Instead of grinning and continuing to nuzzle the same spot which elicited such a welcome response from Severus, Al stilled at the words.
Proud.
"Hm, Mum says one can be proud of another person capable of making their own informed choice, but only if they contributed to the achievement in question," Al mumbled speculatively. "Otherwise it's pleased. It's like me and the owlets, I contributed to them getting this far, but they are just animals, so I cannot be proud of them."