HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Severus picked up his glass, bracing himself for the sound of a seventh-grade pureblood surname.

"—Ian Burke."

The air was silent for a moment before applause broke out, mixed with some low murmurs.

Ian himself was visibly taken aback. He looked up at the teachers' table, where Dumbledore was smiling and nodding at him.

Severus put down the cup, his knuckles unconsciously tightening against the cup.

He watched as Ian stood up amidst the gazes of those around him and walked to the teachers' table to receive his prefect badge.

Class leader.

This means patrolling, responsibilities, regular meetings, and more opportunities to interact with different colleges. It also means... time.

Ian returned to his seat, and Kevin leaned over to examine the badge. "Great! We'll be counting on you for nighttime outings from now on!"

"The prefect is leading the way in breaking school rules?" Aris tapped Kevin on the head. "It doesn't make logical sense, Kevin."

Ian smiled but didn't reply, turning his gaze to Severus.

Severus was looking down at the barely touched food on his plate, his profile slightly tense.

"Unexpected." Ian picked up his fork, his tone casual. "I thought it would be Parkinson's or Nott."

"The principal's choice this time is quite meaningful," Aris added, then fell silent.

At the end of dinner, Ian, as the new prefect, was required to stay behind to hear Professor Slughorn give him a brief explanation.

Severus, Aris, and Kevin walked toward the cellar together.

"Ian being a prefect is great," Kevin was still excited. "At least we won't get points deducted so easily, right?"

"The prefects have the same authority to deduct points for all colleges," Aris pointed out objectively. "Moreover, given Ian's personality, he's more likely to follow the rules."

"That's still better than some people," Kevin muttered, harboring a great deal of resentment towards Lupin.

Severus walked silently half a step behind them.

Not long after Ian returned to the common room, he also came back.

He looked no different from usual, except for the badge on his chest.

He exchanged a few brief pleasantries with a few senior students who came forward to congratulate him, and then walked toward the corner where they usually sat.

"What did Professor Slughorn say?" Aris asked.

"Routine tasks, patrol arrangements, meeting times, assisting new students." Ian sat down in the empty seat next to Severus, casually taking off his badge and placing it on the low table in front of him. "I patrol with the Gryffindor prefects every Tuesday and Thursday evening."

Severus's gaze fell on the badge.

"Lupin and Evans?" Aris confirmed.

"Hmm." Ian leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his temples. "It's alright, at least he's a reasonable person."

Kevin was already imagining the scene of pleading for mercy after being caught while out at night, when Aris gently tapped him on the head with a book.

The people in the common room gradually dispersed.

Kevin and Aris also got up and went back to their dorm. Before leaving, Aris glanced at Severus and Ian but didn't say anything.

The fire in the fireplace burned quietly, leaving only the two of them.

"You're unhappy," Ian suddenly said, not as a question.

Severus stared at the flames. "No."

"Because of the prefect's matter?"

"That's your ability," Severus said calmly. "Unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable."

Ian turned to look at him. "But you're not happy."

A silence fell between them. Finally, Severus spoke, his voice low: "You'll be very busy."

“There will be less time,” Ian admitted, “but not by much. Patrols can be adjusted, and most of the meetings are just empty talk. And…” he paused, “we also have the Requirement Room.”

Severus didn't speak. He knew his emotions were irrational, even somewhat... childish.

Being a prefect is an honor, and one that Ian deserves; he simply…

"I won't become like them." Ian's voice was calm, yet carried a certain weight. "I won't forget who I am or where I stand just because of a badge."

Severus looked up and saw Ian's grey eyes, which looked very focused in the firelight, staring straight at him.

"I know," Severus finally said. He knew. But knowing and feeling are two different things.

Ian seemed to want to say something more, but in the end he just reached out and gently touched the back of Severus's hand, which was resting on his knee, before quickly withdrawing it.

"School's starting, OWL's year. Lots of things to do."

"Um."

……

When the fifth-grade timetable was handed out, Kevin kept wailing.

"It seems I need to adjust my plans." Aris pushed away Kevin's hand that was trying to pry him away.

In Potions class, Professor Slughorn's chubby face still held a smile, but his demands had become much stricter.

"OWLs, kids, OWLs!" He waved his gleaming silver stirring stick. "This isn't just a certificate; it's your stepping stone to the future! Think about it—the Auror Office, St. Mungo's, even the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic—which path doesn't require outstanding potion-making results?"

Before Severus's cauldron, the potion displayed a flawless color. Slughorn strolled over, squinted at it for a long time, and his smile widened.

"Flawless, Severus, flawless! I can't think of anything else that could be deducted points, except, of course, your overly concise step-by-step notes."

He happily added ten points to Slytherin's score, then lowered his voice, "The Potions Society needs someone like you at a NEWT level. Keep it up, my child."

Ian was beside him, carefully adding the crushed moonstone powder in three batches.

His technique wasn't as precise as Severus's, which bordered on art, but it was steady and solid, and the finished product was clear and bright, earning him the "outstanding" rating.

On the other side, Kevin was frowning at his pot of potion, which had turned a bit dark in color, while Aris was quickly flipping through a book, trying to figure out which step had gone wrong with the heat.

"Kevin," Aris sighed, "I told you, the juice of the Sleepy Beans must be added when the silver film first appears on the surface of the potion, not too early and not too late."

"I thought that membrane was silver!" Kevin wailed.

"That's patina, Kevin. Patina and silver are fundamentally different."

During breaks, they walked through the corridors carrying their books, surrounded by students rushing to their next class.

"I haven't finished my Transfiguration paper yet, fifteen inches," Kevin said listlessly, leaning against the stair railing. "Is Professor McGonagall serious? Turning a hedgehog into a pincushion requires explaining so many principles..."

"If you understand the principles behind the conversion, it won't seem so long," Aris said, flipping through his notes as he walked. "And I suspect she'll test you on the conversion of the silent spell; that's the real challenge."

"Stop talking..." Kevin covered his ears.

"Transfiguration class is this afternoon, and Ian and Severus have both finished writing," Aris reminded him, then turned and followed Ian and Severus.

"Oh...no, wait for me, Aris!"