The first rays of dawn had just pierced through the curtain gaps when Snape was jolted awake by an urgent knock on the door. "Sev, wake up!" Eileen's voice carried through the wooden door. "Jorkins said the flying carpet will be here in five minutes."
Outside the pub, the Weasley family was already geared up and ready to go. Bertha Jorkins was excitedly waving a piece of parchment, introducing the itinerary to everyone:
"Our first stop is the ancient city of Butrint. It's a ruin from over ten centuries ago, and they say some ancient wizarding enchantments are still active there—imagine, magic from a thousand years ago!"
Snape frowned, looking up at the sky where a colored speck was steadily growing larger.
"A flying carpet?" His voice was filled with doubt. "Aren't those banned in this country?"
"Oh, don't be so rigid, Severus!" Bertha enthusiastically slapped him on the shoulder. "It's perfectly legal here. Axminster pile carpets from Albania are the best in all of Europe."
She lowered her voice, adding mysteriously, "I heard Mr. Crouch even has one hidden away, though of course, he wouldn't use it, even if I've always thought the ban on flying carpets was quite unreasonable—"
When the flying carpet landed on the open ground in front of the pub, Snape's frown deepened.
This so-called "top-grade flying carpet" appeared to be hand-woven from some rough plant fibers, and its edges were already somewhat frayed.
The golden runes embroidered on the carpet shimmered faintly in the sunlight, looking rather like the Weasleys' overworked and overly exhausted old owl, Errol.
"Is this really safe?" Lily whispered doubtfully, her eyes uneasily scanning the suspicious loose threads along the carpet's edges.
"Absolutely no problem!" Bertha was the first to hop on. The carpet dipped slightly then bounced back up. "See, it's as steady as the stairs at Hogwarts."
Bill and Charlie scrambled onto the carpet, eager to claim the front spots, excitedly pointing at distant mountains and arguing about something. Mr. Weasley carefully helped Mrs. Weasley onto the carpet, who was holding a still-yawning Percy in her arms.
Snape was the last to step onto the carpet, and he distinctly felt the fabric under his feet sag several inches.
As the carpet wobbled into the air, a grating, teeth-on-edge screeching sound came from its edges.
"Don't worry," said the red-nosed wizard guide sitting at the front of the carpet, in heavily accented English, his goatee bobbing as he spoke. "One fell last week, so the Ministry of Magic immediately strengthened the hovering charms on all carpets."
"That explanation is truly reassuring," Snape retorted dryly, gripping a tassel at the carpet's edge.
"I still think this is a terrible idea." Mrs. Weasley clung desperately to a raised part of the carpet with one hand, while clutching Percy tightly in the other. "Oh—Charlie! Bill! Get your legs back in! Arthur, keep an eye on them!"
"Don't worry, Molly!" Bertha, sitting next to the guide, shouted back excitedly, her curly hair flying in the wind, a wide smile on her round face. "Andrea just told me this carpet has been in use for over a century and has never had an accident!"
"Over a century?" Mrs. Weasley's voice was almost squeezed through clenched teeth. "It's older than our whole family combined."
The morning mist gradually dispersed, and the scenery below slowly came into view. Lush green forests spread across the land like a giant carpet, dotted with silver lakes and winding rivers, with unknown water birds circling above.
Andrea muttered a spell that sounded like something caught in his throat, and the flying carpet suddenly accelerated, the wind whistling past their ears.
"Look over there!" Charlie excitedly pointed into the distance, nearly tumbling off the edge of the carpet before Mr. Weasley yanked him back. "Is that where we're going?"
Snape tore his gaze from the swaying edge of the carpet and saw a vast expanse of grayish-brown marshland stretching into the distance, with scattered trees and reeds dotting the water's surface.
In the distance, the outline of an ancient city, half-submerged in water, gradually appeared. Partially collapsed old stone walls and semicircular arches were faintly visible.
"That's the ancient city of Butrint," Andrea explained. "Its initial construction predates the Illyrian period. It was later occupied in turns by the Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. It still retains magical traces left by ancient Albanian wizards." He mysteriously lowered his voice. "Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, a group of dark wizards conducted forbidden experiments here—"
The flying carpet began its descent, and the damp marshy smell wafted over them.
Lily seemed to have recovered much of her usual vigor. She leaned forward, her red hair flying like flames in the wind.
"Hold on tight!" Andrea shouted a warning. The carpet suddenly dove at a dangerous angle. Molly let out a shriek, followed by Percy's cries.
Just as the carpet was about to touch the water, it sharply braked, splashing water everywhere.
"Welcome to Butrint!" In the midst of the chaos, a local guide in a dark green robe approached them. Several other tourists followed behind him. "I'm Jean, and I'll be leading you on a tour of this historic ancient city today."
Snape jumped off the flying carpet and stepped onto a stone slab floating on the water's surface, surprised to find that while they appeared to float precariously, they were unexpectedly stable.
"Please follow my steps carefully," Jean gestured politely to them. "We can only walk on the magically fixed stone path. There are Grindelows in the marsh; although they've been driven away, there are always some that slip through—last week, a German tourist was dragged into the water, luckily rescued in time."
They followed Jean towards the ruins' entrance. A path of magically suspended stone slabs was laid out along the edge of the marsh, each roughly three feet square, floating steadily a few inches above the water.
"These carvings on the buildings are all ancient Albanian wizarding magic," Jean explained, pointing to a relief almost covered in moss. He lightly tapped it with his wand, and the moss immediately receded, revealing the rough carvings beneath. "This magic perfectly merges the buildings with water elements, allowing the city to automatically adapt during floods—"
Snape walked in the middle of the group, carefully observing the half-submerged ancient city.
The Butrint ruins were even more spectacular than they appeared from a distance.
Huge stone columns leaned into the water, some already broken; the reliefs on the arches, though weathered by time, still showed recognizable magical script from ancient wizard carvings; submerged stone steps led to unknown depths, with occasional silver fish darting between them.
"This was once a prosperous city," Jean explained as they walked, his voice echoing slightly in the vast marshland. "It's said to have been the site of an ancient Albanian School of Magic, but during a dangerous Dark Arts experiment, the entire city sank into the marsh, and all the teachers and students perished in that disaster—"
They continued forward, passing through semi-collapsed arches. The buildings in the water presented a peculiar sight—some had only their roofs visible above the surface, while others were half-submerged, their windows staring blankly like eyes at the visitors.
The two Weasley children excitedly ran around, constantly being admonished by Molly: "Don't go near the water! Stay away from those stones!"
Snape noticed strange scratches on some of the walls, which didn't look like natural erosion.
"These marks—"
He reached out and touched the stone wall, feeling a faint residual magical fluctuation.
"They could be from ancient magical instruments," Jean explained, "or perhaps the claw marks of some magical creatures. This marsh is home to many unique magical animals, some of which have never even been registered by the Ministry of Magic."
As Jean was explaining, Snape noticed a rustling sound from the distant forest, as if something large was moving through the bushes.
He turned his head alertly, but only saw the dense foliage swaying slightly.
"What's wrong?" Lily noticed his unusual behavior and whispered.
Snape was about to reply when a clear "plop" sound came from the water.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to it, and they saw ripples spreading out from the water about twenty yards away from them.
"It might be otters or terrapins, they often—" Jean raised his wand, speaking stiffly, but there was a clear abnormality in his voice. "Back up! Everyone, slowly back up!"
His words abruptly stopped—the water suddenly churned violently, and a huge green silhouette vaguely appeared beneath the surface.
"Merlin's beard!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, clutching Percy even tighter.
A colossal green snake lifted its head from the water, sending spray everywhere. Its body was at least twelve feet long, water droplets sliding down its scales, glittering in the sunlight.
It opened its immense maw, precisely biting a low-flying water bird, its emerald vertical pupils coldly observing the unwelcome guests in the marsh, then heavily dropped back into the water.
"Don't move, everyone slowly back up," Jean whispered, "It's just hunting; it won't actively attack us..."
The giant snake seemed utterly uninterested in the humans, beginning to swim slowly in the water, enjoying its prey.
However, a wizard in purple robes in the group suddenly raised his wand, a greedy glint in his eyes.
"This is no ordinary snake!" he muttered excitedly. "Its venom, scales, even its eyes, are top-grade potion ingredients..."
"Stop him!" Jean shouted sharply, but it was too late.
A red light shot from the purple-robed wizard's wand, hitting the giant snake in the water, splashing water like a rain shower onto everyone.
The giant snake wobbled in the water, then burst out of the surface again, its mouth wide open, emitting a near-metallic hiss, its emerald green eyes instantly turning blood red.
"You idiot!" Snape roared, his wand already in hand.
The purple-robed wizard soon paid the price for his actions. The giant snake's tail whipped out like a lash, precisely striking him in the chest.
"Ah—!" He only managed a short scream before being dragged into the water.
The water churned violently, and a few seconds later, a blinding splash of crimson surfaced.
The giant snake was not appeased. It swam furiously in the water.
"Run!" Mr. Weasley shouted, pulling out his wand and shielding his family as they retreated. "Everyone move towards the bank! Quickly!"
The crowd frantically moved towards the bank, the stone slabs gently swaying under their hurried footsteps.
Just as Snape was about to step onto the last slab, he suddenly felt a tightening around his waist. He looked down and saw that the giant snake's tail had coiled around him, its slimy scales sending a chill through his robes.
"Laxness!" Snape quickly pointed his wand at the snake's tail wrapped around him, but it had no effect.
The giant snake gave a sudden flick, and Snape felt his feet leave the ground; he was suspended in the air.
"Severus!" Eileen and Lily's terrified shouts echoed in his ears.
Through his blurred vision, he saw that they had drawn their wands but dared not cast spells rashly, fearing they might provoke the giant snake further.
Snape felt his ribs painfully compressed, struggling to breathe, and instinctively shouted, "Don't!"
The giant snake's movements paused, its vertical pupils meeting Snape's, seemingly contemplating something. It relaxed its coils slightly, allowing Snape to breathe again.
Some strange connection seemed to begin forming between the two, and Snape felt his panic slowly dissipate.
He felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, even vaguely perceiving the emotions in those vertical pupils—pain, anger, and a strange joy.
An unnatural silence enveloped the marsh. The chirping of birds and insects in the forest ceased, and even the sound of the wind seemed to stop.
Everyone looked at Snape in shock; what had just come from his mouth was not English, but a strange, rhythmic sound.
The Weasleys instinctively shielded their children, their faces a mixture of fear and confusion; Bertha Jorkins took a few steps back, her mouth agape in shock, her gaze darting between Snape and the giant snake; Jean's face was ashen, his lips silently moving as if in prayer.
Eileen and Lily froze for two seconds, then, as if realizing something, quickly raised their wands and fired spells at the giant snake.
However, the giant snake suddenly turned, gave a powerful flick of its tail, and before anyone could react, it slid back into the water with astonishing speed, plunging into the marsh with Snape.
"Severus!" Eileen let out a desperate scream, her wand shooting several lights that missed their mark.
She jumped into the murky water without hesitation. Following her, Lily also jumped in, their figures quickly swallowed by the dim marsh.
The two desperately swam in the direction of the giant snake, but it was too fast; they only saw a green shadow rapidly disappear into the dark water, leaving a trail of bubbles.
A few minutes later, Eileen still didn't want to give up, but some disgusting, pale green Grindelows with small horns on their heads were already surrounding them.
The creatures' eyes emitted an eerie yellow glow underwater, and their webbed fingers reached for their ankles.
Seeing this, Lily struggled to drag Eileen to the surface. The Weasleys and Jean quickly pulled them out.
They sat soaked on the stone slabs, Eileen's face indistinguishable between lake water and tears. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out; she just stared fixedly at the water.
"He's a Parselmouth—" Bertha muttered, her voice trembling with shock. "How is that possible—"
The water gradually returned to calmness, and the last ripple disappeared.
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