HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Ian was the first to recover from the shock. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, only clarity remained in his gray eyes.

"This matter," he began, his voice extremely low, "must be revealed to no one else, absolutely no one but us, including our parents."

His gaze swept over Severus, Aris, and Kevin, finally settling on Regulus's pale face.

"Regulus, and especially you, lock everything you hear into your mind, and use all your strength to strengthen your Occlumency. Do the same to Kreacher, make him... forget, or at least never mention it again."

Regulus nodded vigorously, his fingers unconsciously tugging at the fabric of his robe on his knees.

"I know, Kreacher... I've made it swear an oath, and it seems its own memories are somewhat confused and fragmented because of the potion and the lake water, which is a good thing for us."

"But we can't pretend we haven't heard about this," Aris continued. "Horde weapons... If the legend is true, it explains why that person is so difficult to truly defeat, and it also explains his obsessive collection of certain ancient, powerful, and symbolic items. Nott's previous actions are very likely related to this."

"We need information," Severus's voice rang out. "About Horcruxes, their manufacturing principles, weaknesses, identification methods, and possible...destruction methods. We can't make a big fuss about it; we can only find it bit by bit from the most obscure and peripheral information."

"There might be a clue somewhere," Ian said after a moment's thought. "Slughorn, he's obsessed with collecting 'rare' students, as well as all sorts of oddities and...secrets."

"He lived a long time, had a wide network of connections, knew a lot about the history of ancient families and relics, and most importantly, he liked to show off his erudition and connections, and was prone to letting his guard down when he let his guard down."

"But he is also timid and cautious, and he would never easily reveal such dangerous secrets," Severus shook his head.

“There’s no need for him to say it directly.” Ian’s gaze was deep. “Just guide the conversation and observe his reaction. For example, at the next tea party, casually mention the mysterious disappearance of some ancient treasures in history, or… a preference for certain containers in some black magic legends.”

Kevin rubbed his arms, as if feeling a chill. "So...aren't we going to go against someone whose name we can't even mention?"

“It’s not about going against them,” Aris corrected him, “it’s about self-preservation. The real danger is if we know nothing about our enemy’s greatest strength and secrets. Now, at least we know what kind of abyss lies ahead.”

Ian looked at Severus, their eyes met, and they exchanged a silent exchange of resolve and worry. "As for Lucius Malfoy's invitation..."

Severus's lips pressed into a straight line.

"Delay it," Ian said for him. "Give him a vague answer, indicating that you need time to weigh things, but don't completely refuse; leave a hint that you might be persuaded."

"The key is to buy time, Seifert. Before Easter, we need to be more prepared and also see how things are going outside."

"I understand," Severus said in a low voice, the humiliation still burning within him, but Ian's words and the impending crisis forced him to suppress his personal emotions.

For Ian's sake, for this home he had just acquired and could not afford to lose, he had to navigate this situation.

"Occupy Central," Aris warned, "not just Regulus, we all need to intensify our training so we can't be caught out of any way, especially you, Kevin."

Kevin grimaced, but didn't object; he knew this was no joke.

Regulus was silent for a moment, then said, "The Black family's library... contains some ancient scrolls about soul magic. Although most of them are taboo and theoretical, they might hold clues. I'll try to... use the pretext of research to gradually extract them, or at least write down the key points."

"Be careful," Ian cautioned again. "Safety first. We can find the information later, but we can't afford to lose anyone."

……

At a Slug Club gathering a few days later, the conversation somehow veered from the latest Quidditch match to anecdotes about medieval alchemists.

Ian casually mentioned, "Speaking of which, my father recently acquired a batch of old books, which mentioned that Salazar Slytherin, besides the locket, seemed to have left behind an item related to a snake, but the record was vague, and I don't know if it was added by later generations."

He said this casually, as if he were just curious.

Slughorn, who was holding a glass of mead, froze for half a second upon hearing this, his eyes flashing briefly before he covered it up with an even louder laugh:

"Ah, old legends are always a mix of truth and fiction! Slytherin's relics... certainly intriguing, but children, remember, some legends are just legends because they're best left in stories. Come, try this shortbread, the new recipe!"

He abruptly changed the subject, but that momentary lapse was caught by Severus and Ian, who were watching him closely.

He knew something, and he was afraid.

After the party, on the stairs back to the cellar, Severus whispered to Ian, "He's guilty. He's not just heard about it; he might... know more, or have been in contact with someone."

Ian squeezed his hand, "But he would never say it himself..."

The pressure, like a rising tide, silently washed over the castle.

With the New Year fast approaching, classes, assignments, and exams create a facade of busyness, but beneath the surface, the shadow of Horcruxes, the looming threat, and the uncertainty of the future weigh heavily on everyone's hearts.

One evening in early February, Ian returned from the bathroom and found that Severus was still awake.

He sat in an old armchair by the window, looking at the cipher fragment about the connection between Horcruxes and fragments, which he had copied from the forbidden book section, by the moonlight.

Her profile appeared unusually pale in the cool moonlight, her eyelashes drooping and casting a small shadow.

Ian walked over, took the parchment from his hand, put it aside, then knelt down and took Severus's slightly curled hand, which was resting on his knee.

"Stop watching, you need to rest."

Severus looked up at him; his dark eyes were unfathomable in the darkness.

"If... if we ultimately can't find a solution, if after graduation they use you and your family to pressure me..."