Albania.

As a new day began, Severus and the other three set off for Llogara National Forest Park.

Of course, this place is protected by the Muggle government, but that couldn't stop wizards with magic.

They found a gap in the fence large enough for Harry and Draco to crawl through. Then, Lupin and Severus Apparated into the woods.

In such a vast and immense area, hoping to find a fragment of a soul hiding on an animal, Severus clearly didn't entertain the hope of achieving any effective results in a short time.

Even with Harry, who acted as a Voldemort 'detector', it was the same.

According to the original work's description, after the night he was struck down by his own Killing Curse, Voldemort cautiously hid in the forests of Albania.

These forests had their own unique qualities, able to block almost all magical detection and probing. It was precisely because of this that, in earlier times, Ravenclaw's daughter had fled here after stealing her mother's diadem.

The reason Voldemort knew about this place and used it as a 'safe house' was likely that after extracting the diadem's hiding place from the Grey Lady, he discovered the special nature of the forests within Albania.

Finally, in his extremely weak state, he also hid here, not daring to leave until Quirinus Quirrell, the Muggle Studies Professor from Hogwarts, came to Albania on vacation, encountered him, was bewitched by him, and became Voldemort's puppet.

It was Quirrell's experience that confirmed for Severus that Voldemort's soul remnant was hiding here, extreme weakened and not dangerous.

The Dark Lord, who was already afraid of death and longed for immortality, couldn't accept his current state. He had been waiting for his most loyal followers to find him here.

In the original work, he never did, eventually having to use Quirrell to leave.

But now, Severus had come.

As the one who had personally delivered the prophecy about the savior to Voldemort, Severus was clearly considered a hardcore loyalist in Voldemort's eyes.

Otherwise, when going to kill the Potters, he wouldn't have bothered to keep his promise to Severus to spare Lily's life.

It was only after he told Lily to step aside and she refused, choosing to die protecting young Harry, that Voldemort struck her down.

If Severus could truly find Voldemort in his weakened state in Albania now, he would undoubtedly be trusted more than Quirrell, who hadn't even left Hogwarts to travel here yet.

Not to mention, Severus hadn't come alone.

He had brought Harry with him!

That's right.

Choosing to bring Harry along wasn't just to have Harry try to sense Voldemort's location and find him quickly.

A large part of the purpose was to use Harry to trick Voldemort after finding him, thereby demonstrating Severus's loyalty!

His most loyal subordinate had not only found him but also tricked and brought along his master's fated mortal enemy.

Besides being ecstatic and trusting him completely, Severus couldn't imagine Voldemort having any reason to be suspicious or dissatisfied.

Then, he would present that teacup, allowing his good master to enter willingly...

This was the plan Severus had prepared after obtaining these items from Nicolas Flamel.

Of course, Severus didn't expect things to go exactly according to plan. But no matter what, one thing was certain:

Voldemort was now at his weakest since becoming a wizard.

If he didn't take this chance to come to Albania and gamble, letting Voldemort follow the original timeline and leave with Quirrell later, things would become even more tricky and difficult than in the original work.

However, Albania had so many vast forests, so Severus was prepared for a long search.

If this trip yielded no results, he would have to wait until Quirrell planned his trip to Albania and secretly follow him.

The four entered the forest. Both Harry and Draco were visibly excited.

Whether at the Malfoy Manor or the Dursleys House, neither had ever been to a real primeval forest!

They were curious about everything around them. Plus, Severus and Lupin had prepared beforehand, bringing potions more durable and effective than Muggle products for repelling insects, eliminating the most troublesome concern of exploring dense forests.

"What's that?"

Harry pointed to an animal perched on a branch. It had a head like a rat, a body as long and thin as a dachshund, a long tail, gray fur, and was watching them warily.

A book floated beside Severus. It was [Wizard's Travel Guide – Albania Edition], purchased in Britain. It contained not only the topography of most of the country but also an encyclopedia of all the ordinary and magical creatures inhabiting this land.

As Harry asked, the book floating in mid-air began flipping pages on its own. Soon, an image treated with Developing Solution, vivid and lifelike, appeared, identical to the animal on the branch.

"This is a stone marten. They are widely distributed across Eurasia. Not unique to this land, but not common either." Severus read from the text beside the image, interpreting for Harry.

As a nature reserve, this was a paradise for wildlife.

Besides small animals, they also encountered large animals like brown bears on their journey deeper into the forest.

But for wizards, such natural predators posed no threat. With Severus and Lupin present, there was no danger.

Since entering the forest, they had been heading due west. According to the note Angelo gave Severus, his adventurer cousin, Andrews, was in a valley called Olivela within this forest.

The valley was located in the deepest part of the forest, a gathering place for magical creatures. It was protected by the Albanian Ministry of Magic with Muggle-Repelling Charms.

It housed a rich variety of magical creatures and plants, as well as a troll community.

According to Angelo, this valley was his cousin's last stop in Albania. He would stay here for two years before leaving Europe for Egypt to explore that region.

Severus and the others walked through the forest, stopping and starting, not deliberately rushing. They walked for a full day in the woods.

Several times, they almost went the wrong way. Finally, they relied on Harry's trophy seized from the goblin, the flying skateboard, to rise into the air, observe the mountain peaks from afar, and correct their direction.

The goblin's skateboards clearly had special designs with weight restrictions. Adults like Severus and Lupin couldn't use them, and only children like Harry could stand on them.

But riding a skateboard was quite different from riding a broomstick. For now, Harry only dared to rise slightly above the trees, not daring to move around recklessly, let alone fly as smoothly as those three goblins.

However, his talent was undeniable. After just three attempts, he gradually grasped the trick, no longer wobbling and fearful like at the beginning.

Instead, he felt a different kind of thrill compared to a broomstick.

Draco was clearly envious of Harry's trophy, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Harry for a turn.

Harry, of course, noticed Draco's awkwardness. He deliberately showed off in front of the young master all day, annoying Draco thoroughly. It wasn't until near dusk, during the final takeoff to confirm their position, that he pretended his legs were numb from walking all day and he couldn't stand steadily on the skateboard.

He politely asked Draco for help, finally persuading the young master.

"You begged me, so I'll try it. Otherwise, who would care!" Even then, Draco seriously emphasized it over and over, not just to Harry but also turning to Lupin and Severus to say it.

"Yes, please, Master Malfoy, help me!" Harry nodded like pounding garlic, his face earnest. But the moment Draco turned away, Harry couldn't hold back his laughter, almost bursting out.

Finally getting a chance to stand on the skateboard, Draco was exhilarated.

He took a deep breath and said casually, "I could ride a toy broomstick at three. A flying skateboard is nothing. Look how scared you were the first time you got on today!"

Lupin kindly reminded him, "Pay attention to your balance. Don't fall off."

Instantly, Draco became like a cat with its tail stepped on. "Do you think I'm worse than Dursley?"

Lupin shrugged. He certainly wouldn't argue with a child.

"I said the same thing to Dudley the first time he used it, didn't I?"

Severus didn't speak. He just silently drew his wand from his sleeve, already knowing what will happen.

Soon, Draco excitedly followed the method Harry had used to operate the skateboard. He placed one foot on the board and gave a gentle push off the ground with the other.

The next second, the skateboard lifted him into the air.

This experience, so different from a broomstick, thrilled Draco. However, he couldn't control his posture well. He wobbled left and right for a long time, unable to stand steadily, and had to lower his body to maintain balance.

"Are we going the right way?" Harry shouted up to him.

But Draco was already awestruck by the sea of green he could see.

The orange sun dyed the clouds fiery colors. The forest under the setting sun rose and fell like real waves in the wind!

From time to time, flocks of unknown birds soared up from the woods.

However, just as Draco was immersed in the moment, the skateboard beneath his feet suddenly shook violently, making him cry out in panic!