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

Chapter 96 The Poor Unlucky Guy

After leaving McGonagall's office, Severus led Emeric back home. They hurried back for dinner, after which they would continue brewing potions.

Fortunately, it's still early, and the dean isn't giving a speech today. Severus, unusually curious, spoke up.

Why didn't you become the class monitor this year?

"At first, I needed to establish my authority, but now, even if I'm not the prefect, no one dares to cause trouble."

"Very confident?"

"Of course~"

"If anyone causes trouble, you'd better clean it up."

"My pleasure."

After speaking, the two continued their work; they needed to brew the medicine within the next two days. They would both be very busy in the coming days, and if they delayed until next week, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the required dosage.

They worked tirelessly until midnight, finally completing their monthly quota. Seven vials of potion were lined up on the table, from darkest to lightest. Severus was still methodically tidying up the table, while Emeric just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"Go and wash the crucible. I'll clean up all the herbs. Let's get this cleaned up quickly so we can go to bed early."

"yes..."

By the time they finished their work, it was already midnight. Emeric naturally stayed in the cellar again, because the first class the next day was Severus's fifth-year Potions class, and they all had to be in the classroom on time.

"Fufu, just make two sandwiches. One should have ham, egg, and sauce, and the other should have a fried egg and lettuce. Wait for us at the entrance of the potions classroom."

Both of them overslept today. After washing up, they left the cellar 15 minutes before class. They rushed over in five minutes and just got Fufu's sandwich.

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"Severus, are you really going to fight Lupin?"

Emeric was worried about Severus's condition. He hadn't slept well last night, and there were still some bluish-gray spots under his eyes. He looked very unwell.

"You look down on me?"

"No, I didn't! I'm just worried that he might have a virus that could harm you!"

Fearing Severus might misunderstand, Emeric quickly explained. Lately, Severus had been unusually cold towards him; what if he angered him and ignored him?

Ignoring the person clowning around, Severus took his wand and headed towards the dueling platform in the middle of the classroom, where Lupin was already waiting. He was happy to have a fight to put an end to this matter; after all these years, he didn't believe Severus could still beat him.

The two wizards bowed.

Severus's bow was utterly perfunctory, a casual nod to Lupin. McGonagall turned to Lupin, pretending not to notice Severus's lack of a bow, and stared at him until he adopted proper etiquette before announcing the start. It was perfectly normal for her to favor Severus over the students who caused trouble as soon as they arrived at school.

"The duel begins."

McGonagall retreated to the edge of the dueling ring, keeping a close eye on both sides. Even if neither of them conceded defeat, she would declare the duel over if anything seemed amiss, so as not to let the two of them really get into a fight.

Emeric was equally worried, but his fear differed from McGonagall's; he feared the werewolf virus in Lupin might harm Severus. Meanwhile, Flitwick was quite pleased, confident Severus would win—after all, an outstanding graduate wasn't just talk.

"Don't worry about Severus, Eli, he's very strong!"

Flitwick patted Emeric's leg to reassure him; Severus was quite powerful. The fairy professor, who hadn't seen a duel in a long time, even considered having a drink with Emeric, but thankfully, his sanity remained intact.

They were chatting enthusiastically offstage, and they were also fighting fiercely onstage.

"Protect yourself!" Severus dodged the flames and blocked the oncoming debris, then retaliated with a curse, "Tarantella Dance." From the start of the duel, he had been using curses; he wanted to see Lupin make a fool of himself.

"Smoke swirling around." Lupin realized he had miscalculated. He hadn't expected that after so many years, Severus's dueling ability hadn't been corrupted by school life. One curse after another was putting him under some strain.

Lupin, with his superhuman hearing and sense of smell, instantly found Severus's direction in the smoke.

"Torn to pieces." "Exploded with a thunderous roar."

Severus's own experience and the luck boost from the unicorn's blessing allowed him to easily dodge all the spells.

The battle between the two intensified, escalating from spoken spells to silent ones, with some spells even causing a section of the dueling ring to collapse. Flitwick's magic swirled around the ring as he busied himself repairing it, his wand practically smoking from swinging so much.

Until Lupin's spell went astray and hit the table, it wouldn't have caused any harm, but Emeric was too close and became the unlucky one.

"Bang."

Thinking there were so many professors around, I figured there wouldn't be any danger, so I didn't bring any protective gear. Who would have thought he'd be so unlucky? A powerful weapon shot him away, sending him flying and crashing into a wall.

"Airi!!!"

"Enough! You two, stop right now!!!"

"Stop the curse immediately." "Immediately imprison them."

Enraged, McGonagall abruptly interrupted the duel, binding the two men together like dumplings. Even though they had graduated long ago, the deep-seated awe ingrained from their student days still held sway, and they obediently surrendered.

Just then, Severus smelled a bloody odor mixed with the scent of grass and wood. The familiar smell made his pupils contract sharply, and he turned to look in the direction from which the smell was coming. Emeric was carefully using the wall for support to stand up, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, where he had accidentally bitten his lip.

"Professors, I'm fine, you can continue. I'll just take a bottle of medicine."

Emeric's obedient appearance softened McGonagall's heart. She put her hands on her hips, looked at the two adults beside her, and began to scold them.

"You two are less sensible than Ellie! Didn't you realize you hurt someone? Have you forgotten that innocent people shouldn't be hurt during a duel? You two, apologize to Ellie, now!"

"I'm sorry I hurt you." Lupin apologized directly to Emeric, genuinely feeling bad about it.

Severus managed to squeeze out an apology, and knowing his temper well, McGonagall said nothing. She looked at Emeric, asking him with her eyes if he could accept it.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it. If you're not going to continue, could you let me go to the medical wing? I think I have a broken bone?"

Speaking the most provocative words in a somewhat uncertain tone, McGonagall left the two of them off the stage and took Emeric to the medical wing for a checkup.

Only Severus and Lupin remained in the classroom, and Severus spoke first.

"You'd better pray he's alright, otherwise who knows what might happen to your wolfsbane potion?"

"Snape, are you worried about him?"

"Ha, this is my most outstanding student. Of course I care about him. Unlike you, who have been at school for three days and not a single student likes you."

He slowly uttered a sarcastic remark, straightened his clothes, and left without looking back.

Severus prepared to go back to the cellar to wait. He had a feeling that Emeric would come back after taking his medicine, and would turn into a kitten, snuggling in his arms. He would pet him as a comfort.