HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

After Ian said "annoying," he laughed at himself first.

Severus's vexation was somewhat dispelled; after drinking some water, he reopened his book.

As the research progressed, the weather gradually turned colder.

Hogsmeade Week, as always, was filled with the smell of aged goat's milk and dust in the Hogshead Tavern. The lighting was dim, and a few guests of unknown status sat scattered around a few broken wooden tables.

When Ian pushed open the creaking wooden door, he almost took a step back from the sweltering heat that hit him.

"Over here!" Kevin's voice came from the corner. He stood up and waved vigorously.

Ian and Severus went over and took off their chilly outer robes.

Aris was already there, wiping the glass in front of him with a handkerchief. "You're three minutes late."

"I got stopped on the way by Pandora Foley, who spent ages asking me about my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework." Ian threw himself into a creaky chair. "She seemed convinced that Severus knew all the answers."

Severus sat down next to him and ordered a glass of water. "I only said what was written in the book."

"But you said it three times, and she still didn't understand." Ian shrugged, taking the butterbeer that Aberforth Dumbledore had pounded in front of them, the foam almost overflowing.

Kevin had already downed half a glass, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Who cares! I'm out here to relax! I heard Honey Duke released a new peppermint that breathes fire..."

His words were interrupted by the sound of the tavern door being pushed open once again.

A cold draft rushed in, causing the fireplace flames to veer sharply to one side.

Three people entered, all wearing thick travel cloaks and hoods, obscuring their faces.

They walked straight to the darkest corner of the bar, and as they sat down, the hem of their cloaks lifted, and Ian caught a glimpse of dried mud stains on one of their boots, a dark red color that didn't look like ordinary Hogsmeade soil.

The buzzing in the tavern subsided for a moment.

Aberforth paused in wiping the cup, his grey-blue eyes sweeping sharply over the three men, before continuing to scrub the cup vigorously, the wooden cup creaking.

The three men didn't order any food, only the strongest fiery whiskey. They spoke in hushed tones, their voices extremely low, but the occasional syllables that escaped their lips sounded strange, unlike English.

Ian and Severus exchanged a glance.

The aura of these people was very similar to that of the two black-robed men we encountered in the Forbidden Forest.

"What are you looking at?" Kevin followed their gaze, frowned, and said, "Those people... they're acting strange."

"An unfamiliar face." Aris's gaze swept over as well. "The cloak is of good quality, but it's badly worn, like it's been on a long journey. The mud on the boots... isn't from here."

"Who cares? It's none of our business anyway." Kevin lowered his voice, but there was a hint of wariness in his tone. "Hurry up and drink it. After you finish, let's go buy some candy. The air here isn't fresh anymore."

They finished lunch quickly, and as they paid the bill, Ian glanced at that corner again. The three men were still there, and one of them was taking a small cloth bag out from under his cloak and examining something in his palm.

Aberforth slammed the change on the table, the coins clinking. His grey-blue eyes swept over Ian again, this time lingering for half a second, before he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Ian's heart tightened, he grabbed the change, and said, "Let's go."

Stepping out of the tavern, a gust of cold wind blew, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The streets were full of students on weekend outings, and the lively atmosphere eased the oppressive feeling from before.

"Those people just now..." Kevin rubbed his arms and said in a low voice.

"Don't say that here," Aris interrupted him, glancing at the laughing crowd around them.

"Go buy some candy?" Kevin tried to cheer himself up.

"Okay, let's go." Ian put his arm around Severus's shoulder and naturally led him into the crowd, as if nothing had happened.

Honeydukes was packed with people, and the sweet aroma filled the air.

Kevin immediately plunged into the new product shelf, while Aris studied the ingredient list of a can of "Advanced Thinking Gum".

Severus stood in front of the shelf filled with strangely flavored beans, his brow furrowed, as if he were conducting some serious analysis of the ingredients of a potion.

Ian took two bags of Chocolate Frogs, walked over to him, and casually stuffed one bag into his hand.

"Stop thinking about it, there's a reason why Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans never sell out."

Severus held the chocolate frog packaging and didn't argue.

His gaze, however, went past the shelves and toward the street outside the window, his eyes somewhat somber.

"Still thinking about what happened at the tavern?" Ian opened his bag, and the frog hopped away without him even looking, catching it precisely with his backhand.

"...The color on their boots is blood, dried, but the magical residue is chaotic." Severus's voice was very low, almost a whisper. "It's not animal blood."

Ian paused for a moment while chewing the chocolate.

He recalled the increasingly veiled warnings in his father's recent letters about the increased manpower in the Ministry of Magic's Missing Persons Investigation Department and the unusual price fluctuations of certain "scarce commodities" in Knockturn Alley.

"Looks like this Christmas won't be too peaceful." He only said one sentence at the end, swallowed the chocolate, and picked up a jar of Spicy Honey candy. "I'll have this, won't I? When you were making energy drinks, you always complained that they tasted like dishwater. Adding some of this might save your life."

Severus finally looked away, glanced at him, and his lips seemed to twitch.

"...That's a stabilizer, not a flavor enhancer."

"Pretty much the same thing." Ian stuffed the candy jar into his arms and turned to find Kevin to pay the bill.

When they left Honeydukes, everyone had an extra bag in their hands. Kevin couldn't wait to peel off a "fire-breathing mint" and throw it into his mouth. The next second, he opened his mouth wide, exhaled, and pointed to his throat with teary eyes. Aris helplessly handed him a bottle of pumpkin juice.

On their way back to the castle, they mingled with the noisy student crowd.

The setting sun dyed the snow-covered ground orange-red, and the silhouette of the Hogwarts Castle's spires could be seen in the distance.

"After Halloween comes the Christmas holidays," Kevin said, finally able to speak after finishing his pumpkin juice, though his voice was still a little hoarse. "My mom asked me if I wanted to go to France to see my aunt, saying it's 'quiet' there now."

"My parents have also suggested that I consider visiting relatives abroad," Aris said, adjusting his glasses. "My maternal grandfather lives in Vienna, and we've been writing to him frequently lately."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was clear.

Some astute families have already begun to look for "quiet" places for their children, or at least broaden their options.

Ian didn't say anything, but glanced at Severus.

Severus simply gazed in the direction of the castle, his profile half-lit and half-shadowed in the setting sun.

"We'll see," Ian finally said, his tone relaxed. "Maybe the Christmas dinner at Hogwarts will be better than a French feast? Besides, some people's research..." He nudged Severus's shoulder, "is going to cause them insomnia when they're away from the lab."

Severus was jolted by the bump, but didn't argue. He simply lifted the bag of sugar up a little, his knuckles tightening slightly.

"Exactly!" Kevin immediately chimed in, "And that pudding last Christmas was amazing! I still haven't had enough!"

Aris smiled and didn't continue the topic.