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

Chapter 201 Extra: Married Life

Life after marriage was not much different from before. Severus could still sleep until he naturally woke up. Apart from his back being particularly sore every morning when he woke up, he was very satisfied with everything.

"You little brat, hiss—"

The man, who was usually very tolerant of pain, took a deep breath. His whole body was covered in red marks, especially his chest, which was so numerous that it was unbearable to look at. Not to mention the finger marks and bite marks on his waist, he was starting to wonder if Emerick was a dog, since he liked to bite people so much.

He sat up, the blanket that had been covering him slipped off, revealing a trail of hickeys on his fair skin. He fastened the undone buttons, blocking Emeric's view.

"Go cook, I'm hungry."

"Okay~"

Emeric's voice was tinged with a smugness; he'd been indulging a bit too much these past few days, radiating a satisfied, full-bodied feeling. This was because Severus wanted to make it up to him, hence his lack of restraint.

Soon a bowl of clear soup wontons was served, along with a small dish of cold beef salad. These past few days, their breakfasts had been rather casual, since lunchtime was almost upon them after waking up, and to avoid affecting their lunch, they could only eat a small breakfast.

After enjoying a massage from Emeric for a while, Severus decided to find something to do. Taking a small basket from the storeroom, he felt the living room was missing a vase of flowers and decided to go to the garden to pick some.

The manor was enchanted with temperature control, so even when it was snowing outside, it remained warm inside. Pale purple irises swayed gently in the breeze, and Severus slowly selected his favorite flowers, finding the peaceful life particularly pleasant.

When are we going on a trip?

"The day after tomorrow, have you decided where to go?"

Severus replied while trimming the flowers, and soon a light purple vase appeared on the table, which he placed on the table with satisfaction. Then he waited for his lunch, and the morning passed by just like that.

"Shall we go see the animal migration?" Emeric's mind wasn't on that; he was preoccupied with what birthday present to give her. Her first birthday after getting married was especially important.

"It's springtime in Africa right now, so where would the migration come from?"

"Shall we go see the sea?"

"You want to buy another island?" Severus seriously suspected that Emeric was trying to squander money. He already had a bunch of beautiful but useless things at home, and he didn't want to receive any more strange items.

"No, how about we go to Finland to see the Northern Lights?" Emeric said after thinking for a moment.

"Sure." Severus had no objection; he hadn't seen the aurora yet.

After happily settling on their travel destination, Emerick got busy. Although wizards were much healthier than Muggles, it never hurt to bring extra clothes. He preferred clothes to clothes created through transfiguration.

The Christmas gift was a hand-knitted blanket. The man complained about it, but he often covered himself with it and wouldn't let the radish climb on it for fear of damaging it.

Before, since he hadn't made the first move, he could only use the excuse of giving gifts to exchange Severus's unsuitable potion-making tools. Now, he buys almost anything new he sees, to the point that he has an extra cabinet at home filled with them.

"I'm going to do an experiment. Come help me later." Severus glanced at the dazed Emeric, reached out and pinched his cheek to bring him back to his senses and listen to him.

"Okay~"

Emeric snapped out of his reverie and looked at the man. His gaze fell on the slightly longer strands of hair, and suddenly an idea struck him. He could use his gemstone design skills to make a hair clip for Severus, something he could use in his studio.

Severus's favorite color lately is purple, and Emeric is preparing to have a cat made from a deep purple diamond, so it doesn't matter if it's cute for the home.

The bats used at the school were made of black diamonds, so as not to damage Severus's dignified image among the students.

Soon, a bunch of small hair clips appeared on his table, made for himself and Severus as a couple. He planned to use them secretly, or wait until the man was willing to tell everyone about their relationship. Anyway, he had waited all these years, so a little more time wouldn't make a difference.

After tidying up the things on the worktable, Emerick immediately went to the next room to assist Severus.

In fact, he could do these things by himself, but Severus preferred to have someone with him. He had long been used to having Emeric by his side, and if he were left alone for a long time, he would feel restless.

----------

"Severus, get in the car, let's go." Emeric contacted the local guide in Finland and rented a car so they could go wherever they wanted without worrying about being seen by Muggles while using Apparition.

Severus looked out the window at the falling snow, the world a pristine white, and couldn't help but anticipate the scenery he would see on this journey. Soon the car stopped in the snow; ahead lay a forest, with no signs of human activity in the surroundings.

"Let's pitch our tent here. Our guide said the aurora often appears around here." Emeric had specifically sought out a local wizard, as only wizards could access such secluded places. "You should rest for a while."

The enchanted tent unfolds simply by being placed on the ground, requiring absolutely no skill. Emeric chose the most expensive one; it looked unremarkable from the outside, but pushing open the door revealed a hidden world inside. It had two floors, similar in layout to his home, only smaller.

Severus sat on the sofa outside watching him work. A campfire and barbecue grill had already been set up nearby; they were going to have dinner outdoors that evening.

"Severus, I brought whiskey, freshly brewed fruit wine, honey grapefruit, black tea, and milk. What would you like to drink?"

"Honey grapefruit." Severus chose a refreshing drink. He could drink alcohol with meat, but now he wanted something sweet to replenish his sugar levels. He was tired of black tea with milk. Soon, a small table with a teapot appeared next to the chair, and a blanket was placed on him as well.

As night deepened, Severus realized they probably wouldn't make it tonight, but he wasn't disappointed. He let Emeric hug him, and the two sat together on the sofa looking up at the sky. The night view was quite beautiful.

Having not stayed up all night in a long time, Emeric fell asleep quickly, leaving only Severus somewhat energetic. He picked up the glass next to him and took a sip; it was a refreshing, sweet and sour plum wine, not very strong, and he didn't feel dizzy after two glasses.

After finishing the last sip of wine, listening to the crackling of the burning firewood, drowsiness and drunkenness swept over the man, who decided to go to sleep. He looked up at the black sky and saw a glimmer of green in his eyes.

"Wake up, the aurora is here!" He quickly woke Emeric, afraid of missing this beautiful sight.

"Hmm..." Emeric opened his eyes, staring blankly at the sky, stunned by the green ribbon before him. "So beautiful."