The Painful Past Mustn't Be Dwelt On / After Valentine's Day, They Can't Just Be Siblings

(P. S. Adding a bit of information from the HP Wiki regarding Veritaserum and Occlumency: For powerful wizards, especially those skilled in Occlumency, the effect of Veritaserum is quite limited. A strong wizard can Transfiguration Veritaserum Veritaserum something else upon contact with their lips, and a powerful Occlumency can completely negate its effects. One theory is that Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban without using Veritaserum because the Ministry of Magic suspected he possessed Occlumency, rendering the Veritaserum ineffective. That's all~)

Chapter 187 A painful past must not be allowed to continue to haunt one.

Harry is indeed very angry, but his anger is not entirely due to Snape's leak of the Prophecy. Rather, it is because Snape, as his teacher, has acted in a way that is far from adequate!

There was an irreconcilable conflict and hatred between Snape and Harry's father, James, which is why he hated Harry, who had the same face.

At the same time, he also deeply loved Harry's mother, Lily, so when he saw Harry's eyes, which were just like Lily's, he began to take care of and protect Harry in every way.

But if we set aside the previous generation's relationship, Snape and Harry should have had the most fundamental teacher-student relationship!

Therefore, when facing his student, Snape wasn't thinking about the student's character or talent; instead, he kept replaying in his mind the student's mother's beautiful smile and the father's despicable face...

Isn't his behavior incredibly unfair to Harry, who is a student?

When Harry temporarily set aside his past grievances and wanted to objectively investigate whether Snape truly approved of him, Snape chose to use Occlumency, shielding himself from the effects of Veritaserum and completely isolating himself from Snape's inner thoughts...

That's why Harry was angry. Ever since he successfully brewed the Veritaserum, he had completely regarded Snape as his most important mentor and was eager to gain more of Snape's approval...

But Snape was only preoccupied with his past emotions, single-mindedly pursuing his womanizing ways!

"Let's do it... Evans."

Seeing the light emanating from Harry's wand, Snape seemed to have misunderstood something and closed his eyes as if relieved.

"Severus Snape, I remember telling you in the first Potions Class... don't call me by my middle name anymore!"

With a flick of his wand, a 'sphere' suddenly sprang out of Harry's pocket, stretched its body in mid-air, and pounced directly onto Snape's face!

"Swooping Evil?!" Snape was shocked.

It was only then that he realized Harry didn't want to kill him, but rather erase his memory!

"Brackium Emendo!!" But just as he was about to struggle, Harry suddenly unleashed a powerful healing spell. The sheets and blankets transformed into tightly wrapped bandages, binding Snape securely to the bed like a dumpling!

"Severus Snape, you have truly disappointed me... but not because you revealed that Prophecy to Voldemort, but because so much time has passed, yet you are still wallowing in regret!"

Harry did find it hard to accept when he first learned that Snape had revealed the Prophecy.

However, after calmly reflecting for half a month, he gradually began to be able to look at the problem from an objective perspective.

Harry's strongest feeling towards Snape now is not hatred, but anger at his incompetence.

Struggling endlessly in the pain of the past, and protecting the child of a deceased friend out of a sense of atonement and guilt, is not true redemption. In fact, it will only make Harry, who is directly involved, despise him even more.

Harry admitted that after spending more than a year at Hogwarts, he had indeed undergone some changes.

At first, he Albus Dumbledore. At that time, all he needed was Snape's support, not necessarily a great teacher.

But now that Harry has become the darling of Hogwarts, he has inadvertently begun to demand more, such as objective and fair evaluations from Snape.

Harry didn't want his mentor, with whom he had countless entanglements, to carry the regret of his absence to his grave, so that in the end, all he could write on his epitaph was... "This was a tragic man who lived for love, died for love, and was utterly miserable!"

So... if Snape refuses to actively break free from the pain of his past, then Harry will use force to help him break free!

"Swooping Evil... erase his memory." Harry regretfully gave the order, watching Snape struggle and whose attitude remained unchanged.

"No! Please...don't!" Snape shook his head in resistance, even desperately pleading and crying out to Harry, "Let it go! Evans ... Granger, no! Please... Potter, I beg you, don't take her away!!"

"The Swooping Evil!!"

At the last moment, Harry shouted to stop the Swooping Evil from spitting out venom.

When he heard Snape's last cry and even saw a tear sliding down his cheek, Harry realized with dismay... he had damnably softened.

"Finite Incantatem..."

With a hoarse voice, he waved his wand, freeing Snape from Snape restraints, and then turned away from him.

Snape, on the other hand, sprang up from his sickbed and retreated to a corner with a wary expression.

The memories of Lily Evans were Snape's most precious possession, now that he had lost everything. Even though the memories were now filled with pain, he would still carefully cherish them and would never allow them to be taken away.

"Severus Snape, I'm so sorry to have used the Veritaserum you taught me to use against you..." Harry's voice was hoarse. He kept his back to Snape, not letting the other man see his expression. "I will not ask for your forgiveness, nor... I have the right to forgive this hatred on behalf of my deceased parents. All I can do is be an unfilial son, and one day go to my parents' graves to apologize for my inaction!"

"Potter... I'm sorry."

Snape's apologetic voice came from behind him. He used what was perhaps Harry's least favorite nickname for him, and this apology was perhaps not just directed at Harry himself.

"Severus Snape, I cannot accept or convey your apologies to my parents. But if you feel sorry for me, please try to truly accept me." Harry put his glasses back on and looked back at Snape earnestly. "I hope that my respected mentor will become a great wizard, praised by all, and that his praise will not be solely for his fidelity in love!"

"I hope he will be loved by his students and respected by his teachers; I hope he can rebuild his faith and overcome his suffering, dedicate himself to saving innocent lives, and always uphold the justice in his heart!!"

After saying this, Harry ignored the astonished Snape and left the now-silent ward.

"Rebuilding beliefs, transcending suffering...?"

After Harry left, Snape, still shaken, gradually began to ponder.

Harry's choice to bear the guilt of not seeking revenge for his parents, and the words the other left behind, truly touched Snape's already wounded heart.

For the first time in his life, Snape, while still harboring extreme hatred for everyone responsible for that tragedy, began to reflect on his past.

Whether he will transform himself or continue to wallow in pain remains to be seen.

The only thing Harry is certain of right now is... a girl is waiting for him.

"Harry... Ouch~"

The academically gifted girl had been sitting in the corner of the corridor with her knees drawn up to her chest. When she saw Harry appear, she was so excited that she tried to get up, but because she had been sitting for so long, her legs gave way and she accidentally fell back down.

Fortunately, Harry quickly stepped forward and caught her in time.

"Why don't you find a room to rest and wait?" Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for Hermione, looking at her tired face.

He didn't ask Hermione why she was waiting for him, because he knew she would.

"I'm afraid I might accidentally fall asleep~"

Hermione gently rubbed her sleepy eyes, and that girlish charm inadvertently dispelled the gloom in Harry's heart.

So he smiled and took the girl's hand tightly.

"Let's go back and rest."

(P. S. "Today I have come to realize this: baseness and greatness, malice and kindness, hatred and love can coexist in the same heart without contradiction. Before that, I didn't understand how contradictory human nature is; I didn't know how much pretense is contained in sincerity, how much baseness in nobility, or even that virtue can be found in evil." -- Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence)

The above passage is actually quite suitable for describing Severus Snape's complex character in the original book. Many Harry Potter fans, influenced by the movies, think that Snape's most classic lines are "Always" and "Look at me," but these two lines don't truly reflect Snape's mindset in his later years.

"Don't be alarmed, Severus. How many men and women have you witnessed dying?" "Lately, only those I couldn't save," Snape said.

In the original story, Snape is a tragic hero with a complex humanity, loyal to love while upholding his beliefs. Therefore, his character cannot be judged solely on the level of love.

Chapter 188 We Can't Be Siblings After Valentine's Day

It turns out that it's best for teenagers not to stroll hand-in-hand on campus late at night...

Because you might not feel sleepy anymore while you're browsing!

Hermione was in this state now. She was so sleepy while waiting for Harry in the hospital corridor that she was practically pecking at rice, but after walking around like this, she was wide awake again.

"Fine... if you really don't want to sleep, come with me and take a look around the suitcase."

She was just so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, but now she's wide awake like a night owl... Harry, of course, decided to let this studious girl have her way with this sudden change of heart.

"Great!" Hermione immediately smiled sweetly when she heard that Harry hadn't forced her to go back to sleep.

Actually, she didn't care where they went; she just wanted to be with someone.

Hermione became more and more energetic as she walked around because she had realized an important issue.

Time has quietly brought us to a new day...

"Sigh, I finally managed to fuse with the water element, but now the magic I can cast is just a toy for them~"

Sitting on the empty space inside the suitcase, Harry used his fingers to flick several water balloons back and forth, and several Mooncalf and Bowtruckle that were still awake began to chase each other merrily, having a great time playing around.

Looking at these adorable little guys, the lines on Harry's forehead remained unchanged.

"If only I could always be carefree like them... Hermione?"

Suddenly, Harry felt a soft weight on his back. He found two gentle arms on his shoulders, encircling his neck.

"Harry, what's troubling you... can you tell me?" The girl gently pressed her cheek against Harry's, her tone filled with a mixture of anxious concern and tentative tenderness.

"It's about Severus Snape. I don't know if handling his problem this way was right or wrong..."

The water elemental he was controlling dissipated, Harry slowly recounted everything to Hermione. At this moment, being beside Hermione felt like finding a safe haven where he could confide everything to her.

He told Hermione everything about Snape's conflict with his parents and how he had dealt with Snape.

"Harry ...I think whatever decision you make, they shouldn't blame you," Hermione gently comforted Harry. "Your parents' only wish is for you to live a peaceful and happy life, so...I think they will definitely support your decision!"

"Is that so..." Harry's brows relaxed slightly, but he was still somewhat uneasy.

"Of course!" Hermione quickly continued to persuade her, "Although I've never met your biological parents, let's take our parents as an example. If we go back and are completely honest with them about what's going on between us, I think they would definitely support us..."

"Hermione, thank you. I feel much better now that you've told me."

Harry looked at Hermione with gratitude, but gradually, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

"I'm just not quite clear... what exactly are you referring to as 'the things between us'?"

"Between us... well, that's it!"

Caught off guard by Harry's question, Hermione stammered and couldn't say a word, only able to scream and run away from behind Harry.

Only then did she realize that she had inadvertently revealed her true feelings without thinking!

She and Harry... there's practically nothing between them yet, isn't there?

But she'd already made herself so clear, and Harry had already responded... At this point, was she really going to run away and shrink back?

"Hermione..."

"Harry!"

Seeing that the other person was struggling with the situation, Harry, who had already guessed the general reason, was about to speak first, but Hermione suddenly spoke up and beat him to it.

"Do you... remember last Christmas when I said I actually prepared a gift, but it wasn't quite right to give it to you?"

Hermione's face gradually turned red, her fingers nervously twisted together, and her toes unconsciously drew circles on the ground, making her appear quite uneasy.

"I actually brought that gift... but you have to close your eyes so I can give it to you."

"Uh... is this how it should be?"

Harry's expression suddenly became a little conflicted. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in Hermione's 'gift,' but he felt that being so passive might be a bit embarrassing.

He'd realized by now that it was already the next day... so February 14th was actually the day he was planning to speak up.

But now... Harry thinks he's probably going to get his hands on today.

"What are you dawdling for? Close your eyes right now!" Hermione was both embarrassed and angry to see Harry still staring at her. "If you don't behave, you brat, I'm going to spank you!"

"Okay, okay, I'll close my eyes~" Harry shrank back at the shout and quickly and obediently closed his eyes.

That said, the academically gifted girl was clearly using her immature acting skills to force the image of a domineering female lead, and in the end, she had no choice but to cooperate and act opposite her. This was really forcing someone who loves you to improvise.

Uh... I forgot to mention it~

"Phew..." Hermione, seeing that Harry was finally willing to cooperate, mustered her courage and took small, quick steps to stand in front of Harry.

Her mind was in turmoil; she even wondered if she was going crazy, wondering why she had chosen to do this.

This should clearly be the part where the guy takes the initiative!

But she is, after all, the older sister, and if the other party is that brat brother, she absolutely doesn't want to be in a passive position!

So she moved closer and closer, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid, and Harry could even clearly feel Hermione's breath on his face.

Finally, Hermione seemed to have made up her mind. She tilted her head slightly and gently touched her lips to Harry's.

The cool touch made Hermione shiver involuntarily, but just as she was about to leave, she found herself being held tightly in his arms.