Unexpectedly, Orli's face remained calm, showing no reaction to Peter Pettigrew's words.
# Snape: "You heard."
Snape finally spoke, his voice deep and hoarse.
## Orli: "Yes, Professor. I heard. You were once a Death Eater, weren't you?"
Orli said softly.
A flicker of pain crossed Snape's eyes, but he didn't answer, seemingly torn by intense inner conflict, yet he didn't lower his wand.
## Orli: "You can cast a Memory Charm on me if you're worried."
Orli turned to face him.
## Orli: "But make sure to hand Peter Pettigrew over to Headmaster Dumbledore. This is crucial; don't let him escape."
Snape stared at Orli's face, scrutinizing her every subtle expression, speaking in a slow, deliberate voice:
# Snape: "How do you know I won't let him slip away? You know my identity, yet you're not questioning, not disgusted, not afraid—why?"
## Orli: "Because you are you."
Orli met his gaze steadily.
## Orli: "No matter who you were or what choices you made, it's the countless days and nights of the past that shaped the present you—the one I respect and admire, Professor Snape."
Snape looked at her, then abruptly turned his head, appearing agitated.
# Snape: "You're just trying to stall me with empty words, hoping to tell Potter and the others later!"
He gripped his wand tightly, pacing back and forth in the office.
## Orli: "You can cast a spell on me now."
Orli lowered her wand, facing him calmly, arms open.
## Orli: "But someday in the future, if you find out again that I know your identity, don't worry. You can trust that I will accept all of you."
# Snape: "Shut up! You foolish, arrogant student!"
Snape rudely lifted Orli's chin with the tip of his wand:
# Snape: "You've experienced nothing, you don't understand what being a Death Eater means!"
## Orli: "It means loyalty to Voldemort, slaughter of Muggle-born wizards and ordinary Muggles, pursuit of dark magic..."
Orli had to raise her head, but she tried hard to keep her voice steady.
## Orli: "Professor, the world isn't just black and white; everyone has their own set of standards. Who can guarantee that all their choices are right? I'm not as enthusiastic about Dumbledore and Voldemort's camps, but at least I'm not as repulsed by dark magic as you think."
# Snape: "A moderate, huh, synonymous with cowardice, a fool who wants to offend no one?"
Snape sneered.
## Orli: "No, Professor."
Orli shook her head slightly, feeling his wand tip brush against her throat.
## Orli: "Voldemort's madness makes it hard for him to last long; I believe he's no longer a leader worth following, but a bloodline-obsessed lunatic. I've read in the papers that he even casually uses the Cruciatus Curse and Killing Curse on Death Eaters."
## Orli: "And Headmaster Dumbledore, he can sacrifice everything for justice, including every one of his subordinates, even himself. If someone said that killing you could rid the world of the Dark Lord, he would unhesitatingly cast a spell on you, Professor. I don't choose either of them because I only want to choose you."
Snape stared at Orli, his lips moving silently but making no sound, as if hypnotized. The room fell into several minutes of silence, with them just looking at each other, neither speaking. Finally, it was Orli who spoke again:
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