Silent Allies and Emoji Bombardment

In the latter half of November, the weather at Hogwarts grew increasingly gloomy. The surface of the Black Lake was perpetually overcast, and the occasional cold rain pattered against the castle's windows with a monotonous sound. This weather seemed to affect the atmosphere within the castle as well, an invisible tension spreading through the damp, cold air.

Inside the Room of Requirement, the pace of work quickened. In a corner of the laboratory, a simple earthenware cup had indeed appeared—brought by Lin Yanqing. Most of the time, it remained empty, but occasionally, when Snape brewed himself a potent, sharp-smelling black tea to stay alert, he would tap the empty cup with his wand, signaling Lin Yanqing to help himself.

No words, no eye contact. This had become their new routine, a sharing of resources based on pragmatism, reflecting the essence of their current relationship better than any pleasantries: they were silent allies engaged in a dangerous experiment.

Tonight, they were conducting the final crucial pre-processing of the potion before the full moon. Snape's focus was sharper than ever, even tinged with a subtle urgency. He had poured almost all his waking hours into this, and the dark circles under his eyes were becoming more pronounced. Through their contract, Lin Yanqing could feel a burning desire in Snape's heart, a mixture of research passion, hatred for the Marauders, and a strong craving to... validate his own worth.

"Silver powder, stir clockwise seven times, at a constant speed," Snape's voice was hoarse, with a commanding brevity. He was carefully adding a shimmering, starlit powder to a crystal bowl filled with a dark purple liquid.

Lin Yanqing immediately complied, his wrist rotating the silver stirring rod with steady precision. His movements were already quite skilled, almost anticipating Snape's next need. It was precisely because of this intense concentration that when a familiar voice, silent for quite some time, suddenly exploded in his mind with cheerful electronic sound effects, the hand holding the stirring rod trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Ding dong! (≧?≦)? Detected Host and Contracted Partner in the same room for over 100 hours! Rapport UP! Triggered Hidden Quest—[Warm Comfort]!"

Quest Description: Contracted Partner's physical and mental fatigue level is as high as 85%! Host must provide effective mental or physical comfort within one hour! Refusal to accept bitter stimulating drinks!

Quest Requirements: Make the other party drink a cup of warm, sweet beverage.

Quest Rewards: Magic Shimmer Candy x1 (slightly alleviates mental fatigue), System Points +50.

Failure Penalty: Host will randomly receive a [Uncontrollable Hiccups] or [Itchy Fingers] 24-hour debuff. (￣ε(#￣)

Lin Yanqing: "..." He almost poked the stirring rod outside the crystal bowl.

"Cub!?" he shouted incredulously in his mind, "You disappear for so long, and the first thing you do is issue a quest like this?! And what's with the 'refusal to accept bitter stimulating drinks' requirement?!"

"Sob sob sob~ Host doesn't miss me! (╥﹏╥)" The System Cub immediately projected a crying, chibi-style Bowtruckle emoticon. "I've been silently recording data in the background! And Host, look, the bat... ah no, the contracted partner, his dark circles are almost heavier than a panda's! He needs sugar! It's science!" A mini owl GIF waving a "Go!" flag popped up next.

Science, my foot. Lin Yanqing grumbled internally, but had to admit, while the System was childish, its observation was accurate. Snape's condition was indeed dire; he was relying solely on willpower and those bitter teas, which were practically potions themselves, to keep going.

The problem was, how to get him to drink something sweet? It was harder than teaching a troll to ballet.

Just then, Snape seemed to notice his momentary pause and slightly disordered breathing. He looked up, his dark eyes scanning sharply in the dim green light, with a question, and a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

"What is it?" his voice was cold and hard.

Lin Yanqing quickly regained his composure, his mind racing. He put down the stirring rod, his face displaying a well-measured curiosity and inquisitiveness befitting a Ravenclaw. "I just suddenly thought... Snape, don't you think the 'Thestral tail feather' powder we're using might have its magic conductivity affected by ambient humidity? The humidity today seems higher than in previous days."

As he spoke, he naturally walked over to the small table with the tea set, his back to Snape, as if merely taking a break from academic discussion to pour himself a glass of water. He used his body to block Snape's view, smoothly reaching into the inner lining of his robes (where he had created a small pocket using the Undetectable Extension Charm, specifically for storing some of the System's less-than-savory items) and took out a small jar of magic honey, previously rewarded by the System, labeled "Buzzing Bee Honey flavor." He quickly scooped a large spoonful into his own earthenware cup. Then, he picked up the kettle—filled with scalding hot water constantly replenished by the house-elves—and poured a full cup.

A sweet aroma, with hints of cream and toffee, instantly filled the laboratory, creating a bizarre contrast with the usual smell of sulfur and herbs.

Snape's brow immediately furrowed, as if extremely displeased by this "unprofessional" scent.

Lin Yanqing, holding the steaming, golden cup of honey water, turned around with a tentative expression, continuing the conversation. "Perhaps... we could try establishing a localized constant humidity field before processing the 'Thestral tail feather'? Of course, this is just a preliminary idea." As he spoke, as if completely oblivious to the out-of-place beverage in his hand, he casually extended the cup towards Snape, his movement as natural as sharing an experimental concept.

"Want to try? The house-elves say this honey can... replenish energy." His tone was calm, not deliberately ingratiating, more like offering a potential new material.

Snape's gaze lingered on the liquid exuding a "childish" sweet fragrance for a second, his expression of near-disgust unconcealed. His lips moved, as if about to utter some sarcastic remark. But then, his eyes met Lin Yanqing's seemingly calm, yet undeniably persistent gaze. He glanced again at the pale fingers, which were also showing signs of long-term handling of delicate materials.

"..."

A moment of silence. Only the hum of the instruments.

Snape's Adam's apple bobbed. He detested this weak, childish sweetness. But... the continuous late nights and intense mental exertion were indeed causing a dull ache in his stomach, and his temples were throbbing. This cloying scent, at this moment, unexpectedly stirred a strange, unfamiliar desire for "relief."

More importantly, he understood the meaning behind Lin Yanqing's eyes: this was not flattery, but a "conspirator's" necessary supply for maintaining the team's highest efficiency.

He suddenly reached out, almost snatching the cup of honey water, his movement so rough it nearly caused the scalding liquid to splash out. Without looking at Lin Yanqing, he tilted his head back and, like downing a potion, with a furrowed brow and a look of martyrdom, gulped down the excessively sweet liquid in large mouthfuls.

After finishing, he placed the empty cup heavily on the workbench with a "clang." A faint flush, caused by the sweetness and suppressed breath, seemed to appear on his cheeks, but quickly faded.

"Tastes bad," he judged gruffly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as if he had touched something dirty. "Stupid flavor."

However, Lin Yanqing clearly saw that his tightly furrowed brow relaxed, imperceptibly, by a millimeter in that instant. The wire-taut fatigue he felt from the contract also seemed to have genuinely lessened by a tiny bit.

"Ding dong!?(?＞?＜?)? Quest [Warm Comfort] completed! Rewards have been issued to the system space! Host is awesome!" A small, scattering-flower badger emoticon bounced joyfully in Lin Yanqing's mind.

Lin Yanqing ignored the System's clamor. He picked up the empty cup, walked to the sink, and calmly continued the previous topic. "Regarding the constant humidity field, perhaps we could draw inspiration from the 'Water Breathing Rune' in Ancient Runes..."

Snape snorted coldly, not replying, but refocused his attention on the potion in the crystal bowl, as if the interlude about the sweet drink had never happened.

However, during the subsequent work, he would occasionally unconsciously press his tongue against the roof of his mouth, where that excessively sweet, yet inexplicably chilling-dispelling taste seemed to linger.

Outside the laboratory, the cold rain continued to beat against the castle. And some solid ice, it seemed, had been eroded by a cup of sudden, childish honey water, revealing a barely visible crack.