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

Chapter 167 Pink Debut

The cloak only stopped attacking when they returned to the cellar. Severus tossed the coat into Emeric's arms, sat on the sofa, and rubbed his stomach. He had eaten too quickly and was now feeling uncomfortably full.

Emeric hung his coat on the hanger, pulled the man into his arms, and fed him a small piece of hawthorn so he wouldn't be unable to eat lunch later.

"What were you standing there for? You finished talking to Evelyn and then came to rescue me."

"She told everyone about our relationship, that big mouth..." Emeric's voice, filled with gritted teeth, rang in Severus's ears. He froze for a moment before asking, "Who did she tell?"

"Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, she assured me she didn't tell anyone else."

Hearing this, Severus reluctantly accepted it. McGonagall and Sprout weren't talkative people, and as long as Flitwick didn't know, they wouldn't pass it on to too many people.

He shifted his body to sit more comfortably, then nestled lazily in Emeric's arms, letting him rub his stomach.

What should we have for lunch?

"I can't eat anymore, give me another massage, I'm too full."

"Shall I make some soup? You should have some, otherwise you'll get hungry in the afternoon."

"Alright."

Emeric kissed Severus's cheek, got up, and went to the kitchen to cook. He planned to make a tomato and shrimp soup with some minced beef, something tangy and appetizing. He was easygoing about his own meal; he'd just put some noodles and a poached egg in the soup and be too lazy to cook anything else.

After watching Emeric leave, Severus curled up on the sofa, intending to take a nap. The late-night meeting last night, the early morning class, and the large amount of carbohydrates he'd just consumed left him drowsy. He waved his wand, pulling a blanket over himself, and soon fell asleep.

Unfortunately, Emerick's classes this semester are very important; he has to teach every single one, so he can't substitute for him. Severus didn't know how long he had slept, but he vaguely smelled a scent of grass and trees, then felt weightless. He slightly opened his eyes and found that Emerick had carried him to bed.

"Hmm...you're back."

"Okay, I'm going to class this afternoon. You can sleep a little longer. I've put the soup on the table; remember to drink it when you wake up." After saying that, he gently patted Severus's back, coaxing him to continue sleeping. Only after making sure the man was really asleep did he leave the bedroom to have lunch.

After quickly finishing his lunch, Emeric lay on the sofa, intending to take a nap before the lunch break was over. He set an alarm before falling asleep, afraid of oversleeping.

Sure enough, if the alarm hadn't gone off, he could have slept until dinner time. Emeric rubbed his head, turned off the alarm, got up and looked towards the bedroom, finding the door still closed; Severus was probably still asleep. He left a note on the dining table, picked up his textbooks and wand from his desk, and headed out to class.

The man slept until 2 p.m. When he opened his eyes, he was a little dazed. He glanced at the time, got out of bed, picked up his wand, and went to the living room to get dressed, secretly blaming Emeric for not waking him up.

As his gaze swept across the dining table, he noticed a bowl and a note. After glancing at the contents, Severus was no longer in a hurry. He sat down, picked up the bowl, and slowly drank. He remembered what Emeric had said before he fell asleep.

"Severus, I'm home." Emeric pushed open the door and saw the man reading a book. The bowls on the table were gone. "Was the soup good? What would you like for dinner?"

"Okay, I'd like to have some soup, but I don't want anything oily. I slept all afternoon and don't have much of an appetite."

"Okay, would you like shrimp and tofu soup, or spinach and pork liver soup?"

"I don't want to drink anything. I had shrimp for lunch, and the pork liver has a strong smell."

"What about spinach and beef?"

Severus reluctantly nodded in agreement. He couldn't think of anything to eat, but if he didn't like it, he could just have a small snack. After all, Emeric had just restocked his little warehouse.

"Okay, I'll do it later." Emeric walked to the chair, lightly touched his cheek with his finger, and asked the man for a kiss as payment. Severus gave him a very perfunctory kiss; his mind was now completely focused on the book in his hands—the Muggle poetry was really good.

"Hmph, Severus, you're just giving me the runaround. Kiss me again!" The drama queen couldn't stand being ignored, so Emeric reached out and snatched the book from Severus's hand, pulling him into his arms and pressing his forehead against his, making him kiss him again.

Severus reached out and pinched Emeric's face. "Don't push your luck, let go of me right now." He threatened him with a little force, otherwise his little face would be pulled.

Enraged, Emeric kissed him directly, showing Severus how cunning he was, and only released him after kissing him until he was completely dazed.

"Mr. Emerick, given your performance just now, please submit a 10-inch apology by Thursday. If you release me now, this matter will be resolved without further ado." Severus spoke each word with a smile, appearing remarkably elegant.

"I was wrong, I shouldn't have done that." Emeric was completely sincere. He didn't want to write a self-criticism at all. Now that he was free, and there was no rule against making a scene at night, making Severus happy was the most important thing.

He sat down on the chair next to him, took out his yarn and knitting needles, and started knitting. The temperature was about to drop, and Emeric was thinking of giving Severus a scarf he had knitted himself. It seemed to be progressing well; he had already finished a third of it.

The man snorted and continued reading, his body unconsciously leaning towards Emeric until their shoulders met. An hour later, Emeric packed up his things; he needed to get to the kitchen to cook early, otherwise the stove would be taken over by the Hufflepuffs, and there would be a long queue.

"Brother Ellie, Godfather! I'm here."

He had just opened the door when he saw Draco, with Harry standing next to him. The two were about to knock and come in.

"I've signed these documents," Draco said, having Harry hand the things to Emerick. He then turned to Severus and said, "Godfather, I saw a woman dressed in pink arguing with the headmaster. She looks like she was sent by the Ministry of Magic."

"I understand. You and Bo are particularly close to them." Severus took a peacock brooch from the drawer and handed it to Draco as a reward for his information.

After confirming that the contract was in order, the two left the cellar hand in hand, not wanting to be caught between Emeric and Severus.

"All pink?" Emeric seemed to recall something, his whole body trembled, and he continued, "If it really is her, that would be terrible, I'd go blind."

Severus rarely saw him look scared, and his curiosity was piqued. "Who could frighten you?"

"Dolores Umbridge, she's no good. I'll go ask Albus what's going on after I finish eating. Being harassed by her is worse than being licked by a toad." Emeric's face was full of disgust, showing that he really hated Umbridge.