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

Night gradually crept up the horizon, taking over the entire sky. Lin Mo had been standing there all day, mainly because he was so focused on his studies. The rare potion book in his hands was indeed as Snape had said, possessing a powerful allure.

As darkness fell, Lin Mo had to stop his thirst for knowledge and stretch his body... His leg was numb. This really wasn't his fault for studying too hard, which caused him to put all his weight on one foot.

Lin Mo didn't seem to mind at all, and plopped down right at the entrance of Snape Manor... just like a debt collector.

Anyway, he was a warlord who had fought his way up from the battlefield, not a pampered young master, so he naturally didn't care whether the ground was dirty or not.

He took a lamp out of the system space, leaned against the stone pillar next to the manor gate, bent his legs, and curled up on the ground with his hands around his knees.

The night was getting chilly. Lin Mo looked at his thin clothes and, though it wasn't necessary, took out a black robe and put it on.

It felt like he was sinking deeper into the darkness. Lin Mo thought to himself. He liked this feeling, he was forced to like it, he liked this feeling of hiding himself, being swallowed by the darkness, without having to struggle.

He may have been tired of this feeling, but he never gave up in the first place. Now he's just tired, and he no longer needs to hide in the darkness.

Lin Mo checked the time; it was 7 PM. If he hadn't seen the other person by 10 PM, Lin Mo should go home.

Otherwise, his two older brothers might have led nine wolf cubs to Snape Manor.

Speaking of the demon wolves, Lin Mo saw that there were nine wolf cubs in total, and simply named them after the nine sons of the dragon. It was a hasty decision, but as it turned out, the nine wolf cubs liked them very much.

Okay, they stick close to Lin Mo like little puppies every day, but only to Lin Mo.

Light shone through the blurry glass, casting a yellowish glow that vaguely illuminated the boy's angular profile, his blue eyes gleaming in the golden light.

The first thing Snape saw when he stepped out of the villa was the light at the entrance and the almost perfect boy under the light.

"Stupid troll!" A phrase that perfectly matched Snape's speech patterns popped into his head.

The wind was cool, almost unlike summer. Snape strode forward, breaking through the darkness, toward Lin Mo—the only light in the night.

With the courage to pierce through the darkness, I ran without hesitation toward the only light in my life.

At a distance of about ten meters, Snape could make out the boy's figure by the light of the moon and the boy's lamp.

He paused, his bent legs and curled-up posture strikingly similar to his own memory. For a fleeting moment, it was as if they overlapped.

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Snape instinctively activated Occlumency to stop his thoughts.

That's right, that's how it should be. This little troll has a bright future ahead of him; he's the youngest recipient of the Merlin Class III Medal. How could he be like me, this evil Death Eater?

But I still wanted to comfort that figure, as if only in this way could I console my youth buried in darkness.

Snape put his hand in his pocket and actually felt a few hard little packages. They were the candies he had given Lin Mo in the medical wing last time.

Holding the candy, Snape approached Lin Mo again.

The highly alert little falcon had already spotted the newcomer, and even paused in confusion when Snape stopped.

Even as Snape walked into a distance close enough to threaten his life, Lin Mo still didn't turn around. This distance was still too great compared to truly unsuspecting children; he had to suppress his instinctive reaction.

Years of experience as a spy made him well aware that even a few meters away could allow the enemy to harm him, but he did not turn around or take any precautions. He suppressed the alertness that had been cultivated in his life-or-death battles, which was almost beyond his control.

"If Mr. Lin still has a brain, he should know to run home when it rains." Snape's first words were Venomous.

"Sir," Lin Mo finally managed to turn around naturally, "Good evening... I think I should know."

The boy turned around, revealing a half-eaten bag of compressed biscuits to Snape.

...Snape didn't know whether to call him stupid again or just say that the kid was hungry and didn't know to go home. It was as if he had bullied him.

"So Mr. Lin isn't stupid after all, but you poor professor, who has to come all the way here late at night to keep an eye on a little monster who's so stupid he's hiding outside someone else's door, really wants to know what makes you think you can wait for me?" Snape frowned.

"I was wondering if it was because I was on vacation at the time, and the gentleman came looking for me in his busy schedule but couldn't find me, which made him a little..." Lin Mo didn't finish the sentence, after all, it was best not to expose his dean's pride in front of the other party.

"What's wrong? Are you angry?" Snape sneered, almost throwing his robe at Lin Mo's face.

"No, I didn't mean that." Lin Mo quickly waved his hand in denial. He was joking; how could he possibly admit to that? He wasn't stupid... he should.

"Here you go." Snape probably had a change of heart; he had given the other person the cold shoulder all day, causing the kid to not eat properly all day.

Although the Potions Master still didn't think it was his fault, he still held out the candy in his hand to Lin Mo.

Clearly, Snape saw the blue-eyed brat's eyes light up, and then he took it seriously.

He said he was taking them, but he was actually taking them off one by one, holding the candies between his index finger and thumb. Snape's hand got itchy when he accidentally touched the ground.

After Lin Mo took the candy, Snape rubbed his hands behind his back, and the itching finally disappeared.

"Thank you, sir." Lin Mo put away the book, stood up and looked at Snape, then realized... his legs were numb again, and he was numb too.

"...Follow me." Snape didn't want to deal with this foolish little troll, but he kindly waited a few seconds.

Snape led the way, walking very slowly. After all, this was Lin Mo's first time returning to the manor after changing his identity, and nothing here had changed.

He wanted to see Lin Mo's reaction; what if it really was an old acquaintance...? Snape didn't know. But whatever his purpose, he deliberately slowed down.

Stay close to me, don't get lost again.

I will stay close to you and will never leave again.

A child learns to walk step by step, but this word is not derogatory at this moment.

"Changfeng... I feel something's not right," Lin Mo thought to himself, though he didn't show it on his face.

"Something's not right?" Changfeng didn't take it too seriously.

"Why would Snape give me candy? I felt something was off before, and there have been similar incidents many times. It's not like him at all, but how come I didn't notice before? It shouldn't be like this." Lin Mo was very confident in his investigative abilities, but over this period of time, he suddenly realized that his instincts seemed to have been deliberately diminished by something.

Changfeng's heart skipped a beat. He truly hadn't expected Lin Mo to discover it so quickly. In a panic, he sat up straight on the grass from his spatial dimension, hastily trying to salvage the situation, saying, "It's because you look too much like the original."

"That's true," Lin Mo's expression was indistinct in the darkness, "but I still feel something's not right..."

"Alright, alright, don't overthink it. You'll be at the villa soon." Changfeng quickly changed the subject.

Lin Mo lost the will to ask any more questions and focused his attention back on the outside world.

Still somewhat shaken, Changfeng waved his hand, and the silvery mist began to gradually disappear, seemingly disappearing completely within a few months.

Changfeng slumped wearily onto the grass in his own space. He had to admire Lin Mo's investigative abilities; he had discovered something was wrong so quickly.

Since things have come to this, there's no need to continue; after all, the goal has been achieved.

"Xiao Mo, it's up to you now. I've been a huge help to you." Chang Feng casually plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, returning to his leisurely state.