HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Only when they were out of the Forbidden Forest and the outline of the castle was clearly visible, and the sound of the venomous beasts behind them was no longer heard, did Severus relax his tense shoulders slightly, but he did not loosen his grip on Ian's hand at all.

"I'm fine, I just got a scratch..." Ian tried to pull his arm away, but Severus gripped it even tighter.

"Shut up," Severus said, his voice tense.

He practically dragged and carried Ian to a large tree far from the path, made him sit against the trunk, then knelt on one knee in front of him and tore open the blood-stained sleeve of his robe without a word.

The wound was about ten centimeters long, with the skin turned outwards, the edges of which had begun to turn black, and the blood that was seeping out was an abnormal dark red.

The numbness is spreading to my elbow.

Severus's breath hitched for a moment.

He quickly pulled out a few small bottles from his pocket, poured out some clear liquid to rinse the wound, and Ian shuddered in pain.

"Bear with it." Severus's voice was harsh, but he softened his rinsing movements.

Then he picked up a small jar containing a milky white ointment, scooped out a thick layer with his fingertip, and carefully applied it to the wound and the surrounding darkened skin.

The ointment was cool and had a strong, white, fresh scent, which immediately reduced the stinging sensation.

Then, he took out a flat silver box containing gauze soaked in another dark green liquid.

He carefully wrapped Ian's arm with gauze from the elbow down to below the wound, his movements quick and steady, and finally tied a tight knot.

After doing all this, he finally raised his eyes and looked at Ian.

His eyes were dark and deep, churning with lingering fear, anger, and an even deeper, almost overflowing worry.

"The poisonous horn's paralysis can travel to the heart if not treated promptly." His words were laced with anger and trembled slightly. "You think that's just a simple scratch? Or do you believe your body is strong enough to completely ignore that creature's horn?"

"I didn't mean it..." Ian, knowing he was in the wrong, lowered his voice and touched Severus's tense cheek with his uninjured right hand. "Were you scared?"

Severus tilted his head to avoid it, but not completely; Ian's fingers brushed against his cold skin.

He stood up abruptly, his back to Ian. "Go back and have Mrs. Pomfrey examine you again. My medicine can only temporarily suppress the toxicity."

He took two steps, then stopped, without turning around, and asked in a muffled voice, "Can you walk?"

Ian leaned against the tree trunk to stand up. His wound still hurt, but the ointment had indeed suppressed the numbness. "Yes."

He walked over to Severus and naturally took his left hand with his right.

Severus's hand twitched slightly, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he gripped it tightly, his fingertips icy cold.

The road back to the castle became unusually silent.

Severus walked quickly, but always kept pace with Ian.

Lady Pomfrey was shocked when she saw the wound, especially when she heard that it was inflicted by a venomous horned beast.

She carefully examined Severus's emergency treatment and nodded. "Very timely and professional. The toxicity hasn't spread. Mr. Snape, your ointment formula seems to be more potent than the standard one in the Medical Wing?"

"I added three drops of fire ash snake bile to enhance detoxification and promote healing," Severus replied briefly, his gaze never leaving Madam Pomfrey's hands as she cleaned and re-bandaged the wound.

"Good idea. Alright, Mr. Burke, the wound isn't deep, but the toxicity will take time to clear. Don't put any strain on this hand for the next few days, and come in for a dressing change every day."

Mrs. Pomfrey quickly bandaged Ian's wound and gave him a small bottle of oral medication. "Drink this before bed to help metabolize any remaining toxins. Now, go back and rest."

As soon as they stepped out of the medical wing, Severus grabbed Ian's uninjured right hand again, with even more force than before.

"Severus, it's really alright now." Ian shook their clasped hands.

Severus remained silent, but pulled him quickly toward the cellar, his lips pressed tightly together.

Back in his dorm room, Kevin was trying to plant a small biting cabbage in a flowerpot, while Aris stood beside him taking notes, occasionally reminding him, "Its teeth are only three inches from your finger, Kevin."

When Kevin saw them come in, especially Ian's bandaged arm and Severus's unapproachable demeanor, he almost dropped the shovel in his hand.

"Merlin! Did you go to duel? Ian, your hand!"

"In the Forbidden Forest, I encountered a venomous horned beast and sustained minor injuries," Ian said succinctly, before Severus helped him sit on the bed.

"A venomous unicorn?" Aris's expression turned serious. "Adults usually don't appear in such remote areas this season. Did you notice anything else unusual while collecting them?"

Severus was pouring hot tea for Ian when he heard this and paused.

"No, but it appeared very suddenly, and its charging posture was unusually violent."

"It could just be a coincidence." Ian took the teacup, his fingertips brushing against Severus's hand to signal him to relax. "The Department of Magical Creatures Control hasn't reported anything unusual lately."

"I'll keep an eye out for related news." Aris nodded and made a note in his notebook.

Kevin leaned closer to check Ian's wound, but Severus glared at him and drove him away.

"Fine, fine, I won't look." Kevin raised his hand, retreated to his seat next to Aris, and muttered under his breath, "Severus's eyes are more terrifying than a venomous beast's right now..."

Aris gave him a light kick under the table.

Severus ignored them, simply sat down next to Ian, took the half-read "Advanced Rune Applications" from him, flipped to the part where the corner had been folded, stuffed it into Ian's hand, and then picked up his potion notes and spread them on his lap.

But he didn't turn a page for a long time, his gaze always unconsciously drifting to Ian's arm wrapped in bandages.

Ian flipped through the book with his uninjured right hand. After a while, he suddenly whispered, "I won't go to the Forbidden Forest next time. If I need anything, I'll have the owl send it from home, or I'll ask Slughorn for supplies."

Severus looked up from his notebook and stared at him with a dark gaze.

There will be no next time.

"Okay, there won't be a next time." Ian readily agreed, leaning his shoulder on Severus's and transferring his weight to him.

Severus's tense body gradually relaxed as Ian's steady breathing and the warmth of the fire began to simmer.

He closed the notebook he hadn't even looked at, sighed softly, and turned his head toward Ian.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear.

"Much better, your ointment is very effective." Ian turned his face to the side, his lips almost touching his ear. "Don't be angry, Severus. Looking at you like this, my wound doesn't hurt, it hurts here."

He gently tapped his heart with his finger.

Severus blushed and turned his face away, but after a while, he reached out and grasped Ian's right hand, their fingers intertwined tightly.

"There won't be a next time," he repeated.

"Yes, I promise." Ian squeezed his hand back, his thumb gently stroking the back of his hand reassuringly.

Kevin finally managed to stuff the biting cabbage into the flowerpot, and when he looked up, he saw the two of them leaning against each other and whispering.

He nudged Aris with his elbow, winked at him, and gave him an "oh dear" smile.