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

Chapter 166 Very Satisfied

Outside the Potions Classroom

Emeric waited for Draco to finish class, standing outside the classroom with a pile of parchment in his arms—all the Malfoy properties he'd snagged. He'd even taken in their servants and put them back in their shop.

"Let's go, let's go, today was too scary."

"Wait for me!!!"

"No way, you're already 15 years old, why are you still afraid of the professor?"

"You're so capable, you're the best! Why didn't you say anything when you were almost crying from being scolded?"

"Alright, stop arguing! The professor is looking over here, let's go!"

A bunch of Gryffindors wished they could fly away on broomsticks, terrified that Severus would notice them again and give them a big deduction. They'd already lost fifteen points in the first class of the semester; Professor McGonagall would probably have a talk with them later.

"Brother Ellie." Harry crawled out from the lion pack and stood next to him. The corridor was full of people, but his spot was the only one that wasn't so crowded.

The two waited a long time before finally seeing the rest of the class leave. Draco and Hermione walked out one after the other, having just finished listening to the professor's explanations. Although Severus disliked rote memorization, he wouldn't deny Hermione's efforts. He would answer any questions she asked.

"Draco, come here. This pile of things is in duplicate. Sign it and give me one copy." Emeric couldn't wait to stuff the things in his hands into Draco's arms. They were all transfer documents.

"?"

"A contract?" Draco looked at the document in his hand, completely bewildered. This shouldn't be given to him. "Brother Eli, are you asking me to give this to Dad?"

"You heard me right, this is for you. I went to great lengths to get it out of Malfoy's hands. Remember to sign it for me today."

"what?"

Emeric patted Draco's head, finding his slow-witted look somewhat amusing. Mischievously, he deliberately remained silent, pretending to be busy looking at the sky and the ground but ignoring Draco. Unfortunately for Draco, the boy had grown up and immediately realized someone was teasing him.

"Brother Elie, if you're not going to tell us, Harry and I are leaving now. We have class later." Draco pulled Harry away, ready to leave. It was one thing to tease him about a small matter, but to act like this about a big one was really too much.

"Hey, hey, I'll tell you, I'll tell you," Emeric quickly stopped Draco. If he left, he'd have to coax him later. He muttered under his breath, "They're getting less and less fun as they get older." Draco pretended not to hear the last sentence and stood there waiting for Emeric to explain.

"I guess Mr. Malfoy didn't tell you, but Tom has taken a lot of your family's property. I dug these out and gave them to you for living expenses, otherwise your father would be heartbroken." Emeric said, taking out some snacks and putting them in Harry's hands, telling them to come back for more after they finished. "I'll be going now, take them to the cellar after you sign."

He followed Severus to a secluded spot, took the item from the man's hand, and handed a small Swiss roll to Severus.

Sprout walked over from a distance and saw Severus with a cake in his mouth. She was charmed by his cuteness; she had never seen him like this before. She was even more pleased with Emeric and took very good care of Severus.

Emeric was being looked at kindly by Sprout. He thought Hufflepuff was behind him, but when he turned his head around, he couldn't find him. He felt like something was out of control because Evelyn had seen the three of them and then nervously hid to the side.

The man, engrossed in eating cake, noticed Sprout's gaze and quickly finished, intending to say something to distract her. Emeric squinted at Evelyn, demanding an explanation for why she was avoiding him and what mischief she had gotten herself into. After all, this woman had a criminal record; her childhood gossip about her father and grandfather's relationship made it hard not to be suspicious.

While Sprout and Severus were chatting, Emeric walked up to Evelyn and asked, "So, who were you talking to?"

"no."

"Tell the truth and you won't have your salary docked. But if I find out you're hiding something, you can forget about your bonus for this quarter."

Evelyn stiffened and gave a fawning smile. "My young master, I only let slip a little bit. The rest they guessed themselves." She gestured with her hand to create a small gap, repeatedly assuring everyone that she had only used the title.

If it weren't for the fact that Sprout seemed quite pleased with him, Emeric would have wanted to deduct all of Evelyn's remaining bonuses for the next few months. "Who else knows? If you don't explain clearly today, and I find out there are others, I'll deduct a month's bonus for each one."

"I haven't told anyone else except Minerva and Pomona."

What's the difference between this and telling the whole story? Emeric felt a wave of dizziness; he regretted promising Evelyn he wouldn't dock his pay. There were only four deans in total, and two of the remaining three knew.

"Um... Evangeline's hungry, I'm going to feed the snakes." Seeing Emeric's face growing increasingly dark, Evelyn quickly made an excuse to slip away; if she stayed any longer, her bonus would be in jeopardy.

How could he have forgotten this woman's gossip skills? They surpassed even her work abilities! No wonder his father sent her here without mentioning any conditions; she was waiting for him here. Judging from Sprout's demeanor, he probably knows a lot; otherwise, given this witch's personality, she wouldn't have gotten involved.

On the other side

Severus awkwardly accepted Sprout's concern, took out a small box of his own saved-up pastries from his ring and gave it to her. He was quite generous to Sprout and McGonagall, and since he had plenty of these kinds of pastries, it didn't matter if he gave them away.

"Thank you, Severus. Try my honey cake I just made. I didn't put in much sugar, so it should suit your taste." Sprout took out some warm little bread rolls from the small basket, making them small in case Severus couldn't eat them.

Severus felt extremely uncomfortable under Sprout's gaze and quickly put the bread in his mouth to prevent himself from speaking. Even after all these years, he still hadn't gotten used to the two ladies' concern.

Usually, Sprout appears not long before McGonagall appears next.

"Severus, Pomona, what have you been eating behind my back?"

"I just made some bread, and Severus gave me some cookies, want to try some?" The two witches started chatting right there, occasionally slipping some food into Severus's hand like feeding a child.

Severus ate for a while and then realized something was wrong. If they kept talking, he wouldn't be able to finish his lunch, so he quickly interrupted their feeding. "Sorry, I have to go now." He then grabbed Emeric and left.

The billowing cloak brushed against Emeric's calf, as if scolding him for not helping him in his time of need. The two witches behind him exchanged a smile, thinking that Severus was much better this way than before, so much more dejected.