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

Chapter 11 Extra: Emeric's Coming-of-Age Gift

"Severus, please don't come to Malfoy Manor in the middle of the night, okay? If you don't sleep, Cici and I still need to sleep." For the first time, Lucius regretted knowing him so much. Merlin's briefs, his beauty sleep...

Severus ignored his wailing. "Next month is Americ's coming-of-age ceremony. I don't know what to give him, except for potions." Americ doesn't even lack potions. He suddenly felt a little proud of the student he had taught.

He was immediately defeated by the frustration of not knowing what to give as a gift. All the gifts that Ellie gave him were things that touched his heart: daily flowers, some magically engraved products, and medicine-making tools that were slowly being replaced, etc.

"Why worry so much? If you don't know what to give, just offer them a bottle of Flame Whiskey and you'll know." Lucius rolled his eyes. Did he really think he couldn't see the ambiguity between the two? He wasn't stupid.

Ignoring his friend's sudden outburst, he went into Hogsmeade through the fireplace as if he had made up his mind. Of course, he wasn't going to buy wine; he had suddenly remembered what to give as a gift.

They finally found the hidden fairy workshop when they were almost at the end of the street. Severus sorted out his thoughts and clarified his specific requirements before pushing open the door and going in.

"I need two men's rings, plain bands that can adjust the size automatically, one for Snape and the other for Thaddeus." He drew the approximate shapes on the parchment and handed it to the goblin.

The two rings are marked as silver. One is set with a smoky purple gemstone and must be engraved with Thaddeus; the other is set with a black gemstone and must be engraved with Snape. The smoky purple gemstone ring has a strange shape, depicting a bizarre creature holding the gemstone; the black gemstone ring is a more normal design, featuring a snake.

Two weeks later, Severus went to pick up the ring while Emeric was in class, and also to see what other interesting things were there.

After receiving the ring, Severus passed by the Three Brooms Bar and, in a moment of madness, bought a large bottle of Flame Whiskey. He suspected that Lucius had cast a spell on him, otherwise why would he buy alcohol?

Before Emeric returned from get out of class and clung to him, Severus finally found a place to hide the gift, adding two Confusion Charms just to make sure it was safe.

"Severus."

Along with the sound came a warmth from behind; Emeric stood beside the chair and embraced Severus.

"You definitely didn't eat lunch properly today. I didn't see you at all at noon." As she spoke, she slowly rubbed his stomach with one hand. There was a cup of hot black tea and a small plate of biscuits on the table.

"Assuming you remember how much stuff Ellie gave me a while back, and how much food I still have in my pocket, that's enough to keep me from eating in the auditorium for a year."

"These are for emergencies, not an excuse for not eating on time. I'm going to punish you."

Emeric blocked Severus's mouth before he could speak, pinching his chin with one hand to force him to open his mouth and accept the aggressive kiss, while his other hand gripped the back of his neck to prevent him from escaping.

Their lips and teeth lingered for a long time before Emeric released his grip on the back of her neck and gave her a few comforting kisses.

"Suppose you're planning to murder your potions professor, starve him to death and then continue." His breath was completely ragged from being kissed, and he could only barely save face by spitting venom.

Emeric knew when to stop. He coaxed the embarrassed and indignant Severus for a few moments, then quickly asked Fufu to order food to change the subject.

Emeric's birthday finally arrived, much to his anticipation! He had been eagerly awaiting what Severus would give him, and of course, he would love whatever it was.

In the early morning, Emeric glanced at the time; it was seven o'clock. He gently removed his hand from Severus's waist and slowly pulled out the strands of hair that had been pinned down. Inevitably, there were some touches during the process; the young man's body was always so susceptible to such teasing.

Severus found the blankets a little cold and groggily reached to the side. He slowly sat up, preparing to get out of bed, when he heard soft breathing coming from the bathroom.

Severus cursed under his breath, "You horny beast." His slightly longer hair covered his reddened ear tips. After changing his clothes, he saw Emeric, who had just finished showering, and his ears couldn't help but turn red again.

"Severus, today's lesson plan is on the left side of the table. Breakfast will be here in ten minutes. I'm really looking forward to dinner." As he spoke, he massaged Severus's wrist. Preparing medicine requires precise control, and the wrist would ache after a while, so Emeric massaged his wrist whenever he had a spare moment.

"Fufu, prepare a bowl of longevity noodles, a serving of soup dumplings, a bowl of spaghetti bolognese, a large bowl of seafood soup, and two small cups for me."

Emeric happily decided on dinner, waiting for Severus to return so they could eat together. He prepared his own homemade plum liqueur, low in alcohol; a bottle between the two of them would at most result in a slight buzz.

Severus rarely indulged himself with alcohol; after finishing the plum syrup, he started drinking whiskey and clearly felt drunk.

He took out two rings, and Emeric was stunned. "Severus, you mean..." Before Severus could speak, he continued, "I do, I absolutely do. It doesn't matter if you marry me or I marry you." As he spoke, he picked up the obsidian ring and prepared to put it on himself, afraid that Severus would change his mind.

Severus took the obsidian ring, then took America's hand, looked into his eyes, and slowly put it on. America immediately realized what to do and put the ring on Severus's finger as well.

Their fingers intertwined, and Severus loosened his grip, indulging Emeric's recklessness. He knew what would happen, but he was willing to give in this once, even if it meant the end.