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

Chapter 57 Lyra and Garian

"Lyra, has he really given up on the professor?"

"Don't ask me why I'm busy. I have to deliver a cake to the professor today. I'm the one who got hurt when they had their fight."

Gallian felt a pang of sympathy. Luckily, he couldn't bake or cook. Emeric had stopped fighting with Muggles these past few days and was spending his time in the library instead. Gallian was going to accompany him there later.

"Luckily, Ellie isn't boxing anymore. I'm almost old enough to go to St. Mungo's to get my fracture treated. We can go together since it's on our way."

"Alright, stop complaining. I saw you smiling a lot when you got your salary. It's not like I asked you to spar with him."

"Isn't this because I feel sorry for our young master? This is the first time I've ever seen him so upset in his life."

"Don't feel sorry for him, you should feel sorry for yourself first. You'll be very busy in a couple of days. Lockhart is still at school, and Harry Potter says he can hear strange noises. You pick one, and I'll take care of the other one."

"Lyra, surely not? Ellie shouldn't be in such a hurry, right?"

"How about this, we make a bet: if Ellie is investigating the voice, you'll investigate Lockhart, how about that?"

"Okay."

Lyra rolled her eyes at Garian, who was deceiving himself. She didn't want to talk to him. Who should be Ravenclaw anyway? It was so obvious.

Emeric had probably been poring over documents all week; how could someone not know anything when they were together at the library? She quickened her pace to get away from Garian, afraid of catching it.

When she reached the cellar entrance, Lyra took a deep breath. She was still a little afraid of Professor Snape, even though he was the future mistress and he was very handsome.

In her first year of high school, she accidentally caused an explosion by mishandling the appliance and was scolded so badly that she couldn't even lift her head. This left her with a psychological trauma, but the thought of the salary Emerick gave her made her feel better.

"Enter"

"Professor Snape, this is for you. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Tell him he doesn't need to waste his time on me.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I'm not in a position to advise him. Besides, the Emeric I know never gives up, and no one can stop him from loving someone."

Leila couldn't help but say one more thing, then immediately bowed and left, not giving Severus a chance to speak. If she continued and revealed Emeric's plan, she could be sent back to Germany; no one could stand in her way of making money.

She felt a great sense of accomplishment, not only having survived the professor's clutches but also fattening him up a bit. Actually, she didn't know Severus had a small appetite, and she always cooked for him according to his normal appetite. Since Severus disliked wasting food, he ate the cake as his main meal—no wonder he gained weight!

Lyra quickly finished her task; she needed to continue investigating the strange noises Harry had heard. Clearly, Emerick didn't want to deal with Lockhart right now; he wanted to eliminate the hidden threat, fearing that Voldemort's Horcruxes might harm Severus.

Investigating with Emeric is much faster than doing it alone. Putting aside his ability to communicate with plants, his luck alone is enough to match her workload for a whole day.

"How about Galian? Young Master is checking the voice, right? Then go check Lockhart."

"Okay, okay, I can never beat you."

Garian muttered that he could never beat Lyra and he really didn't know why she was a Hufflepuff and not a Slytherin.

"Alright, stop feeling wronged. Finish your meal and get back to work."

Seeing his pathetic state made me angry, so I grabbed a piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth, telling him to get as far away as possible. I really don't know what my father saw in the Audrey family back then, that he insisted on making her get engaged to Garian.

Behind her, Garian looked blissfully happy, his eyes sparkling with joy. He had begged Mr. Soramia for a long time before she finally agreed; after all, she was his princess. Otherwise, how could Lyra not have suitors? It was all thanks to his persistent pursuit.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Let's go to class."

He took the book from Lyra's hand and they went to class together. Many of his Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw classes overlapped, giving him more time to spend with Lyra. Through his unintentional announcement, the whole school knew they were engaged and would get married after graduation, warding off a lot of unwanted attention.

"Speaking of which, how did that rabbit end up in the cellar? Did you deliver it there?"

"Huh? Layla, what did you just say? Never mind that for now, this first-year student went to Myrtle's place."

"Myrtle?"

"Isn't that just an abandoned washroom?"

"Garian, go find Ellie. I'll keep watch here. Don't worry, I'm protected."

"Then be careful, I'll be right back."

Garian ran straight out; the faster he went, the safer Lyra would be, and the sooner Emeric arrived, the better. He ran to his usual spot in the library and, sure enough, Emeric was there.

"Eri, come with me quickly! Lyra might have run into Voldemort. She's following us now. Hurry up!"

"Walk"

Emeric grabbed his wand and rushed out of the library with Garian, heading straight for the women's restrooms. Emeric followed the trail all the way to the restrooms, where Lyra was waiting.

"Laila, how are you?"

"The Weasleys' little witch came here and started hissing. I'm not sure what language it is. The sink will open when it hears the sound. I didn't dare go in alone and stayed here to guard it. No one has come out of here yet."

"Good job, we'll leave something here for easy tracking."

Emeric took out a bottle of powder and sprinkled it on the ground, gradually covering the entire sink area. The powder turned colorless upon contact with the ground and emitted a strange fragrance that only Emeric and the person who had taken the medicine could smell.

"That's good. Garian, go ask Professor Flitwick what happened in the bathroom. Lyra, ask Professor Sprout. I'm going to find Ron. I suspect something is controlling her, and I'm not sure if it's life-threatening."

The three immediately separated and acted quickly, because if it really was Voldemort, Ginny was likely to be in trouble.

Emeric had their schedule and soon arrived at the door of the Potions classroom. He stood outside the window and saw Severus inside, his eyes involuntarily drawn to the man.

His gaze traced the man's body, finally settling on his pink lips. He completely forgot what he had come there for, and only came back to his senses when the young wizards inside opened the door after class.

"Harry, you and Ron wait for me, and you, Draco, wait for me over there. I need to talk to you."

"OK."

Emeric walked against the flow of people into the classroom, stood next to the man who was checking homework with his head down, and took out a small bottle containing three animal teeth.

"I just got my new baby teeth, as I promised you."

"Have you not been eating properly these past few days? You've been eating snacks all the time. Your lips are even a little pale. I've left the snacks here. You can put them away yourself later. I... I have to go now."

After saying that, he put down a ring and turned to leave. Emeric didn't want to hear a rejection, and besides, he really was busy and didn't lie.

Severus wanted to distance himself, but sadly discovered that he couldn't separate himself at all. Not to mention the medicine delivered every day, he couldn't even take the things Emeric had put in the cellar off his own, nor could he go back to them.