HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

At five minutes to eight, Harry knocked on the door of the cellar office right on time.

"Come in," Severus's voice came from inside.

Harry pushed open the door and went inside. The office was more... lively than he had imagined.

The fireplace was burning brightly. One wall was a bookshelf that reached the ceiling, and the other wall was filled with various potion ingredients and instruments, neatly arranged but densely packed.

There was a complex smell in the air: old books, dried herbs, and a faint scent like that of a forest after a cold rain.

Severus stood before a large wooden table covered with a thick velvet cloth, on which lay several transparent, sealed jars filled with countless, slightly wriggling Billywig worms, their stingers gleaming coldly.

"Come here." Severus didn't look at him, but pointed to the other side of the table. "See these tools? Silver tweezers, dragon-skin gloves, and a separation dish. Your task is to completely separate the stinger's venom gland and villi. Collect the venom gland in the crystal bottle on the left, and the villi on the right. A ruptured venom gland will release a stun gas, and flying villi will cause hiccups."

"I don't want my office to need extra ventilation tonight, or to be subjected to constant noise. Understand?"

"Understood, Professor."

He put on the silver dragon-skin gloves, which fit him perfectly.

After Severus sat back down at his desk, he began to grade a pile of papers. The scratching sound of his quill pen across the parchment became the only background noise in the room.

Harry was a bit clumsy at first, the stinger was slippery and the tail needle almost poked his glove.

He recalled the effortless grace with which Uncle Ian handled dangerous herbs during the summer in the Cotswolds, and the millimeter-precise technique the professor used to demonstrate cutting sleep beans.

He steadied himself, slowed his movements, and carefully pinched the middle of a stinger, using the tip of tweezers to search for the tiny gap where the venom gland connected to the villi.

Time flowed by in silence, and Harry gradually found his rhythm, his movements becoming more and more steady as he separated.

Occasionally, a slight oozing of fluid would occur from the venom glands during the removal process. He immediately followed Severus's prior instructions and used the absorbent cloth next to him to press it down, preventing the gas from spreading.

While Severus was grading papers, his gaze swept over Harry's hand several times.

The child was very focused, his lips pressed into a line, and his bangs fell down to cover the lightning-shaped scar.

From clumsy to skillful, one can immediately correct mistakes without complaining or being reckless.

Like Lily.

Severus lowered his eyes and underlined the statement with his quill pen: "The student's understanding of the nature of African tree snakeskin is fundamentally flawed."

About an hour later, Harry finished processing about half a jar. He stretched his aching wrists and glanced furtively at Severus.

The professor was engrossed in those papers, his profile looking somewhat tired in the firelight of the fireplace, but the slight furrow in his brow was exactly the same as when he was studying those complex magical charts in his study during the summer vacation.

"Professor," Harry hesitated for a moment before speaking, "about the questions in class today... things you taught over the summer, I didn't remember. I'm sorry."

Severus paused, pen in hand, without looking up. "Remember, mistakes are the prerequisite for progress. Next time I'll ask about the substitution ratio of moonshine and silver fern in calming potions. If you don't want to continue using your confinement time to review the basics, you'd better prepare in advance."

"Yes, Professor." Harry paused, then said softly, "Also, thank you and Uncle Ian for my birthday presents; that book, 'Basic Protection Runes Diagram,' was very useful."

Severus then looked up at him.

"The annotated version of that book was copied by Ian from the Black family's collection, and it has more practical examples than the versions available on the market."

"I'm having a little trouble reading this," Harry said honestly, "but Uncle Ian said I can ask him if I don't understand, or... ask you."

"Master the textbook content first." Severus's tone remained calm, but as he bent down to grade the papers again, he added, "You can come to the office every Wednesday evening from seven to eight o'clock if you don't have anything else to do."

"I won't give you extra lessons, but I can answer any questions you have about spellcasting or potions that go beyond the scope of the textbook, and that are academic questions only."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Professor!"

"Get back to your work. And," Severus pointed with his quill to an inconspicuous little cabinet in the corner, "the tin can on the top left has some cookies that Ian put there. If you're hungry, you can have one, but don't expect it to taste very good."

Harry couldn't help but laugh, completely relaxing. "Yes."

By the end of his confinement, Harry had skillfully handled the entire jar of stingers, properly separating the venom glands and the fluff without making any mistakes.

Severus checked and nodded. "It's fine. Be careful of the stairs on your way back."

After Harry left, the office returned to silence.

Not long after, there was a gentle knock on the cellar door, unlike the students' reserved knocking.

Severus didn't stop writing; he just moved his fingers, and the door slid open silently.

Ian stepped in, bringing with him the slightly cool air of the corridor, and carrying a wicker basket covered with a cloth.

He glanced at the empty student seats, then turned to Severus behind the desk, a smile playing on his lips.

"Sent them away?"

"Hmm." Severus put down his quill, rubbed his temples, and said, "You're fairly obedient, and your hands aren't too clumsy."

Ian walked over, placed the wicker basket on the corner of the table, and stood naturally behind Severus, pressing his fingers against his temples with just the right amount of pressure.

"I always said Harry learns things quickly, he just gets nervous easily."

He leaned down and nuzzled Severus's head with his chin. "Are you tired? Your face is all pale."

"Thirty papers were approved, fifteen of which proved that trolls may have closer relatives who were more intelligent than them."

Severus closed his eyes, letting the hands massage him, leaning back in his chair, almost sinking into Ian's arms.

Ian chuckled softly, his breath brushing against Snape's ear. "High standards, strict requirements, Professor Snape."

He kissed Severus's cool earlobe, his hand sliding from his temple to his neck and shoulders, kneading the stiff muscles.

"Going home? I brought some freshly baked meat pies from Mom, still warm, and also some new Honey Duke candies that arrived today; I snatched a jar."

"You've used my name to run up debts again." Severus didn't open his eyes, but his tone wasn't accusatory.

"It's for bookkeeping. And I told Ambrose that it was 'Professor Snape' who wanted it. He grinned from ear to ear and gave me two extra bags of cockroaches, but I refused them."

Ian's hand slipped inside Severus's black robe, pressing on his stomach through his shirt. "You didn't eat much again tonight, did you? Professor McGonagall said you only had some soup after the banquet."

Severus grabbed his mischievous hand but didn't shake it off, just held it. "I'm not hungry. Quirrell smells disgusting."

The warm atmosphere between the two froze for a moment when the name was mentioned.

Ian pulled him up from the chair, adjusted his black robe, and draped a thick cloak over him from the back of the chair.

"Is there some activity from the undercover agents?" Ian asked softly, tying his cloak while smoothing the wrinkles in his collar with his fingertips.

Severus lowered his eyes, watching Ian's nimble fingers. "This afternoon, Ferrenze stopped three second-year Gryffindors who wanted to 'explore' the edge of the Forbidden Forest."