"Calm down! Stay calm! Losing our tempers won't help the situation. Let's think with clear heads, alright? Think!"

Severus said sharply.

His words were meant both for the Grangers and for Ghost Snape inside him.

Mr. Granger, being a Muggle, took a deep breath and managed to steady himself. He lowered his arms, though he still kept his wife shielded behind him.

However, Ghost Snape couldn't calm down at all.

[This isn't like last time! The first kidnapping was because those two idiots wanted something! But now? The ones who took Potter are likely those werewolves! Werewolves!!]

"They forced you to go with them to treat one of their children, correct?" Severus said calmly, "That means, at the very least, they don't intend to harm the children… not immediately. Whether it's Dudley or Hermione, they should be safe for now!"

Ghost Snape stopped roaring, either convinced by Severus's reasoning or realizing that his rage was useless in this situation.

Meanwhile, Hermione's father, Mr. Granger, had taken Severus's words to heart.

He kept his emotions in check, though his gaze remained fixed on Severus as he asked, "You're not with those people?"

"Of course not. They are a gang of criminals, and I've been sent specifically to investigate them." Severus replied, choosing to reveal some information.

Even if Hermione hadn't yet shown signs of magical ability, she was destined to attend Hogwarts in the future. Disclosing details about the Wizarding World to the parents of a future witch didn't violate the International Statute of Secrecy.

Besides, he was acting on behalf of the Minister for Magic now, so who would dare accuse him even if he did break the rules?

"Shall we sit and talk?" Severus gestured toward the living room chairs.

Mrs. Granger looked at her husband, and only after he finally nodded in agreement did she stumble toward the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks.

"Please, have a seat... Mr...." Mr. Granger led the way, and the two descended the stairs to sit in the living room.

"Severus Snape."

"Very well, Mr. Snape. What... are you people?"

"Wizards. That's what our kind is usually called." Severus stated bluntly.

Even though he had already begun to suspect it, hearing the answer outright still left Mr. Granger looking utterly disbelieving.

Severus understood how difficult this was for a normal person to accept, even if Hermione's father had already encountered something supernatural.

With a flick of his wand, he transformed a glass in front of Mr. Granger into a hopping rabbit. A nearby chair suddenly levitated, and at the tip of his wand, an orchid bloomed into existence!

These feats, which were unmistakably not mere tricks, left Mr. Granger completely stunned.

Severus looked at him calmly and spoke patiently, "If I wished, I could simply extract the answers I seek directly from your mind. But Muggles, what we called ordinary people, differ from wizards in their tolerance for spells. If I were to cast a spell on you, there's a chance it could turn you into a fool."

By now, the rabbit had reverted to a glass, the chair had settled back into place, and the orchid had withered away, its petals scattering.

Having witnessed this firsthand, Mr. Granger had no doubt about the truth of Severus's words. His face grew even paler, clearly thinking of something else.

"The ones who took my daughter… they were also wizards. Do you answer to the British government?"

"We answer to the British Ministry of Magic. I was dispatched by the magical government as a specialist to investigate the group that took your daughter… and my student."

"Just you alone?"

"Due to certain circumstances, I am the only one assigned for now."

"Why did those people take my daughter away?"

"It's not just your daughter and my student. They've also taken three other children from wizarding families, and possibly more. As for their motives, I'm still investigating."

At this point, Mr. Granger finally understood some of it. He fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, before speaking again.

"What do you need to know?"

Severus got straight to the point.

"Everything about that day… your encounter with that man. Ideally, you would personally take me to the place he led you to!"

Sherwood Forest is so large that there aren't many paths in it that could even be called roads.

Even if Severus extracted the relevant memories from Mr. Granger's mind, there was no guarantee he could find the location on his own.

That was why he had chosen to disclose some information openly… to foster cooperation between two men who had lost their daughter and student, respectively!

Just then, the faint sound of police sirens echoed from outside, temporarily halting the conversation that had only just begun.

Having witnessed Severus's abilities, Mr. Granger no longer placed his hopes of finding Hermione on the police. He had Mrs. Granger handle the arriving officers while he recounted the events of that day to Severus.

"At that time, a man with sideburns came to my house. I don't know how he learned that my wife and I are doctors, but he knocked on the door and said his son was gravely ill and needed our help."

"I didn't think much of it at the time. Even after telling him I was only a dentist, the man still pleaded with me to save his child. So I took some anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medication and followed him out of the house."

"At first, he told me he lived near Sherwood Forest and worked as a park ranger there. But after walking with him for about half an hour, I realized something was wrong. He had led me deep into the forest, where there were no paths… just markers on the trees guiding our way!"

"I stopped and refused to go any further, demanding to know what he really wanted. Then he pulled out a stick just like the one you're holding, muttered some spell, and suddenly I couldn't move at all. He forced me to keep walking deeper into the woods."

"We walked for about two hours before we reached a wooden shack hidden deep in the forest. Inside, there really was a child burning with fever… he looked like he'd been caught in the rain and couldn't handle it. There were two other men with him: one also had sideburns, and the other was tall, thin, and sickly-looking."

"The tall, thin man was shielding the feverish child. He was polite to me, begging me to save the boy. But all I had were anti-inflammatory pills, so I could only prescribe some for him according to the children's dosage. Then, I told them that if they wanted to save the child, they'd need to get proper fever medication from a pharmacy."

"It seemed like there was an argument between them, mostly the two large men yelling at the thin one. They even hit him!"

"After that, the other large man made me forget some things… but also made sure I remembered others. He was the one who gave me that doll to pass on to my daughter."

"Finally, I don't know how, but I was suddenly outside the forest, standing in an alley near our apartment. My mind was foggy… I only vaguely remembered being asked to treat someone, and then I came home!"

"It wasn't until just now, when you made me remember everything, that it all came back!"

Severus listened carefully to Mr. Granger's account before pressing further.

"The tall, thin man you saw in the shack… did he have greying hair? Not old, but his face was lined with wrinkles, looking worn and weathered?"

Mr. Granger nodded firmly.

"Yes! Exactly like that! That's exactly how he looked!"

With that confirmation, Severus understood that the tall, thin man is Lupin!

Having gathered this information, Severus stood abruptly, his gaze intense as he faced Mr. Granger.

"One last question, Mr. Granger… are you willing to guide me back to that shack in the forest? This is an extremely dangerous choice. Ordinary people stand no chance in a wizard's fight. If you'd rather not risk it, I can attempt to extract the relevant memories from your mind without harming you."

Mr. Granger didn't answer immediately. Instead, he strode into what looked like a study and returned with a double-barreled shotgun!

"Wizards should be afraid of this too, right?" He asked in a trembling but extremely firm voice.

Severus looked at the seemingly mild-mannered, unremarkable man before him with newfound respect.

"They are. And if I cast a Shield Charm on you beforehand, that gun could pose a serious threat to any of them."

Mr. Granger turned to his wife, who was leaning against the wall, covering her mouth and crying silently. He spoke softly to reassure her.

"Jane, stay here. I'm going to bring Hermione home!"

Mrs. Granger finally broke down, sobbing as she threw her arms around him.

After holding her tightly, and giving her the strength only a husband could, Mr. Granger slung the shotgun over his shoulder.

Now, it was time to fulfill his duty as a father.

"Let's go. We can leave now, Mr. Snape."

Severus nodded, but then, just as they reached the front door, about to step outside-

The doorbell suddenly rang!

Mr. Granger was stunned for a moment, but Severus reacted instantly. He grasped the wand and then put his other hand on the door handle.

He and Mr. Granger looked at each other, both of them tightened their hold on their weapons. Then, in one swift motion, Severus yanked the door open!

Standing outside the door was a wizard in his fifties or sixties, wearing round spectacles and a deep emerald cloak.

The first time Severus saw the wizard's appearance, he inexplicably felt that he looked familiar, and Mr. Granger's eyes also widened.

Before either could speak, the visitor looked at Severus and broke the silence.

"Severus Snape?"

"I am." Severus replied.

"Albus Dumbledore asked me to come to you. He said you were in charge of finding my son." The wizard's voice was calm and steady.

Hearing this, Severus didn't react for a moment.

"Your son is..."

"Remus Lupin."