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

"Come with me," Snape said coldly. A strange feeling stirred within him; for some reason, he inexplicably disliked Lin Mo's timid and hesitant demeanor in his presence.

"Oh." Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his head, and said softly.

Neither of them spoke. Lin Mo recalled Snape's image in the Mirror of Erised, standing in the sunlight—definitely not the one he had just seen. Perhaps it was because Lin Mo had once been immersed in darkness that he so desperately wanted Snape to step out and openly embrace the light.

In the flickering light of the castle, Snape strode forward without pausing, as if facing endless darkness and he would walk into the abyss without hesitation.

Darkness enveloped their shoulders, one tall and one short, one in front of the other. Lin Mo lowered his head and quickly followed Snape, just as he had followed in Snape's footsteps in the books in his previous life, stepping into the world of undercover agents without hesitation.

Following Snape, Lin Mo stood in Snape's shadow, which was sometimes long and sometimes short in the lamplight, pondering everything in the Mirror of Erised, without paying attention to his surroundings.

If Harry became fascinated with the Mirror of Erised to see his parents, then Lin Mo wanted to see the Mirror of Erised because he wanted to see his fallen comrades and brothers more often, and even more so, he wanted to see those heroes in the darkness truly standing in the sunlight, even if he wasn't among them.

Lost in thought, Lin Mo didn't notice that he had arrived near the cellars, with Snape standing in front of the cellar door. Lin Mo, head down, didn't realize what was happening and was about to bump into Snape when he finally did.

For some unknown reason, Lin Mo turned to the side, afraid of bumping into Snape. He braced his right hand against the wall next to the door, leaned his upper body slightly forward, and stopped just a little distance away from Snape's back.

Having finally managed to maintain distance, Snape suddenly turned around, his robes fluttering slightly around his upper arms and shoulders, brushing against Lin Mo's cheek and even lightly bumping into Lin Mo's nose.

Lin Mo was originally facing Snape from behind, but to avoid bumping into him, he leaned slightly to the right, and then turned his face back to face forward after Snape turned around.

In other words, although Lin Mo was standing on the right side, his face was directly facing Snape. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but it changed when Snape turned around.

Lin Mo leaned against the wall, standing slightly to the right, which was to Snape's left. Originally, Lin Mo's height would have reached Snape's shoulder, but because he leaned forward slightly, he appeared much shorter.

At this moment, Lin Mo's face was almost pressed against Snape's heart, and even in this silence, his keen hearing could clearly feel Snape's strong heartbeat.

Approaching Snape, one senses a bitter, aloof, and composed demeanor, yet one that carries a subtle sense of reassurance. Just like the man himself, he is refined and powerful, possessing a convincing and trustworthy strength even in the darkness.

The two were very close; Snape even felt a slight itch on his right arm. He looked down and saw the child's face almost buried in his chest, and his face involuntarily darkened.

It wasn't that Snape was unhappy, but rather that this state of mind was too much to bear. He could even imagine that Lin Mo might act the same way when interacting with others.

"Damn little troll, doesn't he know what he looks like?" Snape thought to himself, a chill creeping over him.

"Excuse me, sir." Lin Mo took two steps back, raised his hands, and looked innocent.

"Ha, Mr. Lin, I think your troll-corrupted brain should know not to get too close to others, even acquaintances." Snape's brows furrowed even more as Lin Mo moved away.

Hearing this, Lin Mo was somewhat puzzled, but he nodded repeatedly: "What you say is all right, sir. That..."

Before he could finish speaking, Snape was furious at Lin Mo's appearance. He grabbed Lin Mo by the collar and dragged him into the cellar. Magic surged behind him, and the wooden door slammed shut with a loud bang.

The stone snake on the door was somewhat disoriented, constantly wondering if it had seen something it shouldn't have.

The black robes billowed and rolled, and Lin Mo was pulled forward by Snape, but he had no choice but to go with Snape's force, afraid that he might hurt Snape if he was not careful.

"Thump!" Lin Mo was thrown onto the sofa with a dull thud. Although he was crooked when he hit it, he immediately sat up straight, looking completely harmless.

If you ignore the fact that his collar was pulled loosely.

Snape crossed his arms, leaned back, and looked with great interest at the sliver of fair and delicate skin below Lin Mo's neck that was slightly exposed at the collar.

For some reason, Lin Mo's physique is strange. Whether in his previous life or now, he inevitably faces harsh weather and scorching sun every day during training and missions, but his skin is still in very good condition.

For this reason, during his time undercover, the enemies of Dark Night all said that although Lin Mo looked gentle and refined like a scholar, he was actually ruthless and powerful.

Following Snape's gaze, Lin Mo looked down at his collar, straightened it somewhat embarrassedly, and then suddenly thought: I didn't do this myself, so why should I be embarrassed?

"Xiao Mo...tsk." Chang Feng's voice appeared, its meaning unclear yet subtly discernible.

Changfeng could hear Lin Mo's thoughts. Lin Mo was used to these frequent, impromptu, and abrupt chats, after all, Changfeng was seriously trying to cultivate an image of being unconventional.

(Ahem, actually I just forgot to include Changfeng |ω・), this way I can have more interaction with Xiaomo's inner thoughts in the future. From now on, I'll use the '' symbol for inner thoughts; I'm really not good at directly transitioning from verbal expression to inner thoughts.)

"I don't want to talk," Lin Mo replied, gaining a deeper understanding of Changfeng's ability to gossip.

Seeing Lin Mo straighten his clothes, Snape looked down at him and said, "So, Mr. Lin, could you explain to your poor, sleepless professor what you were doing tonight?"

It wasn't a question, Lin Mo knew perfectly well. However, he still thought to himself, 'It's as if he could sleep at this hour if I didn't go out at night.'

"Hmm, you might need to use your brain, which isn't used to this situation, to think of how to appease your dear professor, who seems to be in a bad mood," Changfeng said with a look of anticipation.

Lin Mo had no doubt that Changfeng was already sitting there in the system space, seriously watching the drama unfold.

"Alright..." Although he knew it wasn't his fault Snape was still awake, he still said, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm having trouble sleeping tonight."

"Mr. Lin wouldn't be trying to use this excuse to tell your dean that you've been out all night just taking a stroll, would you?" Snape raised an eyebrow, somewhat mockingly.

"Of course not, sir. I happened to see a mirror with the words 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi' written on it." Lin Mo knew he couldn't hide it from Snape, so he had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Oh? Does our shrewd Mr. Lin from Gryffindor know what this mirror means?" Although Snape didn't show any reaction on the surface, he actually knew very well what it meant.

The location of the Mirror of Erised was arranged by Dumbledore himself, and only Harry or someone who has been there with Harry can find it.

In other words, the Golden Boy, in the eyes of the old bee, might very well be among those out for a night stroll. Snape, contemplating this possibility, began to curse inwardly.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Lin Mo replied.

"No, what do you mean by 'shrewd as Gryffindor'? Is he praising me?" Lin Mo was speechless, marveling at the Potions Master's eloquence.

"Of course...no," Changfeng replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't you have any idea whether I'm praising you or not?"

"Yes." Lin Mo's words left Changfeng speechless, and Changfeng stopped talking and focused on watching the drama unfold.

"It seems Mr. Lin's brain isn't completely filled with reeds," Snape replied. He didn't ask Lin Mo what he had seen, as that was a matter of personal privacy.

"But... did Mr. Lin go alone? That's really clever and resourceful~" Snapra drawled, his sarcasm obvious.

Lin Mo seemed to have guessed something. He knew that the place where the Mirror of Erised was placed couldn't be so random, but he really couldn't say Harry.

"I can only tell you, sir, that I am not alone." After saying this, Lin Mo felt that something was off.

"Hahahaha, yes, you're not alone," Changfeng punctuated in Lin Mo's mind. Lin Mo rolled his eyes inwardly. "Changfeng, can you please use your brain? This is an old joke from hundreds of years ago!"

The implication of "not just one person went" is that Harry went too, but Lin Mo didn't betray Harry, since he genuinely didn't mention Harry's name. As for Snape already knowing it was Harry, that only proves how incredibly clever Snape is.

Harry: Mo, you're such a good brother to me. You didn't say it, but what difference does it make whether you say it or not? (ಥ_ಥ)

"Since Mr. Lin is so loyal to Gryffindor, then please spend your entire Christmas holiday helping your poor and busy professor deal with the medicines." Snape revealed a triumphant and mocking smile.

"Um... sir, could I come every afternoon and evening?" Lin Mo asked hesitantly, because he really wanted to see the Mirror of Eris in the morning, as it might be one of the few opportunities he had to see his comrades-in-arms.

Snape frowned, vaguely sensing that Lin Mo might have something to do in the morning, but still nodded in agreement: "Then tomorrow, the cellars will welcome our brave Mr. Lin."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo stood up and nodded slightly to Snape, saying softly, "Sir, could you please not point your wand at me again?" His voice was low and gentle, unlike his usual tone.

To his classmates, Lin Mo is a gentle and friendly classmate; to his teachers, he is a smart and brave student; and to his friends, including Harry and Xiaolong, he is a caring older brother.

But everything he did carried a certain distance, perhaps because they were ultimately not on the same path, because Lin Mo had experienced endless darkness.

But when facing Snape, Lin Mo relaxed a bit, because he was genuinely afraid that if Snape pointed his wand at him again, he might lose control of his instincts and do something to hurt the other person.

"...Okay." Snape moved his lips, but only uttered one word. He could still seem to recall Lin Mo's deathly pale face when he spat out blood, and the shocking bloodstains on the ground.

I'm sorry. I mean, I'm sorry for what I did to hurt you.

Seeing the fleeting emptiness in Snape's eyes, Lin Mo felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He quickly said, "And also, sir, could you please stop calling me 'Mr. Lin' from now on? (ಥ_ಥ) It sounds too distant~"

"Hmph." Snape rudely chased Lin Mo out of the cellar, ultimately without giving a definite answer.

……

"Changfeng, why does Snape always like to add a bunch of sarcastic modifiers before addressing people? Like, 'The famous, brave Mr. Lin who fought the trolls,' it sounds so awkward."

"How would I know? If you're curious, go ask him yourself."

"Duck need not"

A——L——W——A——Y——S

In the morning, some Hogwarts students were doing their homework, while many more were still enjoying their holiday. Even though Harry really wanted to see his parents in the mirror, he gave up his plans to be active during the day and chose to go out at night instead.

Moreover, because of yesterday's night outing, Harry slept until noon when he woke up, and the thick dark circles around his eyes made him look just like an iron-eating beast.

Lin Mo had already finished his homework. After taking a shower after his morning exercise, he went to the place where the Mirror of Eris was located.

People from his past life appeared in the mirror. Lin Mo looked at those familiar faces: the Lou brothers, Captain Su (who guided Xiao Mo to become a qualified and outstanding soldier), Brother Ziqin, his older brother... and countless comrades who sacrificed their lives but whose names he could not recall.

Suddenly, Lin Mo's eyes reddened slightly. On countless nights when he wanted to give up, he would hope that one day he could live openly and honestly like the reflection in the mirror, standing in the sunlight without worrying about his dirty, blackened heart being exposed to the public eye.

But he wasn't in the mirror because he no longer cared whether he was in it or not. In other words, he didn't think he was qualified to be like that, and he was ultimately determined to die. Otherwise, how could the explosion that completed the mission have killed him?

He had countless ways to survive, to live out the rest of his life in the light, and his achievements were enough to earn him praise from the world, so that he would no longer need to put himself in danger.

He was hailed as the most outstanding undercover agent in a century, having experienced countless missions several times more dangerous than the last one, and even survived the gas leak incident... so how could he possibly sacrifice himself at the very moment when dawn was about to break?

It's just that he doesn't want to. That's all.

Lin Mo's gaze never left the Mirror of Eris; his attention was completely focused on the scene reflected in the mirror, and he didn't even notice that there was another person in the room.

He kept muttering to himself, "Brother Ziqin..."

Upon hearing this, Snape behind him frowned, his face darkening.

It wasn't until Snape was three or four meters away from Lin Mo that he came to his senses. However, he didn't turn around because he knew very well that Snape was behind him. So he suppressed his subconscious defensive movements and waited quietly for Snape.

"Mr. Lin... I assume you should know what a terrible thing you're currently obsessed with," Snape said coldly, but his voice carried a hint of worry that he himself didn't realize.

"Sir..." The voice was somewhat hoarse.

Author's ramblings: Learn to write without getting stuck, starting with me.

Why do other authors update so slowly? It's really not enough to read (ಥ_ಥ)! Update soon!!!

Although I update even slower (｢･ω･)｢hey