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

Note: The side story is set after the Great War, with Lin Mo serving as a Potions teaching assistant and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

Recently, Lin Mo has become increasingly reluctant to attend classes. Now, whenever he leaves his office, some little wizards pop out of nowhere and confess their love to him.

One or two would be one thing, but a whole group of them, and they wouldn't leave no matter how hard you tried to get rid of them. They came looking for me, regardless of gender or age.

He wanted to ask that old bee who often used his age as an excuse to be absent from school, "Do you know how crazy your dear students are right now? Seriously, aren't there any good young wizards at Hogwarts these days? How come he's the only one causing trouble?"

Forget it, I doubt that guy who's always spouting pink bubbles knows, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.

Every time Lin Mo met that old bee, he would call out, "Gail, Gale, I want a hug."

Anyone who didn't know better would think this centenarian was unable to take care of himself.

Thinking back on the outrageous scenarios of the past, Lin Mo felt that Dumbledore had truly gone from unreliable to utterly unreliable.

God knows how he's been getting by lately. Ever since a group of young wizards confessed their love to Lin Mo, Snape has been keeping him locked out of the cellar every day, but he really wants to be with his dear Severus.

Recently, the little wizards have been getting more and more crazy, and their lovers' gazes towards them have become increasingly strange. Lin Mo felt that this was absolutely unacceptable, so he quickly and secretly arranged a surprise.

---------

"Mr. Lin, please keep your distance from your poor colleague. You're the object of those little trolls' affections now, so don't ruin your image." Snape said with a dark face, shutting Lin Mo out at the cellar door.

"Severus~ How could you say that? It will make me sad." Lin Mo looked at Snape, who was even more adorable after getting jealous, and his desire to kiss and hug him became even stronger.

Merlin's bikini... He hasn't been in the same room with his darling for almost half a month, and it's been a huge ordeal for him.

"Shut up, Mr. Lin, stop bothering your colleague," Snape said, and tried to close the cellar door.

Lin Mo pushed the door open directly, making sure to absorb the force at the end so as not to hurt Snape.

Stone Snake: You're so smug, so high and mighty. You're just playing me for a fool, taking turns slapping me.

"Severus, it's been so long since we've kissed." Lin Mo looked pitifully at his lover, whose eyes were only for him, while his hands had already blatantly wrapped around Snape's waist.

Their robes drew close, pressed together, and the now tall Lin Mo lowered his head to kiss his lover, their breaths mingling.

Snape's face suddenly turned red, the color of the sunset spreading to his ears and neck.

Lin Mo's breathing was steady, and the long kiss made Snape's body go weak, and he leaned against Lin Mo's tall body.

After finally ending the kiss, Lin Mo wanted to hug Snape again, but his lover, who pretended to be angry, immediately kicked him out of the cellar.

The stone snake at the door hissed, mocking Lin Mo for being kicked out again.

Lin Mo looked at the annoying snake but said nothing.

He was calculating in his mind that the day was fast approaching.

---------

Valentine's Day dance.

"Mr. Snape, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the center of everyone's attention—Lin Mo—invited Snape.

This surprised all the young wizards. It wasn't because Snape was unattractive; on the contrary, Snape's body was only in his twenties, and his well-defined features and excellent physique made him the object of many young wizards' secret crushes for a time.

However, once they discovered and experienced Snape's sharp tongue, they immediately distanced themselves from him.

They didn't know why Lin Mo would invite that gloomy, handsome Potions professor to dance the first dance; they were certain Snape would refuse.

But they were wrong, because Snape agreed; they were also wrong, because Lin Mo was going to invite Snape to dance for the entire ball tonight.

In the professors' chair, all the professors who knew the truth showed meaningful and long-awaited smiles, especially Professor Flitwick, who even felt a sense of relief as if his own children had finally grown up.

Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, Snape wanted to retort, but before he could speak, Lin Mo interrupted him: "Sir, please give me a chance."

The familiar address rang in his ears. In the noisy environment, Snape seemed to only hear the deep and gentle voice of the blue-eyed man in front of him, and he agreed as if possessed.

To the disbelief of all the young wizards, Lin Mo and Snape walked hand in hand to the center of the stage. Only then did everyone notice that each of them had a soaring falcon embroidered in silver thread on their left breast.

Lin Mo held Snape's hand and moved slowly to the music, dancing gracefully. After years of trials and tribulations, Lin Mo finally held onto his whole world.

With time running out, Professor Flitwick on the chair used a spell to stand on the stool, trying to make himself taller.

At the climax of the dance, Lin Mo put one arm around Snape's waist, while blue magic surged at the fingertips of his other hand, and the flickering light gradually condensed into a giant origami crane.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand as planned, and the other professors also unleashed their own pure and flawless magic of various colors.

This is the most sincere blessing from all the professors who have watched them grow up.

Snape paused, somewhat stunned, and stopped dancing. Lin Mo stopped as well. The blue origami cranes, surrounded by vibrant colors, flew towards the two of them.

A warm current flowed into Snape's body, and magic burst forth in a dazzling display like fireworks.

"Severus, I always love you." As colorful magical lights appeared in the center of the ball, Lin Mo's voice also reached Snape's ears.

If love must have a time limit, I'm willing to say "Always."

Snape was visibly excited upon seeing the familiar face. The lover he had imagined countless times in his heart exclaimed excitedly, "Severus, will you stay with me forever?"

"...I think I've answered this question countless times, in my heart. I'm willing, willing to spend the rest of my life with you." Snape's voice trembled slightly, and his throat felt a little sore.

His dark eyes reflected his beloved; darkness collided with darkness, sparking a brilliant flame that illuminated life and time.

In his eyes, he saw his usually composed lover happily putting the wedding rings on his finger like a child. Snape could even feel the sweat on Lin Mo's palms and his trembling hands.

From then on, lovers will finally get what they want, and their love will reach their hearts without having to cross mountains and rivers.

Love is enduring, lingering in the heart, and flowing endlessly.

Author's ramblings: Long time no see, ramblings. When I used this "—" symbol as a dividing line, I used nine of them each time, twice, to symbolize 99.

Of course, I didn't pad the word count; in fact, I wrote much more.