HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 27 A Chaotic Day

Severus woke up early in the morning feeling someone close to his back. He pulled his wand from under his pillow, took it in his hand, and kicked the person behind him off.

"Thump"

Emeric, who had been forced to be close to the ground, woke up and looked up at the man on the bed with his wet eyes. "Severus, you're awake. What would you like for breakfast? You don't have class until noon today, so you can sleep a little longer after you eat."

"Mr. Emerick, you really should go to Gryffindor. Isn't that fearless courage? It seems your old professor has nothing left to teach you. You can fight adult wizards all by yourself. Even if I hadn't come last night, you would have just gotten a few injuries. Compared to the honor of becoming a hero, that's nothing, isn't it?"

When Severus saw the person on the ground, the anger that had subsided the night before surged up again. He immediately launched into a tirade of curses, accusing him of not only going out at night but also playing the hero. Instead of rushing to him when danger struck, the person faced the danger alone. If he had arrived any later, Emeric would have killed him, and he would have ruined himself.

"Severus, I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken the risk. I should have come to you right away. Please don't be angry, okay? Getting angry in the morning is bad for your health. I'll write a letter of apology, as long as you want, or I'll go deal with the slugs. Please don't be angry."

Emerick knew he was wrong but didn't repent. He couldn't let Voldemort see Severus; the fewer times they met, the less risk of exposure he would face, and the less danger Severus would be in.

Her long, flaxen-gray hair was spread out on the carpet, and her smoky purple eyes looked at him pitifully, hoping he would soften his heart and forgive her.

"Give me the two-foot paper the day after tomorrow morning. Dumbledore is letting you stay with me for a few days. In exchange, you'll have to grade first-year and second-year papers every day. Isn't that fair?" He looked at the boy on the ground with malice, satisfied to see the boy's stiff body. Who told him to make a mistake? Making a mistake and having to write a paper is normal; paying rent as a tenant is also normal.

Severus stopped paying attention to the lump on the floor, picked up his clothes, and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Seeing Severus walk into the bathroom, Emeric stood up and buried his head in Severus's blanket, twitching his nose in a perverse way, as if trying to inhale all the remaining scent into his body. This was the second time he had slept in this bed, and his feline possessiveness made him want to rub all of Severus's scent onto himself.

He had woken up before being kicked off the bed. Severus was a very well-behaved sleeper, never moving, so he leaned in and hugged him. He was excited to find that the person in his arms hadn't woken up after he hugged him. This person, who was usually so alert, hadn't woken up. Severus was familiar with his scent and his company.

When people get excited, their body temperature rises, and then their joy turns to sorrow. They thought they would be kicked out, but unexpectedly, Dumbledore helped them a lot.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Emerick quickly began making the bed, trying to destroy any evidence of his perversion.

Dumbledore told him to rest for three days to prevent any psychological trauma, and Emeric thought this was a good idea; he was very scared.

Gellert remarked that perhaps someone else might be able to help, but how could Emerick, someone who broke someone's bones in his first year, possibly be afraid of someone almost dying in front of him? Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone; he didn't want to be kicked out to sleep.

While Severus was in class, Emerick planned to find Dumbledore to discuss how to deal with Quirrell, as the longer Quirrell stayed at the school, the more dangerous it would be for Severus.

Emeric had a rough idea that Severus had volunteered to become a professor, but given his past as a Death Eater, being in the enemy camp would certainly be in trouble if that narrow-minded person saw him. His status as a Potions Master wouldn't kill him, but he would suffer greatly, and Emeric couldn't bear to see Severus get hurt.

"Albus, Quirrell, what are you going to do, or rather, how much longer do you want him to live?"

"Allie, it depends on when Harry discovers the truth. The Savior needs some trials. Can you accompany him? I think Harry likes you a lot."

"Okay, I know what to do next."

Dumbledore looked at the child before him, trying to fool him. The child shouldn't be involved in these matters, especially since he had promised Severus not to involve Ellie.

Gellert, with his back to Elijah, handed Dumbledore a cup of tea, subtly shaking his head to signal him to speak plainly. Dumbledore chose to believe Gellert; the boy who had grown up beside him was clearly not someone to be fooled.

Dumbledore happily twitched his mustache. Harry's safety was assured, and he hadn't broken his promise to Severus. He cheerfully took a sip of his milk tea and began eating cookies. After he and Gellert finished a plate of cookies, as they were about to go find some ingredients, a familiar warmth emanated from them.

"Gail, what exactly... huh... did you teach Ellie?"

He hadn't touched anything Emeric had given him today, so how could he have fallen for it? Gellert was also devastated. "Al, I swear it wasn't me."

Passionate red hair intertwined with golden strands; the owner's fingers were clasped together, her breathing disordered, and clothes were scattered on the floor. The sound of water in the room grew louder, followed by a sob.

"Al, it really wasn't my fault. I guess the kid got kicked out of bed. The girl he likes isn't someone easy to win over." Gellert was very gloating and couldn't help but laugh at his cute little grandson.

"Don't say that about Allie and Severus. They will get what they want, no matter the cost. I want them to get what they want." Dumbledore's voice grew softer and softer, and Gellert hugged him tightly. So many years had passed, and they had both grown old, but their love had only grown stronger over the years.

The heat returned, and Dumbledore angrily slapped Gellert. "Gellert, children need to be disciplined, beat him."

Emeric returned to the cellar happily, unaware that a beating awaited him.

He tidied his desk, changed the ink, replaced the old quill, and began grading assignments. He had never understood how these little wizards' brains worked, how they could write that mandrakes were ugly enough to make people cry. Since they were made to cry by the ugliness of mandrakes, they certainly wouldn't mind seeing a P.

"Bang"

Severus returned in a huff, his cloak billowing so fast it could knock someone away. Clearly, the young wizard had done quite a few silly things in class. Emeric obediently stood up, placed a plate of strawberries on his desk, and handed Severus a cup of osmanthus tea.

Severus downed the tea in one gulp, caught his breath, and dutifully began grading the papers. After grading two, he couldn't resist throwing down his pen and eating strawberries with his plate.

Emeric was curious how anyone could have angered Severus so much. He took the test paper and saw a huge pile of red corrections, the handwriting so forceful it seemed to pierce through the paper.

Emeric's thoughtfulness and daily desserts kept Severus in a good mood for a long time, so he would be even more unhappy when someone broke his happy mood.

Emeric looked at the fuming Severus, took the stack of test papers, and said, "Severus, give me a standard answer key, I'll grade it. How's the research on what I brought back going? Aren't you going to do any experiments?"

"Let's approve them all at once, then we can eat." Severus couldn't bear to exploit Emeric like that. He couldn't help but think: If only everyone else could be as obedient and well-behaved as Ellie.