[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"I'm her fiancé."

fiancé?

Snape's eyes widened for a moment, and he looked at Tahlia, horrified to find that her face was indifferent, with no intention of refuting, and the child Nigel showed no surprise at this statement.

Fiance──

They...they are in such a relationship—engaged?

At this moment, he finally realized what it means to be disappointed, and how can it be called complete... despair.

Seeing the man in front of him smiling and hugging her, seeing her turn her head to kiss his cheek after being dazed for a moment, seeing the boy warmly surrounded by the two of them, then, moving her eyes, lightly glanced at himself.

He already understood why Nigel hadn't tried to stop his plan on the train.

How can he be?

What can he do?

he……

"Professor Prince?"

I don't know how long he was in a daze, but by the time Snape reacted, the man had already walked back to him, looking at him in confusion.

"Did you... did you hear me?"

Snape didn't answer Derek's words, he still couldn't take his eyes off Tahlia, the way he looked at her conveyed the same emotion repeatedly and clearly - despair.

He felt unprecedented despair, because he seemed to never be able to get her back to him again, because he naively thought that her feelings for him would never fade away, because he was so stupid that he had already lost when he was still complacent. thorough……

Also because of him... never treasured everything about her in the past──

Severus Snape.

What other reason could he use to convince Tahlia to accept himself again?He's just a pathetic, shameless bastard—

"Severus?" The man's voice reached his ears again, and it made Snape feel absolutely irritated, and he turned his head sharply, staring at the man. "You probably didn't hear. I just asked you, do you plan to stay for dinner?"

"Oh, Derek—he's just too embarrassed to say no to you." Tahlia chuckled. "Professor Prince is very busy. He has to visit many students' homes. I'm afraid he won't be able to stay, right, Nigel?"

Snape felt his heart being pulled violently, but the pain ironically kept him completely awake, and he turned his head silently, and once again, gave her a pleading look.

And Tahlia couldn't see it, didn't respond to the way he looked over and over again.Of course... of course she couldn't see it now.

It was me who caused her to be hurt like this...everything was caused by me──

It's his fault.

"That's right, I'm sorry." He heard himself speak, it was strange to say, he thought he should not even be able to speak now, but his current tone was so smooth that he was surprised. "I do have other things to do, so I have to go first." As he spoke, he forced himself to give the man an ugly smile, and finally took a last look at Tahlia who had an indifferent face, turned around, and left.

Finally... leaving.

The moment Snape finally left here, Tahlia staggered suddenly, and reflexively reached out to hold the table to stabilize herself.

"Tahlia!" Seeing this, Derek hurried forward and looked at her worriedly. "How do you—"

"I'm so tired today... Derek." Tahlia closed her eyes and said wearily. "I always feel like there's a lot going on today, and I can't be busy when you're not around—" He said, leaning against Derek's strength, just so relaxed, completely dependent on another person—

Yeah, how come she never found out how easy this move is before, anyway, she doesn't have to think about anything, because there is always another person by her side, she doesn't have to worry about everything by herself, because there is always another person People take care of everything for her──

This is really... It will make people unconsciously indulge in it and cannot extricate themselves.

"I'm so tired..." She said lazily.

Derek smiled, supporting Tahlia who was already leaning against him, and grabbed the silver ring in front of the cash register. "Hey, you can't forget to put this thing back on every time... I'm going to be sad."

"So you can propose to me once a day?" Tahlia said with a smile as he waved away the uncontrollable black figure that had appeared in his mind ever since that person appeared. "Put it on for me." As she spoke, she straightened up a little, turned to face the man, and stretched out her left hand.

"If I had known I would have ordered it smaller, you wouldn't always have to pull it out at work because your fingers would slip out—" Derek complained a few words before laughing A few times, and then held her hand. "So, my Tahlia, will you—marry me?"

Tahlia opened her mouth, ordering herself to get the man out of her head again before speaking. "Well, I would."

"I love you." Derek bowed his head again, kissed her forehead, and slipped the ring onto Tahlia's left middle finger.

Tahlia's body trembled slightly, but the man who was holding her didn't notice anything wrong, she raised her head, hooked her hands directly, and hugged him tightly.

She has made a decision, no matter what, she will never look back──

Especially after what happened just now, Snape must have fully realized that, according to his personality, he should not try to interfere with him again.

But she later found out that she was wrong, and very wrong.

He really didn't show up the next day, and he never walked in here for the whole week after that. Tahlia almost forced herself to ignore the slight disappointment in her heart and let go of her heart. Unexpectedly, one day a week later, Snape reappeared in the shop out of the blue in the afternoon, and stayed there refusing to leave, he didn't do anything, just stayed, sometimes sending a brief greeting to Derek who was busy coming in and out, Derek He didn't pay much attention to his behavior. It seemed that he was very happy to be in contact with a professor of a magic school, and even approached him actively to ask him something when he was a little free.

damn it……

Tahlia maintained the smile on her face angrily. Although she couldn't see anything now, she could still clearly feel the scorching sight, which caused her to become restless after Sanpe appeared, even if Nigel was by the side Staring at the man fiercely for her didn't make him leave automatically.

"What else do you want?" Tahlia hissed as he walked up to Snape under the pretense of putting on decorations when Derek went out briefly to deliver the goods.

Snape was silent for a few seconds before lowering his voice and speaking slowly. "...to pursue you." Obviously his tone was too inconsistent with what he said, and Tahlia couldn't hear these words in his mind for a long time.

"What—" Tahlia was stunned for a moment, and then finally came to her senses, and said angrily. "Are you crazy? I'm engaged!"

"I know." Snape's tone was calm as if he didn't take what Tahlia said at all. "It's just an engagement."

Tahlia looked disbelieving and didn't know how to react for a moment.

"I don't think I'm without a chance—"

"Merlin! You—" Tahlia blurted out. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you to give up when it's time to be a human being?" She's already... she thought she was making it obvious, she's already standing with Derek in front of him—she already knows It shows that he is just a stranger to him now──

"It's true that no one taught me." Snape curled his lips. "So I'll never do it, you're mine, Tahlia—"

"I'm not your thing! Severus Snape!" Tahlia suddenly roared. "I'm not your property! You're always—you're always so selfish, have you ever considered my feelings? Have you ever considered what I'm thinking now? I've already agreed to Derek's marriage proposal!" She turned her face away, restrained herself a little, and took a breath. "Isn't that enough to explain?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means I don't want to see you anymore!" Tahlia roared loudly. "I made it very clear last time—"

"Yes, you made it very clear." Snape's tone was still the same flat, and if anything, Tahlia found herself being grabbed by his arm again at some point. "That's pretty clear too...but if you thought I'd do nothing and miss you again, give up without making any effort, then you're wrong, Tahlia." He paused, and let go. "Your perception of me is very correct. I am indeed selfish. I have always been this way. Now, it makes me decide to continue trying to save you."

Tahlia shook off Snape and took a few steps back, but she didn't say anything.

What should she say?

Even though she had made up her mind to accept Derek, she couldn't stop the excitement in her heart when she heard Snape say these words, why did she still feel happy when she heard these words... Or should I say, She had the feeling that she had been waiting for these words all her life—

But that's not right.

She will not allow herself to forget the hurt of the past, if she really forgets like this, if she is faced with the same thing again... she will not be able to bear it──

She couldn't bear the feeling of suffocation when she got hope but was immediately forced into deep despair. She experienced it once, and the feeling was far beyond what she could bear... She didn't even know how she lived come down──

Yeah, how did she keep living?

When she realized that all her hopes were shattered by a merciless and cruel blow in an instant, she didn't know how she continued to breathe, how she was able to hold on to leave, and how she could still remember what she should do. what to do

It was as if her original world had completely changed. Even later, when she came back to see Sirius and the others, there was still an inexplicable alienation. They seemed not the people she knew before, and she seemed not the original self... ...She seemed to be thrown into another world abruptly, everything there was so strange...but everyone there ironically wore her familiar faces.

"It's up to you." Finally, Tahlia turned around and said coldly. "Anyway, you will never succeed." After finishing speaking, he took a step forward and prepared to leave.

"The Slytherins were never determined enough, Tahlia."

Tahlia paused slightly, but she didn't look back.

At the same time, the door of the shop was pushed open, Snape took a few steps back, turned his head, and saw the man walking in with two big bags.

"Ah, Mr. Prince, you haven't left yet...just—" Derek raised the bag in his hand slightly in a gesture. "have dinner together?"

Snape grinned stiffly. "excuse me."

"Where." Derek laughed a few times, then led Snape into the shop.

A word wafted into Snape's ears the moment he passed Tahlia.

"I'm a... Slytherin too."