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

Chapter 177 What Happens Next

After the meeting, McGonagall stopped Dumbledore.

"Albus, what exactly do you want to do?"

McGonagall couldn't help but question Dumbledore, as she was completely bewildered and still couldn't make much sense of it.

"Minerva, I'm sorry, for everyone's safety, I can't tell you, but don't worry, everything is on track, and we will win."

"call-"

McGonagall exhaled, her gaze growing even more resolute. "I will do my utmost to protect the children. You can rest assured." She smiled at Dumbledore, her trust in her senior colleague unwavering.

Then, changing the subject, he said, "However, we must protect Severus and prevent him from getting hurt. He has suffered for so many years, so we professors should take on more of the burden."

"I know he was wronged too much before, but now that Ellie is protecting him, it's not our place to worry about him," Dumbledore said to her with a smile. He was sure McGonagall knew about the relationship between Emeric and Severus.

However, McGonagall didn't respond, because Severus, standing behind Dumbledore, didn't seem to be in a good mood. She was gleefully ready to fan the flames, and was particularly eager to see Dumbledore get scolded by Severus, as revenge for keeping his adventures a secret from her.

"What do you mean, Allie protecting Severus? Albus, explain yourself. I don't understand." McGonagall asked sincerely, glancing at Severus's increasingly dark face. Every word she uttered was a trap for Dumbledore. "Aren't they master and disciple? What kind of student protects their master? Of course, it's Severus protecting Allie. Have you been too busy lately?"

"?"

"Minerva, you don't know?"

"What should I know?"

"Ariel and Severus are dating? There's no one else here, stop pretending." Dumbledore was a little angry. He felt that McGonagall was deliberately playing dumb and didn't want to gossip with him.

"Old bee, look around before you say that!"

"Hey Severus, you and Albus can chat all you want, I have to go now." McGonagall waved to them and walked out, looking refreshed. Although she really wanted to hear Severus curse Dumbledore, experience told her that staying would only get her a scolding too.

"What a coincidence, Severus, what are you doing here?" Dumbledore's eyes darted around, trying to find an excuse to leave. He couldn't bear the embarrassment of being overheard gossiping about someone's love life.

"If I weren't there, how could I hear you talking about me behind my back?"

"Haha, I have to go now." A hint of unease flashed across his face. He touched his nose, made up an excuse, and prepared to slip away. He would definitely check if anyone was around before chatting in the future.

"Why are you leaving? Didn't you want to chat? I'll chat with you." Severus's lips curled up, looking gentle, but his eyes were devoid of any smile, giving off a forced and insincere expression.

Startled, Dumbledore quickly apologized, sensing that Severus was in a bad mood and that further provoking him at this moment would surely result in him being scolded to death. "I was wrong, Severus."

"How could our great Headmaster Dumbledore be wrong? He just likes to tell riddles and gossip about his colleagues' love lives behind their backs." The sarcastic tone, delivered in a slow and deliberate manner, was extremely damaging.

Dumbledore didn't know what to say. He knew Severus was angry about the arrangement, but no one else could kill him except him, and besides, it wasn't like he was actually killed.

All Dumbledore needed to do was use the dummies and blood plasma prepared by Gellert to let the Death Eaters outside see him fall; it wasn't like Severus actually had to push him down. Thinking of this, Dumbledore felt justified again.

Unfortunately, the side effects of the fake death potion are quite severe, and there's no time to perfect it right now, so this is the only method we can use.

He straightened his back and stared straight at Severus. "We've got everything planned out. Getting angry won't change anything. It's just that you'll have to put up with the scolding for a while..."

His voice grew softer and softer, his expression became uneasy, and his gaze fell on the bushes in the distance, he cowered and dared not meet Severus's eyes.

"Ha, since you've already made all the preparations, why didn't you call someone else to do it? Why did you make me do it?"

Dumbledore remained silent for a long time, quietly looking at Severus, taking off his glasses and wiping them with his sleeve, then lowering his head and saying, "Because I only trust you."

"Suit yourself." Severus turned and left the corridor. He didn't want to say anything more to this person. Whatever he had to face, he would follow the plan.

Walking down the corridor, he suddenly didn't want to go back to the cellar anymore. He wanted to wander around the Forbidden Forest. He felt that the castle was too oppressive. He put Emeric, who was still waiting in the corridor, out of his mind, lifted his cloak, and walked out.

When he came to his senses, he had already walked to the herb garden. He thought that since he hadn't taken care of it for a long time, it would have become a wasteland. Unexpectedly, Emeric had taken good care of it and there were many of the herbs that he had casually mentioned.

Plants that need to climb have trellises, those that are afraid of the sun have small sheds for shade, and those that like water are planted next to small ponds. They look very vibrant, and even people who don't know much about herbs would think they grow really well.

The man's slender fingers traced the water droplets on the leaves. He stared absently at the watermarks on his fingertips, his thoughts drifting to the person who loved him. He gently dried his fingers, gazing at the small garden, and suddenly felt there was no need to argue with someone who didn't love him.

His relationship with Dumbledore was purely cooperative; they each got what they needed, so he couldn't expect the other to consider his feelings. When he went to ask for help, wasn't it precisely because he knew Dumbledore would do everything in his power to protect Harry?

What's there to be disappointed about? In the past, you were willing to put yourself in the most dangerous places to atone for your sins. Now that you've had too many good days, you actually feel wronged over such a small thing.

As he was lost in thought, a scent of grass and trees wafted on the wind, a fragrance he loved and smelled every day. Someone approached, accompanied by the familiar scent; even the footsteps were familiar, so familiar that his body didn't resist, and he knew who it was without even turning around.

"Why are you here?"

"I couldn't find you in the corridor. I asked several trees before I found you here. Do you have any more medicinal herbs you want? I'll plant them when the weather is right." Emeric didn't mention why he was looking for him. He placed a fruit in his hand. "Try it. I remember this variety tastes good. I wonder if it will be sweet after the mutation."

"That's alright, but don't waste space planting fruit trees next time," Severus said instinctively, then regretted it, afraid of upsetting Emeric. "What I meant was, fruit trees are fine..."

"I know, there's no need to force yourself to explain," Emeric interrupted him with a kiss, "My Severus is so good to me, even a casual remark is enough to make me feel bad."

He took the man's hand, gently placed it beside his face, and his tender eyes flickered slightly. "Let me give you a massage."

"Stop fooling around, let's go back."

"it is good."