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

Chapter 193 Going on a Trip

Severus hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to go to Albania before the summer vacation ended. He and Emeric hadn't traveled in a long time, and since they hadn't received any work assignments from Dumbledore recently, they felt they would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't go out and relax.

"Going to Albania? Great! When are we leaving? I need to pack my bags and food in advance." Emeric sat down next to Severus, picked up a strawberry and fed it to him. "Should we bring a crucible and processing tools?"

"No, we've already picked most of the herbs there. We'll deal with any special ones later. Besides, I believe you can grow them, right?"

A man can't say he can't, especially not in his area of ​​expertise. Emeric nodded confidently; he was very confident in his racial talents. Except for some recipes that required wild plants, Severus mostly used herbs he grew himself.

"Very well, then we'll leave tomorrow. I don't want to suddenly receive another pile of documents." Severus didn't want to see Dumbledore's owl at all right now, so he stuffed strawberries into a plate to cool down.

The strawberries Emeric planted have ripened these past few days, and they taste fragrant and sweet. He's been eating strawberries as his fruit for the past week, and he hasn't gotten tired of them yet.

Emeric's brow twitched. He reached out and took the plate from the man's arms, afraid that if he ate any more, he wouldn't want to eat lunch. Then he'd start playing the victim again, and that's exactly what he fell for—it always worked. He wondered who had corrupted Severus; if Severus found out, he'd have to teach that person a lesson.

Lucius at Malfoy Manor suddenly sneezed, suspecting someone was talking about him, but after thinking around, he couldn't find anyone who would be talking about him behind his back.

"I haven't finished eating yet, give it back to me." Severus turned around and glared at Emeric with a displeased look. He had only eaten half of his food when it was snatched away.

"How about we eat this afternoon? Otherwise, we won't be able to eat lunch again." Emeric pulled Severus into his arms and coaxed him, not wanting to restrict him like this. Perhaps because the pressure had disappeared, the man had been indulging himself too much lately, eating so much in just one month that he had experienced acid reflux several times.

Severus knew he'd been too unrestrained lately, even taking advantage of Emeric's lack of anger, constantly pushing his boundaries. He'd eat snacks every few days, infuriating Emeric to the point of hugging him and refusing to speak, then learning all sorts of new and unusual foods to whet his appetite.

"I want something spicy and sour for lunch," the man said, barely managing to suppress his appetite. He casually ordered a flavor, then snuggled into Emeric's arms, placing his hand on his waist. "Come with me to do the experiment this afternoon."

"Okay." Emeric sighed and hugged the man in his arms tighter. What else could he do but continue to coax the person he had spoiled? At least Severus was willing to eat, unlike him when he was a child who would rather starve than eat.

Glancing at the time, Emeric released his arms from the man's, kissed his cheek, and said, "I'm going to cook. Call me if you suddenly feel like eating anything." He especially liked the man's current languidness, which lacked the previous drive that made him feel like he was being pushed to his limits.

Severus was engrossed in his poetry collection and casually told Emeric to hurry up and cook so as not to disturb him while he was reading.

Going into the kitchen, Emeric picked out two lemons and a chili pepper, preparing to make a cold beef salad and a cold shrimp salad. He also felt sorry for Severus not being able to eat, so he wanted to satisfy the man's tastes as much as possible. Finally, he mixed a vegetable salad, put all the dishes on the table, and served each of them a bowl of cold noodles. Their lunch was complete.

"Severus, dinner's ready."

"Let's go."

The man put down his book and followed Emeric into the restaurant. He saw that every dish on the table was spicy and sour, and even the main course was his favorite cold noodles.

He rarely took the initiative to kiss Emerick, as a reward for the little rascal who had coaxed him, and he was willing to grant any request he made.

After finishing their meal, Emeric went to pack his things. Since they were going on a trip, they needed to bring more luggage to ensure their comfort.

The next day

Emeric woke up exceptionally early and reached out to cover the man with the blanket. He was going to make something to eat, as there weren't many places to eat on the way to Albania, and he didn't want to eat at that gruel shop again.

Before he could do much, Emeric heard Severus come downstairs, guessing that he had gotten up. The man felt the bed was a bit empty, so he woke up too.

"I made some sandwiches to take on the road," Emeric stuffed a small piece of beef into the man's mouth. It was a leftover scrap from sandwiches, just enough for Severus to taste. "I added some pickles to cut the grease, and I also made a fruit sandwich for dessert."

"Make some more cookies for me to snack on."

"Okay, I'll bake some matcha and chocolate ones, how about adding some small nuts?"

"Can."

The man was having a strawberry sandwich for breakfast. The sweet taste with a hint of sourness was very appetizing, perfect for when he didn't have an appetite.

"I brought five sets of clothes and three pairs of shoes, as well as two tents. I also brought two sets of other daily necessities for each person. That should be enough, right?" Having not traveled for a long time, he was a little unsure how much to bring, so he turned slightly to ask the man.

"That should be enough..." Severus wasn't sure for the moment, so he could only go along with what Emeric said, and that he could always come back earlier if necessary.

"I'll write a letter to my father and dad later to tell them we've gone on a trip, in case they can't find us when they come back." Emeric packed all the sandwiches into his ring and also packed a lot of condiments.

I just threw together a quick breakfast, putting all the leftover bits of vegetables and meat into two slices of bread and making myself a giant sandwich.

"Okay, I'm done cleaning up. With Fufu at home, we don't need to worry."

"Let's go."

They left the manor's anti-phantom teleportation range and headed towards Albania. With no time constraints this year, they stopped at almost every place they passed through to experience the local culture and customs.

"Shall we bring some souvenirs back? The dried fruit here tastes pretty good; I think Professor McGonagall would like it." Emeric took a bite of the dried fruit; it was sweet and sour, and seemed perfect as a souvenir.

"Okay, buy some more for Pomona, she likes this flavor of dried fruit too." Severus took the snacks from Emeric and decided to bring a gift for everyone at Hogwarts, except for Dumbledore.

It took them almost twice as long to reach the forest; compared to their previous haste, this was a true journey. They bought something in almost every city they visited, and if it weren't for the large capacity of Emeric and his ring, they would have had no room to store their purchases.