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

Chapter 212 Extra: The Aftermath

"Is the matter resolved?" Severus noticed that Emeric hadn't rushed out today, but instead cuddled with him and went back to sleep. Given the recent commotion at the Daily Prophet, it was hard not to make the connection.

"Almost there. The two kids have been delivered to Albus. Now there's just a little finishing work left. Uncle Lucius can handle that." Emeric turned over and lay flat on the bed, exuding a lazy air.

"Let's go out and have some fun. It's been so long since we've traveled." He rolled over and looked at Severus with bright eyes. After a busy period of time, it was the perfect time for a spontaneous trip.

Severus pushed the head away, feeling the eyes were blinding him. "Don't even think about it. Final exams are next month. You expect Dumbledore to come?"

One sentence froze Emeric's heart. Even though it was true, he was still heartbroken. She nestled her head on the man's shoulder and pleaded, "How about we go out and play again during the holidays, Severus? Do you still want to be a professor after this semester?"

"I don't know..." The man was silent for a while before finally uttering these words. He had been avoiding this question. Apart from potions, he had no interest in anything. He had come to become a professor to protect Harry, but after so many years, he had long since gotten used to his current life.

"Then we'll continue next semester. What matters most is that you're happy." Emeric gently nuzzled the man's cheek, answering him with a smile. He could simply be a little busier; Severus's happiness was more important, and besides, his father and grandfather were still young and could continue working for many more years.

The topic was quickly moved on, and Emery pulled Severus along to watch the commotion. He guessed that Gellert would be especially angry today, since they suddenly had two more tagalongs in their house, and he would be wary of his tagalongs.

As expected, they heard Gellert's roar as soon as they arrived at the principal's office.

"You two brats, if you look at me like that again, I'll send you both away and dump you in Nurmengard." Gellert frowned, looking at the twins next to Dumbledore with a hostile expression.

These two kids have been giving him a hard time since yesterday. They've been sticking to Dumbledore's side the whole time, practically following him to the bathroom, giving him no privacy at all. And they've been looking at him with suspicion, practically asking him why he's there.

"Gellert, don't be so irritable," Emeric said with particular schadenfreude. He was happy as long as it was someone else who was in trouble, no matter who it was. "It's normal for them to feel insecure after going through something like that. None of them said they wanted to take revenge on society."

"Then why don't you take him with you?" Gellert pointed the gun at Emeric. Sometimes he really wanted to punch this little brat. "I remember you studied psychology for a while. This is a good time to test your learning."

Before Emeric could speak, Severus raised his objection first, "What? Are you elders incapable? Do you need a junior to do things for you? If that's the case, I suggest you give up your nightlife." His gaze fell on the red mark on Dumbledore's neck, a hint of disgust flashing across his face. These two, at their age, were still drinking anti-aging potions and acting like young people, partying every night.

"Cough cough cough—" Dumbledore choked on his tea. He hadn't expected Severus to notice, so he could only glare fiercely at Gellert before changing the subject, "Zarek and Alec won't be able to continue their studies until next year. This semester is almost over. Rather than making them drag their bodies through studying, wouldn't it be better to let them rest? What do you think?"

"Sure, I have no objection," Emeric shrugged, indicating he didn't care. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as he wasn't left to take care of people.

In the end, the two little ones remained in the headmaster's office, but Emeric contributed Loina to try and calm their stress so they wouldn't anger Gellert.

Back in the cellar, Severus watched Emeric bustling about and suddenly asked, "Don't you feel sorry for them?" In his memory, the little rascal was the most soft-hearted, always reaching out to help these suffering children, like a saint who couldn't bear to see human suffering.

This was true for Harry, and it was true for Luna, not to mention the entire Hufflepuff family. In a sense, he was also a beneficiary of Emeric's soft heart.

So Severus was really curious about what made him not bring the two children back to take care of them as usual until they recovered.

Emeric, oblivious to the man's probing gaze, continued wiping the potion cabinet with his back to him. "It's alright, nothing special. These two have only themselves to blame."

"How so?" Severus asked curiously, picking up the fruit plate beside him to listen and eat at the same time.

"I initially thought that we had been pushing them too hard lately, which led them to resort to desperate measures and use the twins to cover their tracks, so they killed the children's parents." Emeric paused for a moment. At first, he decided to find good families for the two children and take them in when they grew up, so that they would have no worries about food and clothing, as a way of indirectly compensating for the deaths of their parents.

"A few days ago, I figured I had nothing better to do, so I had Galian interrogate that idiot chieftain about how the two adults died, hoping to avenge them. But they found out something interesting."

"Those two kids had already been brainwashed by their clan leader and thought that going there would be a life of luxury. After their parents stopped them, they held a grudge and wanted to get revenge, so they pretended not to see what that idiot did, making them indirect accomplices."

Severus didn't comment; after infiltrating the Death Eaters for so many years, he'd seen all sorts of horrific things. However, he understood Emeric's state and beckoned him over. "Stop wiping, have you been worrying about this lately?"

"Hmm..." Emeric felt a pang of conscience. He had never killed anyone in his previous misdeeds; at most, he had gone bankrupt.

"Even without your involvement, those parents would have been killed sooner or later anyway. To blame yourself for something like this, are you stupid?" Severus rolled his eyes, reached out and pinched his face, pulling hard to make his little face look ridiculous. "If you ignore me because of this again, you can go back to your office."

He wouldn't be upset about not seeing anyone early in the morning; absolutely not. A faint scent of grass and trees enveloped Severus, and the warm embrace offered a small measure of soothing his recent emotions. If he continued to dwell on this, he would definitely kick Emeric out of bed and make him sleep on the floor for a few days to clear his head.

Much later, Severus heard from others that the twins had been arrested by the Ministry of Magic on charges of murder.