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

Chapter 125 School Starts!

"Little Dragon, you and Harry have been listening to your godfather this semester, and the days ahead will be dangerous."

Draco remembered what his father had said before the start of the school year, and when he saw Barty Jr., he finally understood. It wasn't just that there was danger; he felt that Hogwarts was about to collapse.

We can only be thankful that Harry is sitting at the Gryffindor table; otherwise, a splash of red amidst all the green would have drawn everyone's attention.

What if Barty finds out about his relationship with Harry and threatens to hurt him? Draco thought this wouldn't do. He gestured to Harry, agreeing to meet in the cellar after the dinner. Anyway, Severus hates Gryffindor, so punishing Harry at the start of school is normal, and meeting his godfather is also normal, isn't it?

Although Harry didn't understand why Draco had sneaked into the cellar, he knew Draco must have his reasons and planned to ask him when they met. He didn't even tell Ron, just gave him a perfunctory reply after dinner and headed straight for the cellar.

The two pushed open the cellar door one after the other, and Severus was looking at them with an impatient expression. He and Emeric were writing lesson plans, and their heads were already aching; dealing with these two only made things worse.

"Godfather, Dad said there's danger this semester. Is it Barty Crouch Jr.?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Severus neither admitted nor denied it, because he couldn't tell which side Little Barty belonged to. Rather than revealing it and scaring them, he preferred to evade the question.

"Alright, you don't need to worry about safety. This is Hogwarts, and Dumbledore won't let anything happen to the students. You can trust him on that." Emeric put down his quill and reassured them.

"Okay, I understand." Draco pulled Harry away, it seemed they were unlikely to get an answer from Severus and Emeric.

"Harry, listen to me. This term—no, until Barty Crouch Jr. leaves Hogwarts—we can't eat together, we can't sit together in class. For our safety, it's best if we argue whenever we see each other at school. Remember to keep it a secret from Hermione and Ron. Make sure everyone thinks we're mortal enemies, understand?"

Why?

"He's a Death Eater, and my family is a Death Eater family too. My parents are both Death Eaters. If he finds out about our relationship, he'll definitely use it against us, and then we'll be in a passive position."

Harry understood what Draco meant. He looked reluctant and held Draco tightly in his arms. According to what they had just said, their next hug might not be until Christmas.

"Okay, it's not like we're breaking up, why are you so sad? We'll still be able to eat together and go to class together next year when this person steps down, right?"

The two hugged for a while before reluctantly separating. Draco hardened his heart and left the room first, secretly cursing Barty the Younger to be unlucky and leave Hogwarts soon, so that he and Harry would have to be apart for much less time.

After they left the cellar, Severus rubbed his forehead and asked, "What is Dumbledore thinking? He's less intelligent than a child. Even Draco thinks Crouch is problematic, doesn't he think about that at all?"

"Forget Severus, there's no need to get angry with him. Let's just deal with it as it comes. There's no other way right now." Emeric knew roughly what Dumbledore was thinking. He felt that Severus wouldn't be so dedicated to protecting Harry after having him, so Dumbledore wanted to find a backup option just in case.

"Severus, I've put breakfast on the table. Eat slowly, I'm off to class." Emeric knocked on the bedroom door to make sure Severus was awake before leaving. He was in a hurry to attend Defense Against the Dark Arts class; he wanted to see what Barty was up to.

The students I met on the way were all talking about the new professor. Some said he was good-looking, some felt sorry for his tragic background, and of course, some told him to get out of Hogwarts, saying that Death Eaters were not worthy of being there.

Upon hearing the last sentence, Emeric looked up and memorized the face, intending to have Garian and Lyra investigate who this person was who dared to say such a thing. However, because the person did not name names but referred to Death Eaters, the Ghost team did not arrive in time to capture him.

"Attend class."

Barty speaks very little in class. His teaching style can be described as concise, with almost no digressions. Surprisingly, you can learn quite a lot in a whole class, which is particularly rare among professors in recent years.

After observing a class, Emerick discovered that this person was actually there to teach. Not only had he prepared a lesson plan, but he had also finished grading their summer homework from the previous semester. Now, he couldn't find a reason to kick the person out; he could only accept his fate.

"Garian, go and investigate this man's background. I need to speak with him."

"Layla, keep an eye on what's happening outside, things are about to change."

Both of them recalled what had happened during the summer vacation. They needed to prepare early, otherwise it wouldn't be good if their businesses were impacted later. Nobody wants to suddenly become poor.

"Don't worry about the school. Sarafina will keep an eye on those troublemakers. You just need to shift your focus," Emeric added. It would be too much of a burden to make them both busy with things outside the school and keeping an eye on things inside.

Having decided on his next course of action, Emeric turned and left. He was heading to the Forbidden Forest to find the unicorns and warn them to be careful. But before that, he needed to ask Severus if he would like to go to the unicorn habitat together.

"Severus, let's go to the Forbidden Forest tonight. We can't be sure of Barty Crouch Jr.'s purpose right now. I'm afraid he's after the unicorn blood like Quirrell. Let's go and warn the unicorns."

"Okay, I'll wait until I finish my night patrol."

Emerick took the man's hand and led him outside. Since there were no students around, Severus acquiesced to his actions. The two strolled hand-in-hand through the night, the bright lights illuminating their path. Emerick walked slightly ahead, clearing away protruding branches to prevent Severus from being scratched.

"We should be there soon. I see the physalis. Should we pick some later?"

"Pick some after we finish."

"it is good."

The two arrived at their destination in no time. The little unicorns excitedly rubbed against Severus, as they adored this human who always wore black. The larger ones were even rubbing against Emeric.

Within minutes, the two were covered in fur. Emerick decided to sit down and chat with the unicorn elders. He had almost been knocked over by a rascal, so sitting down was safer.

"That's all I know. Be careful." After giving his general idea, Emeric pulled Severus, whose arm was aching, and led him outside. He was afraid that if they stayed any longer, his pants would be torn to shreds, as the little rascal was already chewing on his shoes.

"That's enough, let's go back."

Severus picked a little of everything. He was a bit sleepy; by this time he would have been asleep for a long time, as was his usual routine.