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

Chapter 16 The Ones Who Were Firmly Chosen

Snape felt that if he could beat Grindelwald, he would definitely teach the man a lesson; who would snatch a child so fiercely?

Seeing the atmosphere getting a little awkward, Dumbledore quickly tried to smooth things over and ease the tension. "Severus, sit down first, let's sit down and talk. Gale, say less, Allie is Severus's student."

Seeing Snape sit down, Emeric twisted his body, trying to find someone else to hug him, anyone but Gellert.

Gellert was afraid of hurting the cubs and didn't want to give them to Snape. Who knows what this guy was up to? He let little Emeric climb into Dumbledore's arms.

"He became like this because he was training with Animagus. Minerva said it's because he's too young and his magic is unstable, and he'll revert back to normal in a week," Snape added reluctantly. "Of course, I'm partly to blame for not stopping him."

"Now that I've delivered it, I'll head back to school. I still have work to finish."

Upon hearing this, Emeric, who was sitting obediently playing with his beard, immediately dropped his toy and reached out for Snape to carry him, clearly intending to come along as well.

"Dumbledore, where's your phoenix? You're not going to make me Apparate back, are you?" Snape instinctively avoided looking at the disappointed cub, whose bright eyes were now filled with confusion, but he still reached out to hug it.

Emeric saw Snape turn away and ignore him, staring at him in disbelief. He wanted to cry to get attention, but was afraid that Snape would find his constant crying troublesome.

Always relying on his cute appearance, he was rejected this time, and resentment and grievance welled up in his heart. He forcefully made Dumbledore let go of him, ran to Snape's side, and hung on him.

Now, more and more people couldn't believe it, making it three people: Gellert couldn't believe that Emerick would actually hug a dark-skinned man, since he had always loved shiny things; Dumbledore couldn't believe that his charm couldn't compare to Snape's; and Snape couldn't believe that the cub had chosen him again.

Never before had he been chosen so resolutely. Snape felt the warmth on his legs, sighed, bent down, and hugged him as they sat back on the sofa.

He didn't know why the cubs liked him, even though he'd been scolded several times at first. Gellert and Dumbledore seemed much more likable to children. He felt a surge of pride; it was the first time he'd seen a child reject Dumbledore and turn to him.

"snort"

Emerick wrapped his arms around Snape's neck. He was angry that Scent wasn't going to take him away. He didn't look at Scent, but turned to Gellert, his hands still on her.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming tense again, Dumbledore looked left and right. He was curious about the relationship between Emeric and Snape, as well as the relationship between Gellert and Emeric. So he decided to ask Emeric. The two adults seemed hard to coax, but the cubs were much easier to coax.

"Eri, wouldn't you like to stay with me and Gellert for a few days? Fox can keep you company~"

"If you stay, you'll be treated leniently for what you did yesterday."

It would have been better if this hadn't been brought up, because Dumbledore stiffened when it was mentioned. After so many years apart, they had to do this kind of thing the moment they met, and he almost couldn't get out of bed for a whole day.

Snape heard the two men coaxing the cub away from him, and his grip tightened slightly before relaxing again. He knew this was the best option; with two of the most powerful figures in the world looking after Emerick, any problems could be resolved quickly, while he could quietly research potions at Hogwarts—a win-win situation.

Knowing it was the best choice, Snape was a little reluctant. The feeling of being chosen was too good. He had become addicted to the unconditional support, and the cubs had nothing but him in their eyes. They even slept close to him.

Realizing Snape wasn't listening to his two old flames, Emerick barely calmed down and yelled at them, "I don't want to be with you two! You'll definitely think I'm in the way of your kissing. Severus, let's go, let's go!"

"Your relationship? Please restrain yourself in front of the children. Don't set a bad example for the young. You're not animals with mating seasons. Can't you be intimate at night? You're so old, don't you have any self-control?"

"Exactly, exactly, blushing, hehehe."

Emboldened by having someone back him up, Emeric was strutting around like a madman, making faces at the two people opposite him.

One of them was furious, while the other was fortunate enough to have his beard covering his blush so it wouldn't be noticed. Gellert wanted to give his child a complete childhood again, but unfortunately, Snape wouldn't let him have it so easily.

Snape suddenly remembered the Animagus of Emerick, which was not a normal animal. The book only mentioned that Silas had a high affinity with plants and animals, and the rest were just descriptions of its appearance.

"That's their family secret. I can guarantee they're not evil creatures. You can ask the brat for details once he's calmed down. You can have him grow medicinal herbs; he might be surprised by the results." Gellert could only reveal so much. He couldn't beat the kid, but he could make things difficult for him. Emeric liked Snape so much, he'd definitely be willing to help him, right?

So that's how the mutated medicinal herbs came about. Snape suddenly understood. He had previously thought that the Thaddeus family had special channels, but it turned out that they had special talents. In that case, the medicinal herbs he wanted would not be difficult to obtain.

Emeric felt a chill run down his spine, a premonition that someone was plotting against him. He quickly looked around but saw no strangers, then dismissed the thought. He continued to stare at Snape, afraid of being left behind.

"Dumbledore, it's time for dinner at Allie's. We need to go back to school. Can we borrow your phoenix?"

"Fox, please take Severus and Emeric back with you. I'll be staying for a while longer."

Gellert's eyes lit up when he heard this. This time, Emerick wouldn't get a beating. It was rare for a child to do something good, so it deserved encouragement.

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"This day was so exciting!" Snape sighed, leaning against the headboard. He'd never cared for cubs before and didn't know if kids would kick off their blankets at night, so he decided to sleep with them. He slept better with them.

The bedroom has been completely transformed. A temperature controller has been installed on the wall, a small clothes rack has been added, a blanket has been laid on the sofa next to it, two plush rugs have been added to the floor, the four-piece bedding set has been replaced with a more comfortable and warm pure cotton one, and the comforter has also been changed. The whole bed is now more suitable for sleeping.

Holding the cub's warm body, which carried a faint milky scent—completely different from the scent of an adult—Snape drifted off to sleep again.

Emeric had slept too much during the day and wanted to play for a while, but he found Snape asleep. Smelling the scent emanating from Snape, he felt that his father had mentioned before that it seemed to be an effect of his father's bloodline, allowing him to smell the scent of people he liked. He really did like Snape.

After a while of random thoughts, the cub couldn't resist the sudden drowsiness and slowly fell asleep, clutching the adult's clothes at the chest.