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

Chapter 55 Your future isn't worth wasting on me

(It won't be angsty, it's bound to happen eventually, and it'll be resolved quickly!!!)

The first class of the semester was Potions. Emeric got up early and went to the kitchen to make two sandwiches and brew a pot of red date rice porridge. He placed it on the teacher's desk before anyone entered the classroom and covered it with a lid to keep it warm and prevent the smell from entering the classroom.

After doing all this, he went into the auditorium to eat his breakfast. He made himself bread with scraps, which tasted the same but was much less refined.

"Eat quickly, we're running late! The first class is with Professor Snape."

"I'll have another bite right now."

The two Gryffindors rushed into the Great Hall, stuffed a couple of bites of bread into their mouths, and ran out. Emeric followed them out, but when he reached a wall, he flipped a lamp, revealing a secret passage. The passage led to the Potions classroom, something Draco had told him.

"Bang"

As Severus pushed open the door, the classroom fell silent instantly. Everyone sat up straight, afraid of being noticed. His gaze swept across the entire classroom, and he was quite satisfied that everyone was quiet.

He placed the book on the podium, and the sandwiches that had been enchanted with a confusion spell appeared in front of him. Both were his favorite flavors, and the red date rice porridge next to it was steaming slightly, making it look like a perfect breakfast.

Severus sighed inwardly, feeling helpless. The boy's gentleness and thoughtfulness burned like fire in his heart. At this moment, Severus decided to end this relationship as soon as possible. No one could resist such a boy, including himself. He couldn't ruin Emeric's life. Emeric should like someone better, not him, who was stuck in the mire.

All of this happened in a mere minute. Apart from Emeric, no one noticed that something was wrong with the professor. This slight pause made him feel that something was getting out of control, but now was not the time to review the situation; he would deal with it after class.

Coincidentally, Severus thought the same thing. He planned to resolve the matter that night. Putting aside his complicated thoughts, he opened his book and began to teach his students.

After class, Emeric deliberately dawdled until the very end, wanting to help Severus take his things back to the cellar and spend as much time alone as possible.

"Mr. Thaddeus, come to the cellar at eight o'clock tonight. I need to speak with you."

"Okay, professor, do you need my help? There's quite a lot of stuff."

"No need, you can go to your next class now."

"Okay, I'm off then. See you tonight."

Emeric was so overjoyed by Severus's invitation to meet him that evening that he completely forgot to review the situation, which led to him being caught off guard that night.

eight pm

Emeric appeared at the cellar entrance on time, clearly dressed up meticulously. His waist-length hair was braided into an elegant single braid on the left, with a small bat earring on his right ear and a small silver snake hair clip in his hair. Underneath his green robe was a light gray shirt, and a black cat collar clip was attached to his green tie, making him look like a peacock spreading its tail.

"Knock knock"

"Enter"

"Severus, I'm here! Would you like some mousse cake? I just made it, could you try it for me?"

"No rush, please have a seat, let's talk."

Emeric's intuition told him something was wrong, and he subconsciously pretended not to hear the words, taking out other food and placing it on the table.

"If you don't want cake, I also brought noodles and soup dumplings, or you can see what you'd like to eat and I can make it for you now."

"Emerick, let's talk."

"You didn't eat much for dinner, eat something first, or your stomach will hurt again."

"Eri, let's talk."

"Please, Severus, let's eat first."

Emeric had a guess about what they were going to talk about, and thought he could stall for time, maybe he could come up with a solution during the time it took to eat a meal.

Seeing Emeric's eyes gradually welling up with tears, Severus softened. He decided to indulge in Emeric's tenderness one last time before the two would become strangers.

The two finished their meal quietly, and although their interaction was the same as before, their feelings were completely different.

"Eri, I remember you told me before that you would never lie to me, right?"

"Yes, I would never lie to you."

"Do you have someone you like? Don't give me any other excuses."

Emeric didn't want to answer; he wanted to turn around and leave. "If you leave, never come through this door again."

"Severus, must you be so heartless, not even giving me a sliver of hope?"

With his back to Severus, his usually smiling eyes were filled with tears, his gentle voice had become hoarse, and his straight but slightly trembling body revealed his vulnerability.

"Airi, sit down and let's talk."

"We can talk, but after today, we still need to act the same as before. Do you remember what you promised me?"

"If you'd like."

Severus didn't rule it out completely. After Emeric sat down again, he asked the same question again.

"Yes, I have someone I like. I've liked him for over half a year. He's a very good person and deserves everyone's liking."

"You like me, right?"

"right"

Upon hearing Emeric's admission, Severus took a deep breath and tried to speak, but Emeric stopped him and told him to speak first.

"Severus, you deserve the best. It's my luck to like you. Don't reject me. We haven't even tried. How do you know we're not right for each other? You don't hate me, do you?"

Emeric's eyes held tenderness and longing. He was no longer hiding anything; since he'd been discovered, he might as well speak out, leaving Severus nowhere to hide. He reached out and grasped Severus's cold left hand, his inner turmoil clearly not as calm as his tone.

"Then let me tell you a story. If you're still willing to sit here after hearing it, then we can talk about other things."

"I killed the person I loved most, Lily Evans, Potter's mother. I told Voldemort about the prophecy of the Messiah in order to gain more power among the Death Eaters. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have died."

"I was willing to kill the person I loved for my own benefit back then, and now you will become a tool for me to climb the social ladder. Your entire family might be offered up for my own gain. Do you still dare to do that?"

Emeric kept his head down and didn't speak. He planned to wait until Severus finished speaking before speaking, and he couldn't help but think, "Is that all?"

He should be grateful that Severus didn't blow up Hogwarts. What's wrong with climbing the ranks to avoid being bullied? Besides, if Evans really considered Severus a friend, he wouldn't have let those nasty guys bully him in the first place.

If there's any mistake, it's that he shouldn't have said that one thing. Everything else was just to survive. An orphan with no background and no money has no choice but to rely on himself to survive in the magical world.

After being bullied at school for so long, Severus didn't blow up the whole school. Isn't that good enough? He'll be drugged by Dumbledore soon. It's all his fault. If he hadn't stopped the bullying, would Severus have suffered so much?

Emeric thought so, but he didn't show it on his face. He hugged Severus, covering his mouth with one hand and holding him with the other.

"Stop talking. Don't try to force me to back down with your own scars. You know I never back down. This will only hurt me."

"Let's talk about something else, Ellie. I'm 32 and you're only 14. Your future isn't worth wasting on me. Why don't you try getting along with someone else? You said you'd listen to me."

"Severus, you are so cruel. You used my promise to reject me. I promise you, and I hope you won't regret it."