That was precisely the maze map Draco had discovered two weeks ago in the old troll valley, found inside the skull he fished up!

The mark in the center of the map, resembling a fountain, had been inferred by Lupin and Severus from the start to possibly represent the Fountain of Fair Fortune.

And now, with only the final step left to reach the fountain, they had indeed entered a maze. The likelihood that this maze map was the map to find the Fountain of Fair Fortune was now almost one hundred percent!

Such coincidence and luck raised the spirits of Severus and the other three once again.

Except for Sirius, who had been uninterested in this adventure from the start, even the Puffskein on Severus's shoulder was hopping about, seemingly joining in the general jubilation.

As for the maze depicted on the dragonhide map, Lupin had long since mastered it.

Just by observing the surrounding vine walls, he could quickly pinpoint their location on the map.

Then, with Lupin leading the way, they began delving deeper into the maze.

But soon, they encountered a problem not shown on the map… a special plant blocked their path.

It was a thorny bramble, growing extremely lush, extending from the vine walls beside them.

Like the Whomping Willow at Hogwarts, it brandished its needle-covered branches, barring Severus and the others from proceeding.

Lupin tried several spells first, but none could clear the obstructing bramble. It seemed to have been watered with a special potion, its branches possessing resistance to magic.

Seeing this, Severus gestured for Lupin to step back. Then he pulled out a vial of dark green potion from his seemingly bottomless pocket.

From a distance, Severus threw the vial towards the bramble's roots.

The vial shattered on impact. The green potion clung to the roots, and a pungent white smoke immediately rose!

The bramble was clearly severely harmed. Its previously waving branches were no longer vibrant green but visibly lost their vitality, turning withered and yellowed.

Once all the bramble branches hung limp on the ground, the four, the dog, and the Puffskein could proceed.

The maze was large, but Severus and the others moved quickly now, no longer as leisurely and relaxed as they were on the mountainside.

Clearly, with the final goal so close, both children and adults seemed impatient and eager.

They kept moving forward without stopping, no one complaining of tiredness anymore. As the originally bright sky began to gradually darken, after overcoming three or four more plant obstacles, they finally emerged completely from the maze!

And the sight before them stunned everyone.

It was like a fairyland from those fairy tales. Tall trees rarely seen outside were everywhere. Vines full of life vitality hung from the lush, leafy branches, with countless fairies fluttering around them.

The ground was paved with neat, clean stone paths. Various plants of all kinds vied for beauty and attention, many of which Severus recognized instantly as rare species in the magical world.

And surrounded by all this, in the center, stood a fountain beneath a rainbow!

The water spraying from the central area shimmered even in the dimming light, as if every droplet was a sparkling crystal!

By the fountain, the Golden Unicorn that had opened the door to the Fountain's location was strolling leisurely on the stone path.

Even upon seeing Severus and his group, it showed no panic or urge to flee. Instead, it casually ate a herb by the path, chewing calmly.

Seeing the fountain in the center of the garden, both Harry and Draco's faces flushed with excitement!

If Lupin weren't holding them back, they would have already run and jumped into the fountain.

Severus, upon arriving here, was also excited and thrilled.

Although he didn't know why he was so happy, his gaze from the very beginning was fixed on the Golden Unicorn, not shifting for a moment!

Even the legendary Fountain beside it wasn't half as attractive as a single hair of that unicorn!

That peculiar emotion occupied Severus's mind, as if that unicorn was a rare treasure. The Severus who had initially felt nothing upon seeing it now felt an intense desire to obtain it, to possess it!

This strong emotional fluctuation soon made Severus frown involuntarily.

'Why did I want to obtain such a unicorn?'

'Even if this magical creature was a treasure trove, was I lacking those things?'

The question raised by this reason was barely formed when his brain almost instantly provided a clear answer!

'Lacking!'

'I needed something from this special unicorn!'

'Something that could make a person I cared deeply about return, allow me to regain my former glory, and together with that man, change the entire magical world.'

'Blood!'

'Unicorn blood!'

'Especially from this Golden Unicorn, never before seen in the wizarding world.'

'Its blood must be even more powerful, more vibrant.'

Right now, Severus needed this unicorn's blood!

He wanted to kill this beast, offer the treasures from its body to his master, to demonstrate his loyalty!

This was his original purpose for coming here. It was precisely to welcome back the man whose name everyone feared to utter that he had come to Albania, to this forest.

[Your condition isn't right.]

At that moment, a cold, flat, yet strangely familiar, heavenly voice suddenly sounded in Severus's ear.

The voice was like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head, making Severus instantly become extremely clear-headed!

The surfacing clarity, like a tide, began to recede, replaced by reason.

At this moment, recalling the thoughts that had just appeared in his mind, Severus found them utterly absurd!

'Is it the Confundus Charm?'

He narrowed his eyes, calmly asking in his heart.

Ghost Snape, who had witnessed the entire change in Severus's emotions and finally issued the crucial reminder that jolted Severus out of that strange state, warily nodded.

[A very high-level Confundus Charm. And it took effect very early. Right after entering here, your state was actually already somewhat off, but you never noticed from start to finish.]

'Due to Occlumency, I should be immune to most Confundus Charms...' Severus communicated internally with Ghost Snape, while outwardly remaining impassive, his gaze still fixed on the Golden Unicorn.

Simultaneously, he helped Lupin restrain Harry and Draco, preventing them from approaching the fountain under unknown circumstances.

'No one in this world can read my memories, not even Dumbledore or Voldemort. But the Confundus Charm is, in some aspects, much more advanced than Legilimency. It doesn't directly target memories but subtly alters a person's perception.'

'But even such a charm, the number of people who can use it on me and affect me is very few, so few you can count them on your fingers.'

The intense emotion and desire, compelling Severus to urgently want to kill that Golden Unicorn and take its blood, kept welling up from his mind.

But as Severus analyzed things clearly and methodically, his reason had completely retaken control of his brain, firmly suppressing those agitated emotions!

'And right now, in this forest, there is one person who, in his original state, should have the ability to do this.'

In truth, even without this deduction and analysis, just based on his inexplicably surfacing emotions, Severus could directly guess who had set this trap for him!

Unicorn blood, the legendary elixir said to extend life.

His initial goal had never been the Fountain of Fair Fortune, nor some ancient Dark Wizard's ruin!

It was this golden, special, never-before-seen-in-the-magical-world guiding magical creature… the Golden Unicorn.

Almost instantly, Severus completely figured out the connection between this Fountain of Fair Fortune commotion and the hidden soul fragment in the Albanian forest!

Voldemort never needed good luck, as he didn't believe in such things.

In his current, extremely weakened state, he only had an urgent need for anything that could prolong his life and restore his condition.

This legendary unicorn possessed what he needed!

'In his current state, he's nowhere near his peak. Maintaining normal existence is already difficult for him now. How could he possibly cast a Confundus Charm that affects me?'

Severus murmured to himself internally.

[Unless…] Ghost Snape said softly, his gaze darkly turning towards a certain place.

Severus, however, didn't look at his own shoulder, he knew what was perched there.

'Unless... he has been quietly with me for a long time now.'

[You... you plan to do what?]

Rarely, Ghost Snape's voice clearly held tension and fear.

That man still held a powerful influence over him. Even though he had decided long ago to betray him, to resist him, now, at the moment of truly taking action, he couldn't remain nonchalant and composed.

But Severus was already smiling.

'Do you know how he Confunded me?'

Ghost Snape didn't speak, as he knew this wasn't a genuine question from Severus.

'He influenced my emotions, making me desire that unicorn. The root of this desire was making me instinctively believe that killing that unicorn, obtaining its blood, and offering it to him would demonstrate my loyalty, allowing him to return.'

'What's wrong with that?' Ghost Snape didn't see anything particularly wrong with that.

'He doesn't just need me to help him get the unicorn's blood, he's also testing me,' Severus said calmly, 'The premise for this emotion to sway my mind is that I still maintain loyalty to him. If such loyalty no longer exists, my desire to obtain that unicorn's blood wouldn't be so intense.'

'His Confundus Charm affected the subconscious associated with my past loyalty to him. But even if you hadn't woken me just now, when I actually reached that unicorn's side, I would have involuntarily started thinking: Why should I take the blood to bring him back? What benefit would his return bring me? Such questions would eventually have made me stop.'

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

[But if that's the case, then you wouldn't help him get the unicorn's blood. Wouldn't his goal then fail?]

'So the key lies here.' Severus sneered coldly, 'Clearly, in his mind, determining whether I still possess genuine loyalty has temporarily been elevated above obtaining that unicorn's blood!'

Hearing this, Ghost Snape couldn't help but be stunned.

Quickly, his reasonably sharp mind reacted, understanding the implication!

[He needs you!]

'Of course he needs me.' Severus's inner smile deepened, 'He knows his current situation clearly. Even if he gets the unicorn's blood, it's merely prolonging his feeble existence. But if he confirms my absolute loyalty to him, then the things he can manipulate through me afterward are numerous!'

'So, after discovering me, he lay in ambush near me very early, constantly observing my words and actions, then through various means of guidance made me discover this Fountain of Fair Fortune, and ultimately find this Golden Unicorn.'

'And if my loyalty is confirmed, he will obtain the life-extending divine medicine and a subordinate who will obey his every word!'

By now, Ghost Snape's expression had turned somewhat fearful in retrospect.

[Fortunately... fortunately we realized at the last moment...]

'No need to worry so much. What I've been telling you all along, which you might not have fully believed, isn't his current action precisely proving my point?'

Severus whispered in his heart. And in reality, he had already started walking slowly towards the Golden Unicorn.

'He is now extremely weak. Even after discovering his former loyal subordinate, he has become suspicious and paranoid, needing to exhaust all efforts using these methods to reassess my loyalty.'

In the eyes of Lupin, Harry, and Draco, Severus had been standing there, staring dazedly at the unicorn for a long time, then suddenly started walking towards it, not responding no matter who called out to him!

Ghost Snape had completely held his breath.

[So you... what do you plan to do next?]

Severus didn't answer. He simply stopped before the Golden Unicorn.