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

Chapter 204 Extra: The Original Timeline

(I, Hu Hansan, am back again. Although it's another time travel, I still love to eat, hehe. In the Death Line, he's called Snape, and in the Sweet Line, he's called Severus.)

Emeric landed and looked around in confusion. Just a moment ago, he and Severus were having dinner in the principal's office, and now they had traveled through time again.

A reassuring tone came from the other side of the contract. Emeric managed to calm himself and carefully observed his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was.

After barely managing to calm down, he finally smelled the blood in the air, accompanied by a particularly familiar herbal scent, coming from afar.

Emeric walked toward the smell of blood. The more he looked at the place, the more familiar it seemed. It was the Screaming Shack, but why had it turned out like this? A question arose in his mind.

A bad feeling crept into his heart; the broken buildings around him blocked his way. Amyk, disregarding his identity, found a corner, transformed into an Animagus, and climbed the wall on all fours, walking from the top of the building.

Inside the Shrieking Shack, Snape leaned against the wall, quietly awaiting his death. Blood flowed from his wounds, and he tilted his head to look at the blood flowing onto the ground.

He felt a chill run through him, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his vision blurred. Suddenly, a strange cat appeared before him. Snape chuckled to himself, "It's magical creatures keeping me company at a time like this."

"Meow!!!"

Emeric was terrified. The room reeked of blood and the floor was covered in red. He took off running for Snape, his reason completely gone, and all he wanted to do was save him.

He took out a small knife, cut open Snape's wrist, and held it to Snape's mouth, while pinching his jaw with his other hand to get as much blood as possible into the man's mouth.

Emeric was thankful he had run fast; judging by his condition, if he had been any later, Snape in this timeline would be gone. After a while, the body in his arms began to warm up again; the man was finally out of danger.

However, the aftereffects of excessive blood loss were still present, and Snape remained unconscious. He didn't respond when picked up, nestled in Emeric's arms, and looked quite unwell.

Snape had been unconscious for a day and a night. When he opened his eyes, he was stunned for a moment, thinking he would never wake up again. He immediately looked outside the bedroom, his hand instinctively reaching for his wand under his pillow. The next second, he stopped. The person who brought him back knew him well and knew his little habits; the wand was in its usual place.

With more and more questions swirling in his mind, Snape, unsure if he was alone, quietly walked to the bedroom door, used his wand to push it open a crack, and peeked out. The things in the living room had changed a lot, but everything suited his taste. A person sat on the sofa nearby, appearing to be only in his twenties, with flaxen gray hair that gave him an innocent look.

"Sir, did you bring me back?" He was prepared to try to get some information out of him and find out the current situation, at least to know if Harry was safe.

"Of course, let me introduce myself first. I'm Emeric Thaddeus, your partner from another timeline. Harry is safe now; he's enjoying savior treatment. I haven't told anyone about your safety." Emeric poured out everything at once, not caring whether the man understood immediately, and continued, "If you don't want to get involved in this anymore, I can take you away."

Snape's question marks grew larger and larger. He reached up and rubbed his head, sorting out the information he had just received. At least he knew that Harry was out of danger.

Pointing his wand at Emeric, he couldn't help but taunt, "Mr. Thaddeus, if you're mentally unstable, go to St. Gomans. I can't help you." He was tense, making sure he could interrupt any move Emeric made immediately.

"I know you probably don't believe me, but this is my wedding photo with Severus. I'm sure Mr. Snape has his own way of verifying its authenticity." Emeric shrugged and took a photo out of his ring, handing it over.

Snape glanced at the scene from afar. His other self was embracing the person in front of him, with the living Dumbledore beside them. Seeing this, he felt he could believe what had just been said, but it was impossible for him to lower his guard.

He returned the photo to Emerick, who reluctantly put away his wand. Now, the most important thing was to verify what Emerick had said and ascertain Harry's safety.

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Severus landed in someone's bedroom and sensed Emeric's panic. He tried his best to calm him down, wondering where the brat had gone and what if he caused trouble.

"Sir, isn't it inappropriate for you to barge into someone else's bedroom?" Thaddeus pressed his wand against Severus's waist. He could smell his own scent on this man, but he had never seen this uninvited guest before.

Upon hearing the voice, Severus became alert. Emeric couldn't possibly be here, much less point his wand at him. He reached for his wand in his sleeve with his right hand. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm here either."

"Sir, please introduce yourself. I need to know where you are from." Thaddeus moved his wand slightly away, taking the initiative to show his sincerity.

Severus turned around and saw a familiar man standing before him, but the wariness in the man's eyes made him realize that this was not his cat. "I am Severus Snape, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. It's possible that a potion explosion caused a spacetime distortion that brought me here."

He made up a random excuse; he didn't even know what time it was, and giving specific details would only give him away. Besides, given Emeric's personality, he'd only believe things that were half-truths.

Sure enough, Thaddeus put down his wand. Although he still looked wary, it was better than a fight breaking out at any moment. Severus continued, "I'm sorry about that. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now." He was going to Hogwarts to see if he could find a way back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Snape, you've broken my bed and you'll have to pay me a thousand Galleons," Thaddeus paused deliberately, and after seeing Severus's brow furrow slightly, continued, "Of course, if you'd like to show me around Hogwarts, this compensation can be waived."

He wondered why his scent was on Severus; the concentration made it sound like the two of them were together every day. His curiosity inexplicably surfaced.

Severus frowned deliberately. Sure enough, he got a bodyguard. Even though they were from different timelines, they were essentially the same. They both loved watching the excitement, and their demands were just a pretext for their true purpose.

"Alright, Mr. Thaddeus." He paused for a moment, then pretended to be particularly reluctant to agree, though he had already made a mental note of his cat's actions and would keep Emerica pinned on him as soon as he got back.