HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Lily looked up at him, her emerald green eyes meeting his, but she didn't answer immediately.

She glanced behind James; Sirius had his arms crossed, his expression saying, "Just say yes!" while Remus smiled gently, with encouragement mixed with a hint of worry.

Peter Pettigrew hid behind Sirius, peering out curiously.

"What is it?" Lily asked calmly.

"Want to open it and take a look?" James tried to make his smile seem natural.

Lily took the box and, under Mary's watchful eye, unwrapped it.

Inside wasn't some extravagant jewelry or prank toys, but a hand-knitted wool scarf, bright red, woven with an intricate gold sly pattern, soft and thick.

There was also a card with James's somewhat messy but earnest handwriting: "Quidditch pitch is cold. —JP"

It's very practical and has his own style. Lily's fingers brushed over the soft wool, and she remained silent for a few seconds.

The lounge was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Thank you, James." She finally spoke, her voice clear. "The scarf is beautiful and warm, but..." She looked up and met James's light brown eyes, which had lit up briefly but then dimmed again at the word "but."

"I don't want to start a relationship right now. I want to focus on my studies, and... many other things."

It was a tactful refusal, but the meaning of rejection was clear. James' smile froze for a moment, but he didn't collapse.

He ran his fingers through his already messy black hair and nodded. "I know. I... I'm trying, you know, not so... bastard."

He paused, his voice lower so that only a few people nearby could hear him, "I'm not in a hurry, Lily. You can use the scarf for now. It's really cold during Quidditch practice. I... I can wait."

This wasn't relentless pursuit, nor was it a public confession that would embarrass her. It was an expression of my feelings, respect for her choice, and even a touch of clumsy thoughtfulness.

Some of the Gryffindors around him sighed kindly, while others whispered words of encouragement for James.

Lily looked at James. There was disappointment in his eyes, but there was no coercion, nor the stubbornness of "I must have it" that she usually had.

After that conversation by the Black Lake in fifth grade, he did change. He trained harder in Quidditch, took better care of the younger students, and even went out with Sirius less often at night, though still quite a few times.

She took a soft breath, carefully folded the scarf, and put it back in the box.

"Thank you, James, I'll take the scarf." She didn't agree, but she didn't completely block the way either.

James's eyes brightened a little more, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay! Then... I won't bother you anymore."

He turned and walked back to his friends. Sirius patted him hard on the back, and Remus handed him a butterbeer.

Mary leaned close to Lily's ear and whispered, "Actually... he's not bad, right? At least he did pretty well this time."

Lily didn't say anything, but just hugged the box containing the scarf to her chest, her gaze returning to the book, but she didn't turn the page for a long time.

As night deepened, the fire in the cellar's common room grew weaker.

Kevin was already dozing off on the sofa, clutching a half-eaten box of chocolates, his head nodding off.

Aris closed his notebook, glanced at him, gently pulled the box from his arms that was about to fall, placed it aside, and then picked up the thick blanket he had draped over the back of his chair, unfolded it, and covered Kevin with it.

The movements were very light and natural.

Ian and Severus sat in armchairs a little further away, the standoff on the chessboard drawing to a close.

The Black King of Severus was being relentlessly pursued by Ian's White Queen, but the Black Knight in the corner was still watching intently.

"Yes." Ian moved the bishop.

Severus stared at the chessboard, tapped his fingers on his knee, and then pushed his knight forward. "Checkmate."

Ian paused for a moment, then looked closely at the chessboard and realized he had overlooked the knight's movement.

He laughed and raised his hands in surrender: "Impressive. I'll handle the tea party next week."

Severus raised the corners of his mouth and began to tidy up the chess pieces. Ian helped him, and their fingers inevitably touched and then separated.

The fire crackled one last time, and Kevin mumbled something in his sleep before snuggling deeper into the blanket.

Aris sat beside him, his profile serene, reading a book about ancient runic variants by the last light of the fireplace.

……

After the holiday, the college returned to normal.

Regulus would occasionally bring them news, but he was no longer just a dangerous source of information. He sat in their safe house, complaining about the house-elves, listening to Kevin's lame jokes, asking Aris questions about the rigor of arithmetic and divination, receiving precise potion-making instruction from Severus, and reminding Ian that his robes were stained with grass juice.

His appearances at the Room of Requirement became more regular, usually on Thursday nights.

When he pushes the door open and comes in, he occasionally gives a slight nod in response to Kevin's words, "Here we are again, mooching off our fire, Regulus?"

Then he would sit in the old armchair by the window, open a book, but occasionally his gaze would drift from the pages to the chessboard, watching Kevin and Aris play.

"If you keep walking like this, his bishop will lock up your queen in three steps." Regulus suddenly spoke once, his voice very soft.

Kevin exclaimed, "Huh?" He stared at the chessboard for a long time before suddenly realizing, "Oh right! Regulus, you actually figured it out! Aris, this move doesn't count, I'll play again!"

"No take-backs once a move is made, Kevin." Aris adjusted his glasses, then looked at Regulus. "You learn quickly and are very cautious."

"I've been studying a bit at home," Regulus said briefly, then looked down at his book again.

Kevin lost the game of chess against Aris in the end. He muttered resentfully as he arranged the pieces, and when he looked up, he met Regulus's gaze.

"Are you coming?" Kevin asked vaguely, with half a piece of chocolate still in his mouth.

Aris raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and simply pushed the chessboard further in the center.

Kevin immediately perked up: "I'll let you go first! Remember the rules? I taught you last time..."

"I remember." Regulus picked up a Black Knight, his fingers steady but his movements too routine, as if he were performing a procedure.

Ian leaned against the armrest of the sofa next to Severus, watching them play chess.

Severus seemed uninterested in the game and picked up the spellbook again, but Ian noticed that he was turning the pages more slowly than usual.

Regulus descended slowly, taking a long time to think about each step.

Kevin initially muttered to himself, but later quieted down and waited, resting his chin on his hand.

Aris watched from the side, occasionally tapping his fingertips silently on his knees when Regulus paused for a long time, as if simulating a move in the game.

However, Regulus played faster and faster, and Kevin began to calculate the possible moves for each move. In the end, he chose to resign.

"Are you sure you haven't been studying for very long?" Kevin was starting to doubt his own existence.

"I learned a little from my tutor after last time." Regulus pursed his lips and put the chess piece away.

"I'll fight you rich people to the death..."