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

Chapter 76 Ariana's Troubles

"Emerick, get out!!!"

"Airi, didn't we agree not to pursue this???"

Dumbledore felt completely drained, his face flushed, and his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, were misty. It was clear that the drug Emeric had given him was working well.

Gellert, standing nearby, was also feeling uneasy. He thought Dumbledore smelled wonderful, so wonderful that he wanted to take him back to his room and savor every inch of him.

"You guys have fun, I'm leaving now~"

As he reached the door, Emeric turned back and uttered his final words.

"I forgot to mention, this medicine only lasts for one day. It won't wear off until that time is up. Simply venting won't help."

He didn't feel like he had promised anything; who had told them they wouldn't pursue the matter? It certainly wasn't him.

Emeric's good mood lasted until he discovered that Ariana was unhappy. He liked this gentle little sister very much, even though she was of a higher generation than him and he had to call her his great-aunt.

"Ariana, what happened? Why are you here all alone? Let's go get something to eat over there, okay?"

"It's okay, can I be alone for a while?"

"Of course, I'll go sit over there. Come find me when you've finished talking."

Ariana nodded obediently, then turned back to face the lake, sitting on the ground in a daze. Her brother had said Hogwarts was wonderful, but why did it feel different to her? It wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined; some people were even despicable. The shock of her shattered illusions made her very sad.

"Why is what you said different from what my brother said? Why are you bullying strangers..."

She lowered her head, looking somewhat sad. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and a coat was draped over her from behind. Looking back, she saw Emeric not far away.

"Sitting here for too long will make you sick. Shall we go somewhere else? I know a nice place that's not crowded and has a good view. What do you think?"

"it is good."

The little red-haired witch walked beside Emeric, shoulder to shoulder. Emeric would occasionally touch her hair, and the two looked perfectly matched.

Anyway, that's what Draco thought. He pulled Harry aside and secretly followed behind. He didn't want a Gryffindor as his sister-in-law! He had finally accepted Emeric as his godmother, and he didn't want to be brainwashed again to accept another sister-in-law or a different godmother!!!

"Harry, I'll go with them. You go to the cellar and call my godfather over. Whether you lie or pull a fast one, just bring him here. Your nose should be able to find me, right?"

"Xiaolong, this is between the professor and Brother Ellie, I don't think we should..."

"What did you say?"

"I'll go right now!"

"very good."

It's clear that Harry holds a high position in the family. He immediately changes his tune when he sees Draco squinting. During the summer holidays, he noticed that Narcissa liked to squint when she was angry. If Lucius hadn't noticed, he would have been kicked out of the bedroom. But if he had noticed and changed his tune, nothing would have happened.

The two children split up; Draco followed Emerick furtively, while Harry ran as fast as he could, afraid that Draco would get angry if he waited too long.

Harry ran all the way to the cellar entrance, but still couldn't come up with an excuse to get Severus to come with him. In the end, he decided to use the same method as before and lie that Emeric was in danger.

Draco, on the other side, was spotted after only a few steps; the scent of roses on him did not escape Emeric's nose.

"Little Dragon, come out here. Why are you following me?"

Draco, who had been called out, obediently stepped forward, his mind racing as he tried to find a suitable reason so that Emeric wouldn't want to beat him up.

"Where's Harry? You two are usually inseparable, why haven't I seen him today?"

"Harry went to training, and I was bored by myself, so I followed you..."

Emerick reluctantly believed this reason and asked Ariana if she would like Draco to come along. When she nodded, he waved for Draco to follow.

The three of them walked all the way to the House of Requirement. Emeric wished for a room with a good lake view. When he opened the door, a large lake appeared inside, with dappled sunlight shining on the surface of the lake.

"Look, do you like it, Ariana?"

"very beautiful."

"Xiaolong, come here, don't just stand there like an idiot at the door. We're here for a picnic. I brought a lot of food with me. You two can help yourselves to whatever you want to eat."

"Thank you, Airi."

The three of them sat together under the shade of a tree, each with plenty of food beside them. Emeric had practically given everything he owned to appease Ariana; now, aside from Severus's favorite foods, all the other delicious treats in the ring were there.

"Eri, Hogwarts isn't as wonderful as my brother described, and some people there are even quite bad. I'm a little disappointed."

"Did anyone do anything? Can you tell us the details?"

"I've met a new girl named Luna Lovegood. She's a first-year Ravenclaw student, and her things often end up in other places."

"At first I thought she was just forgetful, and after helping her look for things several times, I found out that her roommate had been leaving her things lying around. Later I discovered that it wasn't just her roommate, but also people from three other colleges who were playing pranks on her."

"I asked them why they did it, and they said it was a joke. But shouldn't both parties laugh when it's a joke? I also tried talking to the professors, but they bullied Luna even more after the professors left."

"Airi, I don't know what to do. Is this what my brother meant by 'wonderful'?"

Emeric felt a pang of sympathy for the disillusioned little witch. He poured her a cup of milk tea and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Albus is right to say that Hogwarts is wonderful, and he is also right to say that Hogwarts is not wonderful. He only saw the bright side, while you saw the dark side."

"But don't lose your illusions about Hogwarts; it will become as wonderful as you imagine. Ariana, could you please call Miss Lovegood over? I'd like to speak with her, is that alright?"

"You have a solution? I'll go right away!"

Ariana immediately scrambled to her feet and ran toward the Black Lake. She knew where Luna was, and it was wonderful that Emeric was willing to help.

"Brother Ellie, do you really have a solution? This matter involves almost the entire school..."

"Of course, but it depends on Miss Lovegood's own wishes. If she is willing to be a witness, things will be much easier. If she is not willing, I will have to take a roundabout route, but it won't be a big problem."

"Brother Ellie, may I ask why?"

"Because I love Severus."

"What does this have to do with the Godfather?"

"I've taken care of it, so he can be a little less busy. Okay, stop asking. What exactly happened between you and Harry? Tell me!"

Emeric didn't want to reveal too much, so he questioned why Harry wasn't with him and quickly changed the subject.

Their conversation was heard through the crack in the door. Severus understood what Emeric hadn't finished saying, and he wondered what would have happened if he had met Emeric back then. His life would have been much better.

"Is this what you meant by Emeric being in danger? He's going to be in solitary confinement tomorrow. What are you going to do standing there like an idiot?"

Since Harry let him hear all this, we won't deduct points and will let him off the hook for now.