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

Chapter 179 I Agreed

"Then why aren't you going back now? Be careful your old flame really thinks you're dead and wants to commit suicide with you. Then see how you cry." Severus gave Dumbledore a cool glance, his hand in his pocket holding the cat, afraid that he would jump out and scratch the old bee's face.

"It shouldn't be that bad, Gale, you can guess, right?" Dumbledore spoke slower and slower, beginning to doubt whether Gellert could really do such a thing.

Seeing Severus's gloating look, Dumbledore felt increasingly uneasy. He made up an excuse and left, fearing that something might really happen to Gellert if he stayed any longer.

After trying every possible way to get rid of Dumbledore, he finally had time to ask Emeric.

How did you guess it was me?

"Severus, why don't you explain why Albus is still alive? I've been so upset about it for so long!!!"

"You two deceived my feelings!!!"

"Ouch—are you a dog? That bite hurts so much."

Severus grabbed Emeric by the back of the neck, trying to make him let go. The flesh on his neck was itchy and painful from being held in his mouth. Unexpectedly, his ears suffered after he was released, and the wet feeling was particularly uncomfortable.

"Alright, it's just to prevent the news from leaking out. The more people who know, the greater the risk of failure." Severus was about to coax Emeric, who couldn't stand being bitten like this.

"It's not that I don't trust you. Dumbledore didn't even mention Grindelwald, otherwise he wouldn't have shown up at our house. Look, he just said he had nowhere to go and begged us to take him in. I really didn't mean to hide it from you."

The man tried to persuade him for a long time, but Emerick wouldn't listen. He felt like he had been bitten seven or eight times on the neck. How could he face anyone like this tomorrow? He decided to use his trump card to coax the man back.

Of course, it wasn't a threat to break up. He was very satisfied with Emeric's performance today; people were willing to stand with him in the face of adversity, so it would be too much to break up with him now.

"If you stop acting up now, we'll get married after everything's over. If you continue like this—"

"Severus! Are you serious???"

"What? Do I need to write you a guarantee letter?"

Emeric waved his hands frantically, never expecting such a stroke of good fortune. He had only wanted a kiss, a hug, or a few more bites and licks. He hadn't dared to imagine the man proposing marriage. For a moment, he was so overjoyed he didn't know which way was up, just staring at him blankly.

"Don't want to marry me? Fine, if you don't want to, then get off me."

"No!!!"

Her usual sharp tongue vanished at this moment; she could only say "no" and stare at the man, demanding that he take back what he had just said.

But seeing his anxious look, Severus's mischievous side came out at the most inopportune moment. He didn't say a word, just looked at him until his eyes were red before he felt sorry for him. He had completely forgotten about making him cry and having to comfort him.

"I didn't say we wouldn't get married. Wipe your tears. You're such a grown man, why are you still crying so much?" Severus took out a handkerchief and gently covered his eyes. At this moment, this crybaby was completely different from the arrogant person he was this morning.

However, Severus did not forget the topic at the beginning. He needed to know why he had been discovered and then remedy the situation as soon as possible to prevent others from guessing the same thing about him.

"Oh..." Emeric's eyes began to dart away, feeling embarrassed. "I... I told the flowers to tell me if they think you're in danger... But don't worry, they usually don't come to me. Today they only contacted me because they thought you might not be able to beat the other person."

"They're getting bolder and bolder, daring to spy on me?"

"No, I'm just worried about your safety, afraid that someone might hurt you."

This time, Severus was in the right. He looked at Emeric's face without saying a word, clearly intending to retaliate for his earlier flustered actions, remaining silent indifferently.

"Please forgive me. I swear to Merlin I will behave and not get jealous or cause trouble anymore."

Hearing him say that, Severus thought it best to stop while he was ahead, lest he really anger Emeric and end up hugging and kissing him indiscriminately again. He said slowly, "Alright, next time if I find out, it won't be so simple."

"certainly."

After resolving his biggest worry, Severus felt completely relieved and pinched Emeric's cheek.

"I want to become a cat soon." He noticed that his cat's claws were a bit long while playing with its paw pads today, so he planned to trim them and brush off the loose fur. He wanted his cat to have everything other cats had. He often saw Hermione grooming her cat and then feeding it treats afterwards.

the other side

Having drunk the anti-aging potion, Dumbledore, relying on his authority as headmaster, had a secret passage opened in the castle leading directly to the headmaster's office. He planned to have Severus prepare a hair-changing potion the next day, then appear as an assistant instructor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. After Umbridge was imprisoned, Gellert was back in his post.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Dumbledore guessed that Gellert must have known, otherwise how could he have stayed quietly next to his "corpse" without turning Hogwarts upside down?

"You're back?"

Sure enough, as soon as Dumbledore opened the door, he saw Gellert sitting there waiting. He was surprised to see him like this, then frowned and stared at him. "What did you tell Ellie? He's so angry he'd drug you like this."

"What are you talking about? I drank this myself." Dumbledore picked up a cup of black tea and slowly sipped it. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, he said, "No one will recognize me like this. I'll change my hair color tomorrow. I'll stay by your side for now. I trust you can protect me, right?"

"Alright then." Gellert pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. He felt that if things continued like this, Emeric would get back at them sooner or later. "I've already got people in there, and I'll be able to push Snape up in a few days."

"Thank you, Gail. Now I don't know if Voldemort has any other Horcruxes. I hope there won't be any unexpected complications."

"I'll have someone keep an eye on the Death Eaters, and they'll report back as soon as they get any information, so don't worry." Gellert reached out and put his arm around Dumbledore. Although he had prepared the body, his heart still skipped a beat when he saw it.

"Alright, I haven't had dinner yet. Let Fu Fu make some dishes. You probably didn't eat well either." Dumbledore rubbed his stomach. Severus was so stingy; he didn't even give him a cookie, leaving him to come back hungry.

The two finished their meal quietly. Gellert would glance at him every now and then, sensing something was off. He and Dumbledore sitting together looked like grandfather and grandson...

"Al, how long are you prepared for this?"

"Let's wait until this is all over. Wasn't I good-looking when I was young?"

"No, it's just that I'm not used to it."