HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Ian nodded. "So, like we said last night, see, write, and then shut up. That's the end of it. We'll stop discussing, stop observing, stop being curious. What's happening to Lupin, what his friends are doing—it's none of our business."

Kevin was puzzled: "That's it? No one's going to be told? And...nothing's going to be done?"

"What for?" Ian retorted. "To report to the professor? To expose a werewolf student protected by the principal, and his illicit Animagus friends? Or to use this as leverage to blackmail someone?"

He shook his head. "Kevin, that's playing with fire. We have our own paths to walk, there's no need for us to get involved in this mess."

Aris agreed: "Getting involved in this secret would do far more harm than good. It doesn't belong to Slytherin, nor to either of our positions; keeping our distance is the wisest course of action."

Severus didn't say anything more, but walked to the desk and opened the copy of the notebook he had obtained from Giggs.

His gesture indicated that the discussion was over and it was time to get back to business.

Kevin looked at this and then at that, and finally shrugged: "Okay, you guys are right, anyway... they didn't bother us after that."

Ian walked over to Severus, picked up another book from his table, and started flipping through it.

The matter was dropped, and within two days, Potter and his friends resumed their troublemaking ways.

During Potions class, James Potter deliberately "accidentally" knocked over Sirius's cauldron, causing a pungent yellow smoke to fill half the classroom.

Professor Slughorn waved his wand around, exclaiming loudly about the "abundant energy of youth," while deducting ten points from Gryffindor's score.

Sirius laughed loudly, flicking his sleeve, which was stained with medicine, all over the place, almost splashing it on Lily who was standing next to him.

Remus Lupin had regained his usual gentle demeanor and was speaking softly to someone, but a faint weariness lingered in his eyes.

Peter Pediru frantically handed out towels.

"Your energy is enviable, isn't it?" Ian said without looking up as he precisely added the last few drops of armadillo bile.

In his crucible, the potion was displaying a textbook-perfect pale gold color.

Severus stared at the near-perfect finished product in front of him and stirred it gently with a long-handled spoon.

"What a foolish waste; armadillo bile costs three gallons an ounce."

"The Potters don't need these three Galleons," Kevin muttered, his potion turning a slightly greenish hue as he frantically flipped through the book.

"Focus, Kevin," Aris whispered beside him. "Stir three more times clockwise, then remove from the heat."

Kevin did as instructed, and the potion gradually turned golden. "Thanks, Aris!"

"You're welcome." Aris pushed up his glasses; his crucible had long since cooled, and the potion was clear and bright.

Professor Slughorn strolled over and inspected each of their finished products. He lingered the longest in front of Severus and Aris's cauldrons, beaming with joy, and generously added twenty points to Slytherin's score.

……

A week before leaving school, a sparsely feathered, weary old owl stumbled through the auditorium window and tossed a letter next to Severus's bowl of oatmeal.

The envelope was a cheap, pale yellow, and the handwriting was thin and weak.

Severus picked up the letter, hesitated for a moment, and instead of opening it immediately, he stuffed it into the inner pocket of his robe.

He was somewhat distracted throughout the day, and even made a rare mistake in weighing a portion of moonstone powder during Potions class. Although he corrected it immediately, Slughorn still gave him a surprised glance.

Back in his dorm room that evening, Severus sat on his bed and opened the letter. It was a single sheet of paper, the handwriting messy and brief.

He stared at it for a long time, so long that the candlelight cast a flickering shadow on his stiff profile.

Then he carefully folded the letter, lit it with the tip of his wand, and watched it curl into ashes in a small cluster of blue flames.

Ian put down his spellbook and looked at him: "From your family?"

"Hmm." Severus's voice was a little dry.

Do I need to leave school early?

"No need." Severus stood up, walked to the window, his back to the warm light in the dormitory, "I'll go back during summer vacation."

Ian didn't press further, only saying, "Remember the two-way mirror."

The semester ended amidst final exams and commotion, and on the day of departure, the Hogwarts Express was filled with noise and farewells.

"How are you going to spend your summer vacation?" Kevin asked, chewing on a chocolate frog, his words muffled. "My parents want to take me to Switzerland to visit my great-aunt. They say it's quiet there now."

"I'll stay in London. My grandfather has some books that need organizing, and he's allowed me to look through them." Aris looked at Severus and Ian. "And you two?"

Ian shrugged. "My dad probably has plans, but I guess it's going to visit some... special friends. My mom's been incredibly busy lately, and Seaver's coming home for summer vacation."

Severus, who was looking out the window at the rapidly receding scenery, nodded slightly upon hearing this.

When the train arrived at the station, platform 9¾ was packed with parents waiting to greet their children.

Both Burkes were present. Leah gave Ian a warm hug, while John patted his son on the shoulder and gave a friendly nod as his gaze swept over Severus.

Severus walked alone, carrying a somewhat worn-out leather suitcase, through the bustling crowd toward the station exit.

His back was straight, yet he seemed inexplicably lonely.

Ian watched his figure disappear outside the door before turning his gaze away.

For the first two weeks of summer vacation, Ian followed his parents to visit some of the "families worth maintaining relationships with" that John had mentioned, attended a few tedious tea parties, and listened to the adults talk about the increasingly tense personnel changes at the Ministry of Magic and the vague attack reports in the Daily Prophet.

He would occasionally glance at the two-way mirror, but the mirror remained silent.

One afternoon in mid-July, Ian made an excuse to go to Flourish and Blotts to buy reference books for the next semester and slipped away to Diagon Alley by himself.

The sun was shining brightly, and the streets were bustling with people. Children excitedly pointed at the brooms and magic toys in the shop windows.

After buying the books, Ian was wondering whether he should go to the Fosco ice cream shop for a while when his gaze casually swept over the crowd and suddenly stopped.

At the relatively quiet intersection of Diagon Alley and Flip-Over Alley, a familiar figure leaned against the shadow of a secondhand shop.

It's Severus.

He wore an ill-fitting old coat, his face was frighteningly pale, with heavy shadows under his eyes, and his lips were chapped. He looked like a lifeless sculpture, staring blankly at a crack in the brick wall opposite him, as if something there had captured his entire attention, or as if he hadn't seen anything at all.

Ian's heart sank.

He walked quickly over, stopped a few steps away, and called softly, "Severus?"

Severus did not react, still staring at the crack.

Ian stepped forward and waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Severus?"

Those empty black eyes slowly focused and turned to Ian.

At first, there was confusion in her pupils, then she gradually recognized him, but the emptiness in her eyes did not completely dissipate; instead, it was as if there was a layer of cold mist between them.

"Ian?" His voice was terribly hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.