HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

The tea party was held in a small banquet hall next to the main hall, where Slughorn moved among several well-dressed wizards and an elderly man wearing a dark green robe with the Potions Society badge pinned to his chest.

As soon as Ian and Severus entered, they were warmly greeted by Slughorn.

"Ah! Our outstanding young talents! Come, meet Master Valentine, a senior director of the Potions Society. He has a very high opinion of your OWLs' potion-making skills!"

Master Valentine had sharp blue eyes, and his gaze as he looked them over carried an assessing quality.

After exchanging a few pleasantries about course selection for OWLs and NEWTs, the conversation naturally turned to research interests.

"Professor Slughorn said you've been tackling some rather ambitious subjects lately, Mr. Snape."

Master Valentine took a sip of mead, seemingly casually, and said, "The realm of the soul is very profound, and... very challenging."

Severus lowered his eyes, his lips pressed into a straight line, an expression of resentment and frustration he wore when he brought up the failed experiment.

"We've hit a bottleneck, Master. The ancient magical script translation may contain ambiguities, causing instability in the basic theoretical framework and making the material reactions completely unpredictable."

His voice was calm, but his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the rim of the cup. "There was a serious explosion last week that destroyed the key neutralizing agent. I've decided to put it on hold for now. Without reliable ancient literature to support it, continuing would just be a waste of materials and time."

His candid and frustrated manner perfectly embodied the image of a proud yet frustrated young potions prodigy.

Ian sighed at the opportune moment, patted Severus on the shoulder, and said to Master Valentine and Slughorn, who was listening intently, "I advised him to put it on hold for now. Professor Slughorn, regarding the improved blood tonic project you mentioned last time, Severus and I discussed it and felt that there is indeed room for breakthroughs in stability and efficacy extension, and the materials are more common, making it more suitable as a key achievement to be showcased in NEWTs this year."

He turned to Severus, his tone light and teasing, "It's better than blowing up the lab again, right? Filch would hate us."

Slughorn laughed heartily, his round face full of understanding: "Wise! Very wise! Valentine, did you see that? Not only is he talented, but he also knows how to assess the situation and choose the most valuable battlefield! Improved blood-replenishing potions, good, very good! The Ministry of Magic's medical logistics department has been bidding on this..."

The conversation was successfully steered in a more "safe" direction.

Severus nodded slightly and said nothing more, simply standing silently beside Ian, occasionally adding a brief and accurate comment when Ian mentioned technical details.

At the other end of the tea party, Carlo and Nott stood together, talking in hushed tones.

Their gazes swept over Severus several times. Nott's face remained expressionless as he listened to Carlo speak, nodding occasionally.

A little while later, Lily and Mary arrived as well. Lily's potion-making skills were also highly valued by Slughorn.

Lily was wearing a simple dark red sweater, which made her green eyes look especially bright.

She greeted Professor Slughorn and naturally walked over to Ian and Severus.

"I overheard you talking about potions," Lily said with a smile, handing each of them a small plate of lemon cake sprinkled with frosting. "Any new ideas this time?"

"I was trying to persuade Severus to stop getting stuck on this," Ian said, taking the cake with a relaxed tone. "He was so fixated on a bunch of ancient runes he couldn't understand that he almost burned the house down."

Lily looked at Severus with concern in her eyes: "Is it difficult? I remember you said last time that you were looking into information related to souls... That kind of thing is too mysterious, it's better to be more down-to-earth."

Severus nodded, acknowledging the decision. "We've given up for now."

"That's good." Lily smiled and then brought up Quidditch, making the atmosphere more casual and relaxed.

As the tea party was drawing to a close, Regulus appeared. He was alone, dressed in a well-fitting black formal robe, which made his face appear even paler, with dark circles under his eyes.

He greeted Slughorn and the guests politely, his manners impeccable, but the tension, the stiffness that seemed ready to snap at any moment, could be felt even from a distance.

His gaze swept across the crowd, pausing very slightly when he passed Ian and Severus, giving them a slight nod before looking away.

He didn't come over to talk to her. Instead, he took a drink, stood by a basin, and looked at the noisy crowd, lost in thought.

Ian took a sip of his drink and looked away.

Severus remained silent on the way back to the cellar.

Only after entering the empty corridor did he speak in a low voice: "Nott heard you."

"Hmm," Ian replied, "This information will temporarily dampen some people's interest."

"temporary."

"That'll be enough for now," Ian said, and at the next corner, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Severus's wrist, leading him into a dimly lit niche next to a broom.

In the narrow space, only the cold moonlight shone through a small window high up.

Their breathing was clearly audible.

"Are you scared?" Ian asked, his voice low, almost touching Severus's ear.

Severus leaned against the cold stone wall, feeling the warmth of Ian's body and the arm that was pressed against the wall, protecting him from the side.

He shook his head, his dark eyes reflecting a faint light in the dim light. "I just feel...dirty."

If you touch something you shouldn't, even if that wasn't your original intention, you'll still be tainted with a filth that you can't shake off.

Ian didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and lightly brushed his lower lip with his thumb, removing any non-existent crumbs of pastry.

Then he lowered his head and kissed him.

This kiss was devoid of any lust; it was more like a confirmation, a reassurance, a silent "I am here."

When they parted, Severus's breathing was a little erratic. He turned his head and rested his forehead on Ian's shoulder.

"Go home this weekend," Ian whispered, wrapping his arms around him for a brief respite in this secluded corner. "Put your things away, and then... just pretend it never existed. At least at Hogwarts, we won't touch that area again until we get our NEWTs certificates."

"……Um."

Over the weekend, Ian and Severus returned to the Burke family home via the Floo Network.

Leah gave them a big hug. John asked a few questions about school, his tone as usual, but Ian noticed that his father also looked a little tired.

The attic was filled with old furniture and boxes, and dust floated in the beams of sunlight.

Ian deftly moved aside an old, seemingly heavy wardrobe, revealing the mottled wall behind it.