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

Chapter 56 Tearing open the wound, torturing oneself

He promised to get along with others, but that didn't stop him from wanting to resolve some issues.

"Since you want to talk about this, let's talk about something else, like what you thought was eavesdropping was actually Dumbledore's doing?"

He personally ripped open the wound that he had dared not touch for so many years, just to scare away young children with this bloody truth. But to his surprise, Emeric didn't think it was his fault at all. Instead, he wanted to talk to him about another wound that he had dared not touch.

"Severus, Dumbledore and Gellert can sleep in the same bed. They're the same kind of people. They're both politicians, one loves the world, the other only loves one person. Do you remember, not only Harry was born at the end of July, but also Longbottom. I guess with the manpower at the time, Dumbledore couldn't protect both families. He needed Voldemort to choose an opponent so they only had to protect one family."

"At this point, he needs someone to deliver the message and to deliver it back. This person needs to have someone they care about, someone who would risk their life for the one they love, and someone of high status. Severus, who do you think he would choose?"

"But what happened next was beyond his expectations. Nobody guessed that someone would leak the information. Severus, Evans' death was everyone's fault, not just yours."

Emeric's voice grew softer and softer, as if afraid of frightening Severus. He knew that Severus had actually understood this a long time ago, but he couldn't let it go. It was like a nail stuck in his body, rusting over time so that the wound would never heal.

What he needs to do now is remove the nails and let the wound heal. He thinks that the ritual may need to be started again in a while, so this time he has to hide himself well and not let Severus find him. Since he can't compete with the dead, he'll compete with the living.

"Professor Snape, I must take my leave now. Good night."

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Since that conversation, Severus hadn't seen Emerick except in class, until now when he saw a girl standing next to Emerick—a first-year student from Hufflepuff.

He should be happy that Emeric was willing to give him up and choose someone more suitable, but the sharp pain in his heart was telling him to stop pretending, that he was clearly very sad.

Severus told himself he was just a little unaccustomed to it, not sad, just unaccustomed to it. He turned and left; he didn't want to see Emeric right now.

"Damn it, Anmia Carinster, if you keep bothering me, Grindelwald will be more than happy to have a word with your family."

Emeric shook off Kalinster's hand and followed the scent to the edge of the Black Lake. He had completely forgotten the harsh words he had spoken earlier and now only wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Mr. Thaddeus, what brings you here? Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing. That person just now wanted Gellert to protect her family. I don't like her."

"There's no need to tell me all this. Mr. Thaddeus knows what's going on. I'm just your professor."

"Of course, Professor, I just don't want to lose points for our college."

As Emeric said this, he bit down hard on the meat in his mouth until the taste of blood filled his mouth before releasing his teeth. Without waiting for Severus to continue speaking, he turned and left. He needed to find a place to vent his anger without hurting Severus.

The man behind him stood in the shadows with an inscrutable expression, his whole body filled with the anger of being abandoned. On the way back, almost all the junior wizards had points deducted, with Hufflepuffs losing the most.

In the days that followed, Hogwarts returned to calm, but a few knew that a greater storm was brewing.

"Al, where is Snape? I need to talk to him."

"What's wrong, Gail?"

"Please stop asking, I need to talk to him."

"Tell me why I can't let you go to him."

"Okay, it's Allie. He's been going to Muggle fights in underground boxing matches these past few days since he hasn't had classes. He doesn't want to come back with me, and he threatened to run away from home if I tell his fathers."

Dumbledore was at a loss for words. What they had witnessed that day turned out to be a breakup scene. He immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and dragged Gellert to find Severus.

"Severus, come with me quickly, something bad is going to happen, something bad is going to happen to Ellie."

"Hey, stop being so temperamental, let's go."

The two old men grabbed Severus and rushed him straight to the underground boxing ring, giving him no time to think. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been taken there.

"Are you all crazy? Thaddeus is supposed to be in class at school, how could he be here?"

"Severus, look up. Allie is very upset. Don't yell at us yet. He came here as soon as get out of class ended so as not to hurt anyone else."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, Gellert continued.

"I don't know what your conflict is, but don't end up like Al and I with regrets. You need to have a proper talk, the kind that doesn't hurt anyone."

The people around him were cheering for Emeric's victory, showing that he had indeed been a frequent visitor here recently. They watched as the blood trickled from Emeric's mouth, as he got up after his ribs were broken and threw people down, as he won match after match, until finally he left the stage covered in blood.

They returned to Hogwarts in silence. All three knew why Emerick was acting this way, but neither of the two elders could persuade him. They couldn't force Severus to accept Emerick, nor could they force Emerick to give up on Severus.

All they could do was give each other space. They looked at each other, sighed, and left the school gate hand in hand. Emeric would be back soon. Their presence here could easily affect the outcome of their conversation, so they could only hope that Severus would feel sorry for them and not leave immediately.

As soon as Emeric appeared, he smelled Severus's scent. Looking at the bloodstains on his body, he thought of turning into a cat and hiding, waiting for Severus to leave before coming out again.

"Stop right there, let's talk."

"Emerick, stop right there."

"What's wrong, Professor? I have something to attend to. Can I leave now?"

"Explain to me where the blood on your body came from. Don't leave if you still think of me as your professor."

Emeric turned away helplessly. He had forgotten that his professor also had a dog's nose and could smell everything. He was so focused on hiding the front that he forgot about the smell.

"There's no professor involved, it's just a trial arranged by my family. Feel me, I'm really fine."

The broken bones have long since healed, and now all that's left on my body are some superficial wounds, which wouldn't be noticeable even if examined.

"I was in the audience. You said you wouldn't lie to me."

One sentence shut Emeric up completely. He conceded defeat, ruffled his long hair into a mess, and spoke dejectedly.

"I'm just in a bad mood. Muggles can't hurt me. I'm really fine. I promise I won't go, okay?"

Even though he was very sad, he still comforted Severus. It wasn't that he wasn't prepared to give up; he was just venting his anger. He was angry that he hadn't been born so many years earlier to snatch Severus away, angry that he couldn't win against a dead man, and angry that fate had to torment a pitiful person.