Hogwarts' second term began amid the lingering chill of the Scottish Highlands. The castle's stone walls seemed to retain winter's biting cold, yet the classrooms and corridors had already returned to their usual bustle. For Lin Yanqing and Snape, the new term meant that their subtle, fragile "truce" would be tested by everyday school life.
The packet of Resonance Crystal Powder silently accepted after Potions class was like a soundless wedge driven into the invisible wall between them. Snape left no new reading list and did not initiate any conversation. But in shared classes like Charms class and History of Magic, Lin Yanqing could sense that cold, scrutinizing gaze from the Slytherin side no longer constantly carried the intent to drive him away. It now held a few traces of appraisal and... measurement.
He was measuring Lin Yanqing's value—not merely as a route to information from the Restricted Section, but as a potential collaborator in the shared, and forced, undertaking of "contract stabilization." This measurement had nothing to do with fondness; it was purely a weighing of advantages and disadvantages.
System Cub promptly issued a new mission.
[Ding! Stage mission issued: [Traces of Materials]] [Mission Description: Obtain reliable information regarding the whereabouts of "Twin Moonlight Moss" and relay that information to Severus Snape.] [Mission Reward: [Magical Perception (Beginner)] skill book x1, Gold Galleons x20.] [Failure Penalty: None. (Cub believes in the host! (????))]
"Twin Moonlight Moss" was precisely the other crucial material Snape had indirectly mentioned last time, one needed for the Stabilization Ritual. The system was clearly pushing them toward substantive cooperation.
The opportunity came during Herbology class a week later. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were taking the class together, learning how to tend to a shade-loving magical plant called the Whispering Mushroom, which emitted a faint hum. Professor Sprout gently explained the key points while the students worked among rows of potted plants.
Lin Yanqing noticed Snape standing alone in a corner of the greenhouse, tending to a Whispering Mushroom that looked somewhat wilted. His movements remained precise, but there was a sense of detachment about him that clashed sharply with the students around him, gathered in small groups and talking among themselves. Several Hufflepuff girls secretly glanced at him in curiosity, only to fall silent and turn away the moment he swept them with a cold look.
Midway through the lesson, Professor Sprout received an urgent note delivered by an owl and temporarily stepped away. Discipline in the greenhouse relaxed slightly, and the students began whispering among themselves.
Just then, Lily Evans approached Snape with a thick copy of A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi in her arms, looking somewhat hesitant.
"Severus," she said, her voice friendly yet carrying a hint of barely noticeable caution, "I... I wanted to ask about the properties of Moonlight Moss. The book says it is best gathered on the night of a full moon, but I'm not quite sure how to distinguish the 'twin' variety..."
Snape's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He stopped what he was doing but did not answer at once, nor did he look at Lily. Through the contract, Lin Yanqing could feel a complicated tide of emotion from him—a faint pleasure at being asked about professional knowledge by a familiar friend, but far more embarrassment and defensiveness, as though he did not want to have too much contact with Lily here and now, under so many watching eyes, especially if... a certain Ravenclaw might see.
His silence made Lily a little awkward, and a flash of disappointment passed through her emerald-green eyes.
Lin Yanqing knew this was an opportunity. He quietly moved a few steps closer, pretending to examine a patch of Devil's Snare nearby as its leaves unfurled. His voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough for the two of them to hear.
"The appendix of Magical Mediterranean Aquatic Plants mentions that Twin Moonlight Moss usually grows in the shaded cracks of the reefs along the northeastern shore of the Black Lake. Only on the first cloudless full-moon night around the spring or autumn equinox does it emit silver-blue twin-colored fluorescence at the same time, and it lasts for less than an hour."
When he finished speaking, that corner of the greenhouse fell quiet for a moment.
Lily turned toward Lin Yanqing in surprise, understanding and gratitude appearing on her face. "Really? Thank you, Lin! I haven't read that book yet." She seemed happy both to have found an answer and to have been rescued from the awkwardness.
Snape finally raised his head as well. His gaze passed over Lily and landed directly on Lin Yanqing. Emotions churned in his black eyes. There was displeasure at having his conversation with Lily interrupted—even one he had wanted to avoid—surprise that Lin Yanqing knew something so obscure, and, deeper still, a tremor at having been given exactly the information he needed.
He said nothing. He merely stared at Lin Yanqing as if trying to dig beneath his calm exterior and uncover the true purpose behind mentioning such specific details as "the northeastern shore of the Black Lake" and "the full moon at the spring equinox." Was he showing off? Testing him further? Or was he... truly just providing information?
Lily looked at Snape, then at Lin Yanqing, keenly sensing a strange atmosphere between them that she could not understand. Hugging her book, she thanked Lin Yanqing once more, then softly said to Snape, "I'll head back first, Severus," before quickly returning to her Gryffindor classmates.
Snape remained where he was, staring at Lin Yanqing. The greenhouse's warm, damp air seemed to freeze beneath his gaze.
Lin Yanqing did not avoid his eyes or offer any further explanation. He merely gave a slight nod, as if confirming that the information he had just provided was correct, then turned and returned to his Whispering Mushroom to continue his work.
He did not need Snape's thanks, nor did he need a clear response from him. He only needed to pass on the information and let Snape know that he possessed something Snape required—not merely access to the Restricted Section, but more concrete knowledge of how to resolve their shared predicament.
For the rest of the day, Lin Yanqing could continuously feel the intensely active state of thought coming through the other end of the soul bond. Snape was processing the information, weighing it, making plans. The clue about Twin Moonlight Moss had undoubtedly pulled the Stabilization Ritual from theory toward the possibility of reality.
After school, as Lin Yanqing was making his way back to the castle, he sensed Snape quickly catching up from behind before brushing past him. In the instant they crossed paths, a small, slightly crumpled paper ball landed precisely in the outer pocket of Lin Yanqing's robes.
Snape did not stop or even slow down, as though nothing had happened, and walked straight toward the castle gates.
Lin Yanqing's fingers touched the slightly cool paper ball in his pocket. His expression did not change, but something stirred faintly in his heart.
After returning to Ravenclaw Tower, he unfolded the paper ball in an unnoticed corner. The familiar elegant handwriting contained only one line, with neither greeting nor signature.
"Spring equinox. After moonrise. Reef area east of the dock."
This was not a request or a discussion. It was more like an order, or a unilateral notice. Snape had chosen to accept the information and directly planned the operation.
Lin Yanqing crushed the note and watched the scraps turn to ash between his fingertips.
He knew their next "cooperation" would no longer be limited to silent library exchanges or passing materials during class. For the first time, beneath Hogwarts' night sky, they would head to the edge of the Black Lake for the sake of the contract that had forcibly bound them together.
"Mission [Traces of Materials] complete! Rewards issued! (★ ω ★) Great job, host! He asked you out himself! (Though his attitude was awful.)" The [Magical Perception (Beginner)] skill book turned into a stream of light and merged into his consciousness. Lin Yanqing closed his eyes and could faintly sense subtle differences in the flow of magic through the air, especially... that unique soul bond leading to the distant Slytherin dungeon, which was now radiating a calm, determined intent to plan.
The hunt for Twin Moonlight Moss had been placed on the agenda. This nighttime adventure would undoubtedly become a crucial turning point in the next stage of their relationship, while concealing unknown dangers and uncertainties.
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