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

Chapter 73 Change Chapter 2

As the four approached, the unicorns surrounding them scattered and fled, clearly indicating that the commotion caused by the unicorns before the ceremony was not directed at them.

"Airi, listen to me. Al and I were just worried about you. We were afraid you would run into danger going out so late."

"Brother Ellie, I saw the headmaster and Mr. Grindelwald following you suspiciously, so Harry and I followed them out of curiosity."

"We didn't mean to." / "We were wrong."

The four men immediately apologized. Emerick's ability to cause trouble had definitely returned along with his body. Apologizing first might get them a reduced sentence; otherwise, once he retaliated, they would all be in deep trouble.

Emeric had absolutely no desire to deal with them now; the lingering nerve pain made his body tremble involuntarily, leaving him too weak to get angry. But Severus was different.

"Slytherin loses 10 points, Gryffindor loses 20 points, and five days of detention."

"I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I'm worried about Emerick in his current condition. Dumbledore, you'll cover my Potions class tomorrow. As for Mr. Grindelwald..."

"Millera gave me Ms. Rozier's mailing address, and I believe she will handle this matter very fairly."

Severus announced their punishment in a slow, deliberate tone, his deep, elegant voice like the scythe of death slicing across their necks.

"By the way, I have four classes tomorrow, and I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore can manage them."

"Severus, don't bully the elderly. Gale and I are really worried about you."

Upon hearing this, the man rolled his eyes at them. Did they think he was an idiot? They were just there to watch the show, yet they dared to claim it was out of concern.

Severus gently patted Emeric's back, hoping to make him feel better, but he didn't dare give him painkillers, for fear that things would get worse.

"Severus... I'm sorry... I startled you again. Shall we talk tomorrow?"

"Um."

"Could you please braid my hair? My hands are still shaking a bit, so I can't do such delicate work. My hair is too long, and I'm afraid I'll step on it when I walk."

They completely ignored the four people next to them. Emerick felt that these people all knew he liked Severus, so being close to him was no big deal; Severus was just used to taking care of him and didn't immediately realize he needed to avoid suspicion.

His long, floor-length hair was braided into an exquisite side braid, with many vines also woven into it, so that he wouldn't step on them while walking. Dumbledore and the others stared wide-eyed as he braided his hair.

"Severus, how do you have such a skill?"

"I've been taking care of him for almost half a month. Dumbledore, do you think I'm like you? It's been so long and you still don't know how to do it?"

"I was just asking out of curiosity, don't yell at me."

"Oh."

Emeric's hair was quickly braided, and the flowers on his horns gave his face a touch of allure, while his smoky purple eyes looked gentle and affectionate.

"Severus, let's go. The moongrass should be ripe by now. I'll talk to them in a couple of days. If we don't go soon, the moongrass will probably be eaten by the unicorns."

Thinking that the moonflower was almost gone, Severus didn't want to continue arguing with these people. He stood up and walked towards his destination, taking Emeric with him.

"Don't wander off here, I'm going to dig up moonflowers."

They hadn't walked far when they arrived at the location where the moongrass grew. Severus found a tree that looked good and told Emeric to stand there and not wander off.

It was already 2 a.m. when they returned to the principal's office. The moonflower had just finished picking the accompanying herbs next to it and they were ripe. Severus's interest was piqued, and he dug for a long time before he could barely stop. If it weren't for Emeric's health, he could have stayed up longer.

After a quick wash, another problem arose: there was only one bed in the room.

The two stood facing each other in front of the bed, their faces flushed from the steam, as if they were shy, which made the atmosphere in the room somewhat ambiguous.

Emeric didn't want to make Severus feel uncomfortable, so he thought it would be fine to stay the same as before. He would sleep on the floor and turn into a cat climbing onto the bed in the middle of the night, while Severus slept alone in the bed.

"I'm going to sleep on the sofa."

"Severus, would you like to sleep with the cat? I'll turn into an Animagus so we can both sleep in the bed."

"Can."

After saying that, he wanted to lie down on the bed with his hair still wet. Emery grabbed his hand, took out a towel and started drying it. His fingers accidentally touched Severus's earlobe, and the soft touch made him want to touch it again.

"Alright, go to sleep."

Severus slapped his hand away, lay down on the bed with his back to Emeric, and the kitten climbed into the blankets to adjust its size, turning into a giant cat that stuck to his back.

The smooth fur provided warmth and a wonderful tactile experience, and Severus slowly drifted off to sleep, listening to the kitten's purring behind him.

When he woke up, it was already nine o'clock. He didn't have to go to class today. Realizing this, Severus turned over and prepared to go back to sleep. He pulled the blanket up, and the lingering drowsiness once again pulled him into a dream.

After an unknown amount of time, Emeric gently woke him up, telling him to eat first and then sleep through the morning.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost 12:30, Siever, how about we eat before we go to sleep?"

The man, completely still half asleep, obeyed Emeric's every command, doing exactly what he was told—it was incredibly cute.

For so many years, he had been carrying a heavy burden in his heart, but the unicorn blessing last night made him feel much better, so much so that he didn't want to get out of bed today and just fell asleep.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Severus was barely a fraction awake. He ate a couple of bites to fill his stomach, and after dealing with Emeric, he prepared to lie back down and go back to sleep.

The sudden relaxation brought not only exhaustion but also a high fever. When Severus regained consciousness, it was already evening. He tasted a bitter flavor in his mouth and realized it was from fever-reducing medication.

"Airi, do I have a fever?"

"Yes, have some water first to help the medicine go down. You took the fever-reducing potion an hour ago. Are you still feeling unwell?"

"without."

"We'll have dinner in 15 minutes. I just finished cooking the porridge, it's almost done. Put warm water by the bedside, and the magic wand under the pillow. I'll go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things. If you need anything, just ring this bell. I have this bell too, if yours rings, mine will ring too."

Emeric gave a few instructions before going to the kitchen to continue cooking. He casually stir-fried two dishes to go with the porridge, along with a bowl of beef and egg porridge.

"Severus, let's eat first. I'll stay with you tonight in case you get a fever again. I suspect you're so tired today because you've been feverish."

Severus was speechless. What did he mean by being burned unconscious? He was just relaxed for a moment, it wasn't exaggerated to the point of being burned unconscious, okay?

"Dumbledore is going crazy in class today. He's already scolded Gryffindor three times and deducted five points. It's really torturous for them."

"He actually had the heart to do that?"

"He was happy during the first class for the older students, as no one blew up the classroom; but the second class was different. According to incomplete statistics, the first-year wizards caused four explosions in half an hour, and the whole class was spent saving the day. How could they not lose points? The elderly have probably done all the exercise they need this month."