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

Chapter 123 is here!

"Severus, come quick! There's a baby elk here!" Emeric looked excitedly at Severus not far away. This was the first time in so many years that they had seen an immature elk; they had never seen one before.

This is their last day in Albania. They will be heading home tomorrow. They originally planned to take a walk around the camp today to say goodbye to their old friends, but they unexpectedly encountered a pleasant surprise.

"Be gentle, don't scare it away."

I don't know who she learned it from, but she used to be a quiet and steady person. Now she acts cute and playful in front of him every day, and she seems very lively and active. It's obvious that Severus didn't know that cats can pretend to be well-behaved before they are tamed.

The two worked until just before dinner to clean up the entire campsite and restore it to its original state, in order to reduce human impact and prevent damage to the ecological environment.

"Phew~"

Emeric breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the pile of herbs on the floor, quite pleased with his work. Turning to Severus, he said, "I'll go cook. You go take a shower and rest for a while; dinner will be ready soon."

Two days later, they returned home, both looking exhausted from their journey. After a quick tidy-up, they went straight to sleep, deciding to wait until they were awake before discussing anything else.

"Severus, what's for breakfast?" Emeric asked in a hoarse voice. Strictly speaking, this meal could be considered lunch, as it was already almost 11:30.

"Either is fine." Severus's voice was also hoarse. The two of them had been sleeping since seven o'clock last night, and their whole bodies exuded a lazy feeling.

"I'll cook a bowl of noodles, you wait a moment." Emeric got up from the ground, picked up a shirt and put it on, then headed straight for the kitchen. The week-long trip had left him too tired to even dress up.

By the time Severus finished washing up and came downstairs, the noodles were served, and a glass of milk was poured next to them. Emeric had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and came out, and the two sat down together and quietly ate their meal.

"Severus, I'm going out for a bit to Godric's Valley. I need to talk to Albus. I've left some fruit and water on the living room table; remember to bring them to your studio later."

After giving his brief instructions, Emeric took the gifts, climbed into the fireplace, and headed to Godric Valley.

"Albus, how's Little Barty? I've been thinking about this for so long, you should have some answers by now, right?"

His opening remarks were sarcastic and pointed, aimed straight at Dumbledore, accompanied by a gloating expression that would infuriate anyone who saw it.

"Of course, would you like to see him? He's in the room on the left on the second floor." Dumbledore knew he was in the wrong, and he didn't want to argue with Emeric. Otherwise, with Severus not around, no one could control this little rascal if he started throwing a tantrum.

"I'll go take a look." The kitten was always very curious. He had heard about this Death Eater before and wanted to see how he was different from the legends.

Pushing open the door, he saw a thin young man who didn't seem special at first glance, even quite ordinary. But the next second, Emeric realized that this person was no pushover. After all, few people wouldn't be surprised to see someone they'd never seen before in their room.

But Little Barty didn't seem to have any questions at all. He didn't even look up at him, still looking at the book in his hand, as if he was completely absorbed in the book, giving the impression that he hadn't noticed anyone else entering the room.

"Mr. Barty Crouch Jr., it's a pleasure to meet you. Would you be interested in sharing your experiences within the Death Eaters?"

"Oh, of course, these things are just my personal interests, don't worry I won't tell anyone else~"

Little Barty paused for a moment while turning the pages of his book, then continued reading as if nothing had happened. He couldn't figure out which faction Emeric belonged to, nor could he gauge his attitude, so he simply ignored him.

Despite being ignored, Emeric wasn't angry. He simply sat down to one side and picked up a book from the shelf to read. He had never lost a contest of patience.

Unfortunately, the room was occupied by two stubborn individuals who didn't say a word until dinner time, ignoring each other's presence no matter what they did.

Glancing at the time, Emerick decided there was no need to continue the standoff with Barty Jr. He needed to go home to cook, so he got up to clean up the mess he had made and left Dumbledore's house.

In fact, Loyna had already written to him about most of the situations. Today, she just wanted to annoy Dumbledore and also find out how Severus fared among the Death Eaters, so that he would know who to target when he needed to cause trouble.

"I'm back."

Severus was used to it. Every time Emeric came back, he would call out to him, showing his disdain, but he would start tidying up his worktable, waiting for Emeric to call him down for dinner.

Wash the potion off the stirring stick, put the knives back into the dragon skin tool bag one by one, wave the wand to send the potion bottles back into the cabinet, and clean up the stains that splashed onto the workbench and cuffs.

Severus closed the door, went to the dining room, and sat down. Emeric had already placed a small dish of dried fruit on his seat. Not long after, Emeric finished cooking and brought out the meal, just as Severus finished his daily serving of dried fruit.

"What did you do today?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Severus regretted it; he hadn't intended to press the matter.

"Go see what Barty looks like. I thought he'd be a sinister person, but he's actually quite quiet." Emeric paused, then looked up at Severus. "I guess Albus will come to you in three days at most. Barty's retrial is next week, and he's not in a condition to be lucid enough to get through the entire trial."

Severus instantly understood what Americk hadn't finished saying. He exhaled and began to wonder if it was too late to resign. "Does your family need another Potions Master?"

In a moment of impulsiveness, he blurted out something he immediately wanted to take back. Emeric's eyes lit up, and he stopped eating. "I don't need a potions master, I need a marriage partner!!!"

"Severus, think about this position. It allows me to use all my funds and connections. Just say the word if you need anything."

What's the point of dinner? He'd be full just looking at Severus if he could bring him home. He's grateful to Dumbledore for sending him the Potions Professor. From now on, if he and Gellert ever argue, he'll do everything in his power to help him.

"Let's eat." Severus looked away, avoiding Emeric's gleaming eyes, afraid that he would be swayed into agreeing to this little rascal's request.