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

Chapter 173 The Next Move

"Found it?"

"Hmm~"

Emeric dodged Severus's hand. "I'm covered in dust, don't touch me. I'm going to take a shower first, and I'll rub it off for you later." He carefully walked into the bathroom, afraid that the dust on his body would fall on the floor.

He came out of the shower, still wet from his shower, and nuzzled the man's neck. "Severus, Sirius and Lupin laughed at me today. They were so mean." The details didn't matter; he really was laughed at.

"They're getting more and more annoying," Severus said, frowning with impatience. Then he remembered that Emeric wasn't the type to let things slide. "You didn't retaliate? I don't believe you."

"Hmm~ I caused them a little trouble. I wrote a letter and sent it to Regulus. I believe Sirius will have a wonderful time from now on~" Emeric sat up straight and let Severus wipe his head, smiling as he stared at the man's face, his tender affection almost overflowing. "Severus, you're so kind."

"Stop moving around, what nonsense are you spouting all day long?"

"How could I say such nonsense? Of course you're the best."

"Then you should really change your perspective and ask those little trolls. I'm the most terrifying professor they know." Severus was very proud of this assessment, and he loved seeing the bitter looks on their faces after they lost points.

"They're the ones who need new eyes. You're so wonderful, it's a good thing they don't know how to appreciate it, otherwise it wouldn't be my turn."

"Shut up, I told you not to move." Severus's ears turned red, though it wasn't very noticeable because they were hidden in his hair. Although he heard him praise him every day, he still felt uncomfortable, especially when he made eye contact with Emeric.

Emeric reached out and hooked his arm around the man's neck, pulling him down to kiss him. He kissed the man's soft, thin lips until they were red, swollen, and burning, bringing a splash of color to his face.

"Hiss, are you a dog? Why do you like to bite people so much?" Severus touched his lips, which were swollen after each kiss and were too ugly to be seen. He reached out and pinched Severus's face to retaliate fiercely.

After his antics, Severus sat back down at the table to eat, probably because he was about to have another meeting.

"Severus, come to the principal's office for a meeting."

"Severus, come to the principal's office for a meeting."

A silver-grey phoenix flew into the cellar, and Dumbledore's voice echoed from within. Severus chewed mechanically, his face expressionless. Couldn't he just rest for a day?

"I'll go with you. I guess it's related to the crown. Albus, really, couldn't we have a meeting during the day? Why did he have to come now..."

"Don't say anything carelessly later."

"Okay~"

After finishing their meal, the two left the cellar one after the other. After they left, Fufu cleaned up the dining table and placed the fresh flowers that Emeric had just bought on it.

"We're here." Severus pushed open the door and went in, leading Emeric to lean against the wall. He glanced around and found that everyone was familiar. It seemed that Dumbledore was about to bring him into the sunlight.

"Why is he here? Headmaster, why did you call Snott over? He's a Death Eater." Sirius looked at Severus with disgust, raising his wand towards the door. Lupin, who was standing next to him, tried to stop him but couldn't.

Before Severus could retort, Emerick unleashed a Tarantella dance on Sirius. How come he's still not learned to be quiet after suffering so many losses? Dumbledore quickly released the spell and had Lupin restrain him, preventing him from provoking Emerick or Severus again.

"Alright, stop arguing, let's get down to business," Dumbledore said, gesturing for them to sit down. "Severus has been sending me messages, so don't argue with him."

"Today we found the last Horcrux," Dumbledore cleared his throat and scanned everyone in the room. He placed the destroyed tiara on the table. "We will face an even greater test from now on. Voldemort will become increasingly insane and will not stop at a clown like Umbridge."

"Minerva, you and Sirius protect Harry. Severus, when you go to see him recently, hide yourself and don't let him notice you. I suspect you might be sent by him to kill Harry. Lupin, you go find Evelyn later and keep an eye on the school with her. A lot of people have come in recently, so you two need to find a way to get rid of them as soon as possible."

After Dumbledore had made arrangements for everyone, he turned to Emerick and said, "Eri, give them proper identities as soon as possible, otherwise a large influx of people into the school will definitely attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic and Voldemort."

"Hesitant." Emeric rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and spat out the word. If it weren't for the fact that he had defended Severus today, he would have definitely ripped him off.

"Do you have any other questions?" Dumbledore took a sip of tea to clear his throat, which was a little sore from talking too much. Gellert promptly poured him another cup of tea, ignoring the wary looks from the others.

Everyone shook their heads. The arrangement had been very clear, and everyone knew what they were supposed to do.

"Then we can adjourn our meeting for today." Dumbledore clapped his hands, deciding to end the meeting. "Severus, stay behind, I have something to tell you."

After everyone left, only the four of them remained in the room. Emeric pretended not to see Dumbledore's dismissive look and played with Severus's hand.

"Allie, why don't you step outside for a bit? We need to talk about something in private." Dumbledore said, directly telling him to leave. The fewer people who knew about this, the better. But Emeric completely ignored him and didn't reply. "Isn't Gellert leaving? Why are you kicking me out?"

Seeing the fire spreading to himself, Gellert stared at Dumbledore, signaling him to think before he spoke.

"Fine, fine, listen if you want," Dumbledore decided to give up. He knew he'd have to coax Gellert if he got angry later. Anyway, America wouldn't harm Severus, so he'd just pretend no one else was around.

"Severus, Voldemort might very well send you to kill me; he wants to kill Harry himself. Once he gives you this task, don't refuse. I believe you can make the fake death potion, right?" Dumbledore expressed great confidence in Severus's potion-making talent.

Upon hearing this, the other three people in the room had different expressions. Gellert suspected that Dumbledore might be suicidal again; what Emeric had complained about earlier was still a psychological trauma for him. Emeric was speechless; he knew Dumbledore wouldn't come up with any good solutions. Severus was annoyed; he now had to research Voldemort's Soul Potion and also needed Dumbledore's fake death potion. Did he really think Dumbledore was Merlin, that he could just wish for anything?

Silence fell over the room. No one wanted to speak. Dumbledore waited for a long time but didn't hear them praise his plan. He spoke again, "Don't you think this plan is brilliant? It keeps me in the shadows."

"Great, really great, they just didn't care whether we lived or died." Emeric clapped and mocked. He wanted to pack up Severus and take him back to Germany right now. What kind of enslavement was this?

Dumbledore felt a little guilty; he knew he had gone a bit too far, but it was the best course of action at the moment.