HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

The dinner ended with a wonderful dessert feast, and then the remaining food disappeared, leaving the plates sparkling clean.

Dumbledore rose again and announced the instructions, Quidditch selections, and the ban on the Forest, then had everyone sing the school song.

After the chaotic singing ended, the prefects stood up and led the freshmen from their respective colleges back to the common room.

The Slytherin prefect was that blond boy—Lucius Malfoy. He led the freshmen through a complex underground corridor, finally stopping in front of a bare, damp stone wall.

"The password is 'pureblood,' remember it, and change it every two weeks," he said, as the stone wall silently slid open, revealing the room behind it.

Slytherin's common room is located at the bottom of the lake, with green-glowing lights on the rough stone walls. Through the windows in the walls, you can see the swaying seaweed at the bottom of the Black Lake and the occasional huge creature swimming by.

The fireplace burned with a bright green flame, bathing the room in a soft, green glow.

The entire space exudes an ancient, mysterious, and even somewhat chilly atmosphere.

Lucius briefly introduced the locations of the common room and the dormitories, and then began assigning the dormitories.

"Ian Burke, Severus Snape," he read, his gaze sweeping across the parchment, "you share the seventh dormitory with Aris Thorne and Kevin Walker. It's at the far right of the end of the corridor."

The other two boys who were called out came over.

Aris Thorne was tall and thin, with light brown hair, wearing glasses, and a somewhat aloof expression. He was holding an old book with worn edges, the cover of which was in ancient runes.

Kevin Walker was tall and muscular, with dark brown curly hair. His eyes darted around as he curiously looked at his new roommate and the lounge.

"Follow me." An upperclassman led them through the common room and down a darker corridor to a wooden door.

The door opened automatically, revealing a spacious circular room with dark stone walls. Four four-poster beds, draped with dark green curtains, were placed in the four corners.

Through the window beside the bed, you can see the deeper darkness of the lake bottom and some glowing aquatic plants.

In the center of the room was a small sunken lounge area with several comfortable chairs and a desk; their luggage was already placed next to the bed.

The air was filled with the damp smell of stones and the cool, refreshing scent of lake water.

"The class schedule for tomorrow will be posted on the common room bulletin board. Don't be late." The upperclassman who was leading them said this and then left.

The dormitory was quiet for a moment.

“Well then,” Kevin Walker spoke first, his voice vibrant and breaking the silence, “I am Kevin Walker, from a… well, not-so-illustrious wizarding family.”

Aris Thorne simply nodded, walked to a bed further inside, and carefully placed the book on the bedside table.

"Aris Thorne." His voice was calm, with a detachment beyond his years. "I have no interest in those... 'social activities' at the academy."

"Ian Burke." Ian smiled and pointed to the silent black-haired boy beside him. "This is Severus Snape. It seems we'll be sharing this... unique lake view for the next seven years."

Severus didn't say much, but silently walked to another bed closer to the window, put his old suitcase away, and began to organize the textbooks he had bought from a second-hand bookstore.

Kevin enthusiastically piled his Quidditch posters all over the bed and even hung a banner around the bed that read "Monterros Magpies will win".

Aris, meanwhile, was already sitting on the edge of his bed, using the magic lamp on his bedside table as a light, and had opened his runic book, immersing himself in it.

Ian also went to his bedside and started packing his luggage.

He glanced at the silent but upright Severus, then at his two new roommates. Perhaps his college life wouldn't be as his father had described.

……

The next morning, Ian was awakened by light filtering through from the bottom of the lake.

He opened his eyes, stared blankly at the top of the dark green bed curtains for a few seconds, before remembering where he was.

He's already started school; it's a really sad story.

There was a rustling sound coming from the bed next door.

Ian turned his head and saw through the gap in the bed curtains that Severus had already sat up and was quietly putting on his school uniform. His movements were very light, as if he did not want to wake anyone.

Ian sat up and drew back the bed curtains.

On the two beds opposite, Kevin lay sprawled out, the blankets kicked to one side, and was snoring softly.

Aris's bed curtains were drawn back, the bed was empty, and the blankets were neatly folded.

"Good morning," Ian said in a low voice.

Severus turned his head. "Good morning," he replied simply, continuing to button his robe.

Ian quickly changed into his robe and glanced at the pocket watch on the bedside table; it was only 7:15.

The two quietly tidied themselves up, grabbed their textbooks, and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Ian walked to Kevin's bedside and nudged his shoulder.

"Walker, the first period is Charms class. You don't want to be late on the first day of school, do you?"

Kevin mumbled something and buried his head in the pillow.

Ian gave it another push. "No breakfast if you're late."

These words seemed to work better than anything else. Kevin suddenly opened his eyes, let out a wail, and frantically began rummaging through his robes.

When they came out of the dormitory, there were already a few students in the common room.

Lucius Malfoy sat in a high-backed chair by the fireplace, slowly reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. Several older girls sat around a nearby sofa, talking quietly, their eyes occasionally glancing in their direction.

Severus lowered his eyes and quickened his pace.

Ian nodded calmly to the group and followed Severus through the stone wall.

The sky above the auditorium ceiling was a pale grayish-blue, with a few wisps of thin clouds drifting by, indicating that the weather outside wasn't very good.

Breakfast was already laid out on the long table, and Ian and Severus sat down at the far end of the Slytherin table.

Ian served himself scrambled eggs and sausage, and took two slices of toast, while Severus only took a bowl of oatmeal and ate it in small bites.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" Ian asked.

"That's enough," Severus replied curtly, his gaze sweeping across the auditorium.

At the Gryffindor table, Lily was talking and laughing happily with another brown-haired girl.

James Porter next to her was trying to toss a sausage up and catch it in his mouth when he was glared at by a serious-looking girl sitting across from him.

Severus looked away and continued eating his oatmeal.

After breakfast, they followed the other students to the classroom.

The Charms classroom was on the fourth floor, and when they arrived, it was already filled with Hufflepuff students.

The classroom was large, with long, neatly arranged desks. Professor Flitwick could barely peek out from behind a tall stack of books.

Aris was sitting in the middle seat. When he saw them come in, he raised his eyelids and tapped the empty seat next to him with the tip of his pen as a greeting.

Ian and Severus sat down, and Kevin was the last to rush in, a strand of hair still sticking up. He sat down on the other side of Aris, panting, and whispered, "Merlin, almost..."

"Good morning!" Professor Flitwick's high-pitched voice rang out. He waved his wand, and the classroom door closed. "Welcome to your first Charms class! I am Professor Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw, and for the next seven years I will guide you through the wondrous world of Charms!"