Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 88 Albania

In front of the crooked Burrow, Mr. Weasley used his wand to direct several suitcases to jump into a rusty Ford Anglia:

"Kids, double-check the tents. It's said that the forests of Albania are prone to thunderstorms."

"Can this car fly?" Snape asked curiously. This must be the car that crashed into the Whomping Willow, he thought.

“Fly? Of course not,” Mr. Weasley asked doubtfully. “Aren’t Muggle cars supposed to run on the ground?”

But then his eyes lit up with excitement: "That's a good idea, if it could fly..."

"Arthur, are you sure we want to ride in it?" Mrs. Weasley interrupted her husband's daydreaming, frowning as she looked at the car as if it were a frizzy snail that might bite at any moment.

“My dear, this is what adventure is all about!” Mr. Weasley rubbed his hands together excitedly. “We agreed beforehand that we would travel entirely the Muggle way! Cars, airplanes!”

"Alright, everyone get in!" Mr. Weasley patted the hood cheerfully.

All eight of them squeezed into the car—Mr. Weasley insisted on driving himself, even though he didn’t quite understand how the metal box worked, but fortunately wizards generally don’t get hurt in car accidents.

Once they were all seated in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced at the back, where Bill, Charlie, Erin, Snape, and Lily sat comfortably side by side. She and Percy sat in the front, in a seat that had been extended to resemble a park bench.

“Muggles are smarter than we think,” she said. “I mean, you can’t tell from the outside that the car is this spacious, can you?”

Mr. Weasley winked at Snape in the rearview mirror, then started the engine and drove the car out of the yard.

This time, the Weasleys didn't forget anything, and Ford Anglia headed smoothly towards Exeter International Airport. It was the closest airport to them in Devon, and with Snape's help, they had successfully booked their tickets by phone.

After a harrowing journey (the Ford Anglia made suspicious clicking noises on the A30, during which Mr. Weasley nearly drove the car into a ditch three times), they finally pulled into the airport parking lot.

The chaos at Exeter International Airport was far beyond imagination.

Muggles were pushing metal carts recklessly, a mechanical female voice on the loudspeaker kept repeating flight information, and the security checkpoint flashed a blinding red light. Mr. Weasley's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but reach for his wand in his pocket.

"Put your wand away!" Mrs. Weasley stopped him anxiously. "We agreed to use the Muggle method!"

At the check-in counter, Lily suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! I didn't buy a ticket!"

“Don’t forget you’re still a witch,” Snape said, “a matter of a Confusion Charm.”

“But that’s against the rules,” Lily whispered.

Snape shook his head, and his wand silently slid out of his sleeve.

"To confuse the public!" His lips barely moved, but a barely perceptible golden light struck the staff member.

"Oh, of course!" The lady suddenly smiled brightly. "Ms. Evans, there's a window seat available in the fifth row from the bottom of economy class. Have a pleasant journey!"

She arranged for Lily to sit with Snape and the others, quickly printed out her boarding pass, and handed it to Lily.

Upon boarding, Mr. Weasley again showed great interest in the "giant metal bird," nearly getting arrested by security for trying to approach the plane from the ground. Snape had to cast another Confusion Charm to get them all on board. The weightlessness during takeoff caused several Weasleys and Irene to grip the armrests in terror. Mrs. Weasley turned pale, clutching the armrests tightly, while Irene kept her eyes tightly shut.

"Is this really safe? Without the balancing charm of a flying broom?" Mr. Weasley asked Snape, who was sitting next to him, in a low voice.

“Don’t worry,” Snape said, “the death rate from flying is not as high as that from Quidditch matches.”

A few hours later, night had fallen when the plane landed at the airport in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

A humid, warm breeze swept over me, and in the distance rose majestic mountains covered in deep green forests, while nearby stood exotic red-tiled, white-walled buildings.

“Welcome to the last magical place in Europe.” Mr. Weasley took a deep breath and unfolded the tourist map distributed by the Ministry of Magic. “According to ‘The Land of Magic: The History of Magic in Albania,’ this place is home to one of the oldest wizarding communities in Europe.”

“I’ve heard there are vampires in this forest,” Bill said mysteriously, “and werewolves too!”

Molly immediately tensed up: "Children, don't leave our sight! Arthur, you promised this would be a safe holiday!"

Mr. Weasley, busy examining a motorcycle parked on the side of the road, casually replied, “Of course, dear, very safe… Oh, look at the two-wheeled car, how ingenious!”

Snape and Lily found them two dilapidated taxis, and after a bumpy ride, they arrived at a small town.

Then, following the map, they walked along the cobblestone path to a tavern with a heart-shaped sign. The sign read "Dracula's Hole" in gold letters.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, one enters a warm yet dimly lit space. Copper lanterns hang from the wooden ceiling, illuminating the various fascinating biological specimens displayed on the walls.

Around several rough wooden tables sat various shamans, some dressed in traditional Albanian robes, others clearly foreign tourists.

“I’ll arrange the rooms,” Mr. Weasley said. “You all find a table to sit at.”

They had just sat down at a large round table when a plump woman with a round face strode quickly towards them from the bar. She had voluminous brown curly hair and a few freckles dotting her round face.

"Arthur!" she cried out excitedly, her voice so loud that several customers turned to look at her. "You've finally arrived!"

“Oh, Bertha! It’s a pleasure to see you!” Mr. Weasley waved to her.

“The Weasleys! And… oh, Merlin!” Bertha Jorkins trotted over, shaking Mr. Weasley’s hand enthusiastically. “Severus and Lily, I haven’t seen you since graduation, you’ve both grown so tall!”

Bertha, already familiar with the family, pulled up a chair and sat down: "So, the whole family is here on vacation? How lovely!"

Her eyes lingered on Snape and Lily for a moment, a gossipy glint in them: "So you two...traveled together?"

Snape wasn't particularly fond of this older sister who would later be killed by Voldemort for being meddlesome and lacking common sense.

He tried to change the subject: "Bertha, we haven't eaten yet. Do you have any local recommendations?"

After a hearty meal, they climbed the creaking stairs. Outside the window, the Albanian mountains gleamed a dark blue-black in the moonlight, and distant calls echoed from the depths of the forest from unknown creatures.

(End of this chapter)