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

Chapter 168 Pink Object

When Emeric arrived at the headmaster's office, Umbridge had probably just left. The old headmasters on the wall were all cursing and swearing, Dumbledore was standing with his hands on his hips talking back, and Gellert was frantically putting in eye drops next to him.

"Are you...crazy?" He leaned against the doorway, looking completely bewildered. He had never seen Gellert so lively before.

"Allie, what brings you here?" Dumbledore asked him when he had a moment, then turned and waved his wand to cover up all the paintings on the wall, otherwise they would start arguing again.

"I overheard something and wanted to confirm it." Emeric sat down on the sofa, looking at Dumbledore curiously. "I heard you and Umbridge had a fight? What is she trying to do that angered you?"

Dumbledore got angry just thinking about it. He angrily picked up his water glass and gulped down two glasses before speaking. "She wanted to come and teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I disagreed. But this person used Fudge to pressure me. It made me so angry." He got angrier as he spoke, stuffing dried fruit into his mouth.

Chew chew chew

"When did she decide she wanted to be a professor?" Emeric was puzzled. He hadn't noticed Umbridge's interest during his last visit to the Ministry of Magic. "Are you sure you didn't mishear? It couldn't have been Senior Tom who sent her, could it?"

"It's hard not to be suspicious," Dumbledore said casually, shifting his gaze to Gellert and gently rocking his chair. "Alright, I'll have someone investigate," Gellert immediately understood the meaning behind Dumbledore's look.

Seeing the unspoken understanding between the two, Emerick felt a slight toothache. No matter what, he always found Gellert's love-struck nature repulsive. Now that he knew what had happened, he had no desire to linger and witness their sweet daily life any longer, so he made up an excuse and left.

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"Dear Headmaster Dumbledore, have you thought it through? When can I teach my students?" Umbridge asked Dumbledore with a smile, her eyes darting around, looking at every corner of the headmaster's office as if the place belonged to her.

Dumbledore ignored her completely, twirling his fingers and pretending not to hear anything. He tilted his head slightly to look at Gellert on the sofa, signaling him to make some noise and find a way to get rid of her.

Silence fell over the room for a moment, broken only by the bubbling of steam. Umbridge's smile grew increasingly stiff and almost crumbled. She continued, "In my opinion, you should abide by the Ministry of Magic's rules and follow the established procedures. Don't always act on your whims. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to report this to Minister Fudge."

Hearing that cloying, affected voice, Gellert gripped his teacup tightly, unable to drink any more tea. He placed the cup on the coffee table, his face darkening as he interrupted Umbridge, "Al, we should go. The children are waiting for you to serve dinner." He stood up and walked to Dumbledore's side, not even glancing at Umbridge.

Upon hearing Gellert's words, Dumbledore quickly pulled him towards the door. As they reached the door, it was as if they finally remembered there was someone else in the room. "We have to leave now. If you need anything, come find me this afternoon." After saying that, the two of them stared intently at her.

“Of course, let’s go together then.” Umbridge followed behind them, thinking of finding other leverage to threaten Dumbledore. She smiled again, but her eyes darted around, not missing a single suspicious sign.

"Why is there a pink...object following behind the principal and Professor Grint?"

"There's no pink object here, that's not right."

"Good heavens, how old is this person to dress like that? She's even more pink than my sister! Is she going to teach here? I'll go blind..."

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. Don't embarrass the principal in front of outsiders."

Umbridge's face had stiffened for what felt like the umpteenth time today. She silently memorized these faces, preparing to deal with them later. She couldn't afford to offend Dumbledore, but surely she could handle these little brats?

Emeric, watching from the shadows, gave Evelyn a look, signaling her to keep her eyes on the pink object and not cause trouble at school. Why didn't he wait until after he graduated? Then he'd have time to play with her properly. Right now, whatever it is, it better stay put.

Dumbledore, who was ahead of the curve, was unaware of all this. Gellert, however, had noticed something amiss, but now that he was Professor Grint, he could let Emeric handle it; otherwise, what was the point of giving him so many people? Besides, with the increasingly sophisticated system over the years, it wouldn't be easy for Umbridge to cause any trouble. Those ghosts alone could keep her in check, not to mention Salafina.

Inside the Great Hall, the children sat obediently at the long table, waiting for Dumbledore to start the meal. There were still three empty seats at the professors' table, and Severus was still nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, kids, dinner's ready!"

Dumbledore didn't exchange pleasantries and simply waved his hand to announce that dinner was ready. He said his and Gellert's dinner would have to wait a while, as Fufu would need some time to cook.

McGonagall and Sprout watched the children eat with gusto, and they were delighted, finding the food even more delicious. But when their gaze fell upon Umbridge, things took a different turn. They exchanged a knowing glance, and seeing the disdain in each other's eyes, they instinctively turned downwards, washing their eyes with the children's little faces.

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Emeric strolled back to the cellar and chatted with Severus about what he had just seen. It seemed that Hogwarts was about to be in turmoil again. He wondered when they would find the crown. The things piling up were really annoying.

"Ugh, this is so annoying," Emeric buried his head in Severus's arms, nuzzling against the man's chest. "Why is things getting more and more chaotic as I graduate? Is Tom Harry's nemesis or mine? Why isn't he going after Harry?"

"It's all because you and Dumbledore dote on him, always putting him in his place." Severus patted the head in his arms. "Get up, or you'll cause trouble and we'll grade your homework together."

Emeric sat up straight, reached into the pile of assignments on the table, grabbed a few sheets, picked up his quill and began grading. It was much faster for the two of them to work together. Before long, Severus put down his quill, rubbed his wrists, and leaned against Emeric.

He reached out and pulled over the small plate in the distance, and started eating it without any qualms. He piled the rest of the food at Emeric's place, since there wasn't much left.

"I want to eat grape panna cotta." While eating grapes, Severus suddenly blurted out that he was craving it.

"Okay." Emeric agreed. It was rare to hear him take the initiative to mention what he wanted to eat. He could just eat less for dinner.