HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

"You're back?" Kevin asked without looking up. "Come quick, Aris is trying to kill my king!"

"Observe the game without speaking." Aris calmly moved a knight.

Ian and Severus walked over and sat down on the sofa next to them.

The firelight glowed their faces red and dried up the last bit of chill that had come in from outside.

"Are you alright?" Aris looked up and glanced at Ian over the chessboard, asking casually, but with a clear meaning.

"It's alright for now." Ian accepted the hot tea that Severus silently handed him.

Aris nodded, asked no further questions, and continued studying the chessboard. Soon after, Kevin let out a frustrated "Ah!"

"This game is unplayable!" Kevin yelled, pushing the chessboard away. "Aris, can't you just pretend to lose once?"

"Deception won't do you any good." Aris steadily put away his chess piece. "If what you need right now is some psychological comfort, I suggest you have a cookie."

The fire crackled in the stove. Ian blew away the steam from the teacup, while Severus looked down at the cup in his hand, the water swaying slightly.

……

Ian then encountered Regulus twice more in the library.

On one occasion, at the entrance to the restricted book section, he was handing a note signed by Slughorn to Mrs. Pince, his face still pale, but his back ramrod straight.

He nodded when he saw Ian and Severus.

Another time was in a corner near the History of Magic district.

Regulus occupied a table by himself, with several old and heavy books spread out in front of him instead of the usual textbooks.

He read intently, his quill moving rapidly across the parchment, pausing occasionally, his brow furrowed.

As Ian passed by, he caught a glimpse of the title of the top book: "The Structure of the Soul: Ancient Theories and Modern Magic."

Regulus noticed the gaze and looked up.

Their eyes met. There was no evasion in his eyes, only a deep weariness, and beneath that weariness, a faint glimmer of light.

He said nothing, only nodded very slightly, and then buried himself in his book again.

Ian didn't say anything and walked away.

"He's looking for the answer." That evening in the common room, Severus flipped through his potions notebook and suddenly said.

"It will be even more painful if we find it." Ian fiddled with the prefect's badge.

"That's better than dying in a daze."

Ian glanced at him; Severus had his eyes downcast, his profile clearly visible in the flickering firelight.

He's lost a bit of weight recently. The pressure of OWLs is silently eroding everyone's health; even Kevin has become less boisterous and has developed dark circles under his eyes.

"Yeah, right." Ian tossed the badge back into his pocket.

Time slipped by into May amidst endless reviews, tests, and ever-thickening notes, and the OWls. exams began.

Inside the classroom, the proctoring wizard had a serious expression.

In the potion-making practice, Severus's cauldron was the first to release perfectly formed silver steam, and Slughorn squinted his eyes in satisfaction at the other end of the examination hall.

Ian finished steadily, timing it perfectly, and the color was clear and bright. Kevin's hand trembled, and he added too many porcupine quills, but fortunately, Aris had prepared a scenario for Kevin beforehand, allowing him to complete the cooking.

Ian wrote quickly on the theory of transfiguration, while Severus lingered a little longer on the last problem on the principles of higher-order transfiguration, his pen moving steadily.

Aris finished answering half an hour early and started checking, while Kevin scratched his head and added the last half line at the last moment before the end.

In the History of Magic, Professor Binns floats above the exam hall, Kevin's wrist aches from writing, and Aris's writing is clear and organized.

Ian and Severus both stopped writing early and looked out the window at the sunlight that was blurred by magic.

One subject after another.

The last subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Although the professor was unreliable and unpredictable, they managed to handle it easily thanks to the double emphasis from Severus and Aris.

Back in the common lounge, most people slumped on sofas or chairs, their expressions blank.

"Finally... it's over." Kevin threw himself into an armchair, his voice muffled by the fabric.

"There are still results to report," Aris reminded him, but his tone was much more relaxed.

"Don't remind me..."

Ian leaned back on the sofa, let out a long sigh, and looked at Severus.

Severus sat beside him, leaning back on the sofa with his head slightly tilted back, his eyes closed, his eyelashes casting faint shadows on his pale skin.

He relaxed completely; the tension he had maintained during the exam was gone, leaving only a deep sense of exhaustion.

"What are your plans for summer vacation?" Ian asked, his voice low.

Severus didn't open his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Spider's End Alley." He paused for a moment. "There are still some things to take care of."

"and then?"

"have no idea."

Ian looked at his tired profile, and after a while, said, "Let's go to my house."

Severus opened his eyes and turned his head.

"Anyway, you don't have much stuff," Ian said casually. "Come over when you're done. My parents will welcome you. Besides," he tilted his head toward Severus, lowering his voice slightly, as if it were a matter of course.

"The lab upgrade is complete, but you haven't inspected it yet. Those notes, and the NEWTs topic selection next semester—it's so boring to figure them out by yourself."

Severus looked at him, neither agreeing nor refusing immediately.

"Just do me a favor," Ian added, "I can't handle my mom's enthusiasm all by myself."

"It's that same reason again," Severus thought.

He always used this understated yet generous way of giving people a way out.

"...Okay," Severus finally said, his voice a little hoarse.

The atmosphere on the Hogwarts Express the next day was much more relaxed than at the beginning of the term.

Kevin came back to life, clutching a huge pile of snacks, vowing to finish them before getting off the bus.

Aris let him be, only slapping his hand when he tried to stuff three candies into his mouth at once.

Ian and Severus sat by the window, watching the scenery rushing past outside.

"Take a nap if you're tired," Ian said.

"Not tired."

But after a while, Severus gently rested his head against the glass window and closed his eyes.

Ian looked at the faint bluish tinge under his eyes and said nothing more.

The train pulled into the station, and Platform 9¾ was as bustling as ever.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Burke were there, and Leah spotted them immediately, smiling and waving.

John took Ian's suitcase and said gently to Severus, "Welcome back, Severus. Leah has been saying for years that a guest room has been reserved for you."

Severus curled his fingers and whispered, "Thank you, Uncle John."

They walked through the crowd and headed out. Knowing that Severus was going back to Spider's End first, John drove the car.

"I'll come pick you up in five days."

At the entrance to Spider's End Alley, Ian bids farewell to Severus.

"Hmm." Severus nodded, watching Ian and his family leave.