HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Two boys were blocking the doorway.

The guy in front had messy hair, wore glasses, and had a smug smile on his face.

The one behind was taller, with black hair and gray eyes, a lazy demeanor, and an innate arrogance.

"Did you just hear someone say 'Slytherin'?" The bespectacled boy, James Potter, raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Lily and lighting up.

"Oh, but this red-haired lady is right, Gryffindor is the best choice. I am James Potter, he is Sirius Black, and you?"

Lily frowned, clearly displeased with the way the intrusion had occurred: "Lily Evans."

Sirius Black leaned against the doorframe, his gaze sweeping over Severus and Ian as if he had seen something unclean.

"Slytherin," he repeated slowly, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "no wonder it smells like the gutter."

"Hey," Ian said, deliberately keeping his voice flat, "nobody asked for your opinion."

Sirius turned his gaze to him, looking him up and down. "The Burkes? The Burkes from Knockturn Alley?"

He chuckled lightly, "That's quite suitable, a family dealing in illicit goods."

"Sirius," James called out, but it sounded more like a reminder than a dissuade, his eyes still fixed on Lily.

"If you only judge a family's value by its location in the warehouse," Ian said without standing up, still smiling, "then the Black family's judgment is about the same as those Gringotts tellers who only care about gold."

Sirius straightened up, his gray eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

"So, it means you disturbed other people's ears," Ian turned to Lily, his tone instantly becoming more natural. "By the way, Evans, you just said you made the cookies yourself? That's amazing. My mom always says that what I make looks like a potion accident scene."

Lily paused for a moment, then smiled, her green eyes crinkling. "Thank you! It's not difficult, it's just..."

"Feed." Sirius interrupted her, staring at Ian. "Bock, you..."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Ian finally looked at him properly, his expression indifferent. "But you, Black, if your tutors didn't teach you 'knock' and 'quiet,' perhaps Hogwarts' rules can make up for it."

Severus, who had been silent until now, chuckled softly, but everyone in the box heard him.

Sirius's face darkened.

Upon seeing this, James immediately stepped forward half a step, his arm seemingly stopping Sirius, and a casual smile returned to his face.

"Hey, don't be so serious, let's just chat." His eyes drifted towards Lily again.

“Unauthorized ‘chat’ is called an interruption, Mr. Potter.” Ian pointed to the door of the private room. “We are having a conversation and it’s not convenient to receive you two.”

"The carriages are public," James said with a grin.

"But this cubicle is ours," Lily said seriously. "We were here first, and you were very rude."

James was taken aback, and his smile faltered.

Sirius completely ignored Lily, focusing only on Ian and Severus, especially Severus.

"Muggle-borns wanting to get into Slytherin, no wonder they're so eager to curry favor with House Burke. Even the rats in Knockturn Alley are better than you, aren't they?"

Before Severus could speak, Ian stood up first.

"Blake," Ian walked up to him. The two were about the same height, but Ian's posture carried a sense of oppression.

"The dignity of a pure-blood family lies in knowing when to remain silent, especially when revealing their poor vocabulary and even poorer upbringing."

"Didn't your mother tell you that true arrogance doesn't need to belittle others to prove itself? That's just... a sign of insecurity."

Sirius clenched his fists.

James gave a "hey," this time with a genuine warning.

"What do you know?" Sirius's voice was low and filled with anger.

"It seems your hearing also needs to be checked. Should I recommend a doctor at St. Mungo's? However, they probably can't cure things that are congenital."

Ian spoke quickly but calmly, "Now, could you please move over? Your presence here is making even the air feel...intimidating."

"you--!"

Sirius suddenly raised his hand, but James grabbed his arm from behind with considerable force.

"Alright, Sirius!" James raised his voice slightly, glancing quickly at Lily.

The girl was frowning, her face clearly showing disapproval.

James forced a smile, a little stiffly. "Let's go, this is boring, let's go to another carriage."

He practically dragged Sirius away.

As Sirius was dragged out of the private room, he turned back and glared at her fiercely, his gray eyes filled with lingering anger.

The door to the private room slid shut, and the world fell silent.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "They're so annoying."

Severus didn't speak, but just looked out the window at the fields rushing by. Ian sat back down next to him and nudged his arm.

"Ignore them," Ian said. "There are plenty of spoiled idiots like that in pure-blood families. Just treat it as trolls talking nonsense."

Severus turned back, glanced at Ian, and nodded.

His hands, which had been resting on his knees, slowly loosened.

The train arrived at Hogsmeade Station at dusk.

A cold wind, carrying a drizzle, swept over Ian. He pulled his robe tighter around himself, then heard a loud shout from afar: "First-year students! This way! First-year students, follow me!"

A figure, estimated to be over three meters tall, stood in the rain carrying a lantern, his thick beard almost completely obscuring his face.

Hagrid, Ian had seen in the illustrations of "A History of Modern Magic".

The freshmen followed him closely, huddled together, down a steep and narrow path.

It was pitch black all around, with only Hagrid's lantern casting a faint glow.

Someone slipped and fell, causing a small gasp of surprise.

"Turn this corner, and you'll see Hogwarts for the first time," Hagrid called back.

A black lake suddenly unfolds at the end of the narrow path.

On the high hillside across the lake, a magnificent castle stands tall, its spires towering, and warm yellow lights shine from its windows, twinkling in the night and rain like scattered stars.

Ian heard a collective gasp around him, and he held his breath as well.

"No more than four people per boat!" Hagrid shouted, pointing to a group of small boats moored on the lake shore.

The three of them boarded the same boat, and a girl with brown curly hair and freckles on her face also boarded.

The ship automatically headed towards the castle, cutting through the dark water.

After disembarking, illuminated by Hagrid's lantern, they climbed a tunnel through the rocky hillside and finally reached a flat, damp meadow in the shadow of the castle.

Before a huge oak door stood a tall, dark-haired witch in a turquoise robe, with a serious expression.

"Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, "all the first-year students are here."

"Thank you, Hagrid. Leave this to me."

Professor McGonagall led the new students into the castle foyer.

Torches were burning brightly around the stone walls, and the ceiling was so high that the top could not be seen.

The front features a luxurious marble staircase leading directly upstairs.

They were led into a small, empty room on the other side of the gate, where they were crammed together.

Professor McGonagall scanned each of the tense, upturned faces.

Welcome to Hogwarts.