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

Chapter 111 A Gift for a Child's First Birthday

"Severus, go take a shower first. I'll finish packing my things first." Emeric took out a bunch of souvenirs they bought on their trip and packed the gifts for everyone so they could be delivered tomorrow.

Besides packing travel souvenirs, he also secretly packed birthday gifts for Severus. This year, he wanted to do something romantic and gave him 34 birthday gifts, one for each year he turned 34.

The first item was the newspaper from the day Severus was born, celebrating his birth.

The second item is a magic cloth book with flip pages, which is perfect for a one-year-old child who is full of curiosity about the world.

The third item is soft-soled shoes with anti-slip features, as two-year-olds are always restless and love to walk.

... ...

The eleventh item was an adorable baby owl, a set of alchemical protective gear, three custom-made wizard robes, two little dresses, and a large bag of snacks.

... ...

The fifteenth item was a pile of rare herbs, a potion notebook, a protective brooch, three gorgeous dresses, and a whole bunch of fast food.

The sixteenth item is a limited edition Honey Duke gift box, a collection of high-level potion recipes, and three elegant dresses.

The seventeenth item was a bottle of Flame Whiskey, a job offer letter, a large bag of Galleons, and a huge pile of potion ingredients.

... ...

The thirty-second item: three sets of everyday robes, ten shorthand quills, a pair of silver snake cufflinks, and a large pile of potion ingredients.

The thirty-third item was a constant-temperature wool blanket, a set of wand care tools, a pile of herbs, and three sets of clothes.

The thirty-fourth item: two rings, a diary, a love letter, and a small bottle of aphrodisiac.

Each gift box contained a blessing and an "I love you" message. He had been preparing these gifts for a long time, starting to search for them in October.

Those clothes were all made by him according to Dumbledore's description, and they were probably quite different from Severus's at the time, but there was nothing he could do because he had been absent for so many years.

By the time everything was packed, it was already 1 a.m. Emeric stood up, feeling dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

----------

Happy birthday, Severus!

"Can you go to class today? I need to decorate the cellar and bake a cake. Can you come back around dinner time? I have a lot of ideas, and it will take a whole day." Emeric was trying to kick Severus out of the cellar, otherwise he wouldn't have time to arrange his gifts.

"Alright." He was willing to leave for a day for the gift. He couldn't help it; every year, Emeric would give him things he liked, and the boy's burning love made him addicted, like he was under a drug.

After shooing Severus away, Emeric waved his wand and hung silver and green ribbons on the ceiling, replaced the carpet on the floor with a new one, dusted off the bookshelves, and even cleaned the fireplace.

Emeric wanted to smooth out even the slightly warped corners of the walls. After cleaning the entire room, he began to lay out the gifts on the floor, from one year old to thirty-four years old, one by one in order.

He stood at the door, adjusting the placement of the gifts to ensure Severus would see them the moment he entered. After half a day, he was finally satisfied with the arrangement. The remaining time was spent preparing a loving dinner and a birthday cake.

Severus spent the entire day receiving gifts. From the moment he left the cellar, every colleague he met would pull out a present for him. McGonagall gave him a set of crucible maintenance tools, which suited him perfectly; Sprout gave him a bunch of strange fruits, just like every year; and Flitwick, as always, gave him a bottle of slightly aged goblin wine.

All of this warmed Severus's heart. When he received so much love, he learned to cope and returned a small cookie to everyone. At first, he was a little puzzled as to why Emerick had given him so many cookies, but he understood once he received the gift.

"Thank you, Felius. These are cookies that Airi made. I hope you like them."

"Of course I like it. Thank you, Severus, thank you for giving it to me."

Flitwick was overjoyed, clutching the cookie box that was almost as tall as him. He used to only get to eat them when he was in meetings with Severus, but now he had the whole box.

Even Gellert sent a gift—a photo album of Emerick as a child. Looking at little Emerick's chubby face, Severus's heart melted. It was the first time he'd ever thought Gellert could do something good; the memory of the child abduction incident had been too vivid.

Finally, it was dinnertime, and Severus returned to the cellar on time. Pushing open the door, he immediately saw the pile of gifts on the floor. Each box was numbered, all the way up to thirty-four, and he instantly realized that these were for him from the age of one until now.

The first item was a newspaper from 34 years ago, with a small slip of paper next to it that read: "A major event happened today. The greatest potion master in history has been born, and it is the person I love."

The second, the third, and all the way to the thirty-third gift box, each contained a gift and a small note with a confession of love on it. He suddenly trembled slightly as he slowly opened the thirty-fourth gift box, which contained a jewelry box and a letter.

At the same time, Emeric walked up to him with the cake, opened the ring box with one hand, and said, "Severus, will you accept me?"

"Hmph, you still have a long way to go." He spoke coldly, but then put on his ring, implying that he agreed to the arrangement.

"Why don't you want to?" Seeing Emeric stunned and speechless, Severus's tone suddenly turned somber.

"Of course, I will keep trying. I'm just too happy to react." Emeric wiped away the tears of joy from the corners of his eyes. He was surprised that Severus would agree, or perhaps he thought it would take many more years to work things out.

"Quickly blow on the cake and make a wish. I put coffee jelly and tea jelly inside. Try it after you finish eating and see if you like it."

As he spoke, he placed dinner and cake on the table. The two of them ate six dishes, but the portions were small, just enough for Severus to eat a few bites of each dish without feeling too full.

"The cake looks good. I'd like to have a Swiss roll tomorrow."

"Okay, I made a lot extra coffee jelly. Would you like some tea jelly too?"

"May I have some?"

"Then add both coffee jelly and tea jelly, and less cream. What else would you like to eat?"

"That's all."

Emeric looked at the cat-shaped ring on Severus's hand and couldn't resist reaching out to touch it. He really liked Severus. On his hand was a small vial containing a yellow gemstone, which looked exactly like Felix Felicis.

If you don't look closely, you won't even realize that these are a pair of couple rings. This is also the main reason why Severus agreed to Emeric's request; after being taken care of so well for so long, it wouldn't hurt to occasionally fulfill his wish.

And with the love he saw in all those gifts, everything fell into place naturally.