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

Chapter 190 Extra: Transmigrating and Picking Up a Child

(Hey, my imagination is running wild again (〜^∇^)〜)

(The professor travels to the outskirts of Nurmengard and finds Emeric, who has been forgotten there.)

"Damn it, where am I?" Severus pulled his coat tighter around himself, standing bewildered in the snow. Who would have thought that he'd gotten up to get a glass of water and suddenly found himself in this new place? Although his cloak had insulating runes, the snow made his bones ache.

Looking around, there were no landmarks. To find out where he was, he first needed to find someone. Luckily, he and Emeric had completed the entire pairing ceremony; otherwise, he would have had to rely on luck in this situation.

Severus placed his hand on the tree trunk beside him and asked them what kind of buildings were there; he didn't expect these trees to have any concept of a nation. Soon a message came back: there was a tall tower ahead, where humans were frequently seen.

The man slowly made his way towards the area inhabited by humans. Once the branches overhead thinned out, he took out a flying carpet and sat on it, which would make him much faster. Before long, a tall tower covered in snow appeared before him.

As darkness fell, Severus had no choice but to risk approaching; lingering outside at night was not a good idea. Reaching the doorway, he sensed something was amiss—the snow was too high. Fearing something might leap out and attack him, he decided to strike first.

"They'll all turn to petrification."

"Sweeped away in a whirlwind."

A strong wind blew away the snow in front of him, and a petrified child appeared before him, curled up against the wall.

"Airi? Damn it." Severus waved his wand to remove the petrification from Americ, picked him up from the snow, and was startled by the burning heat of his body the moment his hand touched him.

Holding the child in his arms with one hand, he knocked on the door with the other. He remembered a story he had heard long ago: Emeric was forgotten outside Nurmengard as a child. At that moment, Severus suddenly realized he had traveled back in time.

"The Arahu Cave Opens."

He didn't have time to wait for Gellert to open the door, so he decided to do it himself. Emeric was in such a bad state that waiting any longer would really cause a magical outburst. After laying the child down on the sofa, Severus took out a bottle of fever reducer and fed it to him, thankful that he usually carried medication with him.

After taking the medicine, Emeric's temperature came down. He opened his eyes and looked at the adult holding him, wondering where the scent he had just smelled came from. He liked it so much.

"You're awake? Come here, let me hug you. It's been so long since I've seen you like this." Severus felt a pang of nostalgia watching Emeric rub his eyes. He remembered how adorable the little guy was when he was five or six years old.

"?" Little Ellie tilted his head, his brain unable to process the question. He obediently leaned forward to let Severus rub his head, his eyes wide as he observed the dark, fragrant man. "Hello—"

"Call me Severus," Severus interrupted him, not wanting to hear such a distant address. "I just saved you, so aren't you going to listen to me?"

Little Ellie paused for a moment, trying hard to recall what had happened. His smoky purple eyes were full of confusion. Before he could remember anything, his stomach started rumbling. It seemed that restarting his brain had taken a lot of effort.

"Pfft," Severus couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to rub his little belly, wanting to pinch the chubby cheeks, but all he felt was a thin layer of flesh, completely different from what he remembered. "How about you drink some soup first? You can't eat too much since your fever just broke."

Severus took a small bowl of shrimp soup from his ring and handed it to little Allie. Luckily, he had plenty of food, otherwise he really wouldn't know where to find any for a while.

Severus had thought the bowl of soup would be just enough for little Ellie, but there was half a bowl left over. He watched Ellie place the bowl on the coffee table beside him. "Can't you finish it? Or don't you like it?"

Little Ellie shook her head, lowered her head and thought for a while before saying, "It'll be gone once it's eaten."

The short sentence was like a needle pricking Severus's heart. He suddenly remembered that he was the same when he was a child. He was always hungry, always afraid to eat more, and always left half for himself the next day.

"How about we eat some more of this?" Severus took out a small bowl of vegetable porridge. Even if he only ate half, it would be enough to feed little Ellie. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. You won't go hungry anymore."

I thought Gellert had said enough, that it was heartbreaking enough, but I never expected there to be so much more. No wonder Emeric was so particular about every meal, no wonder he only ate what he liked; he was simply making up for his childhood self.

"Let me touch it," Severus placed his hand on the slightly curved belly, just like a child should look. "How about we have meat for dinner tonight?" He spoke in his gentlest tone, using the reduplicated words he used to hate, afraid of scaring little Ellie.

"Okay." Upon hearing that there would be meat for dinner, Emeric's eyes lit up instantly, and his reaction quickened as he buried himself in Severus's arms.

"I really want to stay and take care of you." But he couldn't. Severus could feel a clock ticking down, so he could only pick up the little one in his arms and go find Gellert. Compared to Ellie's fathers, he felt that Gellert was better at taking care of the child, at least in the original timeline.

They climbed the stairs and discovered that the tower had very few rooms. Soon, Severus found Gellert, a man dressed in rags, hunched over by the window, his gaze fixed on England.

Gellert had noticed someone had broken in long ago, but he didn't care at all; he just wanted to sit there and watch the snow fall outside.

"Mr. Grindelwald, I know you're listening," Severus took a deep breath to suppress his anger at being ignored. He had to make sure little Ellie was settled before he left. "If you can take good care of little Ellie, I'll exchange information about Dumbledore with you."

"I come from another timeline of the future. In my timeline, you two made up. It was Little Ellie who found a way to get you back together." Severus continued to bombard Gellert with information. His time was running out, and he could only use this method to force Gellert to comply.

"Perhaps." Gellert turned to look at the people behind him. He realized he couldn't see a future for these two people, and he began to believe most of Severus's words. "Vendor, prepare a few outfits. We'll have a little guest here soon."

"Yes, sir." Venda emerged from the shadows in the corner, bowed to Gellert, and then left, her wand still pointed at Severus.

"I don't have much time left here," a bell rang in Severus's ears, "so that he can transfer to Hogwarts when he's 13. Only then can you rekindle your old flame."

He put the child down and gently pushed him toward Gellert. "Sorry, I have to go. This is the meat I promised you." Severus kissed little Ellie, took out a food box and placed it on the ground, then gave him a hairpin as a keepsake. "Remember to come find me at Hogwarts. Don't be afraid, I'll be waiting for you in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of silver smoke appeared, sending him back to his original timeline. Before he could recover, a pair of trembling arms wrapped around him.

"Severus, where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages and I still can't find you."

"Go see a little boy, a little boy forgotten by his fathers in Nurmengard."

"The timeline is messed up again?" Emeric felt a headache coming on. Who was responsible for this mess?

"Why didn't you tell me you were always hungry when you were little?" Severus pinched Emeric's cheek, finding it more comfortable this way.

"It's all in the past. You're not allowed to like him. You have to like me!!!"

"I'll eat any kind of vinegar..."