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

Chapter 86 Dealing with Gaunt's Ring

Gunter House

The three followed behind Emerick, with Dumbledore and Gellert holding hands, while Severus gripped his wand, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

"Al, this place... seems familiar?"

"It's a bit... Ellie, um... it seems like we've circled around here twice..."

Dumbledore was somewhat worried; would they really be able to find the Horcrux today?

"I know, didn't you really notice the Confusion Charm here? There's hardly any grass around, and they're even a bit delirious. I'm really glad I didn't lead you astray."

Emeric rolled his eyes; he was about to vomit from the few blades of grass he was looking at. He managed to deduce from the pile of nonsense that the place was nearby.

"It's probably here. The rest is up to you. My magic can't break Voldemort's Confusion Charm. He was definitely here."

"Okay, let me give it a try."

"Vulcan clears the way."

Dumbledore waved his wand, setting a great fire ablaze. The dark sky was illuminated red by the firelight, and the cold, damp air became dry and scorching.

The manor gate, which they had not been able to see before, appeared before them, and the surrounding withered trees and weeds twisted and disappeared.

"Looks like it's working well. Alright, Gale and I will go in. Severus, you and Ellie stay outside and keep watch."

Dumbledore was in a good mood. After all these years, his spells were still powerful. He and Gellert held hands and prepared to go in to find the Horcruxes.

"No, we have to go in together. You can't handle what's inside."

Emeric stared coldly at the manor before him. He smelled a nauseating odor, worse than the stuff on Severus's arm, with a tempting stickiness.

"Eri, what did you find? If you go in, you have to stay behind us and not wander off."

"There's a smell inside, it's disgusting, even worse than Voldemort's smell."

The two people walking ahead stopped and turned to the side, gesturing for Emeric to follow.

"You promised not to let him take any risks, so what are you doing now? I'll go in with you, and leave him outside."

Severus grabbed Emeric's arm, preventing him from going in; nobody knew what was inside. If Dumbledore couldn't handle it, how could Emeric possibly guarantee his own safety?

"Severus, I can protect myself."

Emeric looked up and met Severus's gaze, assuring him that he wouldn't get hurt and could protect himself. But his credibility with Severus was practically zero; the man gripped his arm tightly, staring intently into his eyes.

"Do I need to remind you that you almost died in front of me a few times? Or do you enjoy this near-death experience?"

His voice was low and cold, like icy lake water. The concern hidden in his words was also tinged with a sharp pain because of this layer of ice.

"How about this, I'll become an Animagus and stay in your arms, okay? That way you won't have to worry about me running off."

Emeric was already used to it; he automatically threw away the ice and stopped his awkward displays of affection. The kitten climbed up his trouser leg, stopping only when it reached the man's chest.

Her well-behaved appearance stunned the elderly couple in front of her, who huddled together and whispered to each other.

Why isn't Airi treated like this to us?!

"Al doesn't need to be angry. Pretending to be obedient is useless; Snape hasn't accepted him."

"But when he gets angry, he makes things difficult for us... Can't we be a little nicer to the elderly?"

"Are you leaving or not? If not, I'm going back."

Severus had already walked to the door with the cat in his arms, but when he turned around, he saw the two people still standing there chatting.

"Here it comes, here it comes, don't rush."

"The Arahu Cave Opens."

With the sound of chains falling, the gates of Gaunt Manor, which had not been seen for nearly a century, opened, and snakes hidden in the grass scattered in all directions.

"Let's go in, be careful."

When it comes to serious matters, Dumbledore is quite reliable. He walks in front, protecting Emeric and Severus, while Gellert brings up the rear to cover their retreat.

"Meow!!!"

The closer they got to the living room, the stronger the smell became. Once they reached the center of the living room, Emeric couldn't stand it anymore. He meowed at Severus the cat, waving his two front paws towards the southwest corner to warn them that something was in that direction.

"There's something wrong with Dumbledore."

Seeing Dumbledore and Gellert head in another direction, Severus called out to them, telling them to go check the southwest corner. Without a word, he tucked Emeric into his arms, suspecting that if they stayed any longer, the cat in his arms would jump up and beat up Dumbledore and Gellert.

"Okay, let me see what it is?"

"Gunter... a ring? Is that a resurrection stone on it???"

"Gale, come and take a look. I'm afraid I'm seeing things wrong."

Hearing Dumbledore call him, Gellert put down the goblin statue he was holding and hurried over. Just as he was about to reach for it, Emeric shouted to stop him.

"Geller is incredibly moving! It's cursed, and that's the smell I can detect!!!"

"Severus, did you bring snake venom? We'd better destroy it here, or someone will definitely get poisoned."

As he said this, Emeric glanced sideways at Dumbledore, clearly referring to him as "someone." When he spoke in cat form, Severus was taken aback. He had always thought cats couldn't speak human language, so he often forgave those who acted like cats.

Now that he saw the cat talking, Severus took a deep breath to suppress his anger. The most important thing right now was to deal with the resurrection stone and the curse; other things could be settled later.

He tossed them a vial of snake venom, holding onto the cat in his arms as if afraid it would join in the fun—something Emeric had done many times before.

Before there was an office, when he needed to go and deduct points, he could always find Emeric in various corners, not only for the pranks of the young wizards, but also for all kinds of fight scenes.

He's still angry about it now, and couldn't help but pinch the cat's paw pad. He found it felt nice, so he just kept pinching it and wouldn't let go.

"Sizzle sizzle"

With a corroding sound, the Gaunt Ring melted away little by little, eventually turning into a puddle of water, leaving only the resurrection stone on the ground.

Dumbledore picked up the Resurrection Stone and walked towards them with a cheerful expression, radiating ease.

"Okay, let's go. Maybe we can still make it back to school in time for dinner."

The three people and the cat walked outside. They needed to get further away to use Apparition, as every manor had an anti-Apparition spell.

By the time they got back to school, it was already past dinner time. Emeric followed Severus back to the cellar, while Dumbledore took Gellert back to the headmaster's office.

The Resurrection Stone is in Dumbledore's possession because only he has the means to protect it.