HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Lily arrived the next afternoon.

She held a large bouquet of brightly colored daisies, her golden-red hair like a small, leaping flame in the pale corridors of St. Mungo's.

She had come twice before, once when Ian had just come out of danger and once when he was transferred to a regular ward. At that time, Ian was still unconscious. She just stood by the bed for a long time with red eyes and whispered to Severus, "Tell me if you need help."

This time, when the door opened, Ian was leaning against the pillow, sipping the medicine Severus handed him. His face was still pale, but his eyes had regained their sparkle.

"Lily!" Ian put down his cup and tried to sit up straight, but Severus pressed his shoulder down without making a sound.

"Don't move around." Severus's voice was low. He took the empty cup and placed it on the bedside table. He nodded slightly to Lily as a greeting, then got up and made room for her on the chair next to the bed.

"You look much better!" Lily hurried over, placed the flowers on the windowsill, and carefully examined Ian. "Merlin, I was so scared when I heard the news that day... How are you feeling? Still in pain?"

"Much better, just no energy." Ian smiled and patted the edge of the bed. "Sit down, Severus, you sit down too."

Severus didn't sit down, but stood on the other side of the bed, leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed on the window.

Lily sat down in the chair, her green eyes full of concern.

"If Mrs. Pomfrey knew, she would nag you a hundred times over."

Ian smiled. "Thank you so much for coming, Lily."

"What are you saying?" Lily squeezed his hand, which was outside the blanket. Her hand was warm. "You two... have always been my friends."

As she spoke, she glanced at the silent Severus, then looked back at him. "If you need any help, just let me know. Although I'm currently doing odd jobs in the Auror office and am quite busy with training, I can still run errands and relay messages."

She paused, lowered her voice, and became serious: "There are more and more reports of unrest outside. Some attacks are starting to become more blatant, and it's not just Muggle-born people. Professor Dumbledore has been working hard to unite all sides, and we... we are working hard too."

She didn't explicitly say who "we" were, but Ian and Severus both understood.

"I know it's tough," Lily said, looking at Ian and then at Severus, "but believe in Professor Dumbledore, believe in what we're doing. The darkness won't last forever; it will end someday."

Severus's gaze fell on Lily's face, lingered for a very short moment, then looked away, and finally just gave a soft "hmm".

Lily sat for a while, asked about the recovery, and told some interesting stories from the Auror training. Before leaving, she shook Ian's hand again.

"Take good care of yourself and get well soon. I might not be able to come often for a while; I have a lot of tasks..." She smiled, but there was a hint of weariness in her smile. "Take care of yourselves, and both of you."

She paused at the doorway, turned back to look at them, her eyes gentle yet complex.

"Bye now."

A hushed conversation drifted in from outside the door; it was James Porter's voice: "...How is he? Is he feeling better?"

"Hmm, much better... Let's go, we're going to be late." Lily's voice faded into the distance.

Ian leaned against the pillows, staring at the ceiling, and after a long while said, "She's changed."

"Hmm." Severus walked back to the bedside. "You're more determined now, which is a good thing."

Ian was about to say something, but was interrupted by a cough.

Severus immediately poured water, tested the temperature, and then held the glass to his lips.

Ian took a few sips from his hand, the warm water soothing his dry throat.

He looked up and saw Severus's face so close to his, the dark circles under his eyes becoming even more pronounced.

"You didn't sleep much again last night." This wasn't a question.

"I can't sleep," Severus said briefly, putting him back on the pillow and carefully tucking him in.

"Come on up." Ian moved to the side and patted the empty space next to him.

The hospital bed wasn't wide, but it was just big enough for two thin teenagers.

Severus froze for a moment, then looked at the door and at Ian's persistent gaze.

Finally, he took off his shoes, hesitated for a moment, and lay down, trying to stay on the outside to avoid pressing down on Ian.

Ian leaned closer and wrapped his arms around Ian's waist.

Severus tensed up instantly, then forced himself to relax, carefully adjusting his posture and gently wrapping his arms around him.

An aura belonging to Ian, carrying the scent of medicine yet still reassuring, enveloped him.

A profound sense of fatigue overwhelmed me.

"Take a nap," Ian's voice was right next to his ear, warm and soothing. "I'm here."

Severus closed his eyes and gave a soft "hmm." His breathing gradually became even and long.

……

Another two weeks later, Ian was finally allowed to be discharged from the hospital, but he was strictly instructed to rest and have regular check-ups.

Leah and John insisted that he come home, but Ian refused, saying he wanted to breathe the air in his own house.

Leah stared at him for a long time, but in the end John sighed and patted his wife's hand.

"The kids are all grown up now," John said to Ian, his eyes serious. "Don't push yourself. If anything seems wrong, come back immediately, or call us."

"I know," Ian promised.

Back in the old stone house in the Cotswolds, most of the neglected herbs in the yard had withered and died, but a few tenacious moonflowers still stood trembling in the thin autumn sunlight in the corner.

The air smelled of dust and freedom.

Severus took care of almost all the housework, brewing potions, cleaning, and cooking. Although the food was mediocre, it was good because he strictly followed the nutritional recipes given by Leah.

Ian was ordered to spend most of his time on the sofa or bed in the first-floor living room, with his movements limited to the house and the porch.

The days were so quiet they were almost stagnant.

Kevin and Aris sent a letter from France, inquiring about each other's well-being in encrypted language, and enclosing some seemingly unrelated academic clippings about rare black magic curses.

When Ian replied, he simply reported that he was safe and sound, without mentioning any details about St. Mungo.

Their connection with Regulus was even more clandestine.

Different owls always appear at night or dawn, leaving behind unsigned notes with messy handwriting, and then quickly fly away.

The notes contained fragmented information: recent visitors to Black's old house; Walbuga's increasingly frequent sighs about Regulus's "disappointment"; Bellatrix asking him for "a small favor"... and the unusual "activity" of certain shops in Knockturn Alley recently, with subtle changes in both the supply of goods and the flow of customers.

Ian carefully kept the notes, sometimes discussing them in hushed tones with Severus, but more often he would just read them silently and then burn them.

A month later, the follow-up examination results were good. Although the source of magic was fragile, it was slowly and steadily rebuilding.

Ian was finally allowed to engage in slightly more strenuous activities and was also able to try to mobilize a little bit of magic.

Then, on a rainy autumn morning, he said to Severus, "I'm going to Bogin-Bock."

Severus was wiping the silver knife on his workbench when he heard this, and he stopped. The blade reflected the gloomy light from the window, illuminating his expressionless face.

"Reason?" he asked, his voice flat.

"This can't go on forever." Ian walked to his side, looking out at the rain-soaked, withered lawn. "You need time, and you need intelligence. Mr. Bokin is well-informed and has a lot of people coming and going. Besides, it's only reasonable for a sickly distant relative like me to go and help."