HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

The carriage passed through the gradually thinning woods and finally stopped in front of the side gate of a greyish-white manor.

Regulus led them through a short corridor and pushed open a heavy wooden door.

"This is it." Regulus's voice seemed to relax a bit. He walked straight in, stopped in front of a bookshelf, and ran his fingers over the spines of several books.

"Most of the family finds this place stuffy, and apart from the house-elves cleaning it regularly, very few people come here." He pulled out a parchment book and handed it to Severus.

"This is a copy of the catalog compiled by the butler, covering the parts related to potions and medieval Norse mythology. I've marked them with labels. The original manuscript is on the top shelf of the third row over there, in several boxes. You can take it yourself."

His tone was very casual, as if he were telling his classmates where the ingredients were in a potions class.

Severus took the notebook and opened it.

The contents are detailed, clearly beyond what a housekeeper could have organized.

He glanced up at Regulus.

The other person seemed a little uncomfortable and looked away. "Some... I just happened to have seen them, and I think they might be useful."

Ian leaned against the reading ladder near the door, not getting close to the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping between the two men before finally settling on Regulus.

At this moment, Regulus Black, dressed in a simple dark robe, stood in front of the ancient bookshelf. His face did not have that carefully calculated expression; he looked more like a boy who simply liked being there and was surprised to find that someone might like the same things as him.

"You've seen a lot," Ian said casually.

Regulus paused, his gaze still fixed on the towering bookshelves. "Hmm, when I was little... it was quiet here."

He put it simply, but Ian understood the unspoken meaning.

The Black family mansion is clearly not a place where one can easily find "quiet," either physically or otherwise.

Severus had already taken his notebook to the third row of bookshelves, looked up at the top shelf where several dark wooden boxes were placed.

He tiptoed slightly, but still couldn't quite reach it.

Regulus walked over naturally, took a low ladder with wheels from the side, and pushed it next to him.

"Use this. The box isn't locked, but some of the parchment is brittle, so be careful."

Severus glanced at him, nodded, and silently climbed the low ladder.

Ian watched this scene unfold.

Regulus stood by the ladder, not leaving, his gaze following the wooden box Severus had taken down, seemingly anticipating his reaction after opening it.

It wasn't the posture of an heir displaying the family collection, but more like a child taking out their treasured possessions and waiting for the evaluation of fellow enthusiasts.

Severus opened the first wooden box, which contained several rolls of parchment tied with ribbons.

He unrolled a scroll, carefully unfolding a corner, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the dense ancient runes and interspersed simple diagrams.

He looked at it for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. He pointed to a symbol on it and began to communicate with Regulus.

After exchanging a few words, Regulus walked to the other side of the bookshelf, pulled out a book, and quickly began to browse through it.

The two men sat close together, their heads almost touching, speaking in hushed tones, their pace quick and interspersed with technical terms and quotes from the manuscript.

Ian watched from a distance without disturbing them.

If Kevin saw Severus like this, he would probably marvel, while Aris would immediately join the discussion.

After a long while, Regulus seemed to suddenly realize Ian's presence, and straightened up somewhat awkwardly. "Sorry, Burke, we..."

"It's nothing." Ian waved his hand and smiled. "Looks like you've found common ground. This place is nice."

Regulus glanced around the library, and his relaxed expression returned somewhat, but soon, a faint trace of fatigue flashed across his eyes.

"This... is one of the few places where I can simply be 'Regrus'." His voice was very soft, more like he was talking to himself.

Severus also looked up from the parchment at Regulus.

Regulus felt their gazes, took a deep breath, turned to them, and his expression became serious.

"I know Professor Slughorn, and Otto and the others, have high expectations for you... especially you, Snape. I also know what they probably said to you, Burke, about choices, about circles."

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "Some invitations, or rather pressures, are conveyed through me, because I am 'Blake,' the 'suitable bridge.'"

He twitched the corners of his mouth, but the smile was devoid of warmth. "Like today, on the surface, it's an invitation for you to come and read books, but in reality, it's also a showcase and evaluation. The family hopes that I can demonstrate sufficient influence, or rather... the potential to win people over."

Ian didn't speak, he just listened quietly.

"But here, now," Regulus's gaze swept across the surrounding bookshelves before returning to the parchment in Severus's hand.

"I just feel that these books, this knowledge, shouldn't be used as bargaining chips just because of family orders. They themselves... have value, and you..."

He looked at Severus, "He's one of the few who can really understand them and care about their value."

He changed the subject and looked at Ian, "Bock, you too, you see things from a different perspective. You're not entirely in the industry, but you're not an outsider either. Your parents' path, your own path... I can roughly guess some of it."

His voice became lower and clearer: "So, after this, outside of necessary situations... we can be friends, just friends, friends who can talk about books, or whatever. Of course, that's idealistic, and I know I'm often not in control of my own destiny. But at least here, in this room, that's true."

After saying that, he seemed relieved, yet still somewhat anxiously awaited the response.

On that usually overly calm and perfect face, a rare hint of tension befitting his age was revealed.

Severus remained silent, carefully rolled up the parchment in his hand, and put it back into the wooden box.

He closed the box, then looked at Regulus and nodded. "These manuscripts," he said, "are very useful. Thank you."

Ian finally walked over from the bookshelf, his face still bearing a lazy smile, but his eyes were serious.

"The book collection is impressive," he said. "You can tell a lot of effort was put into organizing it. As for friends..." he shrugged. "Being able to read quietly together for a while without being bothered is a rare treat in Slytherin."

Regulus understood the acceptance and reservation in the message, and he also sensed the "understanding".

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, a genuinely relaxed smile appearing on his face. "Then...would you like some tea? I can have Kreacher prepare it; he won't say a word."

"it is good."