Snape was looking at a completely empty corner.
But after his voice fell, the corridor shrouded in cold moonlight trembled slightly as if it were an illusion.
A few more seconds passed.
Accompanied by faint, suppressed sobs, a red-haired girl with a face full of grievance undid the Disillusionment Charm she had painstakingly practiced just to surprise Snape, though it was still immature.
Her eyes were red; she had clearly heard every word Snape had said not long ago.
Her hands gripped her wand tightly.
Crystal teardrops rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably, like a puppy who had waited all day to welcome its master home only to be kicked hard. Every movement spoke of the grievance and confusion in her heart.
Seeing Lily, who had always appeared exceptionally brave and independent since he met her, show such an expression, the words Snape originally wanted to use to reprimand her for the dangerous and risky act of sneaking into the Slytherin common room got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them for a while.
His expression softened unconsciously.
Snape finally sighed, took the initiative to step forward, rubbed Lily's head, and said:
"Alright, alright, it's all my fault. I was lying to them."
"...Really? You really didn't decide to abandon me?"
"How is that possible? It was just pretending to comply."
As soon as the words fell—
Before Snape could react, the sadness accumulated along the way completely exploded in Lily's heart, and she threw herself forward desperately to hug Snape!
His body stiffened instinctively for a moment.
However, after feeling the faint sobbing and the wisps of warm moisture in his arms, Snape's eyes gradually softened, allowing Lily to hold him and cry in a low voice.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that the sorrowful crying subsided significantly.
Snape then gently patted Lily's back and said calmly:
"Are you done crying? The Lily in my heart isn't a crybaby."
"Hmph, it's all because of you."
Her eyes were still red.
When Lily looked up slightly embarrassed, her emerald eyes, still faintly teary, showed only pure, deep attachment and a touch of hidden anxiety about loss.
"You're not tricking me, are you? I don't want to be separated from you."
"You can always trust me, Lily.
I couldn't possibly sacrifice my relationship with you just to join the Black Eye Society. That kind of behavior, neglecting the essentials for trifles, is simply utterly stupid. Now it's just an expedient measure."
Holding Lily's hand—
Snape chatted while strolling through Hogwarts after dark, not caring at all about the consequences of such a violation.
"Maybe the impression from childhood gave you an illusion about me, but in fact, I am far from omnipotent. Even in some aspects, I am not as good as ordinary students.
My current excellent performance is just because of the accumulation I made two years in advance.
Once the time stretches out, you will find that the halo shrouding me will gradually dim. Even if there are still bright spots, they won't be as exaggerated as now."
From the distance came the faint sound of Filch wheezing excitedly as he climbed the stairs.
He had obviously heard the noise caused by Snape's talking and was preparing to put another unlucky little wizard in confinement under the guidance of Mrs. Norris's meowing!
Lily subconsciously tightened her grip on Snape's warm palm.
Her gaze toward him was full of trust, and her steps showed no intention of retreating.
"You can use the Disillusionment Charm, right? I can't do that spell yet. Can I ask the beautiful Miss Evans to help us get out of this dangerous situation?"
Her emerald-like eyes widened subconsciously, involuntarily revealing a look of astonishment.
Lily obviously hadn't expected that there really was something in this world that Snape couldn't do but she could!
There was no time to think too much.
By the time Lily woke up from her shock, Filch's panting was less than half a corridor away.
But Snape's upper body was still hidden in the shadows. His deep, pitch-black eyes showed no anxiety at all, just quietly waiting for Lily to come to her senses.
"...Disillusionment!"
Lowering her voice—
Lily quickly cast the Disillusionment Charm on both of them.
This profound spell, which even upper-year students might not know, quickly showed its due effect. Even though Lily's mastery was not yet skillful, the two children snuggling tightly together in the darkness disappeared in the blink of an eye!
Mrs. Norris walked over gracefully.
This scrawny, dust-colored tabby cat's eyes flashed with suspicion.
After sniffing carefully for a moment, she still walked towards Lily and Snape with slight hesitation.
Snape could feel that the strength of Lily gripping his palm suddenly increased a lot, faintly carrying sweat caused by nervousness, and she even involuntarily held her breath.
He didn't move.
The reason he could detect Lily following him earlier was that when moving, Lily's Disillusionment Charm would show flaws in light distortion.
If Snape hadn't deliberately patched it up, Lily would probably have been discovered back in the common room, which was also why he felt a bit angry.
His wand slid silently into his hand.
Snape watched Mrs. Norris approach bit by bit without changing his expression, ready to suddenly petrify the orange cat and Filch at any time.
As the caretaker of Hogwarts, Filch was not liked by any students.
Many mischievous students hated him so much their teeth itched; almost anyone could be suspected of attacking him in secret. This meant that as long as Snape didn't appear directly in the other party's sight, there was no risk of exposure.
Moreover, the other party was just a Squib; Snape was absolutely confident there would be no accidents!
Wondering if they should feel lucky—
Before Mrs. Norris exposed their tracks, seeing no one around, Filch suddenly heard the sound of rapid running from a distance. Immediately, he muttered vicious curses under his breath, picked up Mrs. Norris, and rushed straight in that direction.
Darkness and silence returned.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that the figures of a boy and a girl suddenly emerged, gasping for breath as if relieved of a heavy burden.
In just a few seconds, Lily's forehead was covered in sweat, and her heart beat like a drum.
But compared to these, Lily was more concerned about another thing.
"You don't know the Disillusionment Charm?"
"That's right. You can proudly claim to have surpassed me. This is something only you can do."
Snape did not stint on his praise.
This made Lily feel like she was walking on air, unable to believe she had unknowingly achieved something Snape couldn't do!
"I am not omnipotent, that's why I need to compromise, need to disguise myself in front of those stupid and ignorant pure-bloods.
Just to get what I want from their hands, so that one day I won't have to compromise, get everything I want, and protect the people I want to protect.
And that includes you, Lily."
Lily turned her head abruptly, looking at Snape in disbelief.
Even in her dreams, she had never imagined that the other party would express his thoughts so frankly, looking like a completely different person from the one usually hidden in the mist!
And then Lily quickly realized that the reason Snape explained his mental journey so tirelessly was so she wouldn't be immersed in the sorrow of tonight, worrying about whether he would abandon her!
In the dim light, the steps underfoot were almost invisible.
Only a few wisps of cold moonlight occasionally reflected through the windows, adding a lot of terrifying atmosphere to the quiet campus at this moment.
However, Lily felt no fear at all.
Wisps of honey-like sweetness flooded uncontrollably deep in her heart, making her stare foolishly at Snape's handsome profile looming in the moonlight, reluctant to look away for even a moment!
After an unknown amount of time, Snape finally stopped.
Making the belatedly reacting Lily finally come to her senses, turning her head with a face like red clouds, not daring to look into his eyes.
"...It's already very late. If we get caught, House points will be deducted."
Lily whispered softly.
Rather than dissuading, it was more to dispel a bit of shyness in her heart.
"I know, but to make you feel more secure, I think I should tell you a secret only I know."
The gentle voice rang clearly in Lily's ear, continuously causing a series of pink critical hits.
"I call it... the Room of Requirement!"
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