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

Chapter 194 Daily Travel Routine

As a cat, Emerick wanted to sharpen his claws on tree trunks as soon as he entered the forest. He disliked every tree and basically walked crookedly.

If Severus hadn't been sitting on the cat's back and pulling its ears whenever he strayed, they could have walked this short distance in a whole day.

"You're a human, not a real cat. Can you control yourself? Or do you want me to cut all your nails?" Severus couldn't help but grab the cat's ears and scold. If they kept dawdling, they might not reach the first rest stop before noon, and he didn't want the birds to steal his food.

"Meow—" The cat made a mistake.

Emeric tilted his head to the right, offering his left ear to the man's hand. Taking advantage of Severus's reluctance to pull hard, he relentlessly tested the limits of his defenses.

After walking for a short while, Severus noticed that the trees in front of him were laden with red fruit, and many small birds were pecking at them, filling the air with a sweet, fruity aroma.

"Keep going forward, I've never eaten the fruit there before."

"Mi—" I know.

Although Emeric didn't approve of him eating so much fruit, when you're out having fun, you don't have to be so particular; it's a rare treat.

Reaching the tree, Emeric had Severus stand beside him. He transformed from a cat-shaped cart into a kitten, quickly climbed the tree, picked a few decent-looking fruits, and then carried a twig down to hand it to the man.

The two strolled to the stream; Emeric went to set up the tent and cook, while Severus took a small twig to wash the red berries.

The cool stream water glided through my fingertips. In the crystal-clear water, emerald green water plants swayed with the current, and fish were faintly visible beneath the plants.

Severus stared at the fish for a while, then turned to look at Emeric, who was cooking behind him. He then waved his wand and grabbed a fish that suited his taste, placing it on the empty plate. "I want to eat fish." Strictly speaking, he wanted to eat fish fillets because he didn't want to spit out the bones.

"I've never cooked this fish before, so I can only try slicing and grilling it." Emeric picked up the fish, glanced at it, and chose a particularly conservative approach.

"Okay." Severus didn't refuse. He was always only responsible for eating and making requests. Anyway, if Emeric didn't like it after just one bite, he wouldn't force him to eat.

After feeding Emeric a berry, Severus took the plate and walked to the shade of a tree, sitting down opposite him. After a couple of bites, feeling tired of it, he picked up the lemon tea beside him and drank it.

There weren't many fruits on that small branch, just enough for Severus to eat until he was half full. The aroma of grilled fish wafted under the tree on the wind, and smelling it, he suddenly thought that the little red fruit was nothing special.

Severus put down his plate and decided to try the peculiar aroma to see if it was any good. As soon as he got close to Emerick, a piece of spicy fish was stuffed into his mouth.

A burst of oily flavor mixed with the unique aroma of fish exploded in his mouth, and Severus instantly decided to catch a few more, feeling that one was simply not enough.

"Severus's back. I'll go catch him later. Let's eat lunch first." Emeric was both amused and exasperated. He had never known Severus was so efficient. If he could put down the pot he was holding, he would definitely have hugged the man and given him a couple of kisses. He was just too adorable.

"Besides, I've made enough food. Even if you catch one, you can't cook it now. How about we wait until tonight? I'll make a whole fish feast."

"Alright then." He had no choice but to let them live for a few more hours. The man looked towards the stream, his eyes filled with regret. He used to dislike eating things he had never seen before, but now it was different. With Emeric as his backup, as long as they weren't poisonous and didn't look strange, he wanted to try a bite of everything.

He carried the dishes to the shade of a tree, refilled the two glasses, set out the tableware for two people, and then announced that dinner was served. Emeric felt happy watching Severus eat, knowing that his professor used to eat at most two meals a day, skipping breakfast, eating lunch depending on his mood, and eating very little for dinner, relying on black coffee to keep going.

He must have put in a lot of effort to feed people so that they eat three meals a day on time and occasionally have extra snacks and fruits.

After clearing away the dishes, the two lay lazily on the chairs, having not had such a moment of peace in a long time. They listened to the rustling of leaves in the wind, the cheerful chirping of birds, and the babbling of the stream, and soon drifted off to sleep to the sounds of nature.

Severus woke up earlier than Emeric and opened his eyes to find them surrounded by small animals. The furry little creatures crouched in the distance, and when they noticed his gaze, they quickly hid, peeking out from behind the trees to look at him.

Among the clump of furry creatures, Severus spotted several familiar little animals and beckoned them over to play. Soon, the man had a rabbit, a squirrel, and a baby macaque in his arms, which he fed them with a pile of animal food.

"Don't feed them too much, or they'll refuse to leave again." Emeric reached out and poked the fat squirrel in his arms, then took out a small hazelnut and fed it to him. "Severus, I'm going to catch some fish, so don't get hurt by them."

When Emeric returned from catching fish, all the small animals that had been surrounding their tent had dispersed. Severus was selecting the gifts they had brought; he kept the ones he was interested in and took the rest back to give to others.

"I caught three big ones. How about one for fish soup, one for sliced ​​fish fillets with tomatoes, and the last one for grilled fish fillets?"

"The fish slices should be sprinkled with chili powder, just like at lunchtime, and the main dish should be fish soup noodles."

"Okay, then I'll go catch two more small ones."

Under the spell's blessing, their dinner was served quickly. Severus ate his fill in no time, his eyes still fixed on the table, but his utensils had already been cleared away by Emeric, leaving him only able to watch longingly. Of course, he knew he couldn't eat any more; otherwise, his stomach would feel uncomfortable again.

"I'll catch some more tonight and make dried fish, so I can eat it even when I'm out." Emeric felt sorry for the man and prepared to catch more. His gaze drifted over the black marks on the man's arm, and he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

"Severus, let's go to the altar tomorrow and deal with the Dark Mark."

Hearing his words, Severus's gaze also fell on his arm. Once the mark disappeared, it would all be over. "Hmm." His life could finally belong to himself.

Looking up and seeing Emeric's gentle eyes, Severus's heart softened, and he reached out to pat his head. "You've had a tough time all these years."

"Then kiss me." Emeric placed his hand on his face and tilted his head to look at him.

This time, Severus didn't change the subject. Instead, he leaned into Emeric's arms, hooked his arms around his neck, and kissed him, rewarding him for staying by his side all these years.