Snape flicked his wand gently, causing several ropes to bind the old crone repeatedly, then cautiously checked for any missed spots.
"This should do it," he muttered under his breath, but his brow furrowed as his gaze landed on her cloudy eyes.
This old witch's cunning exceeded expectations—who knew what tricks she still had left?
"Serpens Ligatur!" he added quickly.
A flash of light sealed the crone's lips shut.
She glared furiously, a guttural chuckle bubbling from her throat.
Snape absentmindedly rubbed his wand between his fingers as he paced slowly around the bound woman.
"But…" he mused, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes, "what if she can still perform high-level wandless or nonverbal magic?"
Without hesitation, he raised his wand.
"For safety's sake," he said coldly, pointing it at her arm.
Two crisp snaps echoed; the crone writhed violently beneath the bindings, emitting a muffled whimper.
Her arm now hung at an unnatural angle, her fingers useless.
Snape nodded with satisfaction and turned to break the enchantment binding the little girl.
Suddenly, a faint groan caught his attention.
The werewolf entangled in Nagini's coils was shifting back toward human form: coarse black fur receded, sharp claws retracted, revealing the pale face of a middle-aged man.
Nagini's massive jaws opened wide, fangs gleaming coldly as she aimed for the exposed neck of the man.
"Nagini, don't bite!" Snape shouted urgently.
The serpent's slit pupils turned toward Snape.
Her tongue flicked as she slowly loosened her coils and slid to Snape's feet, emitting a soft hiss.
The little girl recoiled in fright at the strange scene and Snape's serpentine voice, stumbling backward and collapsing to the ground.
Her eyes widened, small frame trembling.
"Thank you," Snape said gently, sheathing his wand. "Don't be afraid. Sorry for the misunderstanding."
When he pointed his wand at the girl, she flinched in fear.
"Relaxo Vincio," he whispered as softly as possible.
The ropes fell away. The girl stared at her hands in disbelief before lunging toward the unconscious man.
"Daddy!" she sobbed, shaking his shoulder desperately. "Please wake up! Please…"
Snape hurried over, kneeling to examine the man's wounds.
Nagini's fangs had left two gruesome punctures on his shoulder, blood flowing freely and soaking half his clothing.
"Step aside, let me see." Snape waved his wand, the tip glowing a gentle blue. "Episkey! Heal as before!"
He cast over a dozen healing charms, but the bleeding would not stop.
Sweat beaded on Snape's forehead; the wand's glow flickered erratically. Frantically, he searched his mind for any cure, but none could counter Nagini's venom.
"Nagini," he asked urgently in Parseltongue, "can you stop the bleeding?"
She flicked out her tongue, appearing to ponder.
After a moment, she slid back into the dense woods, the scrape of scales on fallen leaves fading.
Snape maintained the most basic healing spells, watching the surroundings carefully.
The old crone still writhed nearby, emitting unintelligible sounds.
Time passed slowly; dusk's last light was swallowed by night, and the forest grew colder.
The girl's crying dwindled into soft sobs, then silent tears.
She knelt beside her father, clutching his cooling fingers, her pale face haunting.
Snape's heart sank. If Nagini did not return soon…
Just as the final light vanished, the familiar rustle of leaves sounded again.
Two emerald serpentine eyes glowed in the darkness. Nagini returned, clutching an unusual plant in her jaws.
Snape took the herb from her—an unknown species with oval leaves edged with fine serrations, pale yellow-green flowers releasing a faint fragrance, and stems mottled red and green, still dripping with dew.
He crushed the herb magically, applying the poultice carefully to the man's wound.
The fresh scent slowed the bleeding; the purple-black venom around the wound faded.
"Thank you," Snape exhaled, stroking Nagini's head as she curled quietly at his feet.
When the man groaned weakly, the girl looked up sharply, trembling lips unable to speak, tears streaming once again.
Snape lit a small fire and fashioned a makeshift stretcher using Transfiguration.
He moved the man closer to the fire, cautiously inspecting the wounds—the herb was working, and his breathing steadied.
At that moment, Snape's stomach growled audibly.
He realized he hadn't eaten all day except for the charred fish.
Nagini glanced at him, then slipped back into the bushes.
The girl sat quietly hugging her knees, then suddenly approached the crone, patting her robes.
Snape came over and helped flip the crone onto her back—a movement met with an angry grunt.
The girl pulled a necklace with a blood-red canine tooth from the crone's neck and handed Snape a yellowed scroll from her robe.
"This is what she used to write things down," the girl explained, offering the items. "She controls the werewolves with this necklace."
Snape took both, carefully sealing them before tucking them away.
He turned the crone face-down again.
After a while, Nagini returned, carrying a crushed muntjac deer.
Seeing her return, Snape stood and circled them.
"Protego Maxima… Totalis… Silentium…" he muttered, wand raised. "No need to repel Muggles; I'd rather have them come now."
He clumsily prepared the deer, removing the blood and gore.
"Do you know how to cook meat?" he asked the girl.
She nodded softly, firelight flickering over her dirty face.
Crackling flames danced as the girl roasted the deer on a stick, fat dripping with sizzling sounds.
"Hey," Snape suddenly spoke, "what's your name? Can you tell me your story?"
"Ah!" The girl startled, nearly dropping her skewer.
She glanced nervously at Snape, then at the crone—still writhing silently on the ground.
"My name's Anna… In winter," she whispered, "Mom and Dad brought me here to visit… then the witch caught me…"
Through her story, Snape learned the crone was a dark witch, experimenting with controlling werewolves.
When she lacked test subjects, she captured ordinary people to create new werewolves.
"Mom was bitten by her previous werewolf," Anna's tears fell to the ground, "and died in experiments… Dad can sometimes control his transformations, but it's not always…"
Snape's pupils contracted sharply—this was unprecedented. He'd never heard of werewolves self-shifting, much less obeying human commands.
The werewolf problem unsolved by the wizarding world had made progress here in this remote forest? He glanced again at the unconscious man.
"Do you want some?" Anna's frightened voice pulled him from his thoughts.
She held out a skewer of cooked deer meat hesitantly before Nagini.
To Snape's surprise, Nagini delicately bit off pieces, elegantly swallowing them.
"You must dislike fish," Snape asked in Parseltongue, earning a disdainful shake of her head.
Anna stiffened at his hissing tongue, dropping her skewer with a clatter.
"It's okay," Snape soothed, bending to pick up the stick, cleaning it, and returning it. "I was just asking if she liked it."
Anna nodded softly and resumed roasting, occasionally glancing worriedly at her father.
"Next piece is for you," Snape said. "Teach me how to cook, then."
He thought of his miserable culinary skills, lips twitching involuntarily.
Night deepened; Snape let Anna sleep near the fire while he kept watch. Nagini coiled at his feet.
At dawn, vague sounds stirred Snape from light sleep; the fire was nearly out.
Voices called softly nearby.
"Nagini, hide."
After a moment's hesitation, Snape sent Nagini into the bushes behind him, pulled Anna close, and carefully dispelled the protective enchantment over their camp.
As the wards fell, an owl circled above, followed by a patchwork flying carpet.
Snape recognized the figures: Eileen, Lily, and Mr. Weasley.
"I'm here!" he called, stepping forward and waving.
The owl folded its wings, landing near him, a small parchment tied to its leg.
Before Snape could remove the note, the flying carpet roared closer.
"Severus!"
Eileen nearly tumbled from the carpet, rushing over with trembling hands, brushing his face and shoulders for any injury.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, hair disheveled from sleepless nights.
Lily stood silently nearby, green eyes full of worry. She looked pale and exhausted, dark circles under her eyes.
"Merlin's beard!" Mr. Weasley panted. "We searched everywhere for you! The Albanian Ministry officials only gave us bureaucratic nonsense, making us wait after registering your disappearance…"
They had tried everything to find Snape, even local diviners, but the mystics only offered riddles and nonsense.
In the end, Lily remembered the old owl post method—Snape would never ignore their letters.
"Yesterday, the owl circled over a pile of rocks for a long time," Lily said, voice trembling, "then suddenly turned this way… We followed it flying all night…"
Warmth flooded Snape's chest, a lump in his throat.
"I'm fine," he said softly, turning behind him. "But someone here needs help…"
Mr. Weasley approached the crone who had lain on the cold ground all night.
"Wait," Snape called, "she's an enemy. Don't undo her bindings."
With Weasley's help, Snape lifted Anna's still-unconscious father and the crone onto the flying carpet.
Eileen watched anxiously, afraid Snape would vanish from sight.
Once everyone was aboard, Snape stood at the forest's edge, speaking in Parseltongue into the thicket:
"Come out, Nagini."
The great serpent slowly extended her head from the bushes.
"Severus!" Eileen jumped down from the carpet, wand raised to shield him.
"Don't worry, she saved my life," Snape said softly, pulling Eileen aside. "She's my friend now."
"Come with me," he crouched, locking eyes with Nagini. "At least you'll have someone to talk to."
"Okay…"
After a long pause, Nagini emitted a barely discernible hiss.
"Well," Snape said, "don't be afraid. I'll cast a spell to shrink you down."
Nagini nodded gently.
Though Eileen and Lily had heard Snape's Parseltongue before, they stared in astonishment. Mr. Weasley nervously adjusted his slipping glasses.
"Reduce quickly."
Under the spell, Nagini's twelve-foot frame shrank rapidly to less than two feet.
She slipped inside Snape's robe sleeve, a small head poking out to nuzzle his cheek softly.
"Let's go," Snape said, climbing onto the flying carpet. "Time to go home."