"Snape didn't give you a hard time, did he, third brother~?" Professor Swinton called out, clapping Qin Yu on the shoulder.
"Pfft!" Qin Yu nearly choked, feeling as if he'd coughed up a lung.
He'd just stepped out of the Potions classroom when he bumped into Professor Swinton in the corridor.
"Professor, can we please just forget about that night?!" Qin Yu pleaded, wearing a pained expression.
Thinking back, the whole incident was mortifying.
It wasn't that he hadn't meant what he said (maybe fifty percent sincerity, fifty percent drunken nonsense), but the age gap between him and the professors was a bit much. In hindsight, it felt kind of disrespectful.
But while Professor Snape had chosen "forgetfulness"—sending a very clear message with the Potions exam—Professor Swinton clearly had no intention of letting it go.
"I actually thought your idea was pretty good," Professor Swinton said, eyes twinkling. "Now I've got both a little brother and a big brother."
"Even if that makes sense, you have to consider Snape's feelings! Just look at him—" Qin Yu straightened his face, stretching it into a perfect imitation of Snape's signature icy glare.
"Hahaha! That's spot-on!" Professor Swinton burst out laughing, nearly wiping tears from his eyes.
"I'm not trying to make you laugh," Qin Yu grumbled. "I just want you to think about my situation! You're leaving, but I've got six more years at Hogwarts. I'd rather not get myself killed before graduation."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Professor Swinton said, finally sobering. "Honestly, I don't dare mention that night in front of Snape either."
"Glad we understand each other," Qin Yu sighed in relief.
"But when it's just us, there's no need to worry about any of that, right, my dear brother?" Professor Swinton said with a wink, giving him another hearty pat.
"…," Qin Yu thought, resigned.
Clearly, Professor Swinton was planning to remember this for the rest of his life.
The thought nearly made Qin Yu break down. Then again, he'd brought it on himself—couldn't resist running his mouth about "three swords, one destiny," like he was possessed by some over-the-top web novel author. He had no one to blame but himself.
Once you accept your fate, the road ahead gets easier.
Let him call me brother, then. What's one more? Qin Yu told himself.
Looking into Professor Swinton's smiling eyes, Qin Yu suddenly remembered the hidden loneliness he'd once glimpsed there.
He couldn't help but wonder: what stories did this man—teacher, friend, and now brother—carry on his shoulders?
"Oh, by the way, I've got a gift for you. It's not quite ready yet, but I'll give it to you after the End-of-Term Feast," Professor Swinton said out of the blue.
"Huh? Why tell me now if it's not ready?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
"So you'll remember to get me a gift too, of course!" Professor Swinton replied, feigning exasperation.
"…Sorry, I'm a bit slow on the uptake," Qin Yu said, forcing a smile.
"No worries. Snape is just as clueless," Professor Swinton shrugged.
"…," Qin Yu could only give him a silent thumbs up.
…
With Snape's "forgetfulness" and Swinton's easygoing attitude, the whole brotherhood episode was, for now, put to rest.
Still, every time Qin Yu thought about it, he had the urge to find a Time-Turner and go back to strangle his past self.
But honestly, everyone has at least a handful of embarrassing stories that could fill a secret chamber. One more wouldn't kill him… right?
Best not to dwell on it. Forgive yourself, and life gets easier.
In the end, the whole ordeal gave Qin Yu some new perspective on life, and on how to face all sorts of bumps in the road.
The History of Magic exam was as dry as ever. Qin Yu found himself drifting, his anti-cheating-charmed quill scribbling out long-winded answers about centuries-old events and their impact on the wizarding world.
He still didn't understand why questions like "Who invented the self-heating cauldron?" even existed.
When Professor Binns finally called time, the students erupted in cheers—probably the only time he'd been so popular all year.
With the last exam over, students had a whole week of freedom before results were posted and the End-of-Term Feast officially kicked off the holidays.
…
While waiting for his results, Qin Yu kept himself busy in Hagrid's hut, working on a special gift for Professor Swinton.
He put real effort into it.
First, he took the golden baby unicorn hair and white adult unicorn hair he'd collected earlier, mixed them with a few other magical creature hairs, and spun them into a tough, custom yarn. Then he knitted that yarn into a scarf.
At Hogwarts, scarves were a classic, popular gift.
But this one was truly unique.
"It's a bit ugly, but tough as dragon hide!" Hagrid said, tugging at the oddly colored scarf.
"I'd have made it pure white or gold, but that would mean pulling out all of Kelly and Anna's manes," Qin Yu rolled his eyes.
Still, a scarf woven with unicorn hair was valuable enough to be a worthy gift.
"That's true," Hagrid agreed.
Qin Yu wrapped the scarf in parchment, tied it up with string, and decided to give it to Professor Swinton when he received his own present.
…
With the gift done and a few days left to kill, Qin Yu found himself at loose ends. He grabbed his wand, slung his sword over his shoulder, and headed for the abandoned girls' bathroom on the third floor of the castle.
He hadn't been inside long before he stumbled out, battered and bruised.
This happened day after day.
Even George and Fred started asking if he'd been wrestling with the Whomping Willow for fun.
Fun, my foot!
Qin Yu ignored the twins' teasing and had Hagrid fetch him a bottle of Acromantula venom. Following Professor Swinton's instructions, he coated his sword with it.
—Their supply of Acromantula venom was running low. Qin Yu decided to stop selling it and keep what was left for himself.
Once everything was ready, Qin Yu returned to the girls' bathroom.
"Qin, you're back again! Can't you just stay and chat with me?" Moaning Myrtle wailed plaintively.
After a few visits, the resident ghost had gotten to know him well.
"Next time, Myrtle. I'm in a hurry," Qin Yu said, rolling his shoulders and leaping down into the depths below.
"Wow, what a handsome boy! And what a perfect figure!" Moaning Myrtle sighed dreamily, floating in midair.
——Dimensional Wall——
Double update!
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