"What is that!" Harry exclaimed.
Lupin narrowed his eyes. He could tell the light originated from the area Severus had gone to investigate.
Even Draco forgot his complaints, watching as the silver light shone into the sky before slowly fading away not long after.
Soon, it was Draco who became excited first.
"Something big must have happened! We're going to be part of an adventure!"
Lupin, however, wasn't as thrilled.
"We need to go back, regroup with Andrews. If something has happened, staying together is the safest course of action."
His words made Draco curl his lip again. He always thought Lupin was timid and cautious, nothing like a Gryffindor graduate.
…
Just as Lupin and the others saw the silver light...
Elsewhere in the forest, whether they were adventurers, herb seekers, or wizards like Andrews studying magical creatures, they all saw the scene of the silver light illuminating the sky.
Many wizards were utterly astonished. One research expert with a camera even captured the moment.
As this wizard studied the photo he had just taken...
Suddenly, he felt something moving behind him. He spun around and discovered an incredibly tall creature!
It was a unicorn!
But the biggest difference from other unicorns was that this one didn't have snow-white fur… it was a pale gold!
Even the long horn on its head seemed forged from gold, reflecting a brilliant golden light under the sun.
The wizard was stunned on the spot!
Those who ventured into this forest were naturally Albanian or nearby wizards, raised on legends of the Fountain of Fair Fortune hidden somewhere within.
And if the Fountain appeared, a Golden Unicorn would supposedly manifest, leading people to the spring itself!
After a dazed three or four seconds, the wizard suddenly reacted, instinctively pressing the shutter on his camera.
Whether the sound of the shutter startled it or it just noticed the person nearby, the Golden Unicorn suddenly bolted into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Wait! Come back!"
The wizard belatedly realized the opportunity he had lost!
He shouted, trying to call the fleeing unicorn back, but no matter how he called, there was no response.
After a bout of regret and frustration, the wizard looked back at his camera.
Confirming the Golden Unicorn wasn't a hallucination but truly appeared and was captured on film, he started exclaiming again before Disapparating from the forest.
…
Back at the land sealed off by the Albanian Aurors, Severus and Kabunara resurfaced from underground.
Their underground adventure had largely clarified the peculiarities of this area.
"So, the animals on that hill died from looking into the Basilisk's eyes?" Kabunara helped Severus bring out the petrified Hag's Ghost.
"There must have been some other unforeseen incident we don't know about. If the Basilisk killed a large number of animals every time it came out to hunt, its existence would have been discovered long ago."
"And the dragon disturbances. While earlier incidents in the reserve could be attributed to the Basilisk's presence unsettling the dragons, whatever caused the herd's later frenzy certainly wasn't the Basilisk."
Kabunara strongly agreed with Severus's assessment.
"We'll continue investigating. What are your plans now?"
By now, Severus had taken the petrified Hag's Ghost from him.
"I need to find some things as well. This ghost might know something. I'll first try to brew a potion to restore it." Severus obviously knew what Kabunara was thinking, "Don't worry, if I get any leads or findings later, I'll notify you immediately."
Kabunara excitedly shook his hand.
"Thank you for your generous contribution! Regardless, once this is over, I will report your efforts for Albania to the Ministry. We will express our gratitude."
"Excessive thanks aren't necessary. It's not very convenient for me to return to Britain directly right now. If you have connections, could you introduce me to a herb merchant? I need to purchase some Mandrake juice."
Hearing Severus's request, Kabunara didn't hesitate. He got paper and pen from one of his subordinates and wrote down an address.
"Find Berisha. He's Albania's largest herb merchant, and also my uncle. I'll write him a letter in advance so you get the best price on any herbs!"
After getting the address from Kabunara, Severus bid them farewell and returned to the troll camp.
When he returned, Lupin, Harry, and the others had naturally come back too. The Trolls were unsettled by the recent silver light, and Lulu was calming his kin.
Andrews was discussing with them what might have happened in the east.
It wasn't until they saw Severus return that they began questioning him.
They clearly guessed the event was connected to Severus, and he didn't hide it.
He recounted his and the Albanian Aurors' experiences underground.
The adventure made Harry and Draco's hearts race with longing.
"A Basilisk? What did it look like?"
"If you had taken us, we wouldn't have held you back like those Albanian Aurors!"
"Will you go back to that underground chamber later, Professor? Can we come? There's no threat now, right?"
"Malfoys are naturally favored by luck! If you take me, we'll definitely find the legendary Fountain of Fair Fortune!"
They chattered around Severus, nearly making his head spin.
"Stop daydreaming," Severus said. "It's too dangerous there. You'll stay here honestly with Remus."
His words greatly disappointed both Harry and Draco.
Severus had only returned to assure them of his safety. He then planned to Disapparate to the herb merchant Kabunara recommended in Albania to purchase the Mandrake juice.
After final instructions to Lupin to keep an eye on Harry and Draco and prevent the two mischievous monkeys from running off, Severus left the forest for the Albanian wizarding commercial street.
The street was, of course, not as large as Diagon Alley, but it had all the essentials.
Soon, using the address Kabunara had given, he found the herb merchant and successfully purchased mature Mandrake juice.
Just as Severus, not intending to linger, was about to leave after obtaining the ingredients, the numerous owls swooping down towards shops and wizarding homes, carrying rolled-up newspapers, caught his attention!
These were newspaper owls, delivering the day's paper to subscribing wizards. The wizards would confirm the purchase and place the payment in a small pouch for the owl, completing the transaction.
But this timing was clearly not the normal newspaper delivery hour.
Wizards who received the paper exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the headline!
"Golden Unicorn! My goodness! It actually exists!"
"The Fountain of Fair Fortune isn't just a legend? If the Golden Unicorn appears, the Fountain must exist!"
"No wonder the [Explorer's Daily] issued an extra edition! I wonder if the wizard who took that photo found the legendary spring after encountering the Golden Unicorn."
Hearing the growing discussions around him, Severus frowned slightly. He stopped an owl that hadn't yet sold its paper and was about to fly away, pulled a few bronze Knuts from his pocket, placed them in the pouch on its leg, and took the newspaper.
Then, Severus saw the special extra edition issued today by Albania's largest newspaper, the Explorer's Daily.
A wizard studying Bundimuns in the Llogara National Park saw a strange silver light illuminate the sky.
He photographed the silver radiance, and then discovered the legendary Golden Unicorn said to lead people to the Fountain of Fair Fortune!
The newspaper only mentioned him pressing the shutter. Whether he followed the unicorn afterwards and ultimately found the legendary Fountain wasn't mentioned.
The news caused a sensation among Albanian wizards.
Any wizard raised in this country knew the legend of the Fountain of Fair Fortune and was aware of the wave of wizards from several nearby countries who once came to Albania searching for it.
After that wave subsided, many wizards thought the legend was just that… a legend.
Never mind whether the Fountain existed… even if it did, it might not be in Albania.
But today's news reignited the passion of these Albanian wizards.
They excitedly discussed whether the Golden Unicorn in the forest could truly lead wizards to the legendary Fountain.
Many even began gathering friends, preparing to venture into Llogara.
Severus held the newspaper, deep in thought.
He found it unlikely all these events were mere coincidence. The appearance of the Golden Unicorn must be related to the silver light he and Kabunara released from behind the mural underground.
According to the newspaper, the wizard who photographed the Golden Unicorn discovered it after seeing the silver light in the sky.
Severus had a feeling that this time, the unicorn's appearance was directly connected to their underground experience!
With this in mind, he couldn't help but pull out the silver whistle dug up from underground.
'If the unicorn appearing in the forest was related to the underground chamber, what was the purpose of this silver whistle?'
After pondering for a while without an answer, Severus didn't linger. He Disapparated back to the forest.
No matter what news spread outside or what events occurred, his priority was to brew the Mandrake Restorative Draught and revive the Hag's Ghost.
Brewing this restorative potion wasn't simple and required some time.
During these days, Harry and Draco were relatively well-behaved. Even when news from outside reached them, as a couple of wizards adventuring in the forest searching for the Golden Unicorn and the Fountain accidentally stumbled into the Troll Camp and brought news of the unicorn, the two boys didn't attempt to sneak out.
To be precise, Draco was eager to sneak out, but Harry was more cautious than before and unwilling to go with Draco.
With Harry unwilling, even while verbally disdainful, Draco reluctantly gave up the idea.
Two more days passed at the Troll Camp.
During this time, more and more wizards began appearing in the forest. Many were attracted by the troll community Andrews had organized, coming specifically to visit while exploring.
These wizards weren't just locals anymore.
Wizards from neighboring countries like Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, etc., also successively received the news.
A wave of searching for the Fountain of Fair Fortune, which had died down decades ago, was reignited.
Among those coming to the Llogara National Park were even some old wizards who had participated in the first search.
Also, two days later, Severus finally successfully completed the Mandrake Restorative Draught.
"How will you administer it? Ghosts can't consume normal food or potions," Lupin asked, puzzled, seeing Severus approach the petrified Hag's Ghost with the prepared potion.
Severus simply instructed his assistants, Harry and Draco, to help position the ghost's body, which was frozen in a look of terror, upright.
Then he answered Lupin's question.
"Normally, ghosts indeed can't interact with physical objects. But after petrification by a Basilisk, their bodies solidify. As long as it's solid, it's manageable. This potion doesn't necessarily need to be ingested to be effective."
As he spoke, Severus uncorked the potion vial and poured the restorative draught over the Hag's Ghost's head.