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

Chapter 91 The Mark

"Coo coo coo"

"Hey little guy, where did you come from? Let me see what you brought!"

"This is?"

"Severus, I've left the letter from Malfoy Manor on the dining table. You can read it while you eat."

"Can."

Emeric fed the little owl some nuts and jerky, wondering how he could follow him. He had a feeling that Malfoy's visit to Severus was no good.

"I'm going out for a bit. You stay here by yourself and don't blow up my house."

"I miss Draco. Can we come together? I'm scared to be here alone in Severus."

Hearing this, the man was somewhat speechless. He frowned and looked at the person opposite him. It was more likely that others weren't afraid of him; he was afraid of being alone.

"Stay put. If I come back and you're gone, get out of here."

"All right."

Emeric obediently agreed. He planned to go home after Severus left, as he had grown quite fast recently and his clothes were too small, so he needed to bring some new clothes.

Severus put on his robes, walked to the fireplace, picked up the bowl on the fireplace, and threw in a handful of Floo Powder.

"Malfoy Estate"

Emerging from the fireplace, he saw Lucius and Narcissa waiting for him; Draco wasn't in the living room. It seemed this matter was serious enough to have even driven the children out.

Severus guessed the mark had been burned again. He needed to ask Emeric if the mark could be restored; he'd been so focused on people lately that he'd forgotten about it.

After sitting down, Severus chose a topic that wouldn't go wrong, lest the two people opposite him discover something.

"What are you planning to do?"

"He won't let us go. We'll do anything, but we can't involve Draco. Severus, we've known each other for so many years, and this is the only thing I'm asking you for: please protect Draco."

"He is my son, I will."

"Thank you."

Narcissa finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Severus's answer. She and Lucius didn't care what happened to their son, Draco. That's why they sent him off to play with Harry today; Harry definitely had protectors around him, making it safer than Malfoy Manor.

"You two chat first, I'll go prepare some tea and snacks."

Once she heard the answer she wanted, she got up and left. She wasn't going to get involved in the rest; Lucius would tell her eventually anyway, so there was no need to stay there.

"Severus, Thaddeus Jr. is in your house, right? Keep your distance from him if you don't want him to be targeted."

"What do you mean by that? I don't understand."

"You are one of his most valued servants, and he certainly wouldn't mind having another asset to ensure your loyalty."

Lucius stared into Severus's eyes and spoke the words carefully, needing to ascertain Americh's importance in Severus's heart, as this would influence his subsequent judgment.

Unfortunately, Severus was adept at feigning, and he didn't even flinch, completely ignoring the fact that the previous remark was just a social courtesy of inquiring about the weather.

"Thank you for reminding me, I understand. I'll be going now if there's nothing else."

Severus stood up and walked toward the fireplace, his heart utterly still, the warmth of his heart now completely cooled.

"Severus, don't leave yourself with regrets."

Lucius's words sounded like both a warning and an admonition. Severus lowered his head and crawled into the fireplace to go home. He didn't answer; all he wanted now was to go home and get some sleep.

"Airi? Where is she?"

Severus couldn't find the person waiting for him by the fireplace. Usually, Emeric would be waiting for him at the door when he went out. His heart skipped a beat, and his eyes searched around, trying to find a clue.

Finally, I saw Emeric's message on the dining table: Severus, I'm going home to get some clothes. I've grown so fast lately, all my clothes are too short. I've left some fruit and tea in the kitchen; have something to tide you over if you're hungry.

He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from his heart, and went into the kitchen to see what to eat today. A plate of washed strawberries and blueberries, a few coffee biscuits beside them, and a small teapot filled with black tea—all his favorites.

Severus placed the food on the coffee table in the living room, intending to eat while reading, and wait for Emeric to return so he could ask if the mark could be restored. He needed the mark's function; otherwise, Voldemort wouldn't believe him.

The mark itself wasn't the problem; it's just that the pain it caused was transmitted to Emeric through the contract, which is why Severus didn't feel it. And Emeric, to keep the secret, would never willingly tell Severus about the mark's burning sensation.

"Severus, I brought a lot of stuff from home. Look at this huge steak! How about we have steak for dinner tonight?"

"No rush, can the mark be repaired? I need that."

Emeric felt a little guilty upon hearing about the mark, fearing that Severus would discover his trickery. However, he breathed a slight sigh of relief when he heard that Emeric wanted to repair the mark, as he could reduce the pain transmission ratio a bit.

He pretended to use magic to circle his forearm before speaking.

"Severus, should it be okay now? I made a slight adjustment; it doesn't hurt as much as before."

"You don't need to worry about it, just change it back."

"No, I feel sorry for you. You can't threaten me. I don't want you to be in so much pain."

Emeric turned and left, pulling out the tomahawk steak he'd stolen from home. It was just enough for the two of them, and it would be delicious with roasted cherry tomatoes and buttered baby potatoes. For drinks, they'd have plum juice, which he'd also taken from home.

Feeling increasingly helpless with Emeric, Severus gave up, closed the book he was holding, and went straight to his studio.

His heart pounded wildly at the love in Emeric's words, and those smoky purple eyes reappeared in his mind, carrying a tenderness that could drown a person, enough to make anyone fall for them.

After an unknown amount of time, a knock on the door startled the man, who was engrossed in the potion, and he looked up slightly at the boy at the door.

"Severus, it's time to eat. How much longer are you going to take?"

Five minutes.

"Okay, I'll go plate it."

On the table was a huge plate with a massive piece of bone-in beef, surrounded by sweet and sour cherry tomatoes and bite-sized potatoes.

"School's starting soon, how's your preparation going? If you can't get an O in OWL potions, don't come to my class, understand?"

"Severus, how could I possibly fail to get an O? You underestimate me! I'm going to punish you."

As he spoke, he cut off a large piece of meat and placed it on Severus's plate. It was the most fragrant meat near the bone and the cut with a good balance of fat and lean. He told Severus to wait until the cherry tomatoes cooled down a bit before giving them to him, as they were a potential scalding hot potato right now.

"How boring!"

The man was speechless. It was the first time he had ever seen Emeric so boring, and he didn't even want to scold him.