The Unicorn.

Whether in the wizarding world or Muggle society, it ranks among famous magical creatures like dragons and phoenixes.

For most wizards, unicorns are absolutely rare. In Europe, only a few magical creature nature reserves have unicorn herds living in them.

The Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts is one of them.

But no matter which reserve they are from, unicorns almost all look the same.

Pure white fur, a spiral horn on the forehead, possessing extremely powerful magic, and only approaching flawless maidens.

This golden unicorn that guided them to the Fountain of Fair Fortune had the exact same physique as a normal unicorn.

However, its fur was pale gold, and the spiral horn on its forehead was like gold, emitting a unique radiance even in the dimming light.

"Professor! Professor! What's wrong with you?"

Behind Severus, Harry called out.

But Severus didn't respond. He just stood eye to eye with the unicorn before him, and then, as the creature showed no fear in its gaze, he gently reached out his hand.

His hand touched the unicorn's body but miraculously passed right through it!

The originally vivid, lifelike golden unicorn, displayed before everyone, which had guided a host of wizards into this hidden realm of the Fountain and could even eat, was actually not a physical entity at all!

Just with that, the emotions that had been constantly assailing Severus, urging him to stab this unicorn to death, suddenly stopped. It was like a starving person seeing a large bowl of hot chocolate, eagerly preparing to eat, but suddenly smelling a foul stench… it stopped abruptly.

[How can this unicorn be fake!] Even Ghost Snape let out an exclamation of disbelief.

However, only Severus showed no surprise. He just laughed inwardly.

'What's so surprising about that? It definitely isn't real. Anyone who uses their brain a little should be able to figure that out. It's just that Voldemort has long since lost his mind.'

Ghost Snape's expression darkened. He certainly understood that Severus was including him in that insult.

[Why must it not exist?]

'Isn't it obvious? How long has the legend been circulating in this region of Albania about a golden unicorn appearing to lead people to the Fountain of Fair Fortune? Hundreds, thousands of years.'

'No unicorn could live that long, not even a variant. Furthermore, since this is a legend, the possibility of this unicorn being real is even lower.'

Severus actually had one more major basis he didn't mention.

That was, he already knew beforehand that Voldemort definitely hadn't succeeded in drinking this unicorn's blood.

In the original work, up until the time Quirrell found Voldemort, he was in an extremely weakened, life-fading state.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked killing a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest to drink its blood.

There must have been some problem that caused Voldemort's failure within the Albanian forest.

And now, sure enough, this unicorn was a spiritual entity, similar to Peeves at Hogwarts.

Although it had the ability to interact with physical objects, like eating grass, its essence was still that of a spirit.

Spirits fundamentally cannot be killed, and it's impossible to draw blood from them.

Severus could clearly feel the special thoughts affecting his emotions continuously receding. And the pet Harry had picked up, perched on his shoulder, was no longer as active as before.

Outwardly, Severus acted as if he had suddenly snapped out of it, followed by an expression of regret and disappointment, before finally turning back to rejoin Harry and the others.

"What was wrong with you just now?" Lupin asked, puzzled. Anyone could see Severus's strange state earlier.

Aware that the person he had been looking for was right beside him, Severus certainly couldn't tell Harry and the others the truth at this moment.

But he didn't overact either. He just smiled as usual, waved his hand, and said,

"Nothing, really. That unicorn just reminded me of some things from the past. Let's not worry about it for now. Let's take a good look at this legendary fountain first."

Of course, Harry and the others had no reason to doubt Severus's answer. Only Sirius, who had remained silent, kept staring intently at Severus's face.

The person who knows you best is often your enemy.

Sirius was no exception.

The reason he had never trusted that Severus could truly reform was that he knew clearly that a leopard cannot change its spots!

Based on the Severus Snape he knew, even if he did repent, he couldn't possibly repent to this extent.

And now, he sensed that Severus was hiding something in his words.

But Sirius didn't speak up about it.

He was reckless, not stupid.

He understood clearly that his authority within this team was clearly less than Severus's.

The only thing he could do now was what Lupin had told him.

Observe.

Conduct the most comprehensive observation of this Severus whom everyone said had completely changed.

No one can pretend forever. Sooner or later, he would catch Severus red-handed!

Just as Sirius was secretly making this resolution, Severus had already led the excited Harry and Draco to the fountain.

"Why don't we just jump in and take a bath! In the legend, isn't it said that just by bathing in the fountain's water, you directly gain good luck?" Draco was already taking off his jacket, saying eagerly.

At this, Severus just tapped him on the head.

"The legend also says that this fountain only brings good luck to the first person who bathes in it. There are four of us and one dog here now. Who should take the first bath?"

This question rendered Draco speechless. He looked left and right.

If divided by contribution...

When they first reached the ridge, it was Sirius who discovered the cave leading to the summit. After reaching the summit, it was Harry who found the hidden drawbridge underwater to cross the river.

Finally, the map used to navigate the maze was found because he, Draco, first discovered the mermaid skull in the valley lake, and then Lupin followed that clue.

And there was Severus… If he hadn't defeated the basilisk in the ruin and found the silver whistle, they couldn't have come here at all.

So, who should get this unique piece of good luck?

This question made Harry and Draco look at each other. Clearly, neither had the shamelessness to proactively step forward and claim this luck for themselves.

Seeing the hope and awkwardness in their eyes, it was Severus who walked over to the fountain and pulled a dropper from his pocket.

"Don't rush just yet. The silver whistle that guided us to this Fountain was found by me in a Dark Wizard's ruin. Both Nicolas and I surmised that the Fountain of Fair Fortune hidden here likely isn't as simple as the legend suggests, merely bringing good luck."

"You have to understand, no Dark Wizard is that kind-hearted."

As he spoke, he used the dropper to draw a few drops of water from the fountain, then took out a glass vessel and dripped the water into it.

As a professional Potioneer, Severus certainly knew how to determine the properties of a liquid.

He carried various testing potions with him. While Lupin had Harry and Draco set up a pot to rest and start cooking dinner, Severus, staring at the remaining liquid in the vessel, reached a conclusion.

"This fountain water can indeed bring people good luck."

Upon hearing this, the two boys, who were helping Lupin prepare onion soup, immediately perked up again.

"So that means the Fountain of Fair Fortune's water is real!"

However, Severus shook his head at this.

"You haven't heard me finish. This water can indeed bring people good luck, on the premise that the person coming here already possesses luck far exceeding the ordinary."

His words brought looks of confusion to Harry and the others' faces.

Severus patiently explained to them.

"Our ability to reach here was full of accidents and coincidences, wasn't it? Think about it. The reason I discovered the underground ruin and found the silver whistle that opens the door to the Fountain in the first place was because the dragon commotion caught my attention, leading me to focus on that area."

"After entering here, first Sirius was lucky to find the cave to the summit. Then Dudley was lucky to find the hidden drawbridge by the river. Finally, getting through the maze was thanks to the dragon-hide map Draco and Remus accidentally discovered long ago in the troll valley."

He spread his hands.

"Many wizards entered that door with us. I'm sure many more followed closely after we entered. But after all this time, besides us, who else has made it here?"

"The person who set up this Fountain of Fair Fortune here intended to screen people who already possessed good luck to find it!"

Lupin had already grasped the implication in Severus's words.

"A person who is already lucky is selected to come to a place claimed to be able to bring good luck. They would bathe in the water here, and then..."

Severus pointed at the fountain, revealing the answer for them.

"It's very simple. The water here isn't some miraculous substance. It's just ordinary mountain spring water mixed with some special potions. Those potions have effects similar to Felix Felicis, able to enhance a person's senses for a period, making the user feel luckier."

"Coupled with the confidence boost from the Fountain of Fair Fortune's legend itself, wizards who have bathed in the water will approach everything with more confidence than others. This greatly increases their success rate. Even when they occasionally fail, they find various reasons to explain it away."

"But this still proves that the fountain water really can bring good luck, right!" Draco said impatiently, "Isn't that enough as long as that's confirmed?"

"Do you remember the Fountain of Fair Fortune's legend circulating here states that the good luck for those who bathe in it only lasts for three years?" Severus said seriously.

Clearly, both Harry and Draco had long forgotten this detail.

"So, how do you think people determined that those fortunate wizards who bathed in the fountain lost their good luck after three years?"

This question completely stumped the two boys. Instead, it was Sirius, who had remained silent until now, who spoke up disdainfully.

"Whether an ordinary person has good luck or not, outsiders can't really tell. Only when those who were consistently lucky suddenly start having continuous bad luck can others see that they've lost their previous fortune."

"Your godfather here isn't lacking in brains… it's just that at critical moments, he chooses to discard them and not use them."

Severus wasn't stingy with his praise for Sirius, if that could be considered praise.

"Back in the forest, I specifically asked Andrews about the later circumstances of those wizards fortunate enough to have bathed in the Fountain of Fair Fortune. After their three years of good luck, they more or less developed some physical problems, and then gradually faded from public view."

"I didn't notice anything particularly wrong with that at the time. But in this fountain water, besides the Felix Felicis-like substances, I found something else."

Severus gently tapped the water in the vessel with his wand. A wisp of dark green gas rose from it, forming something like a goat pattern in the air.

This phenomenon startled both Harry and Draco, who instinctively took a step back.

"What is that!"

"A curse."

Severus explained seriously to them.

"This fountain has been artificially cursed. A curse that can steal others' luck and transfer it to oneself. It's a very ancient spell, at least, I haven't seen anything similar in modern spellbooks. I suspect it might have been uniquely created by Herpo."

By now, Harry's face had turned pale. Even a fool would completely understand now.

"So, the so-called Fountain of Fair Fortune's legend was deliberately spread by that Dark Wizard to screen truly lucky people to find this place, then bathe in the water, become infected with the curse, and finally have their good luck transferred to him!"

"Roughly as you said."

Severus casually poured the liquid from the vessel back into the fountain. He spread his arms and invited the two boys.

"Now, does anyone still want to try this fountain water that brings good luck?"

Upon hearing this, both Draco and Harry involuntarily took another step back. Their previous eagerness was completely gone.