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

Chapter 98 Yes, I kind of like you.

Principal's Office

Severus leaned against the windowsill, looking incredulous. Dumbledore actually dared to assign him more work. Wasn't the sullen look in his eyes obvious enough?

"You mean I have to take Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class for two days? Skip my own Potions class to take his place? Dumbledore, if you're really crazy, just quit now and stop making things difficult for me."

"Isn't Ellie covering for you?" Dumbledore looked up and down but not at Severus's face. He also felt that he had gone a bit too far, but no one else was available to cover for him except Severus.

"Then why not let your old flame go? He's covered classes for half a semester. Anyway, I'm busy, and neither is Ellie."

"Gail wants to come with me. Wormtail has escaped from Azkaban, and there's evidence pointing to him going to the southern forest. We need to go see what's going on."

Severus frowned and looked at Dumbledore. Sometimes he really wondered what kind of thing the Ministry of Magic was, that even a rat could manage to escape from there.

"Please, I'm begging you. I don't trust anyone else but you."

The man, who never yielded to force, compromised once again, but he made Dumbledore promise not to interfere with the content of his lessons. He planned to give these kids two days of werewolf identification lessons, as a way of retaliating against Lupin's Boggart lessons.

cellar

Severus watched Emeric tidying his clothes, and a wicked thought suddenly popped into his head: what would happen if Dumbledore knew Emeric liked him? Would he try everything to separate them, or would he be furious?

His thoughts began to diverge along this line, and he even started to wonder if Dumbledore would be furious if he tried to persuade Emerick for a long time but found that Emerick was not listening and was still following behind him.

Severus was certain that Dumbledore wouldn't tell anyone, and he had no way to hold any leverage over Dumbledore; that's how arrogant he was.

He decided to wait for the old couple to return before speaking to them, hoping to provoke Dumbledore and make him happy. As for Emerick being advised to let go, Severus thought it was a joke; those who are favored are just fearless.

"come over."

"What's wrong, Severus?"

Emeric put down his coat, somewhat puzzled. He thought Severus was hungry, so he took out a small dish of fruit and placed it on the coffee table.

The man leaned back lazily on the sofa, a stark contrast to his usual stern demeanor. Several buttons on his shirt, which had been fastened all the way up, were now undone, and his long legs were crossed.

As he approached, a strong smell of alcohol reached his nose. Emeric looked at the glass on the table, which contained a slightly reddish liquid. It was a wine he had found interesting in a recipe, but he wasn't sure how strong it was. He figured it must have accidentally gotten mixed in when he was restocking yesterday.

Judging from Severus's appearance, he had probably drunk quite a bit. Emeric had a headache, so he stood up to find some hangover cure.

But after taking two steps, he was pulled back by the man behind him and slumped back onto the sofa. Severus even sat on him, seemingly afraid that he would leave again.

"Tell me what you like about me? Don't leave until you tell me clearly."

"I'll go get some hangover medicine. Can we talk after I drink it?"

"Will you tell or not?"

Seeing that Emeric was still unwilling to speak, Severus took out his wand and pressed it against his chest, preparing to use force to get the answer.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But after I finish, you have to obediently drink the hangover medicine, okay?"

"Um."

Emeric shifted his legs to make the man in his arms more comfortable. Severus was so adorable after drinking too much that he couldn't resist reaching out and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Let me think. I asked myself this question a long time ago." Emeric paused, a sweet smile spreading across his face. He continued, "I can't quite explain it. Maybe it's the gentle nature of your soul, or your courage to always climb out of the mire, or the sparkling eyes you have when you're brewing potions. I don't know how to say it, but I know I love you."

He looked up and met Severus's gaze, his eyes filled with tenderness and love.

After saying his piece, Emerick felt a little embarrassed, for once. He picked up Severus's wand, barely managed to reach the hangover cure in the distance, and casually pinched the other's cheek. He figured Severus was too drunk and wouldn't remember what he'd said or heard once he sobered up.

He gripped Severus by the back of the neck with one hand and fed him hangover medicine with the other. As the medicine took effect, the man, who had been resisting, fainted in his arms.

"I hope he won't beat me up when he wakes up."

He carried the man to the bedroom, laid him on the bed, and as he got up, he couldn't resist kissing Severus's cheek. He then turned and sat on the sofa, waiting for the man to regain his senses before making his judgment. Of course, no matter the outcome, he wouldn't give up.

I casually brought in the unfinished lesson plan from my desk and started writing while waiting. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the scratching of a quill pen across parchment.

"Hmm..."

"You little brat, why did you mix alcohol into your drink? You didn't mean to drink it yourself, did you?"

Severus slowly sat up, feeling unwell from the effects of the alcohol. He leaned against the headboard and looked at Emeric on the sofa with a hostile gaze.

"No, I just brewed a bottle because I thought it would be fun, and then I just left it with Fufu. The day before yesterday, I asked her to make some drinks, and she probably misunderstood and mixed this bottle in with yours. Is your head really hurting? Let me massage it for you, maybe it will help."

Emeric stood up and sat down by the bed. The scent of herbs wafted over him. While rubbing his temples, he accidentally touched Severus's burning ear and, thinking he had a fever, reached out to touch his forehead.

He lifted all of Severus's hair, exposing the blush on his cheeks to his gaze, and at that moment he was somewhat at a loss.

"Severus..."

"Get out."

"I can leave, but first answer one question for me: do you have any feelings for me? Even just a little bit?"

"roll."

Driven by a sudden surge of malice, Emeric, with a burst of courage he didn't know where he got the idea, leaned in and kissed him, then asked the same question again; he was determined to get an answer today.

"Yes, I do like you a little. Mr. Emerick, are you satisfied now? If you are, then get out of here."

"Alright! Goodnight, Severus~"

Emeric jumped up excitedly, took all the lesson plans from the sofa, and grinned foolishly, looking like a little idiot.

The man left in the room slowly exhaled. He actually said it; he must still be drunk, otherwise how could he have said it? He wondered if he had drunk too much and his brain was not functioning properly.

However, he has not accepted Emeric's advances; it's too early for him to give in.

Emeric, who had just left the bedroom, was blushing as he drifted back to the lounge. Even after lying on the bed, he was still somewhat dazed. Severus had actually said that he liked him a little.

Even when he was asleep, he had a silly grin on his face; you could tell he was so happy he was practically crazy.