According to Professor Binns's lectures in History of Magic, the Nordic magical tradition that originated on the Scandinavian Peninsula only spread across Europe, India, Oceania, and parts of the Americas.
If one excludes the Nordic magical system—as well as the now-extinct Indian magical system, Native American magical system, and Atlantean magical system—then the only ancient magical traditions still surviving in the world are the African magical system and the East Asian magical system.
Among them, the African magical system originated in Egypt before spreading throughout Africa and West Asia.
The most distinctive trait of African wizards is wandless magic. Their tradition long held that magic should not rely on external tools. It was only after suffering devastating losses in conflicts with colonial wizards from the 17th to the 19th centuries that they gradually came to recognize the importance of wands.
Even so, although they formally adopted wand use in the 20th century, they still do not regard wands as essential to spellcasting.
Exceptional Animagus magic is another hallmark of African wizards. For example, Uagadou School of Magic, located in Uganda's Mountains of the Moon, claimed several years ago that all of its students above fifth year could skillfully master Animagus transformation.
However, due to Uagadou's very limited exchanges with the European schools, the credibility of this claim has never been fully verified.
Connecting this to Albanian history…
Over five hundred years ago, George Skanderbeg was raised under the Ottoman sultans. Legend holds that he could transform into a double-headed eagle, suggesting that his Animagus magic likely originated from African magical traditions.
Meanwhile, both the Skanderbeg family of Albania and Krujë—the Mountain of Eagle Nests—barely appear in European magical history at all. This suggests that the Skanderbeg family's magic was passed down directly from George Skanderbeg's line, with little interaction with wizards from other regions, thus preserving the tradition of wandless magic.
After putting all this together, Jon followed Sandru deeper into the mountain.
...
They walked through a rugged-looking tunnel, entering a cavern halfway up the mountainside. Torches lined the walls, making the passage brightly lit.
Ancient murals were carved into the stone, depicting figures whispering among themselves. From time to time, flapping sounds echoed from above the cavern—no doubt made by giant eagles.
"You live together with the giant eagles?" Jon asked curiously.
"Yes. They are our kin," Sandru nodded. "Come, this way."
Along the route, they encountered one or two wizards from Krujë. Like Sandru, their hair was wild and unkempt, as if it hadn't been washed in days.
Their facial features looked oddly mismatched, and on closer inspection, Jon could make out the contours of a giant eagle's face.
They wore garments made of animal hides and stared at Jon in surprise, pointing and whispering among themselves at the sight of an outsider.
If Hogwarts carried a strong medieval atmosphere, then this place felt closer to an ancient, primitive society.
Following Sandru, Jon arrived at what looked like a dining hall.
The tables and chairs were fashioned from thick wooden stumps. Several witches, bundled a little more tightly in their clothes, were busy at work. Sandru shouted something to them, and one of the witches casually waved her hand—
A large wooden basin and a wooden barrel slammed down onto the stump in front of Jon, nearly making him jump.
Inside the basin was a whole roasted lamb, while the barrel was filled with a wine-like liquid. The witch approached Jon with a bright smile, speaking animatedly, though Jon couldn't understand a single word.
"She says this is a welcome gift," Sandru translated in time. "Welcome to Krujë. Outsiders are very rare here."
"Thank you," Jon quickly bowed to the Albanian witch, which made her giggle.
"If you want to meet the elders, you'll need to wait here for a bit and have something to eat," Sandru continued in his halting English. "I'll go notify them."
"Alright, no problem," Jon replied, nodding readily as he reached out and started tearing at a lamb leg.
He was getting hungry anyway.
...
The tendons and bone were surprisingly tough. Watching Jon work up a sweat, the witch who had prepared the food earlier pursed her lips and walked over. With a light swipe of her index finger along the base of the leg, the entire lamb leg was cleanly severed.
"Thank you…" Jon hurried to express his gratitude again.
Unfortunately, she still didn't understand him. She returned to her companions, who resumed pointing and whispering among themselves.
They pointed at Jon's black robes, then at the wand at his waist, then at his face. The witches nearly collapsed in laughter.
Being watched and whispered about while eating was deeply uncomfortable.
Fortunately, they were all young women with decent looks. If they'd been burly muscle-bound men like Sandru, Jon suspected he wouldn't have been able to eat at all.
The lamb itself tasted excellent—tender and free of any gamey smell.
Just as Jon abandoned all concern for appearances and started gnawing on the leg, the same witch returned.
She snapped her fingers, and a bamboo cup floated into the air. Muttering softly, she waved her hand, guiding a stream of liquid up from the barrel and into the cup.
The sheer precision of her wandless magic left Jon stunned. He suspected that even with a wand, he might not manage a Levitation Charm with that level of control.
As Jon watched her intently, lost in thought, her hand suddenly slipped. The stream veered sharply, and the deep red "wine" splashed all over her clothes.
Her companions burst into laughter, nearly gasping for breath. Her face flushed red as she lowered her head, set the half-filled bamboo cup in front of Jon, and scurried away in embarrassment.
...
The scene grew awkward for a moment—but thankfully, Sandru arrived just in time.
"Mr. Patrick," Sandru whispered close to Jon's ear, "the elders have agreed to see you. They're waiting in the Bat Hall."
"Alright. Please take me there," Jon said immediately.
Sandru nodded and waved the witches away with an impatient gesture.
The witch whose clothes had been splashed with wine earlier had already changed and returned, now hiding behind her companions as she watched them.
Then Sandru took Jon by the arm and led him away.