Muggles really are amazing! Severus could not suppress an admiring sigh as he read the book "How Airplanes Work and How They Fly," which Miss Jonathan had given him. Everything was so simple and logical, and yet so much sweat and blood had gone into reaching this point. He closed the book, set it on his lap, and glanced at Nagini dozing peacefully beside him. Still, I have to agree with her. It is pretty boring here. He reclined the seat slightly, settled in more comfortably, and closed his eyes. Might as well sleep until we land.
At the same time, Laura Jonathan, passing nearby, furrowed her brows. She felt something strange when she caught a glimpse of the pair sitting next to the young man, as they flickered and turned transparent for an instant.
Probably just seeing things. I should have gone to bed earlier yesterday. Shaking her head, Laura walked on, but she still glanced back now and then, unsettled by that trio, as if she could not see something, and that something was right in front of her eyes.
When Laura finally reached the door leading to the rest room, she heard someone cough. She turned around and did not even have time to speak before a man in a leather jacket grabbed her, pressing something cold to her temple.
In the same second, four more men in simpler clothes rose from their seats. They spread through the cabin and drew pistols.
The whole operation took a pitiful five seconds. The passengers barely had time to understand anything when a rough voice rang out:
"The plane is hijacked! Nobody move!"
People traded stunned looks, then the realization hit, and panic flared, but no one dared say a word with weapons aimed their way.
"P-please forgive me, but what d-do you want?" Laura stammered. The man in the leather jacket grinned, turning her already pale face even whiter. This was her first flight, and though she had been trained for situations like this, facing a real terrorist made her mind go blank in an instant.
"Well, I am glad you all understand the situation," he laughed, looking over the frightened passengers, and the other four joined in. "Now you are our hostages, and." For a moment all five froze. "You have been pranked!" He pointed the pistol upward and a small flame burst from it. "Happy Surprise Day!"
He released Laura, and they laughed merrily, but the passengers were far from amused. A few men stood, cracking their knuckles as they moved toward the pranksters.
At the same time, Nagini, woken by the noise and seeing everything from near the front rows, narrowed her eyes at the sleeping Severus. He had barely stirred the entire time, except for a couple of finger taps on his knee at the exact moment they revealed it was all a joke.
Nagini did not ask him anything. She only flicked her tail at the men kicking the pranksters, closed her eyes, and fell asleep again.
Laura, however, could not relax. The prank still left her shaken. Deep down, she was sure something about it was not right. They had acted far too convincingly.
"Laura, are you okay?" her colleague asked with concern, offering a glass of water.
"Thank you, I am better now," Laura answered with a forced smile, trying to steady her voice as she took a few sips.
"Damn pranksters. As soon as we get back, we are turning them in to the police!"
"Calm down. We need to serve dinner already. Let us forget about them."
At those words, the other attendant let out an irritated sigh.
"Fine, let us go."
A few hours later, the plane finally reached Dubai. After saying goodbye to Laura at the exit, an hour later they transferred to another plane and flew on toward Brazil, far more peacefully this time, without any surprises.
Leaving the airport, Severus began to look around the city with mild interest. After a single breath, he had to admit that compared to London, the air in São Paulo was much cleaner, and there was roughly three times as much greenery. Palm trees, other trees, and small flowerbeds stood on every corner.
"Not bad here," he said with a smile, watching the people and the traffic, which looked more simple than what he was used to in England. "But I am still more used to home."
"Uh-huh."
"We are not here for long." Hearing Nagini's weary tone, Severus smiled, stroked her head, and then scanned the area until he noticed a man in a gray jacket and green hat standing by a column near the bus stop.
The man noticed the oddly dressed young wizard approaching, and bewilderment crossed his face. When Severus stopped in front of him, the writer looked completely confused.
"Are you Mr. Snape?" he asked awkwardly, because a boy stood before him, and the letters had made him imagine someone much, much older.
"That is right. Thank you for finding the time to guide me, Mr. Brew," Severus said with a smile and offered his hand.
"Yes, hello." Fredge nodded a beat late, finally coming to his senses and shaking it. "Mr. Snape, please reconsider. It is very dangerous there."
"You wrote about that. Do not worry, I am confident in my abilities." A small pouch appeared in his hand, and he offered it to Fredge. "There are two thousand here. We leave tomorrow morning, and right now I want to see the magical part of this country."
"I cannot persuade you otherwise?" Fredge asked, seeing the calmness on the young man's face.
"That is right, but you need not worry. I can protect myself. After we reach the barrier, I will pay another thousand." Watching the struggle on Fredge's face, Severus's opinion of him improved slightly. Three thousand Galleons was no small sum. For that kind of money, many would have been ready to strangle each other.
After a pause, Fredge held the pouch back out.
"How about this: I will tell you about the jungle and all the dangers I had to go through, and tomorrow you will decide whether you are ready to enter it or not."
"He is a decent person."
"I agree. A rarity among wizards." Severus nodded with a smile but still did not take the Galleons. "Keep them for now."
"But."
"No buts. Now, can you take me to an exchange office, or do they accept Galleons here?"
"All right," Fredge sighed wearily, touched Severus's shoulder, and the next moment they vanished.
Half an hour later, after exchanging ten thousand Galleons for local currency, they Apparated to a fairly crowded street, with shops and stalls lined up outside.
"This is a Muggle market. We are not far." Crossing the street, Fredge led him into a completely empty dead end. The two of them did not stop, though. They simply walked through the brick wall and stepped into a different world.
A small, gloomy alley lay beyond. There were not many people, but almost everyone wore cloaks or masks. Few showed their faces. It was also filthy. Some stalls, if you could call them that, were just tables set outside with goods laid out in a rather unpresentable way. There were shops too, and more or less proper stands, but those clustered closer to the center of the market.
"Be careful. This place is patrolled by squads of local peacekeepers, but murders are not exactly rare here," Fredge whispered, pulling his hat lower. Severus had already put on the mask he once wore to a masquerade ball.
"All right." Severus nodded calmly and glanced to the right. Behind one table stood an unpleasant man brewing a strange mixture in a pot, with a couple of vials of red and blue liquid beside it. Poison, though still nowhere near Nagini's level. Across from it sat a table with daggers. Mediocre work. A waste of materials.
As they passed the dagger seller, Fredge tossed him a gold coin. The man caught it deftly, grinned with his toothless maw, and threw two badges shaped like a black letter R.
"It is a kind of tax. Pay it and the local gangs will not bother you," Fredge said, handing one badge to Severus and pocketing the other.
"I see." If it helped avoid unnecessary trouble, Severus had no objections. He had not come here to fight.
Passing under a stone arch, Severus began examining the offered goods. Most could barely be called that: trinkets claimed as artifacts, potions whose names had nothing to do with their effects. Still, he bought a few books, and they were cheap, only five fedo each.
In this country, one Galleon equaled one mouro, a gold coin, and ten depra, a silver coin. There were also iron fedo, the smallest currency. One gold equaled twelve silver, and one silver equaled thirty-two iron.
Severus also looked over the metals, but a herb shop caught his attention most. The selection was rich, from the simplest ingredients to things that, in Magical Britain, would get you thrown into Azkaban without trial, even if you were a Potions Master.
Severus stocked up thoroughly, spending almost four thousand mouros. Along with simple rare herbs, he even found ingredients for a youth potion that could rejuvenate someone by thirty years, but only once.
Of course, a more advanced potion of that type existed, but growing those herbs required a magical background ten times stronger than Hogwarts. That kind of growth was impossible in this world, so he did not even consider it.
Severus left the shop very satisfied. Besides what he needed, he had managed to buy herbs for his potions almost twenty percent cheaper, and in excellent quality.
"Let us leave quickly," Fredge said grimly, grabbing his sleeve. Severus did not pull away, since running was pointless anyway. The herb seller had sold them out five minutes ago by pressing a small seal under the table.
And, surprisingly enough, when they turned the next corner, a group of wizards appeared, dressed in filthy clothes under leather armor, with a wand holster and a dagger at the belt. They were grinning.
More ingredients have arrived. Severus smiled back at them.
//===================//
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