[HP] Can you be gentle with me

Snape looked at Nigel blankly, making it impossible for him to guess what he was trying to do.

The students who were originally scattered around also left as quickly as possible after seeing the school's scariest potions professor appearing here. Not long after, there were only two people left in the entire corridor, staring at each other silently.

"Professor." After a while, Nigel said quietly. "It's almost curfew, and students can't hang out after curfew, even though tonight is the Yule Ball—"

"I know the school rules better than you, Mr. Snape." Snape interrupted Nigel abruptly. "Students are indeed not allowed to go out at night after curfew--provided that there is no professor's permission."

Nigel looked up. "What?"

"Come with me." Snape didn't answer Nigel, just dropped a short sentence, then turned and left.

Nigel didn't know what he wanted to do in the dark again, since the one after the last school feast, Snape didn't want to follow him anymore.

Although full of doubts, Nigel followed slowly after hesitating for a while.

From an angle he couldn't see, the corner of Snape's mouth showed an involuntary smile because Nigel followed him without refuting. If this expression was seen by others, it would probably be shocked for a long time.

This time, he still brought the child behind him to his office, asked him to sit down on one of the chairs, and gave him a cup of tea.

Nigel stared blankly at the steaming tea on the table in front of him, and began to regret that he had followed so obediently.

I thought that Snape hadn't planned to get in touch with him in any weird way anymore... After all, the two of them got along like a normal teacher and student in the past few months, and now—after the Christmas ball, he unexpectedly came back again Bringing myself here just to treat him to a cup of...tea?No, he didn't think so.

He sat stiffly, but did not touch the teacup on the table in front of him, quietly waiting for the Potions Professor to speak.

Snape took out a few small bottles from a cabinet, which contained a light blue liquid, and he placed the small bottles in front of Nigel. "I need you to do me a favor."

Nigel stared at Snape warily. "What?"

"Send these to your mother," Snape said quietly.

Nigel frowned. "Why would Tahlia need you—"

"It's for her own good, Nigel." He frowned even more when he noticed that Snape was calling his own name. "She was not in good health before."

"You can send it to him yourself." Nigel said displeased, and then added a word. "professor."

Snape took a deep breath and sat down on the sofa opposite Nigel. "No, I'm afraid she won't take it."

"Of course she won't accept it." Nigel said with a straight face. "I suppose it's not the identity of the person who sent the letter, but the source of these things, I guess?" There was a pause. "Tahlia doesn't want you to give her something."

"So you can't let her know that I gave it to you." Snape said flatly.

Nigel didn't react for a moment, and opened his mouth unconsciously.

"You have to tell her that you made these medicines yourself," Snape added. "She knows your level, and she knows that it is indeed possible for you to make these bottles of potions by yourself."

"It's impossible for me to help you deceive Tahlia!" Nigel was furious instantly, and his fists were clenched unconsciously. "I won't lie to her!"

"—Even if it's possible to save her life?"

Nigel kept his mouth shut and said nothing, but still glared at Snape angrily.

After a long time, he managed to squeeze out a word. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

"Ah, I'm afraid you know," Snape said softly. "You know it's the Dark Lord's curse, and we shouldn't be so naive as to think that it hasn't had any effect on her health, should we? Especially since her black magic backlash wasn't completely cured earlier." He paused for a moment. "Maybe in your eyes she is healthy now, but can you guarantee that she won't collapse suddenly one day?" Seeing Nigel's eyes widen, he continued. "Maybe we are wrong. In fact, he is very healthy, but even if there is only a [-]% chance, even if the curse is only slightly likely to affect her, we must prevent it from happening."

Because of Snape's words, Nigel couldn't control the image of Tahlia who was smiling all over her face, but suddenly fell to the ground in the next second...

"No." He growled, shook his head vigorously, and drove the picture out of his head. "She won't."

"So she needs these." Snape knew he was close to convincing the little boy, and just needed to push harder. "You know it very well."

Nigel swallowed his saliva, and looked at the small bottles on the table with beautiful colors under the candlelight. After a long time, he finally stuffed those small bottles into the small bag he carried with him. It was the space bag that Tahlia gave him.

"I'm only responsible for giving things to her." He said in a low voice. "But there's no guarantee she'll drink it—"

"About that..." Snape slowly raised the corners of his mouth. "I think I have a good idea—"

Not long after, a small figure rushed out of the Potions Professor's office, running desperately all the way. Some people might think that he was afraid of being chased by Snape, but that was not the case.

Nigel rushed so fast because he was too angry.

He just knew...he just knew that Darkness wouldn't let him go that easily──

He knows it!

Nigel ran all the way back to the common room of his home college, not in the mood to talk to anyone, so he rushed straight into the dormitory, threw himself on the bed and shrank into the quilt without even taking off his socks.

... He knew that Anfen, who had been in the dark for a while, was just preparing a plan!

And he found, to his great sorrow, that he had been completely swayed by Snape.

Tahlia knew that he hadn't touched potions for a long time, and knew that he would never ask Snape to help him research potions at school──

How could such a self convince her that those potions were made by himself?

It was only at this moment that he remembered that he had seen a small notice posted on the bulletin board - a notice about the active recruitment of members of the Potion Research Society.

Basically, the school's Potions Research Club has always been formed by a very small number of students from advanced Potions classes who have been tacitly approved by Snape. No one has ever volunteered to join, and just now, Snape has personally asked Nigel to join in the name of Potions Professor...

A Hufflepuff, still a first grader.

Nigel suddenly felt that he had been inseparable from potions for seven years at school - he should be unhappy, he should be unhappy!That's right, the anger in his heart is not fake now, he is very, very angry now!He even wanted to turn Snape into a slug directly - it didn't matter if he succeeded or not, as long as he could curse him!

But behind that anger, there was an equally clear voice constantly echoing.

His anger was at the fact that Snape had set him up...but the joy in that voice was also something he couldn't ignore.

Well...he still likes potions.

I really like potions.

He couldn't lie to himself at all. In his subconscious mind, he always looked forward to the Potions class the most. He liked the damp smell in the Potions classroom, and he also enjoyed the feeling of mixing the prepared medicinal materials into the cauldron with his own hands. ──

The first-year Potions class was too easy for him, but even so...unexpectedly, he could not help but listen carefully in class, even if the lecturer was the professor he hated the most. At the same time, There was still an unconcealable sense of joy when he made the potion himself.

Because of this, Nigel is completely in conflict now, causing him to not sleep well all night, and Draco even asked him if he would lend him a bottle of ointment that can cover dark circles...

Obviously Snape didn't intend to confuse him for too long, and owled him a small note the next morning, stating the club's regular meeting time──

Merlin...

Should he go or not?

Tahlia will encourage himself to go, but as long as he thinks about who his love for potions comes from, he will not be able to let himself continue to be passionate about it. There is also a big problem, that is, he can't Go get Tahlia's opinion... otherwise she's bound to find something's wrong.

Nigel felt very annoyed, the question that entangled him was almost beyond the limit of his thinking... He has never been good at dealing with such complicated thoughts and emotions, he always thinks that he can speak directly when he has something to say, and he can just say what he thinks. Just do it directly, he never needs to hide his inner thoughts from anyone, he doesn't need to deliberately hide who he likes or dislikes, but now he feels troubled like never before.

"Cedric, do you think I should go to this potions party?" After worrying all day, he decided to ask Cedric's opinion.

"Potion party?" Cedric frowned, but it wasn't because of his question, but because of a heavy brick book in his hand, it seemed that his preparations for the second task were at a bottleneck. "What potion party?"

Nigel spread out the parchment that he had almost crumpled into a ball, and held it in front of Cedric's eyes.

"Oh, Merlin!" Cedric exclaimed after barely seeing the content on the crumpled note. "You mean a gathering of the Potions Research Society?"

Nigel nodded hesitantly.

"Of course you should!" Cedric patted Nigel on the shoulder vigorously. "This is a rare opportunity, Nigel... I heard that they study very advanced potions, and I have never been invited by any of the members in them──You can be personally recommended by Professor Snape, this is really──" He blinks. "You are definitely the only student who was personally recommended by him, especially since you are only in the first grade! You will learn a lot, very, very much!" He paused for a while, then unconsciously rubbed his hands Tangled Nigel's hair. "And you are still hesitating, to be honest, you should go no matter what... If it were me, I would be too late to be happy──"

"Do you really think so?" Nigel asked again in a daze. "The club is really that powerful?"

Cedric nodded seriously. "Have you seen those potions journals? They actually wrote a few of them—" He paused. "However, it depends on the recent years. After all, the society has only been established for less than five years."

"Oh..." Nigel blinked, then looked down and muttered. "So I should really go—"

What he didn't realize was that after listening to Cedric's words, he had unconsciously completely forgotten that he was still pretending that he hated potions before—it was just a matter of whether he could improve his abilities. Ask the seniors.

"Yes, you're right..." Nigel looked up and smiled. "I should, and Tahlia will tell me so."

As for the problem that he had been struggling with for so long before he suddenly remembered...

Forget it, he could continue to hate Snape anyway, there was no need for him to force himself to suppress his interest for someone he hated.

Suddenly breaking through the previous critical point, Nigel felt that the whole person instantly became light and light.

Yeah, he didn't have to give up potions for Snape in the first place!He just loves it!Like is like!It has nothing to do with him, after all, the person I have been in contact with since I was a child is Tahlia, not dark──

Even if he really inherited something from him──it doesn't matter, blood relationship alone won't make two people be regarded as family so easily, no matter what he says, he won't let Snape have a chance to intervene in his and Tahlia's life of!