After two days of hiking, on the third day entering the forest, Severus finally sensed the presence of magic.

Moreover, compared to the areas they had passed through earlier, this place clearly showed even fewer signs of human activity. Only the use of Muggle-Repelling Charms by wizards over such a large area could produce this effect.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, the ordinary wild animals that had been commonplace gradually became scarce. In their place appeared magical creatures found only in wizarding guides!

"It's a Bundimun."

Lupin said, spotting a fungus with eyes and a slightly green surface.

As if startled by his voice, the little creature, which had been resting, extended countless slender limbs and scurried away.

Draco also noticed an animal he had never seen before.

It looked like a fleshy pink mushroom. But when Draco walked around the large tree blocking his view, he discovered that this strange creature wasn't alone, and there was a whole vast expanse of them, covering an area nearly the size of a basketball court!

He felt a wave of disgust.

"What are these?"

Severus glanced in his direction and said, "Horklumps. These little pests used to be found only in Scandinavian Peninsula, but now they've spread across most of Europe. They have strong tentacles buried underground, feed on earthworms, and have a very high reproductive rate. Some wizarding gardens in Northern Europe suffer greatly from them, but just a pint of Chameleon Giant Snail venom can clear them out completely."

They detoured around this Horklump colony, but had only gone a few steps forward when Harry suddenly felt an itch on his head.

He reached up to scratch it and instead felt a furry creature on top of his head.

This startled him, and he let out a cry of surprise, drawing the attention of Severus and the others!

Upon seeing the thing on Harry's head, Severus and Lupin looked relaxed.

"Relax! Dudley, don't be afraid, it's not a vicious animal."

"It seems to like you. Try to take it down from your head."

Even after hearing Severus and Lupin's words, Harry was still very nervous. His whole body was tense, stiff as if petrified. Slowly, he used both hands to lift the creature, which had abundant fur and a body as soft as a ball, off his head.

It was indeed a small ball, fleshy and covered in smooth, cream-colored fur. A pair of black, bead-like eyes looked back at him harmlessly.

"Tch, it's just a Puffskein." Draco said disdainfully.

He didn't seem unfamiliar with such creatures.

But it was the first time Harry had heard this name. However, after seeing the fluffy little ball up close, he was no longer afraid at all. Instead, he curiously lifted it high.

"Puffskein? Is that its name?"

"Yes, that's the name wizards gave it. A harmless magical creature that eats anything, especially likes eating dried bogies. It's a very popular pet in many wizarding households."

Harry had been quite intrigued and fond of the little fluffy ball in his hands, but upon hearing Severus say it liked eating bogies, he became a bit disgusted.

Holding it carefully in both hands, he placed the Puffskein on the ground. Under its hopeful little eyes, Harry waved his hand.

"I don't have any bogies for you to eat."

"You definitely do…" Draco mocked from the side, "Otherwise, why would it pick you out specifically!"

Harry didn't mind the accusation, but the Puffskein he had put down seemed to have chosen him. It quickly stuck to him again, rolling its body to block his path.

The fluffy ball blinked its black eyes, still looking at Harry expectantly.

This left Harry at a loss. He could only turn to look at Severus and Lupin.

Lupin suggested, "Actually, they are very clean, not as bad to keep as you might think. And it likes you so much. If you can accept it, why not keep it for now."

Might as well keep it for now."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Harry picked up the Puffskein from the ground again. It seemed very happy, its little black eyes blinking, and it even rolled over a few times in Harry's hands.

"They like being tossed and played with in hands. And anyway, it's a magical creature and it's not so easily hurt, so you don't need to be so careful."

Guided by Lupin, Harry tried tossing the Puffskein into the air and then catching it. It indeed seemed very pleased, bouncing up and down in Harry's hands as if asking for another go.

This really made Harry think having such a little pet was quite nice!

Meanwhile, Severus had been looking around ever since this Puffskein appeared. It wasn't until Harry had started accepting his new pet and went to show off to Draco that Lupin noticed his unusual behavior.

"Is there something wrong?"

Severus shrugged.

"Can't say for sure what's wrong, but wild Puffskeins usually live together in groups for survival. This one doesn't seem to have any companions around."

"Maybe it got separated from its group during migration?" Lupin guessed, "That's not uncommon. The larger the magical creature community, the more likely this is to happen."

"You're right." Severus said, seemingly brushing it off, but he still pointed his wand at the Puffskein and muttered something under his breath. No one knew what he did.

After this small interlude, they continued on their predetermined path.

As they went deeper, they encountered more and more magical creatures, some of which would be considered dangerous by ordinary wizards.

However, both Lupin and Severus could handle them easily.

But when encountering some dangerous, social magical creatures that moved in groups, they would detour far around them to protect Harry and Draco, avoiding trouble.

Finally, on the evening of the fourth day, the four of them reached the entrance to the valley surrounded by several small hills.

The trees here were noticeably sparser than elsewhere, and some showed signs of being broken deliberately. The area was quite open, with a rushing stream diverted from a small river in the forest flowing through the valley!

Just entering this area, Lupin, with his ample experience living rough, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This is a very suitable place for humanoid magical creature communities to live."

Severus didn't answer him, just pointed towards a massive figure near the stream.

"Look there, and you'll have your answer."

Lupin, Harry, and the others all looked where Severus pointed. Sure enough, under a large tree by the stream, they saw a giant with dull, rough, granite-like skin!

It looked extremely strange. Its body, like a small hill, leaned against the tree. Its small, bald head, resembling a coconut, sat atop its massive frame, creating a strong sense of incongruity.

On that small head grew a pair of ears as large as palm leaves, making it appear even uglier.

Upon seeing this monster, Harry and Draco both instinctively held their breath!

Even from a distance, they could feel the intimidating presence of this creature.

Severus, however, examined it with interest and turned to ask Lupin, "Have you ever studied Troll language?"

Lupin spread his hands, "I know a word or two. Britain's most famous Troll language expert should be Barty Crouch Sr., whom you saved. His vast knowledge is recognized throughout the Wizarding World. Pity he wasn't very good at teaching his son."

"Because of his son, even though the Ministry considered his contributions to the Wizarding World over the years and didn't send him to Azkaban, they still put him in Tristan Wizard Prison to live out his days."

Severus led the way towards the snoozing Troll.

"We can't get his help. We'll have to try on our own for now."

Harry had placed the Puffskein on his shoulder, which became its new habitat.

Seeing Severus and Lupin move forward, the two boys exchanged a look, each trying to see fear on the other's face.

Clearly, they were both disappointed.

So they both snorted and quickly followed the adults.

The Troll sleeping in the shade of the tree seemed dull, but the moment Severus and the others approached within twenty meters, it alertly twitched its large ears, opened its eyes, and looked in their direction!

"Wah! Gurgle!"

It opened its mouth and let out an incomprehensible roar. Then it grabbed a wooden club larger than both Harry and Draco combined and climbed to its feet.

Severus drew his wand but didn't immediately act. He let Lupin step forward first, attempting to utter some grunting, strange-sounding words.

"Gurgle wah... oo-ha... ru-dong ming..."

Lupin stammered, clearly not very proficient in the language, but his expression was sincere as he tried to communicate with the Troll.

However, his friendly communication not only failed but seemed to provoke the Troll. It roared, raised its club, and tried to smash it down on Lupin!

Draco instinctively closed his eyes. Harry involuntarily wanted to rush forward and push Lupin away.

But the club never descended as the Troll intended.

Unnoticed by anyone, Severus had already raised his wand. He cast a Disarming Charm on the Troll's weapon!

Given the Troll's thick skin and magic resistance, which is comparable to a dragon's, even with Severus's powerful spell, he couldn't completely disarm it like he could an ordinary wizard.

However, causing it enough trouble to buy Lupin time was sufficient.

The club in the Troll's hand seemed disobedient, refusing to smash down as intended. This only made it angrier.

Lupin seized the opportunity to dart away from the massive creature, also drawing his own wand.

"Transfiguration or Bog?" Lupin reacted quickly, already communicating with Severus the moment his wand was out.

"Transfiguration."

As Severus spoke, he had already thrown a potion bottle towards the Troll's location from a distance while waving his wand. Lupin followed suit immediately.

The potion bottle shattered near the Troll. Pale green liquid splashed onto the ground. In the next second, the originally resilient, fine grass began to change shape at an incredible speed, growing wildly like soaring vines!

The Transfiguration spells cast by both Severus and Lupin arrived as planned. The vines instantly completed a material transformation, turning from soft grass-green to a silvery-white with a metallic sheen!

By the time the Troll finally regained control of its club, it found itself trapped inside a massive steel cage.

It ferociously grabbed the iron bars of the cage, but even with its immense strength, it couldn't break out of this prison.

This enraged the Troll even more. It began roaring at the sky, struggling desperately inside the cage, making the ground tremble.

Seeing this, Lupin's face turned pale.

"It's calling for its companions!"

The ground's vibrations grew increasingly intense. From the valley through which the stream flowed, a sound like a stampede of ten thousand horses emerged.

But the creatures charging out were certainly not horses… they were dozens of Trolls wearing grass skirts around their waists and wielding large clubs!

These were all Mountain Trolls. Their numbers might not be the largest in Europe, but they certainly exceeded most Troll communities.

They kept making grunting sounds as they charged towards Severus and the others.

Seeing this, Harry nervously reached into his satchel and gripped his wand. Draco's face turned even paler, and he instinctively took two steps back.

Severus's expression, however, didn't change. He even put his wand away.

Because he saw a short, stout figure among the Trolls.

It was a wizard in robes. He had messy, brownish hair that looked like it hadn't been combed for a long time.

He held a wand, and though his build seemed round, his movements were remarkably agile.

He ran frantically to the front of the Trolls, followed by a smaller Troll, noticeably smaller than its kin.

But this young Troll clearly seemed more intelligent than the others of its species!

"Wait! Wait! I said wait! Lulu! You stop them!"