HP: At the beginning, I influenced Snape's childhood.

Lin Mo had just set out the dinner table when Snape came out of the study. Seeing the child, Lin Mo smiled and waved, saying, "Come, come, it's Christmas Eve, let's celebrate!"

The two sat down. Snape no longer needed to jump onto the chair, but Lin Mo's long legs seemed even more awkward in front of the lowered furniture. It seemed they would have to wait until Snape grew up and then use magic to change the height of the furniture again.

The heat-keeping charms on each dish had been removed, and the two began to eat. Halfway through the meal, Lin Mo noticed Snape had just finished the food he'd taken back. Lin Mo put down his cutlery, raised his glass, and gestured for Snape to continue. Snape, seeing this, also raised his glass, waiting for Lin Mo to continue.

"Severus, Merry Christmas Eve! May every Christmas you have become happier..." As if remembering something, Lin Mo paused and continued, "May you become the bravest person, not recklessly or fearlessly, but with the courage to fight against everything for the people, things, and events you cherish, and even in the deepest darkness, still facing the light for the beliefs deep within your heart."

"If you ask what courage is, I think courage is like starlight in the long, dark night. Though small, it can illuminate a patch of light in the darkness, becoming the sun in that area and the light in the hearts of others."

"Severus, always have hope for the future. No matter what you encounter, believe that the future is not all darkness; light may be delayed, but it will eventually arrive. All that is beautiful, bright, and moving can only truly appear before you after overcoming hardships and obstacles."

Linmer didn't want Snape to be able to tolerate everyone, to compromise himself for others, or to be a mindless machine, merely a means to atone for his sins. Humans need desires to have motivation; they need ambition to pursue power to become stronger.

Linmer wanted Snape to become invincible, though it was difficult, very difficult to achieve, and very difficult to endure all the pain that lay behind that goal.

But he didn't want Snape to become so strong, didn't want him to become a cold person, full of disgust for life, at such a young age.

Perhaps Lin Mo was afraid. He didn't want to see Snape grow up to be as lonely and withdrawn as described in the books. He didn't want to see the disdain and shunning on the faces of other wizards when they saw Snape, and he didn't want people to introduce Snape as a master of Occlumency.

Severus, not everyone approaches you solely for personal gain, but neither does everyone approach you without any self-interest.

Lin Mo didn't want Snape to get hurt, so in his absence, Snape could only become stronger. But what was the price of becoming stronger? Not growth, but numbness—numbness to death, and a loss of hope for the future.

I don't want him to get hurt, but I also don't want him to become as hard as a rock because of becoming stronger. I don't want him to bear everything on his own, carrying all the blame and having to move forward with heavy burdens.

Lin Mo knew exactly what that felt like; having experienced it firsthand, he understood perfectly. Having gone through it himself, he didn't want Snape to follow in his footsteps.

Lin Mo initially chose the Harry Potter world and came to Snape's childhood, thinking that he only wanted to protect the young Snape because Snape's actions as an adult had guided his future path and given him a spiritual pillar.

But upon closer inspection, it became clear that the current Snape was just like his younger self. Was this feeling a sense of shared suffering?

No. Lin Mo was certain that people like them, who had such experiences, would absolutely loathe the pity of others; it would be an insult to everything about them, including the dark life struggling to survive in the mire.

Now, it feels more like a way to make up for his childhood self. The past can't be changed, and all Lin Mo can do is try his best to prevent others from becoming like him.

Seeing that Lin Mo had finished speaking, Snape's little face was filled with seriousness and determination: "Mo, I will."

However, this face, which never smiles, revealed a genuine smile today: "Thank you, Mo, thank you for letting me feel the warmth of family."

Snape wasn't good with words, but Lin Mo understood what he meant. Just like the first ray of light he'd seen in his life years ago, it was a pity…

Lin Mo knew Snape was a little unsure what to say, so he brought his glass closer. The two clinked glasses, the rims almost level, neither taller than the other.

Before Lin Mo could even bring the glass to his lips, he noticed Snape staring intently at his cup, and his hand paused. Whether it was a telepathic connection or Lin Mo's exceptional understanding of human nature, able to grasp Snape's meaning from the child's past, Lin Mo guessed that Snape was wondering if there was wine in his glass.

"Don't worry, my glass is full of grape juice, just like yours." Lin Mo said, standing up and placing his glass in front of Snape. Knowing the kid as he did, he knew that the other would still be suspicious if he didn't provide evidence.

Snape sniffed it; indeed, it didn't have the pungent smell of alcohol he remembered, only the sweet, refreshing scent of the same fruit as in his glass. For a moment, the dark-haired boy's eyes crinkled with a smile.

Lin Mo took back the cup and smiled slightly. He knew, of course, what the child was afraid of. He wasn't afraid of him, but of the alcohol. After experiencing those things, the child believed that alcohol could change a person's personality, so the child in front of him didn't want to touch alcohol.

Linmer's army maintained a strict rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping, so he didn't say anything except when clinking glasses. Snape was a man of few words to begin with, so there was no need to expect him to bring up any topics. Thus, the two finished their dinner in silence.

A——L——W——A——Y——S

At night, Lin Mo didn't draw the curtains. The swirling snow outside, illuminated by the moonlight, seemed especially comforting. The bright moonlight reflected on Lin Mo's face, and his left eye faintly revealed a strange, glittering color, like scattered stars in a mineral.

"Xiao Mo, let me give you an observatory, just like the Ravenclaw observatory." Chang Feng said, and a tower appeared in an open space in the manor.

"Thank you, Changfeng." Lin Mo had thanked Changfeng countless times recently. He genuinely enjoyed standing on high ground to admire the scenery, as it calmed him down and allowed him to relax briefly.

Since the children haven't gone out for the past few days, no one would suspect anything if a new building suddenly appeared in the manor.

……early morning

Lin Mo got up to exercise as usual. After returning and taking a shower, she changed into a white outfit. The soft sunlight made her look even more gentle.

This morning, he received a gift at his bedroom door. It was a box, and Lin Mo opened it with a slightly clumsy ribbon wrapping, a smile on his face.

The box was opened, revealing a small bottle of magic potion and a greeting card. (After all, we in the Church of St. Petersburg rarely leave our quarters; where could we buy gifts? We had to make them ourselves.)

Opening the greeting card, the childish handwriting on it made Lin Mo feel a little better.

Since he was just a child, Lin Mo could roughly understand the meaning of the potion as "Merry Christmas." This potion was the first one the child had successfully made, and he was giving it to Lin Mo as a souvenir.

"Changfeng, what kind of magic potion is this?" Lin Mo looked at the bottle in his hand, tried to smell it using a chemical method, and asked Changfeng in his mind.

"Hmm, a super-powerful healing potion." Changfeng took a look and immediately came to a conclusion. "Your little Sievert has a lot of talent. This potion is of very high quality; you must have put a lot of effort into it."

"You don't need to tell me." Lin Mo tightened his grip on the potion, answering Changfeng with an air of arrogance.

"Oh yeah, yeah, if you two don't interact, I'm going to sleep, bye-bye." Changfeng muttered under his breath as he left, "Honestly, they don't even give us any sweet moments..."

"What do you mean by giving out candy? Neither of us likes candy, so why would we give out candy?" Lin Mo thought about Chang Feng's "deliberately whispered" words for a long time... and then the straight man gave up.

Lin Mo held the potion, waved his hand, and several layers of high-level protective spells were applied to it before he felt relieved and it disappeared.

After checking the time, Lin Mo went to the study on the first floor and found a basic potion book to read. After all, he had never been exposed to potions before, so Lin Mo decided to learn some of these things.

...In Snape's bedroom, the child, with his messy black hair, rubbed his eyes, looking like he had just woken up. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the exquisitely packaged box outside and his eyes lit up.

How long has it been since he received a gift? Snape couldn't remember. This was the first gift the boy had received since Tobias went bankrupt, so how could he not be excited?

Carrying the box back to his bedroom, Snape immediately sobered up. With a kind of reverence, he unwrapped the intricately wrapped ribbons and slowly opened the box.

Inside the box was a simple yet elegant greeting card and a lifelike carved eagle. Snape, his hands trembling with joy, lifted the wooden carving and placed it on the bedside table, then opened the card.

What came into view was a sharp handwriting, upright and firm, somewhat different from Lin Mo's usual gentle and refined temperament. It was like a series of sheathed swords with sharp edges that were both square and round... no, not complete, but rather swords that had been partially drawn from their sheaths.

It is the domineering confidence that the sword's edge can conquer all, the aloofness and determination of the hardened ice crystals on the plateau snow mountain after being cut by wind and snow, and the composure and calmness that remain unchanged even when Mount Tai collapses in front of you, and do not blink when a deer runs by on your left.

That was confidence and pride, as well as Lin Mo's unruliness and composure.

From the greeting card, Snape learned that the wooden carving was not an eagle, but a bird of prey called a falcon. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he took out the dark blue, eagle-like bird embroidered on his black clothes. Snape realized that this was also a falcon.

Snape carefully crouched down, put the greeting card away, and placed it at the bottom of the bedside table. He then locked the bedside table with a lock, which was the safest way Snape, who had not yet mastered magic, could protect it.

He stood up, picked up the wooden falcon, and sat on the bed, examining it closely. When he met the falcon's calm, deep-sea-like blue eyes, he felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over him.

He didn't know if he was hallucinating, but even though the wood carving was just a simple one, he still liked it very much. This was the first gift he received after embracing the light, a unique gift.

Not only because the gift suited his aesthetic taste, and not only because the gift was of great significance to him, but also because it was carved by Lin Mo himself and was a gift from someone he cherished.

As he gently stroked the feathers of the black falcon, the wood miraculously warmed, warming Snape's body and his heart.

Suddenly, Snape felt as if he had embraced the whole world. Yes, with Lin Mo, he felt like a happy child who possessed the entire world. Perhaps without realizing it, Lin Mo, the first and brightest light in his life, had become his whole world. No matter who he met next, no matter how good they were, his whole world would only ever be Lin Mo.

After all, it was a ray of redemption.

That light was as warm as the winter sun and as gentle as the summer breeze. Snape felt that Lin Mo was the bravest person in his heart, because Lin Mo illuminated his dark world, his small world filled with black mist.

His heart was filled with such happiness that it was almost chaotic, and his senses were not very strong, because he seemed to vaguely hear a deep and magnetic murmur coming from the black falcon in his hand.

"I'm not leaving you, always......"

Whether it was true or not, Snape assured him it was the best Christmas greeting he had ever heard.

Author's note: I've kept you all waiting so long. This chapter is a bit longer than usual. I estimate it will be another four or five chapters before we reach the sub-era, so please be patient. As for the romance, we'll take our time.