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

Christmas passed quietly, yet it was the best holiday the two had ever had. After that day, Lin Mo took Snape out for a day of fun, visiting amusement parks, cafes, cinemas, restaurants… in the Muggle world.

When they arrived at the amusement park, Lin Mo planned to let Snape play whatever he wanted, since the place didn't really appeal to him. He wasn't even interested in the most thrilling roller coaster, because he figured his heart would beat faster after riding it than after his usual training.

(Assuming that roller coasters and amusement parks already existed by the mid-20th century.)

Perhaps out of genuine interest, or perhaps for the sake of emergency avoidance, Snape didn't choose to ride the roller coaster. Lin Mo was disappointed; he had expected to see the future Serpent King of the Cellar in a state of panic.

However, Lin Mo sensed that Snape had shown a hint of "disdain" when he heard the mixed screams of men and women coming from the distant roller coaster.

Lin Mo commented: Actually, Severus's acting would have been even better if he had concealed the slight fear he showed when looking at the roller coaster's dramatic ups and downs. o(￣▽￣*)ゞ))￣▽￣*)o

However, Lin Mo didn't say it aloud, after all, he didn't want to anger the kid. Yes, the kind of kid who gets all puffed up.

Overall, Lin Mo was quite pleased to see Snape in a relaxed state throughout the day and able to blend in with the crowd, since he didn't want the child to have any problems with social skills after he left.

The only thing Lin Mo regretted was taking Snape to the coffee shop. Lin Mo felt that the kid was as rebellious as someone who had gained 108 pounds, refusing to listen to reason. He told him that coffee was bad for children and that he should drink more milk or something to supplement calcium, but the kid wouldn't listen, and as a result, he couldn't sleep for most of the night after they got home.

Lin Mo: You know, it's one thing for this kid to be sensitive to caffeine, but it seems like he's even a little addicted. If he doesn't take calcium supplements, I'm not worried that he won't grow tall in the future, although he did grow quite tall later on.

Listening to Lin Mo's inner monologue in his mind, Changfeng was speechless: "I never realized that Xiao Mo's inner thoughts are so rich. Suddenly, I feel like this spy codenamed Mo Falcon is almost becoming Little Severus's mother... No way!!! You two can't have this relationship. I still want to enjoy the gossip/shipping."

These past few days, the two have been living very much like bookworms, spending all their time reading except for normal bodily needs. Each of them sits on a small stool in the study, studying magical knowledge, reading all day long – a scene of utter harmony. Changfeng, watching them study so intently from his spatial dimension, is practically growing mold.

January 8th. Changfeng simply couldn't stand the loneliness any longer, so... he really didn't understand the world of academic geniuses. So, eager to ship any couples, he started stirring up trouble for his own gossip-loving endeavor.

"Oh, Xiao Mo, tomorrow is your little one's birthday, do you know that?" Chang Feng's sassy voice appeared in Lin Mo's mind.

"...Hmm." Lin Mo was engrossed in her book when she was startled by the sudden voice in her mind. Her reply paused for a few seconds, "I know, what's wrong?" She would never forget his birthday, even if she forgot someone else's.

"Hmm~ Remember to give him a gift. ε٩(๑＞ ₃ ＜)۶ з" Changfeng was very satisfied.

"Okay, okay, thank you." Lin Mo was both amused and exasperated by Changfeng's antics.

A——L——W——A——Y——S

On January 9th, the sun had not yet risen.

There was a blue mineral on the bed.

"Changfeng, we have work to do." Lin Mo woke Changfeng up. "Come on, take a look at the details of this ore."

"...Oh..." Changfeng was still half asleep, and you could tell from his voice that his mind was still foggy. He forced his eyelids open and glanced at the ore. Just one glance and he was wide awake.

"Xiao Mo, where did you get this?" Chang Feng was in the spatial realm, but his eyes were practically glued to the ore that shimmered with azure light. "This thing has a suppressive effect on dark magic. Except for the Death Curse, it can weaken all dark magic. If the caster of the spell isn't very powerful, or if the dark magic is relatively low-level, it can be directly resisted."

"Moreover, it has extremely strong regenerative abilities, meaning that as long as you don't immediately collapse, this thing can prolong your life and slowly remove any hidden injuries within your body."

"Most importantly, this thing isn't a disposable item; it possesses permanent power. And it works in all small worlds."

"This thing is pretty good, but it hasn't let me down..." Lin Mo's lips curled up, but his voice gradually softened.

Changfeng didn't hear clearly, nor did he care. He simply asked, "This thing is quite rare. Where did you get it? Are you giving it to Snape?"

"I found it by chance when I was completing a mission. I gave it to the kid as a birthday present." Lin Mo recounted the story lightly, without showing any particular feeling about the immense destructive power of that scene back then.

"Hmm, this is a nice gift." Changfeng nodded in agreement, but then, after a moment's thought, he joked, "However, given how precious this is, you'll probably go bankrupt from giving gifts every year."

"You're right," Lin Mo replied to Chang Feng, putting the gift in the box, adding a greeting card, and wrapping the box with ribbon. "The day for the child to receive gifts is quite near, but thanks to this, I can give him these in a very appropriate way."

While chatting idly with Changfeng in his mind, Lin Mo placed the gift outside Snape's bedroom and planned to go out for some training.

Just as Lin Mo finished putting on his coat, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening upstairs. He stopped going out, went to the living room to avoid a blind spot, and looked up.

The child, dressed in all black, clearly wasn't planning on sleeping anymore. He picked up the gift on the ground, looked around in confusion for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on. He turned his head around, trying to find Lin Mo, but then remembered that Lin Mo might have gone out to train at this time, and his eyes dimmed.

Just as he was about to go to the bathroom to wash up, he glanced at the living room downstairs and suddenly saw a figure he really wanted to see. The light was a bit dim, and he seemed a little disbelieving in his eyes. He immediately turned his head to look over.

"Severus, my little child, Happy Birthday." Lin Mo met Snape's gaze, his voice gentle, like the warm sunshine of the rising sun.

Suddenly, Lin Mo was surprised to see the other person smile. The previously silent, cold, and self-conscious black gemstone suddenly radiated its own brilliance, as if this moment was the gemstone's eternity.

"Let's go out this morning, little birthday boy. Go wash up and I'll wait for you. I'll show you the birthday presents that nature has given you." Lin Mo's gentle voice reached Snape's ears as he thought of something.

"Okay." His dark eyes were full of stars. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the lights weren't on in the house, making the whole villa dim. But it seemed as if all the light had gathered in the boy's eyes, shining and warming them.

Snape didn't keep Lin Mo waiting long. He quickly went downstairs, and the two put on their coats. Lin Mo was in a good mood today. He held his child's little hand and, unusually, slowed down his usual bold strides. He walked slowly with his child, just like a scene he had secretly longed for in his childhood. This was the first time his steps had paused for someone else.

Lin Mo never expected that the first use of the observatory that Changfeng had built for him a few days ago would be to look at the sun.

The two walked slowly to the highest point of the observatory, where there was only the roof, the surrounding marble railings, and a long bench encircling the railings. The winter wind blew in from all directions, yet it carried a hint of spring warmth. Perhaps afraid that the child would catch a cold, Lin Mo slightly turned to the side to shield him from most of the cold wind.

The two sat on a bench, and before the sun rose, Snape eagerly opened the birthday present he had brought, under Lin Mo's gentle gaze.

Just like the packaging of the previous days, it was simple and perfect, just like the strong and powerful font and the words on the greeting card that still warmed his heart in the winter.

A piece of mineral that has been naturally polished and hung up, resembling a pendant.

Lin Mo took out the pendant and personally hung it around Snape's neck. His low, gentle voice felt softer than cotton candy to Snape: "Severus, this can help you resist some dark magic. Remember to wear it all the time; it can protect you."

As his voice rose and fell, Snape's soft hair was slightly lifted, bobbing up and down, whether from the wind or from Lin Mo, it was hard to tell.

Looking at Snape, Lin Mo felt... that the child's hair was currently much more satisfactory than it might look in the future.

"Okay." Little Sief nodded gently, yet as if he had made a firm vow. At the moment, he only vaguely knew that this thing was important, and he cherished it more because it was a gift from Lin Mo. As time went by and he matured, he realized just how precious the protective charm Mo had given him back then truly was.

"I'll teach you some self-defense techniques in a few days. Even if there are special circumstances where you can't use your wand, you'll be able to protect yourself. How about it? Do you want to learn?" Lin Mo was afraid that the child would be bullied after she left, so she could only try to give him some protective items and skills.

He just didn't expect that in the years he was gone, he still wouldn't get what he wanted in the end. Because everything he gave Little Sipher was only to defend against the dark wizard. Facing those monsters now in the sunlight, his child dared not fight, much less could fight, because... his child had no one to back him up.

Snape excitedly agreed; few boys wouldn't be tempted by martial arts and the like, and the same goes for girls.

The two chatted happily, casually discussing their future. However, Snape had a vague feeling that being given these things was like the light in front of him about to leave him. He could only force himself not to think about it, believing that he was just being too sensitive, and hypnotizing himself to forget these feelings that made him uneasy.

As they chatted, perhaps because this future couple was so appealing, even Sun Brother, who usually smiles, left the house earlier than usual, seemingly wanting to see how the two interacted.

The winter sun is not as intense or flamboyant as the summer sun; it quietly and silently spreads its light across every inch of snow.

Perhaps the sun was too loud, for it didn't manage to quietly rise to the mountain peaks on the horizon today. It was only a few cool, warm white specks of light that were spotted by two people on the stargazing platform.

They fell silent, their gazes meeting as the rising sun slowly spread across the pristine snow, warming them and making them feel cozy.

Warm and gentle light sprinkled on their hair and eyes, carrying a hint of eager joy.

Lin Mo instinctively covered his left eye, as if a sharp arrow was about to pierce it. To his surprise, his usually fragile left eye unexpectedly emitted a little warmth, replacing the excruciating pain from the source of the injury.

The sunrise today is really nice. For the first time, I didn't feel the pain of being pierced by this beautiful sunlight, Lin Mo thought. But in the end, he couldn't keep up the stubbornness... Well, actually, it was because of Severus.

This feeling of happiness spread to Snape's heart, which was about to melt away the ice, and in an instant, it melted away all the sharp shards of ice that remained deep inside his heart.

Perhaps, at this moment, they truly felt happiness. That warm, ticklish, and subtly sweet feeling, a moment that makes one squint their eyes and savor, is perhaps the essence of happiness itself.

Whether it was because time was passing exceptionally quickly today, or because the sun was particularly peculiar, the two felt that not much time had passed, but the sun had already risen high in the sky.

The rising sun cast two shadows that were almost identical except for their size... perhaps, they were also souls.

Changfeng watched the two figures disappear, but surprisingly, he didn't say anything cheerful. His voice carried a hint of bitterness: "Xiao Mo, you're not telling the truth. That thing only appears when accompanied by great terror..."