HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Kevin scratched his head a little embarrassedly, but his eyes lit up: "I placed it exactly where Aris told me to... To be honest, my legs are still a little weak."

Aris looked at Severus intently: "Your armor and disarming spell were incredibly accurate, especially the disarming spell; I almost didn't see when you cast it."

Severus looked away, seemingly unaccustomed to such direct praise, and simply hummed in response.

"We can't stay here any longer," Ian said, looking at the mess around him—charred walls, water stains, and spilled debris. "Let's go back first."

The four of them quickly left this place of trouble and returned to the Slytherin common room in silence, but the atmosphere was completely different from when they arrived.

There weren't many people left in the common room, and the fireplace was about to go out.

They went straight to their dormitory, closed the door, and only then did they truly relax.

"Oh my god, that was so exciting..." Kevin collapsed onto his bed, then sat up excitedly. "We really did it! Avery's expression, haha!"

"Don't be too happy yet." Severus had regained his usual composure. He sat on the edge of his bed, slowly polishing his wand, his voice low. "Avery won't let this go. He lost face today, and he'll definitely get his revenge."

"I know." Ian nodded, his face showing no surprise. "But he won't dare to openly ambush people again anytime soon. What happened tonight will soon spread throughout Slytherin—even if they don't say it themselves, the commotion was quite loud, and some people may have heard it. Four first-years directly outmaneuvered Avery and his group, which is enough to make many people reconsider."

He looked at Severus and said seriously, "At least, there will be far fewer incidents like today where we directly confront you. In Slytherin, proving that you have 'strength' and are not to be trifled with is the first step to survival."

Severus paused in wiping his wand; he understood what Ian meant.

Tonight is not just about getting out of trouble, but also about making a declaration.

Ian Burke, and the people standing with him, are not pushovers to be easily manipulated.

This may not eradicate prejudice and hostility, but it is enough to deter many potential bullies and make those who are watching reassess their worth.

He pursed his lips and looked at Ian, Kevin, and Aris. In the dim light, a very faint tremor seemed to appear on his usually pale face.

"...Why did you come here?" he asked in a low voice.

"Kevin noticed you didn't go straight back to the lounge after dinner, so he guessed you might have gone to the library."

Ian sat down on the bed opposite him and stretched his aching arms. "After you didn't come back for a while, we got a little worried, so we went out to look for you. Aris guessed that you might have taken that secluded shortcut."

"Thank goodness we came!" Kevin said, still shaken. "That Avery actually tried to use the Cruciatus Curse! How vicious!"

Severus lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes obscuring the emotions within.

He knew all too well how much pain the Crucifixion Curse could cause, even if it only grazed the heart.

He also knew that if Ian and his men hadn't arrived in time, the night would not have ended so easily.

"Thank you," he said again in a low voice, this time with a clearer tone. Although it still lacked dramatic inflection, the meaning behind it was far deeper than before.

Ian looked at him, smiled, and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he said, "Alright, everyone, pack up and get some rest. Tomorrow in Potions class, Professor Slughorn is going to check the extended section of that paper on Moongrass. I don't want to go with dark circles under my eyes."

The topic naturally shifted, and Severus silently put away his wand and lay down.

In the darkness, he could hear Ian's steady breathing from the bed opposite, Kevin's soft muttering beside him, and the soft sound of Aris turning the pages of a book.

These sounds, which he had tried so hard to ignore as background noise, now inexplicably gave him a strange sense of peace.

He recalled Ian's back as he stood in front of him, Kevin's tense yet unwavering incantation, Aris's calm analysis and support, and the moment he perfectly coordinated with him—that unspoken, natural trust.

He had never truly trusted anyone—not in Spider's End, not at Hogwarts… except for Lily. He habitually shut everyone out, using indifference and acerbity as armor. But tonight, a crack was pried open in that armor.

Perhaps... Ian is right.

Perhaps in Slytherin, at Hogwarts, or even in the wider world, going it alone is not the only option.

Having companions you can rely on, having people who will come to your aid even if you know there's danger... This feeling is unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

Severus closed his eyes, the lingering sensation of gripping the wand in his palm, and the chilling humiliation of having his bag strap lightly tugged by Avery's wand earlier.

But at this moment, that coldness seemed to be dispelled by another temperature.

……

The next day, news of the "small-scale magical disturbance" in the abandoned classroom corridor the previous night still spread within a small circle.

The versions vary, but the core content remains the same: Avery, along with Moorselber and Rozier, wanted to teach Severus Snape a lesson, but was thwarted by Snape and his first-year friends. Avery was reportedly quite embarrassed.

The details are blurred, but the result is clear.

A few first-graders went head-to-head with Avery's group of fifth-graders and didn't suffer any major losses.

The gazes in the Slytherin common room became subtle.

Those previously indifferent, disdainful, or expectant looks have subtly changed.

Surprise, reassessment, and even a barely perceptible... apprehension.

No one publicly used terms like "mixed-race" to provoke Severus anymore, at least not to his face.

When Avery and his gang saw them, their eyes were so dark they could drip water, but they didn't immediately go up to cause trouble.

Severus's situation in Slytherin did not immediately become easier or more friendly, but an invisible, delicate balance based on power was established.

He was no longer the gloomy mixed-race man who could be cornered at will and ignored by everyone.

He has companions who are good fighters and unafraid of trouble.