HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Severus shook his head, his gaze falling on the sign of a shop not far away, filled with all sorts of strange dried goods and bottles and jars. "...I'll go take a look over there."

Ian understood. "Okay, I'll go buy some drinks and come find you in a bit. Don't go too far."

When Ian arrived at the ingredient store with two glasses of chilled pumpkin juice, Severus was standing in a dimly lit corner, staring intently at some dried, oddly shaped herbs in a glass jar.

The shop smelled of mixed odors, and the owner, an old wizard who was a little hard of hearing, was dozing off behind the counter.

Ian handed Severus a glass of pumpkin juice, which he took, whispering a thank you, but his eyes never left the herbs.

"Want it?" Ian asked in a low voice.

"...Too expensive." Severus shook his head, pointing to the price tag. "And the quality is just so-so."

"Let's go then, the air here isn't good." Ian took a sip of pumpkin juice, which tasted sweet.

The two walked out of the shop and returned to the sunlight.

We've almost bought everything, and it's almost noon.

"Are you hungry? I know a small restaurant that makes pretty good pies, and they're not expensive," Ian suggested.

Severus hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The restaurant was on a side street; it wasn't big, but it was clean. They found a small table by the window and sat down.

Ian ordered beef patties and salad, while Severus only ordered the simplest vegetable soup and bread.

While waiting for their food, the atmosphere was quiet. Ian looked out the window at the flow of people coming and going in Diagon Alley, while Severus looked down at his hands on his knees, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cuffs of his old robe, which, although carefully mended, still showed obvious signs of wear.

"How was summer vacation...?" Ian broke the silence, asking, "Any progress on that remedy?"

Severus raised his eyes, his dark pupils meeting Ian's, a complex expression flashing within them.

"...After gathering all the materials, I tried three times. The first two failed, the third..."

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "...We obtained a small amount of unstable semi-finished products. The direction may be correct, but the stabilizer and catalytic steps need to be adjusted. The materials you provided were of very high purity and played a crucial role."

He spoke briefly, but Ian could hear the effort he had put into it. "It sounds promising. Just tell me what you need next time."

Severus paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Those materials... are very expensive, I'll find a way..."

"Stop." Ian made a pause gesture. "We agreed to invest in a future potion master. When you invent a super potion, just share the patent fees with me. For now, just focus on your experiments. My mother also said that you can consult her anytime if you need anything."

Severus stopped talking and simply took a sip of water.

Then, the food arrived.

Ian's pie smelled delicious, and Severus's vegetable soup looked very rich.

"Oh, by the way," Ian said casually as he cut a pie, "Kevin wrote to say that his dad finally agreed to buy him a Comet 260, and he's so excited. I bet he'll be thinking about how to get into the Quidditch team every day after school starts."

"Aris seems to be researching the relationship between ancient runes and the energy conversion of magic circles. The letter is full of formulas, and it's giving me a headache."

Severus listened quietly, sipping his soup with a spoon.

Lunch ended with a mundane conversation.

Ian paid the bill (Severus tried to pay his share, but Ian firmly refused, saying, "You carried my bag the whole way"), and the two retrieved the finished robes and checked the list one last time.

As we stood in the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, preparing to part ways, the afternoon sun was already beginning to set.

"See you on the train the day after tomorrow?" Ian said, carrying his bulging backpack.

Severus nodded, carrying the old wooden box and the new robe bag that were full.

He seemed less tense than when we first met that morning.

"...Thank you for today." He looked at Ian, his voice clearer.

"You're welcome." Ian smiled. "See you at the start of the semester, Severus. Don't forget your new instrument." He pointed to the long package that Severus was carefully holding.

Severus's fingers tightened slightly, then he nodded very little, turned around, and quickly disappeared into the dimly lit doorway of the Leaky Cauldron.

Ian stood there, watching his figure disappear, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face, before returning home.

The last night of the holiday passed by as I packed my luggage and listened to my mother's endless nagging.

The next morning, Ian hugged his family goodbye and boarded the train with his suitcase.

The aisle of the carriage was already packed with people. He moved with difficulty, his eyes scanning the windows, searching for familiar faces.

"Ian! Over here!"

A voice came from the front carriage door.

Ian looked up and saw Kevin leaning halfway out of a private room, waving vigorously with a bright smile on his face.

Standing next to him was Aris, whose expression was calm, and who was carefully turning to the side to avoid being bumped by the crowd.

Ian squeezed through. "Merlin, there are so many people! You two got here pretty early."

"My dad dumped me here early this morning, saying it would prevent me from leaving anything behind at the last minute."

Kevin helped push Ian's suitcase into the compartment and couldn't wait to show it off, "Look! My Comet 260!"

He pointed to a long, carefully wrapped, broom-shaped package on the luggage rack, his eyes shining brightly. "It's amazing! I touched it so many times last night, I almost slept with it!"

Aris calmly added, "Comet 260 is indeed more agile than Sweep, and it's also very stable at low speeds. As for its top speed..."

He glanced at Kevin. "It's useless to you."

"Aris!" Kevin protested. "Can't you just praise its beautiful appearance?"

"Appearance parameters do not affect flight performance," Aris replied matter-of-factly.

Ian laughed and put his backpack away. "Where's Severus? Have you seen him?"

"We haven't seen Severus yet," Aris said, "but he should be here soon. This box is relatively far back and quieter, let's reserve it for now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the private room was opened again.

Severus stood at the door, carrying a heavy-looking old wooden box, his face pale in the swaying light and shadow of the carriage.

He paused for a moment when he saw the three people in the private room.

"Severus! Come in!" Ian immediately waved and took the box from him. It was indeed very heavy. Besides the books, the glass instrument was definitely inside. "We've been waiting for you."