Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 217 Final Goal

That was none other than the maze map that Draco had discovered two weeks ago in the old Troll Valley, through a skull he had fished up!

In the center of the map, the mark that resembled a spring was initially deduced by Lupin and Severus to represent the Fountain of Good Fortune.

Now, with only one step left to reach the spring, they indeed entered a maze. At this point, the possibility of finding the Lucky Spring using this maze map was almost 100%!
This coincidence and good fortune reignited the interest of Severus and his companions.

Aside from Black, who showed absolutely no interest in the adventure from beginning to end, even the fluffy little cat was bouncing on Severus's shoulder, as if cheering along with everyone else.

Lupin had already thoroughly explored the maze depicted on the dragon-skin map.

They could quickly locate themselves on the map by simply following the surrounding vine walls.

Lupin then led the way, and they began to venture deeper into the maze.

But soon, they encountered trouble that was not shown on the map: a peculiar plant blocked their path.

It was a thorny bush covered in sharp spikes, growing very lushly and extending from the vine-covered wall beside it, much like the Willow of Hogwarts, waving its thorny branches to block Severus and his companions from moving forward.

Lu Ping tried several spells, but none of them could remove the thorny bush blocking his way. It seemed to have been irrigated with a special potion, and its branches had the ability to resist magic.

Seeing this, Severus gestured for Lupin to step back, then pulled a bottle of dark green potion from his pocket, which was like a treasure bag.

From a distance, Severus tossed the vial of potion toward the roots of the thorns.

The medicine bottle shattered on the spot, and the green medicine clung to the roots like green caterpillars, followed by a pungent white smoke!

The thorn bush was clearly severely damaged. Its once vibrant branches were no longer lush and green, but were losing their vitality at a visible rate, turning yellow and withered.

Only after all the thorny branches had drooped limply to the ground were the four people and the dog able to continue.

The maze was large, but Severus and his companions moved quickly, no longer as leisurely and relaxed as they had been on the hillside at the beginning. Clearly, their final goal was within reach, making both children and adults eager to get started.

They kept walking forward, and no one complained of being tired. As the bright sky began to gradually darken, and after overcoming three or four more obstacles from the plants, they finally made it out of the maze!

The scene before them stunned everyone.

This place is like a fairyland from a fairy tale, with tall trees that are rarely seen outside. The vines full of vitality hang down from the lush branches, and countless fairies dance around them.

The ground was a clean and tidy stone path, and all around were various kinds of plants vying for attention, many of which Severus recognized at a glance as rare species in the magical world.

And surrounded in the middle is a fountain standing under the rainbow!
Even under the dim sky, the spring water gushing from the center shone brightly, as if each drop of water were a sparkling crystal!
Beside the spring, the golden unicorn that had opened the gate to the location of the Fountain of Good Fortune was leisurely strolling along the stone path. Even when it saw Severus and his party, it showed no sign of panic or attempt to flee. Instead, it casually ate a roadside herb and calmly chewed it in its mouth.

Upon seeing the fountain in the middle of the garden, both Harry and Draco blushed with excitement!
If Lupin hadn't been holding them back, they would have already been unable to resist and ran towards the spring and jumped in.

Severus was also very excited when he arrived here.

Although he didn't know what he was so happy about, his gaze had been fixed on the golden unicorn from the very beginning, and it never wavered for a moment!

Even the legendary Fountain of Good Fortune nearby couldn't attract him as much as a single hair from that unicorn!
That special emotion occupied Severus's mind, as if the unicorn was a rare treasure. Severus, who had initially felt nothing when he saw it, now desperately wanted to get it and possess it!

This intense emotional fluctuation quickly made Severus frown.

What would he want such a unicorn for?
Even if this magical creature is full of treasures, does it lack those things?
The moment this rational question was raised, his brain gave a clear answer almost immediately!

lack!
He needs something from this special unicorn!

The return of someone he cares deeply about allows him to regain his former glory and, together with that man, change the entire magical world.

Blood!

Unicorn Blood!

Especially since it's a golden unicorn that has never appeared in the magical world before.

Its blood must be even stronger and more vibrant.

Now, Severus needs the blood of this unicorn!

He wanted to kill the beast and offer its treasures to his master to show his loyalty!
This was his original purpose in coming to this place. It was to bring back the man whose name everyone feared and dared not utter that brought him to Albania and to this forest.

"Something is wrong with you."

At that moment, a cold, indifferent yet strangely familiar voice, like heavenly music, suddenly rang in Severus's ears.

The sound was like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head, instantly making Severus exceptionally sober!
The clarity that had been surging forth like a tide began to recede, replaced by reason.

When Severus looked back at the thoughts that had just crossed his mind, he felt they were absurd!

"Is it a Confusion Charm?"

He narrowed his eyes and calmly asked himself the question.

Snape, the ghost who had witnessed Severus's emotional shifts and delivered the crucial warning at the last moment, jolting Severus out of his strange state, nodded warily.

"It's a very high-level confusion spell, and it takes effect very early. Your condition was already a bit off when you first entered here, but you didn't realize it from beginning to end."

"Because of Occlumency, I should have been immune to most Confusion Charms."

Severus communicated with the ghost Snape in his mind, but outwardly remained calm, his gaze still fixed on the golden unicorn. At the same time, he helped Lupin restrain Harry and Draco, preventing them from approaching the spring without knowing the situation. "No one in this world can read my memories, not even Dumbledore or Voldemort. But the Confusion Charm is far more advanced than Legilimency in some ways. It doesn't directly target memories, but rather subtly alters a person's perception."

"Even with this kind of spell, very few people can use it on me and have an effect on me. So few that you can count them on your fingers."

The intense emotion and desire that made Severus so eager to kill the golden unicorn and take its blood continued to surge in his mind.

But with Severus's own logical analysis, his reason had completely regained control of his mind and suppressed those agitated emotions!
"And now, in this forest, there is a person who should have been able to do this."

Even without such reasoning and analysis, Severus could easily guess whose trap he had fallen into just by the emotions that inexplicably welled up within him!

Unicorn blood, a legendary elixir that can prolong life.

His initial goal was never the Fountain of Good Fortune, nor the ruins of some ancient black wizard!
Instead, it was this golden, special, and previously unseen magical creature—the golden unicorn.

Almost instantly, Severus completely understood the connection between the Fountain of Good Fortune incident and the ghost hidden in the Albanian forest!
Voldemort never needed good luck; he didn't believe in such things at all.

He is now extremely weak and has an urgent need for anything that can prolong his life and restore him to his normal condition.

This legendary unicorn has what he needs!

"He can't possibly be at his peak right now. In his current state, he's struggling to even survive, so how could he possibly use a Confusion Charm that could affect me?"

Severus murmured to himself.

“Unless…” Ghost Snape murmured, his gaze drifting to a distant spot.

Severus did not look at his shoulder, though he knew what was standing on it.

"Unless, he had been secretly with me for a long time before."

"What...what do you plan to do?"

Rarely, Ghost Snape's voice was noticeably tinged with tension and fear.

That man still held a very strong influence in his heart. Even though he had made the decision to betray him and rebel against him a long time ago, he still couldn't be nonchalant and calm when it came to actually taking action.

Severus, however, was already smiling.

Do you know how he confused me?

Ghost Snape remained silent; he knew Severus wasn't really asking any questions.

"He affected my emotions, making me crave that unicorn. The root of this craving was my instinctive belief that if I killed the unicorn, obtained its blood, and offered it to him, I could demonstrate my loyalty and bring him back."

"Is there a problem with this?" Ghost Snape didn't detect anything wrong with it.

“He not only needs me to get the unicorn blood for him, but he’s also testing me,” Severus said calmly. “The premise for this emotion to influence my mind is that I still remain loyal to him. If that loyalty is gone, my desire to get the unicorn blood will not be so strong.”

"His Confusion Charm affected your subconscious from your previous experience of loyalty to him, but even if you hadn't woken me up just now, when I actually got to that unicorn, I would have involuntarily thought about why I took his blood to bring him back? What benefit would his return bring me? These kinds of questions would eventually make me stop."

Ghost Snape, however, didn't quite understand this.

"But if that's the case, then you won't help him get the unicorn's blood, and he won't achieve his goal, right?"

“So that’s the crux of the matter,” Severus sneered. “Clearly, in his mind, judging whether I am truly loyal has temporarily been elevated above obtaining the unicorn’s blood!”

Upon hearing this, Ghost Snape was taken aback.

Soon, his already quite sharp mind caught on and understood the meaning behind it!

He needs you!

“Of course he needs me.” Severus’s smile deepened. “He knows his current situation perfectly well. Even if he gets the unicorn blood, it will only prolong his life. But if he’s sure I’m still absolutely loyal to him, then he can do a lot more with me!”

"So after he discovered me, he lay in ambush by my side a long time ago, constantly observing my words and actions, and then guided me to discover the Fountain of Good Fortune, and finally found the golden unicorn."

"And if my loyalty is confirmed, he will receive a life-extending elixir and a subordinate who will obey his every word!"

Ghost Snape's face now showed signs of fear.

"Fortunately...fortunately, we realized it at the last moment."

"Don't worry so much. I've been telling you this before, and you may never have believed me, but his actions now prove me right."

Severus murmured to himself, while in reality he had already begun to walk slowly toward the golden unicorn.

"He is now extremely weak. Even if he discovers his former loyal subordinate, he becomes suspicious and has to go to great lengths to use these methods to reassess my loyalty."

To Lupin, Harry, and Draco, Severus stood there, staring blankly at the unicorn for a long time, before suddenly taking a step and walking over. No matter who called him, he didn't respond!
Ghost Snape had completely held his breath.

"So what do you plan to do next?"

Severus did not answer; he simply stopped in front of the golden unicorn.

(End of this chapter)