"Episkey."
The tip of the wand emitted a soft green light that struck Wenxiu Lord. Wherever the light touched, the tiny cuts on his body healed at a visible rate.
Once all the minor wounds had closed completely, Wenxiu Lord retrieved a set of clothes from his spatial storage, changed into them, and then concealed his wand inside his sleeve.
He pushed open the dilapidated bedroom door, which let out a harsh, creaking groan.
Hearing the sound of chronic neglect, Wenxiu Lord felt a wave of irritation rise in his chest. His room was at the very end of the hall, with two other doors on each side, though all of them were tightly shut at the moment.
Wearing the standard, gentle smile required by his mission interface, Wenxiu Lord took his time walking down the stairs.
The steps creaked loudly beneath his feet, making Wenxiu Lord suspect that if he put down his weight just a bit too heavily, the staircase would shatter completely and send him plunging straight through.
Sitting in the living room eating a meal, Severus Snape and Eileen Snape both turned their heads in unison at the sound coming from the stairs, only to see a noble, refined young man descending with slow, effortless grace.
The first floor was similarly dilapidated; while the walls and furniture were not quite as abysmal as the bedroom upstairs, they were hardly much better. One could tell at a glance that they had been used for many years, with some of the wooden furniture literally shedding flakes of material.
At that moment, Severus Snape was staring in a daze at Wenxiu Lord.
When he had delivered the food earlier, the youth lying lifelessly on the bed now seemed enveloped in an entirely different aura, as if he had become a completely different person.
The evening sunset poured over the youth's silver-gray hair, illuminated his delicate facial features and raven-feather-like eyelashes, and etched this picturesque scene straight into Severus Snape's heart, adding a splash of color to his hollow, numb eyes.
If Severus Snape had ever laid eyes on a unicorn, he surely would have used that creature to describe Wenxiu Lord right now. His heartbeat skipped a beat of its own accord, and a faint blush spread across his pale face.
When Eileen Snape saw Wenxiu Lord descend—spotless, completely free of injuries, and wearing clothes that clearly did not belong to their household—she felt no lingering concern for the boy, let alone any appreciation for the picturesque scene.
She set down the piece of bread in her hand, stood up, furrowed her brow tightly, and looked at Wenxiu Lord with a nervous and hostile expression.
"Where did you get those clothes?"
Seeing her on such high alert, Wenxiu Lord found her reaction entirely reasonable. After all, the original texts described Eileen Snape as terrified of contact with the Wizarding World, cutting ties with the Prince Family, and throwing away her wand entirely after meeting Tobias Snape to settle into the role of a miserable housewife.
Still, since she had enough compassion to rescue him from the snowstorm, she shouldn't react too violently upon discovering his identity. Right?
Even so, Wenxiu Lord felt somewhat uncertain inside. Yet if he wanted to find a way to stay here, exposing his identity was his only option.
After all, if he truly managed to stay, Wenxiu Lord knew he wouldn't be able to keep his wizarding identity tightly under wraps during their time living together. Rather than being caught out later, it was better to confess now and save himself a mountain of trouble.
As for why he was so determined to stay here—this was the future Potions Master, Professor Snape! Who wouldn't want up-close observation and cuddles?
The mere thought of waking up every day to see Severus Snape made a domestic abuser like Tobias Snape seem utterly negligible. He could do magic himself, couldn't he handle the man?
A gentle, fake smile hung on the corners of his mouth as he walked down the stairs, came to a halt before the two of them, and placed his tray on the table.
"Mrs. Snape, thank you very much for taking care of me these past few days. Since you are also a witch, I suppose I don't need to explain the matter of the clothes."
Hearing this, Severus Snape beside her clenched the frayed hem of his shirt. This was only the second young wizard he had ever encountered, aside from Lily Evans, and he thought with a surge of inner excitement:
*Is this boy just like him and Lily Evans? Could they become friends, too?*
Upon hearing Wenxiu Lord's reply, Eileen Snape's pupils constricted violently. She had not had any contact with the Wizarding World for over a decade. As the only daughter of the noble potion-making Prince Family, having someone from the magical community see her in such a destitute state filled her with a deep, humiliating rage.
She was so agitated that she completely forgot to ask why the boy in front of her knew she was a witch. She lunged forward, grabbed Wenxiu Lord's arms with both hands, her face instantly contorting into a ferocious snarl as she roared at the youth, "You're a wizard?! Get out of my house this instant!"
Seeing his mother fly into such a frenzy, Severus Snape knew she had slipped back into her own dark episodes.
Every time she got like this, Severus Snape would end up with a few new injuries to add to the violence already inflicted by Tobias Snape.
Terrified that Wenxiu Lord would be hurt, Severus Snape stepped forward anxiously to Eileen Snape's side and reached out to pry her tightly gripping hands away from Wenxiu Lord's arms. "Mother! He..."
*Crack!*
With a crisp snap, Eileen Snape delivered a vicious slap across Severus Snape's face.
Wenxiu Lord had anticipated that Eileen Snape might try to chase him away, but he never expected her to suffer such a direct psychological trigger the moment he mentioned being a wizard.
Seeing her raise her hand again, Wenxiu Lord hurriedly stepped forward, pulled Severus Snape behind him, and placed himself squarely between the mother and son.
As a loyal fan of Harry Potter, Severus Snape was the one he pitied the most; naturally, he couldn't just stand by and watch him continue to take blows.
"Mrs. Snape, please calm down! He is innocent!"
Wenxiu Lord raised his wand, and a stream of water poured out, splashing directly over Eileen Snape. Only then did she finally snap back to her senses.
Drenched from head to toe, Eileen Snape trembled as she clenched the hand she had just used to hit Severus Snape. The look she cast him was laden with guilt, though her gaze toward Wenxiu Lord remained fiercely hostile.
Wenxiu Lord paid her glare no mind. He pulled the trembling Severus Snape behind him down into a chair, looking down with a heart full of ache at the boy's red, swollen cheek.
Without the slightest attempt to hide it, Wenxiu Lord produced a bottle of concentrated Dittany Essence directly from thin air and carefully dabbed it onto Severus Snape's bruised face. "This potion will sting a little when applied, but it works wonders. Just bear with it for a second."
Severus Snape still hadn't fully recovered from his mother's slap. By the time his wits finally returned, Wenxiu Lord's slightly cool fingertips were already brushing against his skin.
Exposing his wretched, miserable side to the youth made Severus Snape want nothing more than to flee.
"Does it hurt?" Wenxiu Lord asked, his tone laced with a gentle carefulness. As those gentle fingertips glided across his skin, Severus Snape didn't feel the pain the boy had warned him about; instead, a tingling, electric itch bloomed at the very tip of his heart.
No one had ever treated him with such delicate caution before. Feeling awkward, he averted his gaze to avoid Wenxiu Lord's touch and raised an arm to push him away, only for the youth to firmly cup his chin while his other hand continued applying the medicine with unwavering gentleness.
Looking at the awkward, young version of the 'old professor' before him, Wenxiu Lord sighed inwardly: *He's already got the shadow of the old professor at such a young age.*
Outwardly, however, he maintained a stern expression as he looked at Severus Snape. "Applying the medicine only hurts for a moment, but if you don't use it, you'll be aching for days. Be a good boy and hold still."
At that moment, Severus Snape felt as though he were completely encircled in Wenxiu Lord's arms. Having no idea how to react, he could only let his body go stiff and submit to the youth's ministrations.
Eileen Snape was already consumed with guilt over her earlier loss of control. Seeing Wenxiu Lord tending to her son's injuries now, the hostility she held toward him eased considerably.
Once he finished applying the medicine, Severus Snape abruptly shoved Wenxiu Lord away, his face dark and brooding while the tips of his ears burned a brilliant crimson.
Wenxiu Lord raised an eyebrow, tossed the empty medicine bottle into the trash can, and then turned to sit on the living room sofa, his expression calm and unruffled as he looked at Eileen Snape.
"Mrs. Snape, I believe you saw for yourself—I harbor no ill intentions toward you. So now," Wenxiu Lord pointed to her still-dripping clothes, "perhaps you should go change into something dry, and afterward the two of us can sit down and have a proper talk?"
Though her hostility had largely dissipated, Eileen Snape's tone remained stiff and cold. "Let's hear it then. What do you want to talk about?"
Seeing she had no intention of changing just yet, Wenxiu Lord shrugged. "I would like to rent a room in your home for a few days. My family is experiencing some complications, and once those matters are settled on their end, I will be leaving. Of course, during my temporary stay, I will compensate you handsomely."
Hearing that Wenxiu Lord wanted to stay behind temporarily, Severus Snape felt a flutter of happiness, but the next second, a sobering thought struck him, and he said in a rigid, cold voice, "You can't stay here! Our house doesn't need your charity!"
Wenxiu Lord tilted his head in confusion and looked at him. Although he had anticipated being refused, he hadn't expected Severus Snape to be the first to speak up.
Fearing he would be misunderstood, Wenxiu Lord explained, "I genuinely need a place to stay right now. I have nowhere else to go, and I have no intention of patronizing or pitying you. This is merely an exchange of mutual benefit."
Knowing the real reason for her son's rejection, Eileen Prince stepped in to offer an explanation of her own.
"My husband will never agree to it. Besides, he'll be back soon, and our taking you in was done behind his back. Since you're fully recovered now, you should be on your way."
Wenxiu Lord looked from Eileen to Severus, realizing that the two of them were terrified of the unrelenting physical abuse they would suffer if Mr. Tobias Snape ever found out.
He spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone, "Perhaps your husband is a Muggle, but you needn't worry. During my temporary stay, I will not use magic."
*At least, not where you'll catch me.*
"And besides, you really do need a substantial source of income, don't you? I imagine Mr. Snape wouldn't turn down a wealthy guest who brings fortune to their household."
At those words, Eileen Snape fell into a tangled, conflicted silence. Their household was indeed desperately in need of money, and since Severus was due to start school this year, she needed to prepare funds for his school supplies.
With a pained expression, Eileen Snape nodded. "When my husband returns... if he agrees to it."
Unable to conceal his inner joy, the corners of Severus Snape's mouth twitched upward slightly. Perhaps this youth really could stay at their house for a while.
They could talk endlessly about the Wizarding World, and he might even be able to bring him along to play with Lily.