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

Chapter 43 Working Hard

early morning

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, and the warm sunlight shone through the swaying leaves onto the grass, where glistening dewdrops sparkled in the sunlight.

The two people inside the tent, one big and one small, were still fast asleep, unaware of the lively scene at the entrance. A bunch of small animals were squatting at the door, waiting for the people inside to come out; they wanted to rub against the humans.

"Severus, let's finish eating before we go out. I don't know why, but I have a feeling something's not right outside." Emeric took out two bowls of noodles and two glasses of milk and put them on the table. His sixth sense was constantly alarming him, and a chill ran down his spine.

Severus ignored the erratic Emeric, but as soon as he opened the door, a chill ran down his spine. Outside were all sorts of animals. "Eri, close the door immediately after I go out, don't worry about me."

"What's wrong with Severus? Why are there so many animals here???"

Emeric didn't understand Severus's meaning and stuck his head out from behind him, curiously looking outside. This made the man, who wanted to lure the beast away to ensure the child's safety, laugh in exasperation. He could go out alone and come back safely, but with Emeric, it was uncertain; the poor kid even dared to peek out.

The man was so angry he didn't even want to curse anymore. Holding his wand in one hand and pushing the cub behind him with the other, he prepared to charge out.

"Wait, Severus, they mean no harm, they...want to rub against me?"

"Are you out of your mind? With so many wild beasts rubbing against you, just say you want to die. I have a potion that allows you to die painlessly."

"Severus, let me try. I trust you to protect me, and I brought plenty of protective gear. Look, no animals rushed in to attack us when we opened the door. Let me give it a shot."

Emery held Severus's hand, showed him the life-saving gear he was wearing, and assured him that he wouldn't take it off.

Severus did not sense any desire for the beast to attack. He released Emeric's hand and stared intently at the animal beside him.

"Armor Protection"

Emeric felt that the animals wouldn't hurt him. He looked around and walked over to a large-toothed rabbit. He reached out and tentatively touched it. Finding that the rabbit didn't resist, he started plucking its fur.

He grabbed a handful and stuffed it into the bag. After pulling at it a few times and finding it too slow, Emeric picked up the rabbit and walked back. "Severus, come quick, let's brush it together. This rabbit is so fat! I've brushed it several times and it hasn't shed much fur."

Severus looked at the rabbit in his hands, closed his eyes briefly, and grabbed Emeric's ear. "Where's your brain? Where's your caution? Did you turn into a child and lose your mind? I told you to be careful, to carefully bring the rabbit back, right?"

"Severus is in pain. Last night, a voice told me to come back, and I thought I misheard. Then I just heard it again, telling me not to be afraid, that they like me."

"You touched an unfamiliar animal because of some unknown sound. Mr. Thaddeus, you're getting more and more audacious. Go back and give me a two-foot-long apology within three days. Now get to work."

Severus laughed in exasperation again. Things had come to this point; he could go back and deal with the brat later. Making him do chores now was just asking for trouble.

Emeric began diligently grooming the rabbit. He combed out an entire sack of fur from just one fat rabbit, staring blankly at the overflowing sack. "Can a rabbit shed this much fur? Why is it still so fat after grooming? Severus, I'm sorry, can I take a break?"

The man spoke in a deep, elegant voice, delivering a cold refusal. He turned a page of his journal before finally looking up at Emeric. "Isn't this something you wanted to try yourself? Get to work, there's a whole bunch of animals waiting in line outside."

Severus picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. "Groom the fifteenth horned wolf carefully; it's very valuable outside. Also, pay attention to the deer behind it; the hibiscus it brought over is of very good quality."

He was overjoyed to see the animals lining up outside. Many of them were so rare that he might not even be able to buy them at auctions, but now he could get them just by drinking tea, reading books, and watching Emeric work. This incredible opportunity had come his way.

Emeric sighed and gave Severus a resentful look, only to find the man even happier. Enraged, Emeric decided to be cold and make Severus guess why he wasn't speaking.

Unfortunately, Severus was thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and had no intention of comforting the furious cub. His notes were filled with unusual ideas about medicine, and the man was completely absorbed in reading. When his eyes got tired, he would pick up his teacup and admire Emeric's disheveled, hairy appearance.

"snort"

Emeric, covered in fur, pounced on Severus, hugged him tightly, rubbed against him, and after rubbing against all of Severus's fur, chuckled and ran upstairs to take a bath.

"Emeric Thaddeus".

Severus was so angry that he called out the rabbit's full name. He glared at the fat rabbit squatting next to him and said, "Go to the side and wait for your master to come down."

Emeric thought the fat rabbit was cute, and pitifully begged Severus for a long time, promising that he would take good care of the rabbit himself and that he would be obedient and work hard in exchange for the fat rabbit staying.

After sorting and packing their belongings and finishing lunch, the two packed up their tent and set off.

Emeric was holding the fat rabbit in one arm and Severus's hand in the other. He was still struggling with what to name the rabbit when he didn't see the protruding tree root on the ground and, unsurprisingly, he tripped and fell.

"?"

A question mark slowly rose above Severus's head. He really couldn't understand a child's thought process. He seriously considered whether to give Emeric a bottle of eye-protecting potion.

"Severus, look at the antlers. I can't tell what breed of deer it is, but they're wild antlers. No wonder Radish kept struggling."

A huge stag antler. Severus recognized what it was. His eyes turned cold as it brought back some unpleasant memories. The crows’ loud noises pulled him back to reality.

"Severus, come quick! There are wild roses here. I remember that rose oil extracted from wild roses is more effective."

"Mr. Emerick, who just promised not to leave my sight? What are you doing now?"

"I was wrong, Severus, come quick! There are lots of flowers here."

Emeric ran back with a bouquet of roses. "Severus, these flowers are beautiful."

Passionate roses and gentle smoky purple appeared before Severus, accompanied by the cub's soft voice, completely pulling him out of his cold memories.

"Don't think you can get away with writing a self-criticism by trying to please me."

"Severus, I'm angry! I just wanted to bring you flowers, you can't think of me like that!"

The cub looked at Severus seriously, clearly expressing his unhappiness and the reason for it.

Severus didn't know how to handle the situation, so he pretended nothing had happened and tentatively picked up the flowers that Emeric had offered him.

The cub, angry but unprepared for a cold war, spoke directly, "You should thank me and then apologize for thinking of me so much."

The man pursed his lips, his thin lips turning bright red with blood, and uttered an apology as if admitting defeat.