[HP] Can you be gentle with me

"You didn't intend to mention me to him at all, did you?"

It happened so suddenly, when Tahlia was just sitting in an armchair writing a dissertation, and then Snape rushed to him, throwing a letter.

"What?" she asked in a daze.

Snape sneered. "I wrote, I asked Mr. Malfoy, and guess what? It's been a hot topic lately—" There was a pause, and then the tone of his mouth was full of sarcasm. "You are the big red man in front of him—"

"Severus, I told you I just didn't get a chance to—"

Snape stopped her with a raised hand. "So you didn't deny the rumor, did you? What I don't understand is that you have been under his command for so long, and you really have no chance to mention it at all?" The eyebrows raised. "How do you want me to believe it?"

"Just pretend I never thought of mentioning it." Tahlia said tiredly, giving up. "Since you're so impatient—"

"Really?" Snape narrowed his eyes. "So you think it's my fault, obviously I'm too impatient, even if it's a question about my future—"

"That's not what I meant, Severus──" Tahlia's head was hurting, and Snape's words were running back and forth in her head, as if a needle was being stabbed in her head, and she couldn't help but reach out and rub her temples, trying to relieve the pain somewhat.

Snape ignored Tahlia's movements and just spoke coldly. "That's what I hear." He grabbed the letter he had just thrown on the table. "It's also said in there that you've never — not at all, tried or thought to bring it up."

"Lucius told you so?"

"Could it be that he still deliberately lied to me?" Snape said flatly.

Tahlia was silent.

So she was calculated again...

Was tricked by Lucius again──

How could he know whether he had mentioned Snape or not, Lucius wasn't there [-]% of the time he was talking to Voldemort, but he told Snape like that anyway.

Tahlia didn't know when she provoked him, and he made him frame her again and again—although she didn't expect Lucius to treat her as an equal with her, but she and him helped her a lot at the beginning When getting along with her seniors, she never imagined that the future would be calculated so thoroughly by her──

Can't help but smile.

Even if she told Snape that Lucius was lying, he probably wouldn't believe it, and not only did she have no proof, but in fact she really didn't intend to mention Snape at all.

He never believed in himself.

It's really unbalanced and heartbreaking.

Snape could easily trust a senior with almost no contact, who was equivalent to a stranger, but he was unwilling to trust her--they had been together for four years, hadn't they?If you count before coming to Hogwarts, then it will be five years!

My heart is unspeakably sad.

She didn't have a chance to say anything, though, because Snape was already planning to leave.

"Severus!" she yelled hastily.

Snape stopped in his tracks, but didn't look back.

"Can you...can you stop trying to get close to him?" Tahlia asked, with one last sliver of hope.

As long as Snape wasn't so attached to that evil man, she wouldn't have to be so embarrassed, they could still get along as before──"Trust me, it's definitely not what you imagine──"

This was her own experience, since she already knew what kind of person Voldemort was, how could she... how could she let Snape go astray?

The last person she wanted to be involved in this was Snape.

But Snape snorted when he heard it.

Why should she stop herself?She has got nothing at all.

She has a harmonious family, she has great talents, and she even has the status she dreamed of!

Why on earth did she stop herself from pursuing her ideals?

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Tahlia," he said resentfully. "What will happen to me in the future has nothing to do with you."

After speaking, he left quickly, completely missing Tahlia's pale face after hearing these words.

It doesn't matter at all.

So that's how he sees himself...has nothing to do with it.

What a perfect sentence──perfectly severed all their previous ties.

When did it become like this?

The boy who reached out to himself on the Ferris wheel a few years ago is now pushing himself away.

It turns out that their relationship these days, for him, can be so easily erased by saying that they have nothing to do with each other...

So did she not feel so painful now because she continued to insist on not getting close to him?

She just sat there.

Tears fell drop by drop onto the parchment, wet the words on the scroll, and the ink smudged.

But Tahlia didn't care about it at all at the moment...

The people she wanted to protect had left her.

So what exactly is she protecting?

Can she continue to hold on?

"Tahlia."

Tahlia blinked and squeezed the water out of her eyes, and then recognized the person from a clear line of sight.

"Barty." She responded flatly.

Little Barty sat down directly in front of her, Tahlia frowned, when did she give the other party the illusion that they were so familiar?

"Don't be so serious." Sensing Tahlia's obviously dissatisfied gaze, little Barty shrugged. "I came to you because of something very important." I didn't mention that I just witnessed the tears streaming down the face of the person in front of me.

"What's up?"

Little Barty leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice. "I see what you meant last time...Evan—that's Rosier—he told me."

Tahlia remained calm.

Sure enough, Rosier was watching from the sidelines at that time.

"I know now, Tahlia." Little Barty had a twinkle in his eyes. "I'll wait, wait quietly, I'll follow him after I graduate—" Pause, looking gratefully at Tahlia. "I have to thank you, otherwise he wouldn't have looked at me at all for being as stupid as I was before."

"Now that you understand, that's great." Tahlia said coldly, waving her hand. "I'll accept your thank you—but you should know, I still have a lot of homework to do..." He picked up the quill and pointed to the pile of paper rolls on the table. "I also have to remind you that I don't like being interrupted while I'm doing my homework—"

"I totally understand." Little Barty stood up immediately, nodded slightly to Tahlia, and left in a hurry.

It seems to have changed, unknowingly changed.

She should have noticed.

Since when did the Slytheirns respect themselves so much—or should I say awe is more appropriate.

Perhaps it was then that rumors of unknown origin began to spread.

As for who spread it and why, she has no interest, nor does she have the energy to find out the answer.

After all, whoever that man was was Voldemort's man, wasn't he?

It was first reported that she was on their side, so it would be useless for her to defend herself in the future. Since she has already equated with Voldemort, then whatever she does will be considered to be linked to them. This step is tantamount to It completely blocked her back path.

It is really very clever.

And there is no need to doubt the identity of the person who came up with this plan.

Tahlia didn't think about the final exam at all, it was nothing compared to other worries, and if someone told herself that she would have the same thought one day, she would have laughed out loud, but who know?

Still, her grades were way ahead of everyone else.

On the train home, she was stunned.

The box in front of me was empty, far from the lively scene last time.

That’s right, they’ve long been away from their own──

"Tahlia?"

A voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Startled, Tahlia yelled back. "Sirius!" But then it was embarrassing to find that although the person in front of him was also Black, it was not Sirius. "Sorry... Regulus—your voice sounds too much like your brother's."

Regulus smiled and shook his head. "I'm not as impulsive as him." He said, and sat down in this box under Tahlia's surprised gaze.

"You…" Tahlia swallowed. "Haven't you heard the rumor?"

"Of course I've heard it." Regulus sat casually, in a position that seemed so similar to Sirius for a moment. "That's why I'm here, and besides—you've been having a rough time, Tahlia—anyone can tell," he said. "I just came here to care about you for my stupid brother." There was a pause. "You know he's been conflicted lately, right?"

Tahlia smiled wryly. "For sure? After all, the rumor──"

"You know, my brother has always hated dark wizards - he just grew up in our family..." Regulus said. "But I'm not prejudiced."

"That's why you're here?" Tahlia raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that you are like those people in the academy, hanging around me all day long, waiting for me to introduce them?"

"I'm sorry you say that, Tahlia." Regulus smiled. "I'm here because I know no matter what you do, we're still friends—" Then suddenly laughed. "And it so happened that my mother also told me not to offend you like Sirius—" He spread his hands. "Of course I will not disobey my mother's order..."

Tahlia chuckled amusedly.

"Thank you, Regulus—" she said sincerely. "You have absolutely no idea what this means to me—"

"From then on, please take care of me──" Regulus said with a smile, but quickly changed his words after receiving Tahlia's sulky look. "Hey, just kidding──" He rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I really don't know how to be as humorous as Sirius..."

"You don't have to be like him." Tahlia shook her head. "You and him have never been the same person, why do you need to imitate?" There was a pause. "If I ask you, he'll never learn your maturity, Regulus." Finally he muttered softly. "Forever like a child who can't grow up──"

Amused by Tahlia's muttering, it took Regulus a moment to remember what he'd been trying to confirm with her.

"Tahlia—" he hesitated. "You...so you, are you really already working for that—that person?"

Tahlia's smile froze.

There was silence in the box.

"Isn't the rumor very clear?" After a while, Tahlia said slowly.

"I want to make sure, though!" Regulus said. "But... how?" he asked. "You haven't even seen him before!"

Tahlia closed her eyes, and opened them slowly after a while.

"Remember the gentleman I wrote to earlier?" Seeing Regulus nodding, she continued. "It's him." After a pause. "So it's not that I haven't had contact with him—"

Regulus opened his mouth wide in shock.

"You, you mean—" he stammered. "The gentleman who corresponded with you for so long before... is... him?"

It's unbelievable.

Leaving aside the fact that Tahlia had been in contact with him so early, what is even more unbelievable is that the man would have such a leisurely communication with a child for so long...

It doesn't make sense anyway──

Tahlia nodded slowly, with a bitter expression on her face. "So now you know the facts--I'm indeed half of his staff--"

Regulus pondered for a while, his brows were tightly wrinkled, and then he spoke again. "So...brother...he, you know?"

Tahlia shook her head.

Before Regulus could say anything else, Tahlia cut him off by raising his hand. "And I'm not going to tell him—"

"Why?" Regulus was puzzled.

Tahlia smiled wryly.

"──Okay, I understand." Regulus also smiled wryly.

With his brother's personality, if he found out that the gentleman who wrote the letter was that person, he would probably die of regret—regret that he didn't stop this matter from the beginning, not to mention he is still angry that Tahlia admitted that he was acting on behalf of that person. What about people doing things...