of this, Snape felt even more resentful, Black had already got Tahlia, but left their mother and child, and ignored them for five full years... Even after she came back, he didn't see him do anything for them- ─

He should question that guy, or teach him a lesson...

No.

Lucius' words popped into his head suddenly.

Anyway, he didn't have that right anymore... Tahlia had made her choice, and he-

He could only try to redeem it as best he could.

It wasn't doing him any good to rush to punch Black in a rage, even if he wanted to.

He finally returned to his office door, but the moment he pushed the door open, Snape stopped abruptly because of the people who were already inside, and stopped at the door with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Ah, Snape…" the man said with a fake smile on his face the moment he entered the door. "Good morning."

It's Tahlia.

what happened? Snape's eyes widened.

Shouldn't she still be at St. Mungol's?

"Are you discharged from the hospital?"

Tahlia nodded. "They say I'm almost fine..."

Snape closed the door and went to sit on the sofa as well. "I thought you'd be here... have something to say?"

"That's right," Tahlia said. "Now that I've recovered, it's time to start planning our trip to Azkaban—"

"how do you want to do it?"

Tahlia frowned slightly. "...Honestly, I haven't thought of a way yet—do you have any plans?"

"I think there are too many dementors out there, and my Patronus alone won't be able to keep us safe..." Snape said slowly. "Perhaps you should—"

"No." Tahlia refused coldly.

After a while, she realized that she seemed to be refusing too quickly, so she coughed lightly before speaking softly. "I mean... I can't."

"You can't?" Snape was even more confused, there was no reason Tahlia couldn't cast the Patronus Charm, could it be that her Patronus form was unstable?Or some other reason he didn't know?

Tahlia's expression returned to flat. "I won't, Snape." She didn't mean to hide it from anyone, and if she didn't say it, they'd know it later anyway.

She can't use the Patronus Charm.

No matter how hard she tried, there was never even a thin puff of smoke coming out of her wand, let alone a corporeal Patronus.

"You're surprised?" She raised the corners of her mouth sarcastically, seeing Snape's instantly stunned expression, she drew out her wand and held it straight. "Still think it's ridiculous?"

After she finished speaking, she paused, and pulled out what she thought was the happiest memory in her mind—Nigel's soft voice seemed to be lingering in her ears, telling her that he believed her—and then spoke again.

"Expect to Partronum."

There was still no movement, not even the silver smoke that a normal person would emit if they tried it, and the whole space was as silent as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't chanted any spells at all.

"Look," Tahlia said flatly. "So I need your help—"

"why?"

Tahlia raised one eyebrow. "Didn't you see clearly? I can't use a Patronus! So I—"

"I'm asking," Snape turned up the volume, directly over Tahlia's voice. "Why not?"

Tahlia fell silent.

"You thought..." It took her a while to speak again, this time in such a thin voice that it took a lot of effort for Snape to hear exactly what Tahlia had said. "Can a Death Eater use this spell?"

"You were once a Death Eater, Tahlia." Snape corrected, frowning. "What's more, I'm in the same situation as you, but I still learned this spell──"

"That just proves that you're lucky." Tahlia replied coldly. "You should cherish—"

Snape frowned even tighter.

Tahlia glanced at him, then continued. "You can laugh at me all you want...don't make that look—"

"I'm not laughing at you," Snape said slowly. "On the contrary, I think I can help you—"

"Help me?" Tahlia's eyes widened, and then, she burst out laughing. "Come on, Snape... Is it possible that you plan to teach me?" He said, looking at Snape indifferently. "You think I can't cast the spell because I don't understand it?"

Snape vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he still spoke flatly from the records in the book. "The Patronus Charm may be difficult for other people, but you are not ordinary... The key is memory - you have to find the memory that makes you happy -"

"I know." Tahlia interrupted Snape flatly. "Yes, I need happy memories..."

"You can't, Tahlia," Snape said calmly. "You love Nigel...you get on well, you're happy with him—" Especially with Black's presence.

Tahlia shook her head.

"So you really don't understand anything..." She sneered. "I don't need happiness. It is impossible for this emotion to exist alone in this world. Some people are happy, but others are bound to be sad. The two are always two sides of the same thing. Happiness is always built on the pain of others." She paused for a while. For a moment, he looked up at Snape. "What is the reason for you—or, because of which party's sacrifice, you can use the Patronus Charm?"

Snape froze for a few seconds.

He is because of... what?

"You have happiness...Snape." Tahlia continued, very softly. "But have you ever thought about... Whose misfortune is it all in exchange for?"

Snape fell silent.

After a while, it seemed that Snape didn't speak anymore, and Tahlia didn't want to continue discussing this illusory topic, so she forced a smile and spoke. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen your patron saint yet..."

"Not any particular animal," Snape replied dryly, and now he was looking at Tahlia and seeing her looking back at him.

"I want to know," Tahlia said quietly.

But Snape didn't really want to use it...at least at this moment, in front of Tahlia, he wasn't sure it was a good idea--

His patron saint is a doe.

Same as Lily's.

Lily...

I don't know when, he started to be afraid of talking about Lily in front of Tahlia... not because Tahlia would show a lonely look like before, but because, after Tahlia disappeared for a while and returned, the tone of her mentioning Lily always It is indifference.

That made him uncomfortable.

Ironically, once he ordered Tahlia never to mention her in front of him... Now, he can no longer say her name──

He cares about her, she is a friend and relative, it can also be said that he once had a crush on her──

Lily is a very important person to him—whether in his past, present, or future.

But he couldn't lose Tahlia again.

Snape clenched his fists.His feelings for Tahlia were completely different from his feelings for Lily, and he could no longer, nor would he continue to confuse them—

"Snape." Tahlia's voice came again.

"Huh?" he responded reflexively.

The corners of Tahlia's mouth curled up. "I'm not kidding, Snape...I've got to make sure we're not fighting those dementors empty-handed—"

Snape pursed his lips tightly.

After a while, he finally took out his wand slowly and said in a deep voice. "Expect to Partronum."

A doe sprang out from the tip of the wand lightly, kicking around the two of them lively a few times, what was supposed to be a normal behavior now looked like a mockery in Snape's eyes.

Snape opened his mouth, but then realized that no matter what he said now, it didn't make any sense... just because Tahlia was still expressionless even at the moment when he saw the doe──

But she knows.

It is impossible for Tahlia to have never seen Lily's patron saint. The patron saint is not something that can be tampered with at will. He knows that in the days before, Lily and the others have always used the patron saint to confirm their identities──

Tahlia knew exactly what the doe represented, but she just stood there and didn't show it at all...not at all!

Snape looked at Tahlia silently, and then, to his surprise, she burst out laughing at his gaze.

"To be honest, the image of this animal doesn't suit you at all." She said, but her tone was completely out of proportion to what she said. It was flat, and there was no hint of a joke. "Really, doe?"

Tahlia's words made Snape feel even more uncomfortable, as if the whole person was compressed into a narrow space, and he couldn't break free at all, and it was difficult to breathe.

But what he also clearly felt was her last obviously joking statement.

Snape scowled. "You read that right." He said flatly. "It's a deer, I'm sorry it's not the type that most people imagine──"

"You mean bats?" Tahlia folded her hands on her chest, answering with a playful face.

"You—" Snape froze for a moment. The change in Tahlia's attitude before and after was too great, which made him completely unprepared...

Tahlia raised an eyebrow. "You can't stand a joke like that?" she asked slowly. "Of course I know that Lily's Patronus is a doe...I wouldn't make a fuss about it—forget it..." She sighed. "You still don't have a sense of humor, do you?"

As if answering Tahlia's question, the deer nodded mischievously and jumped in front of her. After she reached out and seemed to pat its head, it slowly faded away.

Tahlia raised her head, met Snape's astonished gaze, which obviously didn't respond, put on a smile, and said. "Congratulations, you have passed... Are you looking forward to our trip to Azkaban?"