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

Chapter 41 Severus Raises His Cubs

Emeric has been back to being an 8-year-old cub for several days now, and he has been spending these days with Severus.

Severus held the child in his arms no matter who came, not giving them a chance to take the child away. What if Dumbledore made another deal with him, and then there were no cubs left?

Calvin and Ambrose felt that Emeric should complete the ceremony, so they returned to the manor.

"Professor Snape, thank you so much for taking care of Allie. I appreciate it all."

"It's okay, he's very obedient and didn't cause me any trouble."

Calvin tried to pick up little Ellie, but he found that the child was clinging to someone's clothes and wouldn't let go. He couldn't forcefully pull the clothes off, so he could only look at Severus with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, it may be a bit of a hassle for you to stay a while longer. Little Ellie likes you very much, and we will pay you three times the market rate for your lost wages during this time."

"Of course, no problem, but could you exchange the money for herbs? The herbs here are of really high quality."

"If you like it, that's fine, but please don't refuse our payment. Little Ai can't be without someone, and we'll feel bad if you don't accept it."

Emeric nodded, holding Severus's leg, and told him to take the money and herbs and not to be shy.

Kaven looked at Emerick's worthless demeanor and suspected that he had learned it from Ambrose, who had acted just as badly when Ambrose was pursuing him.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer he would lose his temper and beat the child, so he made up an excuse to leave. He was going to beat up Ambrose.

Severus walked straight ahead, knowing that Emeric would follow, just like at school.

"Airi, bring me the sneeze stick."

Severus stood at the workbench, carefully stirring the liquid in the crucible. On the small round table next to him were a dish of dried fruit and a cup of green tea.

A child was sitting on a small sofa a little further away. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately put down his book, jumped off the sofa, walked to the medicine cabinet, carefully picked up the bottle containing the medicine, and handed it to Severus.

They've been working together very well these past few days. Emeric has stayed obediently in the workshop and hasn't been mischievous, while Severus has been eating on time and not staying up late. His regular schedule has made him look much better.

"Severus, it's lunchtime, let's go eat."

"Ten minutes, two more laps to go. Go eat if you're hungry, I'll be down in a bit."

Emeric pretended not to hear. Severus had said something similar before, but this ten minutes had taken an entire afternoon, and he didn't see him until dinner. The cub, who had been fooled once before, was very persistent; he didn't go anywhere but sat on the small sofa and waited.

As soon as he saw Severus stop what he was doing, Emeric rushed over and grabbed his hand. "Let's go, I'm hungry."

When they arrived at the restaurant, the others had already finished eating and were digesting their food in the garden.

"Fufu, two bowls of clear soup noodles, plus two servings of pickled cucumbers will do."

This morning, they dealt with a bunch of animal carcasses. Neither Emeric nor Severus really wanted to eat anything greasy, so they ate their lunch quietly.

The next step, according to the procedure, was to take a walk in the garden. Severus was always reluctant to do this activity; he just wanted to go back and continue his research on potions.

"Airi, you're a big kid now, you can go by yourself. I have to go back first."

"Severus, let's go together. The unicorns are out for a walk today. They're very well-behaved and not afraid of people. You can even groom them!"

Severus failed once again; he was once again lured out into the sun by magical creatures. Feeling humiliated, the adult strode ahead, his ever-present black robe once again smearing Emeric's face.

This outfit was specially made to scare the young wizards; it was one of his rare, wicked hobbies.

"Mr. Emerick, can't you even walk properly anymore? Your poor old professor doesn't have time to go shopping for clothes." A mocking voice came from above. Emerick pretended not to hear it; Severus loved to say the opposite of what he meant.

At first, he was a little uncomfortable with this tone. In his memory, Severus was a very gentle person. But he quickly realized that he must have done something to shrink. This was much more serious than before, and might even have frightened Severus.

"What are you standing there for? I don't know the way. Hurry up."

"Here we go, let's turn left."

What comes into view is a large expanse of lush green grass, dotted with tiny daisies, and four unicorns lying under the shade of a huge tree, one of which is still a cub.

"Airi, why don't you try brushing the little one's fur? I'll stand here and wait."

"Severus, it's alright. You come here too. They're all domesticated and not afraid of people."

Emery pulled Severus closer to the shade of the tree, and they didn't run away until they were right in front of the unicorn. Their hands, clasped together, touched the unicorn's head and back.

Severus took out a comb and began to groom the unicorns. He obtained the finest adult unicorn fur, as well as extremely rare juvenile fur.

His good mood was ruined when Dumbledore appeared. The sight of Dumbledore reminded him of Emerick lying on the ground, his fate unknown.

"What brings Headmaster Dumbledore here? Is he here to see his student who just escaped death? Has his sugar-corroded brain finally started working again, or is there something he wants to torment this kid?"

Emeric pretended not to hear Severus's sarcastic remarks, making no attempt to smooth things over. He obediently sat next to Severus, poured them each a cup of tea, and then began to act like a wooden doll.

"Severus, can we not talk like that? Ariana wants to thank Elie in person."

"Our dear principal has probably forgotten that Ellie's fathers have entrusted me as his temporary guardian, and he is not in a good condition to go out and meet people. If he really wants to express his gratitude, he should do it himself."

Severus didn't want to argue with Dumbledore. The recent series of failed experiments had already exhausted most of his energy, and the remaining portion had to be used to take care of Emeric. Besides, he could never win an argument with Dumbledore.

After saying that, he grabbed Emeric and left, leaving Dumbledore alone in the living room.

night

Severus, with Emeric in his arms, lay on the four-poster bed. "I don't want to ask you what you and Dumbledore traded, but if this happens again, you're out of Slytherin."

"The fact that I dared to do this now that I'm grown up means I'm confident that nothing bad will happen, but scaring you was definitely not in my plan. I'm sorry, Severus, for making you worry."

Emeric bowed his head and apologized softly. He was sorry for frightening Severus. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but he regretted this one.