The young girl left the room without hesitation, leaving Snape slumped on the floor as if drained of his soul. A flash of light appeared beneath his half-closed eyelids—it came from the obsidian ring on his finger...
When exactly had he started wearing it? And when had he grown so used to her presence by his side? She had disrupted his established routines: the teacups he specially bought and kept in the cupboard, the habit of going out for groceries every other day, the coffee powder always kept ready, and the frequency of his all-night research sessions decreasing simply because a noisy voice would always protest outside the door.
He had to constantly replenish his magic-restoring potions and Draughts of Peace, even carrying extra bottles on his person. Clearly, everything had started as a self-serving transaction, yet he found it increasingly impossible to calculate whether the returns were proportional to the effort.
Chapter 114