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

Chapter 23 Severus's Birthday

November 9st

The cellar was filled with beautifully wrapped gifts in all sorts of colors.

Ever since Emeric complained, the older wizards and witches have felt very sorry for Severus, and they are determined to raise him to be healthy and strong.

Sprout and McGonagall even wrote an entire notebook on how to feed children. Previously, most of the potions for young wizards' colds and injuries were brewed by Severus, but now minor illnesses are healed on their own, and serious illnesses are treated by working in the cellar, resulting in a lot more hard labor.

This gave Severus a lot more free time, and he would experiment and improve potions whenever he had a spare moment. He successfully recreated one potion in six months and is now beginning further experiments to improve it. Immersed in potions, Severus shines brightly.

He hadn't celebrated his birthday in many years. Every year on this day, he would politely accept gifts, and then politely return a bottle of magic potion.

This year is different. Severus looked at the gifts piled up on his desk and realized he had nowhere to work if he didn't open them.

McGonagall gave him a long black robe with subtle patterns on the cuffs, hem, and collar; it looked very exquisite. Sprout gave him a fruit with a note saying it was a newly developed fruit and asking him to try it. Flitwick gave him a bottle of fairy wine, which looked quite old…

One by one, they unpacked the gifts. Dumbledore gave them a protective brooch, unlike previous years when he would give them candy. After Severus finished unpacking the gifts, he sorted them into categories: useful items went on shelves, herbs went to the potions room, and the rest of the trinkets were thrown into drawers.

Today happens to be Saturday, and Severus doesn't have to go to class. He plans to spend the whole day in the potions room. After quickly finishing breakfast and tidying up the table, he plunges into the potions room to start his research.

Emeric had been looking forward to this day for a week. Ever since he received the gift, he had started learning how to make cakes. He was quite good at it, and the cakes he made looked pretty good.

A small 4-inch cake with a matcha-flavored cake base, light green cream, and a filling of green grapes and strawberries. On top of the cake are two slices of orange and two pieces of dark chocolate, and the words "Happy Birthday Severus" are written on the front.

Carefully packed and placed in the ring, the Hogwarts house-elf had been eating quite a few failed attempts these past two days, and his relationship with Emeric had progressed rapidly.

"Wow, this cake is so beautiful!"

"How could we let the little wizard do it himself? Waaaaah!"

"Bang Bang Bang"

"Alright, everyone, please clean up this mess. Fu Fu, do you know how to make noodles? I'd like to make a bowl of longevity noodles, please." When I was a child, my whole family went on a trip to China, and ever since then, we've made sure to eat longevity noodles for everyone's birthday.

"Time Manifests"

It was still early to discover the truth, so he planned to deliver the gifts first, along with gifts for his father and grandfather. Since confessing to his family, his father and grandfather were completely at ease. As long as this kid liked someone and had a reliable person to keep him in check, his family no longer had to worry about him blowing up the school.

Whether their son gets married or brings his wife into the family, they don't care. It feels so good not to have to worry about the school calling their parents anymore. After a week of job exchanges, Ambrose took Calvin on a trip for another honeymoon.

Severus did not hide the password to enter the cellar from Emeric.

He knocked on the door, thinking no one was home, and prepared to wait inside. But when he went in, he found the person in the potions room.

Emeric knocked on the door of the potions room and went in to help with the work, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat dinner on time tonight.

Seeing Severus using a stirrer he'd bought on the spot, he couldn't help but sigh. When the potion was ready to be taken away from him, he would take out his own gift.

"Happy birthday, Severus! Let's open our presents! I've prepared a cake; we'll have it tonight!"

Severus glanced at the small package, assuming it contained some kind of medicinal herb, and felt a surge of annoyance. He always sent her herbs, and now this was a birthday present? But his face remained nonchalant. He opened it and found a complete set of tools.

"Do you think your professor can't afford decorations?"

"Severus, pick these up and take a look. Besides being exquisite and beautiful, they're also very practical!"

Hearing this, Severus became somewhat interested. He picked up the stirring stick on the far side and compared it to his usual one, noting that this one was longer, so he didn't need to lower his wrist when stirring. Opening the dragon skin package, he found a set of small knives inside, much more refined than the ones he currently used. He casually picked one up and used it to cut daffodil roots, slicing them very smoothly. The widened back of the blade was clearly designed to fit his hand shape. There were three pairs of dragon skin gloves in different colors, as thin as lace gloves. When he put them on, he found that they fit his hands perfectly. He touched the notoriously prickly rice cloth, feeling the sharp thorns, but it didn't hurt.

The small package, which had been enchanted with a seamless stretching spell, was enormous in size. Finally, they unpacked the last large item: a crucible.

Emeric explained at the opportune moment, "The automatic stirring crucible is more precise than those available on the market, and the lowest unit that can be set is degree."

Severus's eyes lit up after he finished disassembling the tools. He had the money to order a custom set, but he had no interest in it. What difference did it make what he used? He was used to the life of an ascetic and had a bit of a self-destructive tendency, so he didn't pay any attention to his own needs.

Emeric had long suspected that Severus didn't love him and had self-destructive tendencies. When they first met, out of politeness to a stranger, he observed him curiously, remaining a bystander. Later, when they became business partners, he didn't want his cash cow to die young due to poor health, but he wasn't prepared to get too involved. As long as Severus didn't starve, he was content. So, he gave Severus a bunch of snacks he didn't like, sending him something every day to keep him interested.

Until that accident, he couldn't remain uninvolved. Severus didn't cherish his own body, so he would love him. From basic survival conditions to spiritual pursuits, he would gradually infiltrate him, giving him abundant love and encouraging others to express their love to Severus. A healthy relationship cannot consist of only two people; only with enough love and support can his self-destructive tendencies be alleviated.

Emeric saw Severus's eyes sparkle and smiled contentedly. Taking advantage of Severus's good mood, he made a small request.

"Severus, could I remodel the cellar a bit more? Some things weren't stored properly before."

Severus didn't care what he said at all; he just wanted to use the new tools to brew potions and send the man away casually.

Emeric stepped out of the potion room, covering his mouth and laughing. His lover was so adorable, like a kitten seeing a fish, her eyes sparkling.

He embarked on another major renovation project, replacing the original cabinets with two new ones, engraving them with various protective and temperature-regulating patterns for enhanced storage capacity…

After the basic renovations were finished, we started setting up a candlelight dinner. Knowing I was still young, I didn't prepare any alcohol, but instead prepared strawberry black tea. Everything was laid out, and all that was left was for the main character to make his appearance.

"Severus, it's time to eat. It's your birthday today, shall we eat on time?"

"Ten minutes"

Feeling that the cub was being pampered, and feeling obligated as an adult to fulfill the cub's needs, Severus sped up the process of completing the potion.

"Make a wish first. I made the cake, I hope you like it."

"E can be obtained"

After blowing out the candles, the two quietly began to eat. One of them was not talkative, while the other had something to hide and wanted to stay overnight, so the slower they ate dinner, the better.

Even if they ate slowly, they eventually finished. The two started eating the cake, and Severus felt he had underestimated it; it suited his taste perfectly and deserved an O.

Originally, he didn't have any particular favorite flavors; he was basically fine with anything as long as it wouldn't kill him. But with daily feeding and the quiet pampering he received, he started to become a picky eater and develop preferences. Now he likes dark chocolate, matcha, strawberries, green grapes, coffee ice cream, and so on—all things that Emeric discovered little by little through trial and error.

The experiment began again, and Severus was immersed in the joy of scientific research. A small, movable round table had appeared next to his workbench, on which sat a bowl of washed raspberries and a small fork. He used to scold the little wizard for making a mess of the classroom by eating, but now that he was an adult, he was allowed to eat.