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

Chapter 65 Yes, I have one child.

Emeric sat in Dumbledore's lap while eating. The two-year-old couldn't eat much and was full in no time, but he didn't leave and just sat there obediently watching the two adults eat.

Dumbledore had been holding Emerick tightly for the past few days, unwilling to let go. It was the first time he had ever seen a child so adorable, not only well-behaved and obedient, but also clean and able to eat by himself.

Even if he had nightmares at night, he wouldn't make a fuss. He would just hug his blanket and silently shed tears. When Dumbledore found out on the first night, his heart was almost broken. He quickly carried Emeric to their bed, hoping that he would feel safer sleeping with two adults and wouldn't have nightmares at night.

Gellert also wanted to hold Emerick for a while; he hadn't seen him so well-behaved in years. But unfortunately, he couldn't compete with Dumbledore and could only watch them longingly.

"Gail, has Lily's identity been resolved? The Transfiguration teaching assistant is a good fit for her; she won't attract attention, and Minerva can cover for her. If there are no problems, Harry can stay with his mother forever."

"Okay, that's settled. We'll change her hair color and appearance, and we also need to come up with a new name. She can't get too close to Harry at school, or it'll be exposed."

Gellert is always meticulous in his work. Lily's identity has changed to that of the daughter of a small German family. She is a fan of Minerva McGonagall and leaves Germany to become a professor at Hogwarts because of her idol. She has an optimistic and cheerful personality and can play with children.

The two continued their conversation, but soon fell silent again as Emerick fell asleep in Dumbledore's arms. He had been sleeping anytime, anywhere for the past few days; only prolonged periods of rest could quickly repair the damage to his body. Neither of them dared to take Emerick to Severus, leaving him to heal on his own.

Dumbledore carried Emeric to the sofa chair, cuddled the sleeping child, and began working. Of course, he left most of the work to Gellert, ostensibly to take care of the child, but the documents he received were mostly for the headmaster's signature.

He quickly finished the documents, held the sleeping child in his arms, and saw Gellert looking at him with longing eyes. He stood up and hugged both Emeric and Dumbledore, feeling as if he had embraced everything in his life.

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A person's voice, appearance, and name can change, but their demeanor and way of doing things cannot. When Severus first saw the new witch at the school, he thought he was seeing things and stood there for a very long time.

It wasn't until Harry took the witch's hand when no one was around that he finally confirmed his guess. A wave of elation washed over him, but he immediately realized that Emerick was gone. Last time, he turned back into an 8-year-old child during the ritual, so what about this time?

A large expanse of blood instantly appeared before Severus. He "saw" Emeric lying on the ground, covered in blood. The aura of death surrounded the fallen man, and his smoky purple eyes lost their luster, staring blankly at him.

The sharp pain in his brain roused him, and the hallucinations vanished the instant the pain struck. He was now frantically trying to find out where Emerick was, or to get any news about him.

The man, who hadn't been controlled by his emotions for many years, stormed straight into the principal's office. He figured only Gellert would know Emeric's whereabouts, and that the little brat might be hiding in the principal's office.

Find him and send him back to Germany. Only in this way can Emerick's secret be preserved, and only in this way can we stop watching Emerick risk his life time and time again.

"Enter"

After Dumbledore let the person in, he realized that there was an infant in his arms who could not be seen by outsiders. But before he could hide Emeric, Severus's black robe rushed in front of him.

"Emerick? Dumbledore told me why Lily was resurrected, why Emerick would initiate the ritual again, and this is how you take care of him?"

The enraged man roared at Dumbledore. The sleeping cub, hearing the noise, rubbed its eyes, groggily looked up, and met Severus's gaze. Its large, smoky purple eyes met the furious black eyes, and it couldn't help but flinch, but its gaze quickly filled with affection.

Emeric roused himself and jumped off Dumbledore, lunging at Severus. He loved this man in all black; he smelled so good, he wanted to stay with him.

The man, once again favored, stiffened. The tiny cub clung to his leg, its warm body flowing through his entire body from the point of contact. Severus instinctively pulled the cub from his lap into his arms, and his aching heart finally got what it had been longing for.

"Severus, now that you've seen it, I won't hide it from you anymore. Could you try making some potions? Ellie is in very poor health right now, sleeping almost two-thirds of the time every day. The preliminary diagnosis is excessive blood loss and excessive magic consumption, but we can't see anything else."

"I understand, take him away quickly."

The moment Dumbledore's hand touched Emeric, tears streamed down his face. He wanted to stay with Severus, not the old man from before.

Severus's physical memory was faster than his mental memory; before he could even react, his hands had already naturally begun to soothe the child.

He supported Emeric's body with one hand and gently patted the child's back with the other, occasionally swaying him slightly. Coupled with his deep and gentle voice, the cub, who had just been crying, obediently fell asleep.

This made Dumbledore feel like he'd swallowed a huge lemon; so sour he wanted to snatch the child away. If he weren't afraid of waking the sleeping cub, he really might have done it.

"Severus, take Airi away. Tell everyone he made a mistake in alchemy and blew himself into the shape of a child. He'll recover in a while. As for why he's with you, let me think about it."

"Dumbledore, what's in your head besides syrup? You want me to babysit your kids again? First Harry Potter, now Emeric, how many more do you want me to take care of?"

"I don't want to either, but look how clingy Ellie is to you. I've been taking care of him for so long and he's never pulled on my clothes like this before. I was even thinking of getting angry."

Dumbledore stroked his chin unhappily. Ever since he and Gellert reconciled, he had to shave his beard. He didn't know who he learned it from, as he was always either jealous or making tea.

"If you don't bring Ellie, I'll have to move him to the cellar. I can't resist him when he cries. Oh, and there's also Gagelet. He feels sorry for Ellie too. I can't refuse the two of them."

Severus, feeling threatened, had a dark expression, but he still gently patted Emeric's hand. He suppressed the urge to curse and turned to leave with the child.