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

Chapter 165 The Aftermath of the Argument

After clearing things up, Severus sat back on the sofa, still feeling a little embarrassed. He returned to the previous topic, "Remember to tell Dumbledore about me being suspected, and have him ask Barty the Younger what message he received. Hopefully, it's not just me who's suspected."

"Okay, I understand." Emeric clung to Severus, still not quite recovered. He had almost died of anxiety just now and desperately needed a man's body heat to replenish his energy.

"Don't cling to me like that," Severus said helplessly. He hadn't expected the argument to scare her like that. He regretted asking. "Go write the letter and stop clinging to me."

Emeric thought he was being rejected, so he rubbed against the man fiercely, making a mess of their hair. "Hmph, serves you right for rejecting me. Even if you reject me, I'm still yours. I've been by your side since I was thirteen, and now I'm here to see—"

A strong smell of green tea hit him right in the head, and Severus subconsciously rubbed his temples. He then used his other hand to pinch Emeric's mouth shut, not wanting to hear him say anything more troubling.

"If you say another word, I'll shut you up." The man chose to directly threaten Emeric to shut up, but this trick was useless against him. He was tired of even the most effective tricks after all these years.

Emeric nodded to indicate that he would not speak, lowered his head slightly and gazed at him with affection, adjusted the angle so that the sunlight could perfectly illuminate his profile, and shook his shoulders to let the ends of his hair fall on his chest.

As expected, he saw Severus's eyes widen. The trick didn't have to be new, as long as it worked. He was very grateful to his father and grandfather for giving him this face; he was good at attracting men's attention.

"I'm not saying you can't hug me, let's get down to business first."

"Okay~"

Once again struck a nerve by Emeric's face, Severus abandoned his earlier disdain and coaxed him to do the work, even promising to let him continue to hug him later.

Having tasted success, Emeric knew when to stop. He immediately sat down at the table to write a letter, including Severus's and his speculations, and also told Dumbledore about the intelligence he had recently gathered. Although Gellert might know more, it might come in handy.

"Severus, see if there's anything else that needs changing." Emeric handed the parchment to Severus, and sealed it after he had read it and found no problems.

"Okay, how do you plan to send it out? The house next door is finished being renovated, so there's nothing to cover it up with."

"No need, I'll have Lyra or Garian give it to Albus when I go shopping this afternoon," Emeric took out a box of pastries and stuffed the envelope at the bottom. "Anyway, the old couple and Draco are in Nurmengard now, so we'll just need someone to go on a business trip."

"Okay, be careful, don't get spotted by the spies," Severus waved his hand, not wanting to hear the details, and told him to hurry up and cook so he could finish lunch early. "How are you going to contact them?"

"We have a two-way mirror! This is a special Aldrickson edition." Emeric took out a small mirror and handed it to Severus.

"Then why won't you give Dumbledore a second chance?"

"Hmm... I didn't think of it at all. I don't usually need it at school, and I don't have anything urgent to do during the holidays. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have remembered it at all..."

"..."

Severus looked at Emeric with a complicated expression. He had thought it was something about high cost or demanding usage conditions, but it turned out he had simply forgotten.

"Don't look at me like that~, I'm going to cook." Emeric touched his nose and quickly left the awkward place, afraid that Severus would ask something else.

After finishing his meal, Emeric placed fruit and rose tea on the small table at the workbench, reminded Severus to eat and rest, and then went into the fireplace to Diagon Alley.

As soon as Emerick entered Flourish and Blotts, he spotted Garian and Lyra in the corner.

"Young Master."

"How was your summer vacation?"

Emeric handed a box of pastries to Garian, jokingly saying, "Congratulations on your engagement to Lyra. I'll make up for the gift later; these pastries are just an apology."

He gently tapped the bottom of the box as he released it. Galian took the box, glanced at it with a slight movement in his eyes, and said, "Thank you, young master."

"Let's go buy some things." Leila slightly stepped aside to avoid the crowd and walked to Garian's side, letting him stand outside. After buying the books, the three hurriedly squeezed out, almost getting separated by the crowd.

Aside from books, the manor had everything else. The three of them went to the ice cream shop and enjoyed a delicious treat. They chatted as they ate, watching the bustling crowd outside – it couldn't have been better.

"How come he hasn't been pushed away yet? This guy's physical fitness is really good," Galian exclaimed, their gazes all fixed on the ice cream shop across the street.

Emeric said he didn't know, "Let him be. These people won't be able to come in when we get back to school." He turned to the ice cream shop owner, "I also want a raspberry sorbet to take away later." He planned to take it back to Severus to make a dessert bowl.

The crowd gradually thinned out, and the figures across the street moved to another spot to continue watching. Emeric finished the last bite of his ice cream, picked up the takeout box, said goodbye, and promised to see them again after school started.

When Emeric got home, he found Severus downstairs. Usually at this time, he would be upstairs in his studio or dozing on the sofa with a radish in his arms.

"Severus, I brought back some raspberry sorbet. Can you finish the ice cream bowl now? If not, I'll freeze it and make it again tomorrow."

"be able to eat."

Hearing about the ice cream bowl, Severus instantly woke up. It was his favorite raspberry flavor. Ever since his stomach stopped hurting from eating cold food, he had really enjoyed all kinds of ice cream. Plus, Emeric made a small portion, just enough to satisfy his craving without making him feel sick.

"I'll scoop out two balls, and we'll eat the rest tomorrow. We'll have dinner soon." Emeric bent down and kissed Severus's cheek, then reached out and ruffled the radish in his arms. "The letter has been sent out. There are quite a few spies in Diagon Alley today; there's someone watching almost every shop, but they haven't dared to go inside, so no one has noticed us."

Severus nodded after hearing the last sentence. "How are your businesses doing?" He reached out and pulled Emeric, wanting him to answer.

"I've given away everything that could be transferred. The remaining few aren't big shots, so it's fine if Tom takes them. If I don't give him a little something, I'm afraid he'll chase me to Germany and steal my things." He said it casually, but inside he was bleeding. Even a mosquito's leg is meat. This money wasn't enough to buy an island, but it was enough for him to buy Severus all sorts of random things.

"Incidentally, I also helped Malfoy Manor by uncovering several of their important shops. Once school starts, they can be registered under Draco's name, which would be a fair return to their rightful owner, wouldn't it?"