Leaving the potion shop amid the beaming, wealth-welcoming smiles of the shopkeeper, the two of them visited many more stores and bought a lot of miscellaneous items. Fortunately, with the Undetectable Extension Charm cast on the handbag, they did not have to put much effort into carrying everything back.
It was not until evening, when Severus reminded Wenxiu Lord of the time, that Wenxiu Lord finally lost the urge to keep shopping.
On their way back, they ran into a bit of a mix-up; Wenxiu Lord and Severus rushed to the subway station just in time.
Only after getting off did Wenxiu Lord remember that he had not exchanged any British pounds, and Severus seemed to have traded all the money he brought for Silver Sickles and Bronze Knuts to buy potion ingredients.
Just as Wenxiu Lord was about to try paying with a Galleon, Severus—who had been standing next to him enjoying the show—finally dropped his rare smile and quietly took out money from his other pocket to pay the fare.
Wenxiu Lord excitedly lunged at Severus, his face full of emotion. "Thank goodness for you, Severus, or the two of us would be sleeping on the streets tonight."
Severus hurriedly wrapped his arms around Wenxiu Lord to keep them from falling over. The clean, faint, ethereal scent of the boy drifted into his nose, and the setting sun cast a fiery red glow over his silver-gray hair, making him feel a turbulent heat burning deep within his body.
He wanted to just hold him like this.
Yet, feeling the gazes of passersby landing on the two of them, Severus eventually pushed Wenxiu Lord away, turned, and walked toward the train station, the fluttering ends of his hair revealing the tips of his reddened ears. "Let's go. Time to head back."
Pushed away, Wenxiu Lord caught sight of his blushing ear tips, steadied himself, and let out a soft laugh. He jogged over to Severus's side and took his hand. In the fading glow of the sunset, the dark green bracelet and the silver bracelet pressed closely together.
By the time the two returned to Spinner's End, the sun had already set below the horizon.
Pushing open the door, they saw Eileen Snape busy cleaning the kitchen.
Hearing movement at the door and thinking it was Tobias Snape returning, she quickly put down the dishcloth in her hand and hurried over.
Seeing that it was actually Severus and Wenxiu Lord who had returned, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The three exchanged greetings, and upon hearing that the two had already eaten dinner outside, Eileen Snape did not ask any further questions.
Returning to the bedroom, Wenxiu Lord placed the handbag on the floor and turned back to the living room.
He took five Galleons from his pocket and handed them to Eileen Snape. "Mrs. Snape, this is for our lodging over the past few days."
Looking at the Galleons in her hand, the corners of Eileen Snape's eyes grew slightly moist.
As a member of a prominent potion-making family and the last heir of the Prince Family, she used to pay no mind to a few Galleons at all. It was only after breaking with her father, leaving the family, and falling into her current plight that she realized how precious her past possessions truly were.
Yet her soul had long since been bound to the shackle called Tobias Snape, beyond any hope of breaking free.
Wenxiu Lord returned to the bedroom, closed the door, and collapsed straight onto the bed. Long after Severus emerged from the bathroom having finished washing up, he found Wenxiu Lord lying motionless on the bed, still wearing the clothes he had worn outside all day.
Severus frowned, looking at Wenxiu Lord with mild disdain. "Go change your clothes."
Wenxiu Lord turned his head sideways to look at him. "I'm so tired, Severus."
They had indeed walked around for a long time today. Once the wave of excitement passed, exhaustion took over. Severus felt thoroughly worn out as well, but seeing Wenxiu Lord lying on the bed looking up at him with a clever, smiling expression like a little fox, his heart softened, and he let him lie on the bed for now.
After resting for a good while, Wenxiu Lord finally felt some strength return. He rolled over, propped his head up, and looked at Severus, who was sitting at the desk reading a book. "Severus, let's sort through the things we bought."
Severus closed his book, turned his head, and met his gaze. "Weren't you tired? Why aren't you going to wash up?"
Wenxiu Lord tilted his head, looking at him with an utterly innocent expression. "But the pajamas I bought are in there too, and there's so much stuff I can't find them."
Severus looked at him like that. "Fine," he agreed, helpless.
Although he had agreed to help Wenxiu Lord tidy up the day's purchases and had mentally prepared himself, the sight of the pile of items covering the floor still made the veins at his temples throb.
Watching Wenxiu Lord squatting beside the handbag and continuously pulling things out, he glanced around the room, which was already crammed full of unpacked items with not a single inch of space left to step.Severus kept working without stopping, watching the pile of things continue to grow. In his heart, he regretted agreeing to Wenxiu Lord, but since the bedroom had already become such a mess, stopping now would only make things worse.
The two of them packed all the way until late at night, barely managing to sort everything out.
By this time, Wenxiu Lord genuinely had no strength left at all. His clothes were wrinkled, the tip of his nose was smudged with dust, and he slumped weakly on the floor, sucking on a piece of candy bought from Diagon Alley, completely unwilling to move.
"Wenxiu, you should go take a bath." Severus, also utterly exhausted, sat on the edge of the bed and frowned at Wenxiu Lord, who was sitting motionlessly on the floor.
"I know." Wenxiu Lord glanced at the time and saw that it was indeed getting late. He forced himself to stand up, but the moment he was on his feet, his legs went weak and his vision turned white.
Before he could react, Wenxiu Lord let out a gasp of alarm and tumbled straight toward the floor, squeezing his eyes shut in fright with his small face all crumpled up.
Sitting by the bed, Severus saw Wenxiu Lord about to fall face-first. His pupils contracted in panic, and before his brain could even process it, his body lunged forward and grabbed the boy's arm.
Wenxiu Lord only felt a sudden, powerful force pulling him. With a dull thud, a muffled groan came from beneath him, and a sharp pain shot through the tip of his nose.
"Ouch," Wenxiu Lord winced, holding his nose as his mind spun in a haze.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that he had pinned Severus beneath him. The two of them had fallen to the floor, and Severus had his arms tightly wrapped around him in a protective embrace, staring up at him with a deep frown.
"Severus, are you alright? Did you hit anywhere? I'll go get you some medicine." Wenxiu Lord hurriedly scrambled to the side and asked anxiously, looking at Severus with worry.
Feeling Wenxiu Lord break free from his embrace, Severus's arms subconsciously tightened, but alas, they clutched at nothing. Catching himself, Severus's eyelashes trembled slightly.
He turned his face away and stopped looking at Wenxiu Lord. "I'm fine. Go take a bath first; you're as filthy as if you've been playing in the mud."
Wenxiu Lord pouted and let out an acknowledgment, rubbing his aching nose. Supporting himself against the edge of the bed with his other hand, he stood up, took a newly bought pair of pajamas from the wardrobe, and went into the bathroom.By the time he came back out, Severus had already changed into a new pair of pajamas and was leaning against the headboard, engrossed in the potion book he had bought today.
Wenxiu Lord climbed under the covers and leaned in next to Severus. "How about we try brewing a potion tomorrow?"
Severus set his book down. "Tomorrow morning works, but I’m going to see a friend in the afternoon." It would be the weekend tomorrow, and he had arranged to meet with Lily Evans.
Wenxiu Lord’s interest piqued the moment he heard this. He scooted a little closer to Severus, looking at him with excitement.
*This friend must be Lily, the lily of Severus’s heart. I have to be on the front lines for this gossip—I absolutely must go and see.*
"Can I come with you?"
Severus looked at Wenxiu Lord’s eager face and nodded in agreement.
He had intended to bring Wenxiu along anyway. Although the thought of potentially running into that insufferable Petunia Evans gave him a headache, Lily and Wenxiu were his only two friends, and both were wizards; he was certain Lily would like Wenxiu as well.
Having received Severus’s approval, Wenxiu Lord happily threw his arms around him.
The sudden hug made Severus go stiff, leaving him at a loss for what to do.
Both of them were wearing pajamas, and even though it was winter, the fabric was inevitably thin. When Wenxiu Lord hugged him, the boy’s warm body heat seeped through the cloth, giving him the distinct sensation that the boy was pressing against him with nothing on at all.
Wenxiu Lord, however, felt nothing of the sort. After all, in his past life, he had been a genuine Chinese man; even with a soul over twenty years old, his body was that of an eleven-year-old child. He was perfectly comfortable with this kind of physical contact. After all, who wouldn’t want to cuddle with a future Potions Master who didn't yet have a single wrinkle on his face?
Perhaps it was to ensure they had time to brew potions the next morning, or perhaps he was simply exhausted, but Wenxiu Lord fell fast asleep before he could even share a few more words with Severus.
Severus listened as the sounds beside him grew faint and eventually faded away. He turned his head to look at the sleeping boy, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He closed his book, set it on the nightstand, and turned off the light.