HP Dual Masters and I had a blast in Hogwarts.

Chapter 302 Talking with Sirius

“Ayers…” Severus gasped as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"Severus, actually Lily and James might be back in a while." I received a letter from Butler Chen a while ago, it seems that Lily and James are about to wake up.

"Really?" His fingers dug deep into my shoulder, so hard they almost crushed my bones.

Those eyes, which usually looked at me with gentleness, were now churning with a stormy sea of ​​emotions, like a flame suddenly ignited, burning so intensely that I dared not look directly at them.

"Really, I wouldn't lie to you." I quickly took the letter out of my portable bag. "See for yourself, it's from Butler Chen."

Severus took the letter with trembling hands, his eyes scanning each word eagerly.

After a long pause, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice became so hoarse it was almost incoherent: "How long? How much longer until they come back?"

"Two months at most," I said softly. "They're still awakening in my villa; they just need time to recover."

“Ayers, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Lily might really have…” His voice trailed off as his trembling fingers touched the back of my hand, the pressure softening from almost out of control.

When Severus looked up, his eyes were reddish at the corners, but he managed a smile that looked worse than crying: "I never thought this day would come."

I gently patted his back, feeling his heart pounding wildly beneath his rapidly heaving chest.

Severus suddenly buried his face in the crook of my neck, his hot breath mixed with suppressed sobs, soaking the fabric of my shoulder.

This was the first time I had ever seen him so out of control—the ever-cool and composed potions professor was now clutching my clothes like a drowning man.

I sighed inwardly. I may have changed a lot of the plot by traveling through time, but Lily really holds a very important place in Severus's heart. I felt a little bittersweet.

I suppressed the bitterness in my heart and gently placed my hand on his trembling back to comfort him.

The scent of wormwood permeating the cellar mingled with the familiar smell of potions on his body, creating a scene that, in a moment of reverie, carried a tenderness that brought tears to one's eyes.

Severus's sobs gradually subsided, but he still buried his face in the crook of my neck, as if afraid that if he looked up, the hope before him would vanish with the wind.

“I thought…” His voice was muffled by the fabric, thick with a nasal tone, “that I would never see Lily again in my life.”

His fingers unconsciously tugged at my fabric, as if it were the only reality he could grasp. "Every time I close my eyes, I see her lying in the house..."

My throat suddenly tightened. Even though I had already taken Lily away and resurrected her right in front of him, he was still burdened by such heavy shackles and thought it was his fault.

“It’s all in the past,” I said softly, my fingertips tracing through his hair. “You’ll see her again in two months.”

“Ayers,” he suddenly whispered, his thumb stroking the back of my hand, “if you hadn’t been there that day…”

"Don't think about those hypotheticals." I squeezed his hand back, feeling the calluses and warmth in his palm. "Now, just look forward to our reunion."

Severus gazed at me, the turbulent emotions in his eyes gradually settling into a complex tenderness.

He didn't say anything more, he just hugged me tighter.

I left Severus's cellar only after he had finally calmed down.

I walked heavily towards Sirius's office classroom.

'Knock knock knock' I gently knocked on Sirius's door.

"Please come in." The deep voice penetrated the door, carrying a hint of cold, metallic quality.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the creaking wooden door.

“It’s you, El…S. I’m still not used to calling you by that name.” Sirius put down his quill and scratched his curly hair as he spoke.

“Sirius, I suddenly want to hear about what happened to you at Hogwarts. Can you tell me about it?” I made an excuse, lay down on the sofa, and blocked the light in the room with my arm.

Sirius's voice gradually softened, like an evening breeze tinged with twilight.

He went on and on, talking about how they secretly modified the Marauder's Map and how they played pranks on Slytherin's Seeker in Quidditch matches.

Soft laughter occasionally punctuated the words, swaying gently in the warm yellow candlelight.

I tried hard to listen attentively, but my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Those interesting stories, like soft feathers, brushed against my consciousness again and again.

In a daze, I felt a gentle gaze fall on me, carrying a kind of indescribable warmth.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on a soft bed, with unfamiliar scents lingering around my nose.

Slowly opening her eyes, she realized that she was no longer in the room she had just been in.

The bed curtains were gently lifted, and Sirius knelt by the bedside. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting soft shadows on his face.

When he saw that I was awake, he said softly, "Did I wake you up? I saw you were sleeping and I was afraid you would catch a cold."

He reached out and gently covered the blanket back up, his movements as tender as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"Did I sleep for a long time?" I asked, my voice still heavy with sleepiness.

Sirius shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Not long. Get some sleep. This is my room."

He got up to leave, and I don't know where I got the courage, but I reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"Sirius, if I do something bad to you, will you forgive me?" I asked calmly, hidden in the shadows under the dim light.

Sirius stopped abruptly, the hem of his clothes stretching into a straight line at my fingertips.

The moment the moonlight climbed onto his profile, I saw his Adam's apple bob with difficulty.

"Something bad?" He slowly turned around, his silver-gray eyes shining brightly in the shadows.

"What did you do?" His tone was tense like I'd never heard it before, like a string about to snap.

I let go of his hand, curled up and burrowed into the blanket, my throat tightening: "Maybe I shouldn't have asked... I'm just suddenly afraid, afraid that one day you'll hate me for something."

My nails dug deep into my palms. I suddenly felt a little afraid that Sirius would come after me for the plan I was going to carry out in a few days.

Silence grew wildly in the room, then Sirius suddenly chuckled softly.

He knelt down on the edge of the bed again, reached out and tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear, the temperature of his fingertips was surprisingly hot: "El...S, sometimes I really have a hard time understanding you."

His thumb gently stroked my earlobe. "Why do you think my attitude towards you has suddenly changed so much? Why did I pretend nothing was going on when I knew your relationship with Severus was particularly unusual?"

The owl outside the window suddenly hooted, and I felt its breath brush against my forehead: "If that day ever comes," its voice was low and incantation-like, "if you were to stab me with your own hand, remember to avoid vital organs—after all, I still need to keep this life to continue listening to your silly questions."

My eyes suddenly felt hot, and my throat felt like it was stuffed with a wad of cotton soaked in cold water.

Sirius's fingers were still behind my ear, calloused from years of holding a wand, yet now they were gentle to the point of reverence.

The moonlight cast dappled shadows on his eyelashes, and the weariness etched by his years in Azkaban vanished into darkness at that moment.

“Sirius, you’re so stupid.” I suddenly grabbed his wrist, the touch painful. Before I could finish speaking, he suddenly burst out laughing. The sound of his chest vibrating, mixed with the howling wind outside the window, startled the owl perched on the window frame.

“Ayers, this is the only way I treat you.” His words made my heart tremble, and the bitterness in my throat almost overflowed my eyes.

Sirius looked down at me, his gray eyes filled with a tenderness I had never seen before, as if the entire starry sky had been crushed and melted into them.

The wind outside the window howled louder and louder, but in this small room, it seemed so distant and insignificant.

“Ayers, you are the only light in my life.” Sirius suddenly pulled me into his arms, his embrace so strong it felt like he wanted to embed me into his body.

I could hear his rapid heartbeat, pounding against my eardrums.

He carried a faint scent of smoke, mixed with a subtle hint of mint—the scent of someone who had survived a catastrophe.

After a long while, he released me, cupped my face in his hands, and said with a smile, "Promise me you won't ask such silly questions again." His eyes were serious and focused. "No matter what happens, I'll be by your side."

"I'm going to take you somewhere in a few days. Please don't ask any questions, okay?" I was afraid to see Sirius's expression, so I rested my head on his shoulder.

I knew this plan wouldn't harm Sirius, but I didn't tell him directly about it, since it involved Harry.

Moreover, this is also a hurdle for Sirius; according to the original plot, he might die during this trip to the Ministry of Magic.

I will not allow this to happen.

“Okay!” Sirius agreed without hesitation.

Young Sirius made a lot of mistakes, but the mature Sirius now is truly captivating.

He actually agreed to my request without hesitation, which makes it hard not to like him.

“You really are idiot,” I whispered in Sirius’s ear.

“Ayers, I believe you won’t hurt me,” Sirius said, patting my back gently in a comforting tone.

Finally, I leaned against Sirius and fell asleep again.

The morning light slanted in through the carved window lattice, weaving a golden net on the carpet.

When I groggily opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was the warmth on the side of my neck—Sirius's arm was still around me, and his breath gently brushed against the top of my head.

He seemed to have maintained this posture all night, which made the folds of his shirt appear even more tender.

"Awake?" The hoarse voice carried the languor of someone just waking up. As Sirius looked down, his earrings shimmered in the sunlight.

He ran his fingertips over the dark circles under my eyes, his tone reproachful, "You didn't sleep well last night, you kept clutching my sleeve."

"What about you? Your body must be stiff." I slowly sat up straight, then reached out my hands to gently massage Sirius's stiff body from behind.

"I didn't move because I was afraid you wouldn't be comfortable sleeping." Sirius dared not move his body now, afraid that if he moved, his whole body would be numb with electric current.

"I feel like I shouldn't have come to see you last night," I muttered to myself.

"No, I'm glad you came to talk to me last night." Although what he said last night wasn't very pleasant, he was glad that Ayers came to talk to him about those things.

"Wait for me to come find you these next few days. You can just leave with me then." Seeing that Sirius was able to raise his hand, I sat up and got off the bed, intending to go to the washroom to tidy myself up.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you tell me to do." Sirius stretched his body and watched me leave to wash up.

"Can I use the bathroom for a bit? I need to take a shower." I could feel the gaze on my back, but I acted as if nothing was wrong and walked into the bathroom, closing the door to block that gaze from the outside.

The morning light slanted across the stained glass windows of Hogwarts Castle, casting dappled shadows on the corridor floor tiles.

I changed out of yesterday's clothes into my crisp Slytherin uniform, my fingertips unconsciously tracing the silver buttons on the collar. As I pushed open the wooden door to the professors' lounge, the rich aroma of coffee, mingled with the distinctive scent of parchment, wafted towards me.

Although he assigned the least amount of homework as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he still had to grade it.

I was delayed last night; I still have a lot of junior wizard assignments to finish.

Sirius leaned against the end of the long table, his ebony quill brush scratching across the worksheet.

His loose, curly hair fell across his forehead, and the collar of his dark blue robe was askew, revealing half of his collarbone; he clearly hadn't tidied himself up yet.

Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyes, a hint of gentleness flashing in his gray eyes behind his glasses: "All ready?"

"Um, do you need my help?" I sat down on the sofa and watched Sirius busy at work.

The ink bottle refracted amethyst-like luster in the morning light. I looked at the mountain of homework beside him, the parchment covered with dense red ink annotations.

The crackling flames in the fireplace bathed his profile in a warm gold.

“No need,” he suddenly quickened his writing speed, the quill pen tip splattering a few ink marks on the paper. “There’s breakfast over there, you eat first, I still have things to do here.”

“Okay.” I didn’t stand on ceremony with Sirius. Since he said he didn’t need my help, it meant he could handle it himself.

I glimpsed the hands of his silver watch about to point to six, so it seemed he still had plenty of time.

The pumpkin porridge in the dark brown earthenware pot was still steaming, and next to it, a small mountain of toasted bread slices was piled up, accompanied by a small dish of blueberry jam—all my favorite foods.

Sirius was usually careless, but he always remembered these little preferences.

The porcelain spoon clinked against the rim of the bowl, and I scooped up a spoonful of the sweet and fragrant pumpkin porridge, watching Sirius biting his lower lip as he intently corrected homework.

He would occasionally pause writing, grab a gold watch from the side and glance at it, then hurriedly continue, his shirt cuffs stained with dark ink.

The wind outside the window swirled a few fallen leaves against the glass, but the room was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of a quill pen gliding across the paper.

When I finished the last bite of bread, Sirius finally put down his pen and rubbed his aching neck.

He looked up and smiled at me, a hint of weariness hidden in the fine lines at the corners of his eyes: "Go to class after you finish eating."