HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

The corridor was quiet. He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and walked downstairs.

Severus was in his room, sitting in an old armchair by the window with a thick book spread out on his lap, but when Ian pushed the door open, he immediately looked up, a hint of tension in his eyes.

"Finished talking?" Severus asked, his voice deliberately calm.

"Hmm." Ian closed the door, walked over, and sat down naturally on the carpet, leaning against Severus's legs.

He could feel Severus's body stiffen slightly before slowly relaxing.

Ian looked up at him. "My mom told me to treat you well and not to bully you."

Severus's ears turned red, and he looked away, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edges of the pages. "...Oh."

"She even said she'd beat me up if I dared to do anything reckless." Ian laughed, reaching out to grasp his hand resting on his knee; it was cool. "So I have to be extra careful, right?"

Severus didn't pull his hand away; his fingertips curled slightly in Severus's palm. "...You know that's good."

Outside the window, the summer sun made the leaves appear translucent, and the wind carried the fresh scent of freshly cut grass.

……

One day at the end of July, Kevin suddenly appeared through the Floo Network, his hair covered in ashes and carrying a large paper bag.

"My mom baked so many raspberry pies, we can't possibly finish them all!" he yelled, shoving the paper bag at Leah who opened the door, then rushing confidently toward the lab. "Ian! Severus! Aris's here too—"

Aris followed behind, much more composed, and greeted Lydia politely, holding a notebook in his hand.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Burke, Kevin insists on sharing and believes that this timing will not affect anyone's important business, although I think his judgment is questionable."

Leah smiled and shook her head, gesturing for them to go inside.

The laboratory suddenly became lively.

Kevin circled around Severus's improving formula for the magic stabilizer, asking him all sorts of questions.

Aris, on the other hand, became very interested in a set of ancient runic stone rubbings in Ian’s father’s collection.

"By the way," Kevin said, taking a big bite of the pie Leah had brought him, "have you heard about Knockturn Alley? The shop that the Nott family seemed to care about a lot before, it's completely closed down, the shop has been sold, and a new pet shop has opened, selling all sorts of weird and wonderful things."

"I've heard about it." Ian leaned against the lab table. "The Ministry of Magic is moving pretty fast."

"My dad said that Mr. Nott has been in a bad mood lately, and he never gives anyone a pleasant look when he runs into him at the department."

Kevin lowered his voice, "But it seems like their family didn't suffer any actual losses, it's just... they seem to be holding back their anger."

Aris looked up from the rubbing. "Based on the available information, they may have moved some resources."

The idea of ​​relocation stirred in Ian's mind. Now, in the Albanian forest, at "Viper," in the Echo Box.

Severus was stirring a pot of pale purple potion at a steady pace with a silver spoon. Upon hearing this, he did not pause for a moment, but Ian noticed that his eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Kevin and Aris stayed until evening before leaving.

After they left, the room fell silent again, and the setting sun bathed the laboratory in a warm golden light.

"Albania," Severus suddenly spoke, his voice very soft.

"Hmm." Ian walked over to him, watching the potion in the pot gradually become clearer. "My dad mentioned the day before yesterday that the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry recently received a request for assistance from the Albanian magical authorities regarding the investigation of a cross-border smuggling ring of dark magic items, codenamed 'Viper.' But the request has been temporarily shelved; there are some procedural issues."

"Who put it aside?"

"From a procedural standpoint, it's a routine delay, but my dad thinks someone put in a good word for us."

Ian turned his head to look at Severus's profile, which appeared particularly clear in the setting sun. "The Nott family, or people from their side."

Severus silently turned off the fire and carefully poured the potion into the crystal bottle.

"So, either 'Viper' has already been caught, or... they've already provided what they wanted, and no longer need official channels."

"Or perhaps they already have the goods and don't want any unnecessary complications," Ian said in a low voice.

Sure enough, a few days later, Regulus sent a letter informing them that the Nott family had obtained the Echo Box, but the item was severely damaged and unusable, and they had been punished for their incompetence.

"...It's over for now." Ian burned the text message, watching the ashes fall into the fireplace and merge with the flames.

Severus stood by the window, gazing at the plants in the garden that were somewhat wilted by the late summer sun. His profile was expressionless, and he simply hummed in agreement.

The taut bowstring seemed to have loosened temporarily.

After that, the rest of the summer vacation seemed exceptionally peaceful, even with a stolen, unreal sweetness.

In the lab, Ian no longer just buried himself in his own work. He would go up to Severus and watch him write down complex formulas relating runes and potion ingredients on parchment. Occasionally, he would reach out and touch Severus's furrowed brow with his fingertips.

Severus would slap his hand away, his ears turning red, but the pen would keep going.

Sometimes Ian would get too close, his breath brushing against Severus's neck, causing Severus to freeze. Then Ian would chuckle triumphantly, step back a little, and then, in the next second, under the guise of handing over some materials, his fingers would brush against Severus's wrist.

At night, the two often stayed in Ian's room with the window open, and the night breeze carried a faint fragrance of flowers from afar.

Severus reads his book, and Ian sometimes rests his head on his lap, talking idly about everything under the sun, from the ambiguity of the spelling to the new products Honeydukes might release next season.

Severus's answer was brief, but his fingers would unconsciously run through Ian's slightly wavy black hair.

Leah and John saw everything, and their natural attitude gradually melted away Severus's initial unease.

After Severus has finished dealing with a batch of troublesome Billywig stingers, Leah will smile and hand him a jar of homemade toffee, much less sweet.

John would then deliberately bring out the dish that Severus had described as "perfectly cooked" at dinner.

Kevin and Aris came again.

Aris was truly fascinated by John's collection of runic stone carvings and brought Kevin on an "academic visit." As a result, Kevin was chased all over the garden by a grumpy, poisonous tentacle.

On the last day of the holiday, the breakfast table was filled with the sweet aroma of toasted bread and the steaming heat of Leah's freshly brewed milk tea.

Severus sat next to Ian, quietly cutting the fried eggs on his plate.

John put down the Daily Prophet and glanced at the two boys. "Have you packed your bags?"