HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Standing in the now empty room, Ian looked around.

"Another school year has passed," he said.

"Um."

A lot has happened.

"Um."

Ian turned around and looked at Severus.

The boy stood beside the fading embers of the furnace, his profile serene, his black eyes gazing into the void, lost in thought.

Ian walked over and took his hand. Severus's fingers twitched slightly, but he gripped the hand back, his grip a little tighter.

“Summer vacation,” Ian said, rubbing his thumb against the back of his hand, “is not just about labs and potions.”

Severus looked up at him, his eyelashes casting small shadows in the dimming light. "Anything else?"

“There’s a lot more.” Ian smiled, leaned closer, and lightly touched the corner of his lips. “For example, trying my mother’s new recipes, dealing with Kevin’s possible sudden visit, and… trying my father’s secret mead, which he keeps hidden in the cellar and claims is never to be revealed to anyone.”

Severus's ears burned a little, and he turned his face away, but didn't pull his hand away. "...Sounds busy."

"So I need your help," Ian said matter-of-factly, pulling him outside. "Let's go home, Severus."

Come back home.

The word made Severus's heart skip a beat, then slowly relax, a strange warmth welling up inside him.

……

Summer vacation started quietly, as if the hustle and bustle had vanished from them.

In the mornings, they are usually in the laboratory with the windows open, and the summer breeze carries the scent of the garden plants in.

Severus was setting up a new set of distillation equipment, while Ian was tending to plants on the other side. Occasionally, Ian would look up and see Severus's focused profile and slightly furrowed brow.

In the afternoons, Leah would sometimes pull me out of the house to help deal with the overgrown biting cabbages in the back garden, or John would call me to organize some old files in the basement library that were "probably a little dangerous, but definitely interesting".

Dinner was always lavish, with Leah trying out new recipes in various ways. Severus went from being stiff at first to eventually being able to quietly comment, "It's cooked just right."

One afternoon in July, only the two of them were in the lab.

John went to the Ministry of Magic, while Leah was in her workshop brewing a batch of household white succinate.

The air was filled with the slightly astringent smell of wormwood and moonstone powder after being heated.

Ian had just prepared a plant nutrient solution and was in a good mood. He put down the bottle, walked behind Severus, and watched him use a silver knife to slice the dried sleep beans into almost transparent thin slices.

"Almost done?" Ian asked, his voice right next to his ear.

"Hmm." Severus didn't turn around, but paused in his slicing motion.

Ian placed his hand on his waist, very lightly, through the thin summer robe.

Severus's back tensed slightly, but he didn't flinch.

The laboratory was quiet, with only the distant chirping of cicadas outside the window and the soft sound of a knife blade hitting a cutting board.

"Tomorrow's my birthday," Ian said softly, nuzzling Severus's head with his chin. "What do you want to give him?"

Severus placed the last sleep bean into the crystal dish, put down the knife, wiped his hands, and then turned away.

His face was expressionless, but his ears were slightly red. "...I haven't decided yet."

"Then I'll take one." Ian smiled, a mischievous glint in his gray eyes.

He lowered his head and kissed Severus's forehead, then followed the kiss down the bridge of his nose, stopping just before their lips touched, their breaths mingling.

Severus didn't move, his dark eyes staring at him, his eyelashes trembling slightly before he closed his eyes.

Ian kissed her.

This kiss was deeper than the tentative encounter by the Black Lake, carrying the bittersweet scent of herbs from the laboratory and the subtle sweetness of honey tea between their lips.

Severus's hand gripped Ian's robe at the waist, the fabric crumpling in his palm.

Just as Ian's hand slipped under the hem of his robe and touched the skin on his side, the laboratory door was pushed open.

"Ian, that bottle of unicorn hair in the cellar—"

Leah's voice stopped abruptly.

Ian abruptly released Severus, and the two quickly separated, but the distance and posture, along with the lingering ambiguity in the air, said it all.

Leah stood in the doorway, holding an empty glass bottle. She looked at them, blinked, and the initial surprise on her face quickly faded, replaced by understanding, followed by an expression that mixed with helplessness and a hint of amusement.

"—Looks like they're not here." She finished speaking calmly, her gaze sweeping over Ian's reddened ears and Severus's almost burning cheeks, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Sorry to bother you, the lab door wasn't closed properly. I'll remember to knock next time."

The laboratory was deathly silent.

Severus stood frozen in place, his face turning from flushed to pale, his lips pressed together until they were white, his fingers gripping the edge of the workbench so tightly that his knuckles bulged.

Ian took a deep breath, walked over, and grasped his hand tightly. "Severus."

Severus didn't shake him off, but he didn't look at him either, his gaze fixed on a certain point on the floor.

"She saw it." His voice was hoarse.

"Yeah." Ian squeezed his hand. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"...She will tell Mr. John."

"She might, or she might not, but it doesn't matter." Ian lifted his chin with his other hand, forcing him to look at him. "Look at me, Severus. There's nothing to hide, and it's not wrong."

Severus's dark eyes churned with shame, unease, and a deeper fear.

Ian understood. It wasn't that he was afraid of being blamed, but that he was afraid of losing this hard-won, warm, and safe corner.

"They won't kick you out," Ian said, his voice low but steady. "Never, believe me."

Severus's throat moved, but he didn't speak, though his tense shoulders slumped slightly.

The atmosphere at dinner was a little awkward.

John seemed oblivious to anything amiss, and enthusiastically recounted a rather comical incident that had occurred at the Ministry of Magic that day.

As usual, Leah served everyone food, occasionally interjecting with a word, her gaze sweeping over Ian and Severus with a gentle understanding.

Severus ate very little and barely looked up.

Ian gently nudged his knee under the table, and Severus's eyelashes fluttered as he forced himself to eat a few more bites of vegetables.

After dinner, John was called to the study by an urgent call. Leah, clearing the dishes, said to Ian, "Help your dad move that stack of old files from the study to the attic; it's a bit heavy."

Then he looked at Severus, "Severus, could you come help me in the kitchen? This batch of white cinnamon essence needs to be bottled, and I can't handle it all by myself."

Severus stiffened and nodded.

Ian glanced at his mother, and Leah nodded slightly to him, her eyes calm.

He took a breath, mouthed "Don't be afraid" to Severus, and got up to go to his study.

The kitchen was filled with the distinctive, slightly bitter aroma of white sage. Leah waved her wand, skillfully and gracefully pouring the clear, brewed potion evenly into a row of glass bottles.

Severus stood on the other side of the control panel, head down, silently sealing the corks one by one, his fingertips icy cold.