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

Chapter 203 Extra: The Travel Chapter is Here!

"Why is Professor Snape on leave?"

"I don't know, even Professor Thaddeus is on leave. It's been Professor Grint teaching all the classes these past few days, it's really scary."

"Shh, stop talking..." Another Gryffindor frantically winked at them, and a black figure enveloped them.

"Gentlemen, do you have any objections to my teaching?" Gellert stood behind them, his forced smile quite intimidating.

"No, Professor, we're praising your teaching!" Gryffindor, known for their bravery, chose to give up this time, and it certainly wasn't because they were afraid of Gellert.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, yes, Professor Grint, we haven't finished our homework yet, so we'll be going now." The three of them reached an agreement and hurriedly walked away, not daring to run at all.

Ariana, who was not far away, was chuckling to herself while holding her book. She had stayed at the university after graduation; Hogwarts suited her better than working outside.

"Mr. Grint, let's go, Albus is still waiting for us." She stepped forward to defuse the situation and prevent Gellert from chasing after them in a fit of anger.

The two men slowly made their way to the headmaster's office; they were going to the Hog's Head pub via the fireplace to meet and dine with Aberforth. Although Gellert himself was very reluctant, with the odds against him two to one, he had no choice but to listen to Dumbledore and Ariana.

Dumbledore had already changed his clothes and was ready to go as soon as they returned, giving Gellert no chance to back out.

Aberforth was delighted to see Ariana emerge, his movements quickening as he wiped the cups; he had specially prepared black tea and snacks. But upon seeing Gellert at the end, his face fell, and he hastily grabbed a dirty cup, poured some water, and placed it on the table.

Gellert rolled his eyes and placed his carefully prepared pastry gift box on the table, completely overshadowing the small plate next to it.

Dumbledore sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "I'm actually quite hungry. Do you mind if I eat first?" He was afraid that if the two continued to stare at each other, they might start fighting, and he and Ariana would have to break them up.

Overall, the meal was once again completed without incident, thanks to the efforts of Dumbledore and Ariana.

----------

Emeric and Severus finally returned from their trip, lying motionless on the sofa. The floor was covered with souvenirs they had brought back, and they were too exhausted to tidy up. They could only tell Fufu how to roughly categorize them and let her take care of it; they would deal with the rest after they had rested.

"Severus, let's go back to school the day after tomorrow morning," Emeric glanced at his timetable. "Potions class is in the afternoon, and my class is in the evening, so I can barely sleep in."

"Well, if all else fails, let Dumbledore take over. I trust him."

Emeric didn't respond. He didn't bother going back to his room and simply fell asleep in the living room. Severus, listening to his breathing, slowly grew sleepy and decided to sleep with him. Anyway, no one else could come into Iris Manor; they could do whatever they wanted.

By the time they woke up, it was already evening. Severus woke up hungry; the two of them had slept the entire afternoon. Turning to look at Emeric, they found him still asleep and knew he was tired, so they prepared to have Fufu make something simple.

Home-cooked meals are indeed better than those outside. He was quite curious and wanted to try the local specialties, and one meal cured him.

The break time passed quickly. The two of them took the gifts back to school and handed them out to their colleagues along the way. By the time they reached the cellar entrance, there were only three gifts left.

"Severus, I'm going to find Albus and Gellert. You rest for a while, and go to the Forbidden Forest after you have no classes this afternoon."

"Can."

Severus wondered how their herb garden was doing. Although Emeric had tidied it up before he left, Severus was still a little worried and wanted to see it for himself.

Principal's Office

"You're back. Don't forget you have class this afternoon." Dumbledore smiled at him, but his hand was on his wand. If he didn't agree to go to class, he was prepared to use force to resolve the situation.

"Uh... of course, Albus, what are you doing? Gellert, you need to control him." Emeric moved slightly to the left, away from the direction the wand was pointing.

Gellert picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, looked up at Emeric, and then smiled slightly. "In our family, Al has always been the one in charge." He wasn't going to help Emeric; after being tricked so many times, he was bound to get his revenge.

After being rebuffed, the two-on-one situation looked very unfavorable. Emeric took out the souvenirs he had brought back and placed them in front of the two men. These were gifts that he and Severus thought were suitable for the two of them.

"I'll be going now, I need to go back and have dinner with Severus later." After finishing his business, Emeric quickly came up with an excuse to leave, feeling that Dumbledore's anger had reached its limit, and he was afraid that Dumbledore would drag him into another duel.