HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Severus stood there, his dark eyes silently watching him approach in the dim light, his face showing no surprise, as if he had simply stopped there at random and happened to be waiting for the person he was looking for.

Ian didn't stop walking and naturally walked to his side. The two walked side by side towards the cellar.

"Is it resolved?" Severus's voice was low.

"Hmm," Ian responded, his tone as casual as if he were talking about today's homework. "I used your spell, but I wonder if any 'kind' professors will happen to pass by."

"Perhaps," Severus said noncommittally. He didn't care how long the raiders would be hanging there; he only knew that after tonight, certain boundaries would be drawn and certain warnings would be clearly conveyed.

This is good.

The next morning, this scene unsurprisingly became the most sensational news at Hogwarts.

Several Gryffindor students, on their way to breakfast in the Great Hall, discovered the Raiders, a group of four hanging upside down from the ceiling of a corridor near the Prize Room.

They were bound together by strange magical ropes and hung upside down all night, their faces pale, their hair disheveled, and their robes wrinkled like pickles.

The rescue was a bit difficult, as the binding and hanging spells were quite firmly combined. In the end, Professor McGonagall had to personally intervene with a stern face to finally put them down.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, James's legs buckled and he almost knelt down. Sirius barely managed to catch him. The two of them glared fiercely at the growing number of students who were pointing, whispering, and snickering around them, but they couldn't see the culprit.

"Bock! It's Burk!" James growled hoarsely at Professor McGonagall, who had come to inquire, from the medical wing.

“Evidence, Mr. Potter.” Professor McGonagall’s gaze sharpened behind her glasses. “Mr. Burke was in the common room all night. More than one Slytherin student can attest to this. He returned to his dormitory early last night and did not go out again. And you—”

Her tone was tinged with suppressed anger and disappointment: "Gathering in a secluded corridor close to curfew, carrying wands, with unclear intentions, and chaotic residual magic at the scene, but without any trace pointing to any specific student."

"What is the basis for your accusations against Ian Burke? 'He may hold a grudge'? That is insufficient to support your accusations, especially considering your previous 'accident' with Mr. Walker."

James was speechless, his face turning bright red. Sirius also turned his face away; they had no evidence.

"Solitary confinement, two weeks each, and community service," Professor McGonagall concluded sternly. "And I hope this is the last time I hear of you having this kind of conflict with students from other colleges."

"The hallways of Hogwarts are not a duel ground for settling personal scores. Now, Madam Pomfrey says you need to rest, and you don't need to attend classes this morning."

The news spread like wildfire, and by the end of breakfast, the entire castle knew about the humiliation of the raiders being hung upside down by the "mysterious man" all night.

Combined with the chaotic scene in Potions class not long ago, the Marauders' "invincible" aura has shown obvious cracks, and the name "Ian Burke" carries a different meaning when mentioned among some upperclassmen and well-informed students.

After Transfiguration class, Lily found Severus, her green eyes filled with worry: "Severus, have you heard? James and the others... Oh my god, this is so dangerous! You guys weren't involved, were you? Ian, he..."

She hesitated for a moment and didn't continue.

Severus packed up his textbooks, his tone flat: "We were in the common room last night, we didn't go out. Ian was writing his thesis on the history of magic."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. James can be a bit too much sometimes, but..."

"He has his choices," Severus interrupted her, his voice flat. "He'll bear the consequences."

Lily looked at him, hesitated, and finally just sighed softly.

Kevin was drinking pumpkin juice when he heard the news. He almost choked on it, then burst into laughter, which drew knowing chuckles from his Slytherin teammates around him.

"It's you guys, isn't it?" He lowered his voice and winked at Ian and Severus. Ian just shrugged, and Severus didn't even lift his eyelids, focusing on the food in front of him.

Aris calmly analyzed in a voice only the four of them could hear: "The scene was handled very cleanly. There were no witnesses, so they shouldn't be able to identify you."

He looked at Ian and added, "However, given their personalities, they definitely won't let this go easily. Don't walk alone tonight."

Ian took a bite of bread and mumbled, "Okay."

The group finished breakfast while chatting. As the mealtime was about to end, Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall and reiterated the importance of following the school rules. And that was the end of the matter concerning Potter and his friends.

Time slipped into December amidst a mix of busyness and tranquility.

The castle was covered in silver, and Christmas decorations began to appear in the corridors and hall, with the air filled with the scent of cold pine needles and the warm aroma of gingerbread.

"I still don't understand, Ian, why aren't you coming home this year?" Kevin asked incredulously, struggling to stuff a sweater into his already bulging suitcase. "Christmas dinner! Mom's honey-roasted ham! And two whole weeks without homework!"

"Something's come up at home. My parents might have to go out to visit relatives, and it'll be a bit boring for me to be alone." Ian leaned against the four-poster bedpost, watching the snowflakes falling outside the window, his tone casual. "Besides, the library is less crowded and quiet during Christmas, perfect for reading some books. And the Christmas dinner at Hogwarts isn't bad either."

Kevin tossed the last few books into the box. "Okay, have fun, Aris. Have you packed your things?"

Aris had already packed his suitcase meticulously and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping his glasses with a soft cloth.

"All packed, Ian. Are you sure you want to stay at school? The castle is quiet during Christmas, you might get bored."

"Perfect timing, I need some time to kill." Ian smiled, glancing towards the other side of the room.

Severus was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a thick old book by lamplight. It was "Annotations on Medieval Alchemy," which Ian had just gotten for him a few days ago.

He never had a choice about where to spend the Christmas holidays; there was no fireplace waiting for him in Spider's End.

Upon hearing Ian's words, his fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused for a moment. He didn't look up, but his tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly.

Kevin and Aris left early the day before Christmas, leaving the dorm room much emptier but also unusually quiet.

Ian enjoyed the quiet. He spent half a day wandering around the almost deserted library, picking out a few books he usually didn't have time to read in detail.

In the afternoon, I would curl up on the softest sofa by the fireplace in the common room, flipping through books idly, occasionally glancing up at the silent snowfall on the lakebed outside the window.

Severus spends most of his time in the Room of Requirement, or in his bedroom fiddling with his potion-making equipment and studying the cursed brooch Ian gave him.

A comfortable silence filled the space between them, and there was no need to deliberately find topics to talk about.

On Christmas Eve, Professor Slughorn's invitation arrived on time, addressed to "my dear, brilliant Mr. Snape" and "Ian, the young friend of the Burkes."