Chapter 9
Less than eighteen hours had passed since he last met Snape. Already, the Potion Master looked worse for wear.
Perhaps, it was a matter of preconception; a bias should he say, because of the knowledge he gleaned from the hospital staffs that every single time the food tray was sent back untouched.
But whatever he thought about it, he couldn't deny the fact that the Potion Master looked so pale that the man seemed to glow luminously, horrifically inhuman, making him feel as if he was looking at wilting plant, one which should be specifically kept in the dark place and not under the light, with its vines shriveled beyond saving.
So now he could say with absolute conviction that there was a decision to make and it was (unfortunately) his.
All because the Potion Master had no one, so to speak—no one left in this world to care for him.
There were two choices; he could turn back and left Snape to fend for himself, or he could, instead, willingly assume full responsibility for the man's well-being.
The tricky thing was, he had a feeling that he had already made his choice the moment he had followed Fawkes and found the man, only he still couldn't reassure himself whether he was making the right choice or not.
Because, firstly, and foremostly, Severus Snape was an enigma.
Being the man's student for six years meant nothing at all; he understood only very little of him.
Indeed, no one was more surprised than him when the truth came out.
He hadn't even known that Snape had been his mother's childhood friend, or the fact that the man had always been in love with her forever, nor had he realized the man been his secret protector all these years.
The only thing he could say confidently about the man was that Snape was a very convincing liar and a huge pain in the arse (and the conclusion that he was probably the stupidest person alive to put his trust in him).
Still, he had to be made of stone if he didn't feel anything toward one man whose memories he had seen.
Had he not witnessed by his own eyes, the man's mistake and guilt, and more than that, the evident act of redemption?
Wasn't it everyone's rights to get a second chance, especially a person who had sacrificed everything?
And if he could find forgiveness inside him for Voldemort, why wouldn't he, for Snape?
With that last thought, the conflict inside him finally resolved.
End of Chapter 9