The first one to react was Mr. Granger!

From start to finish, he never lowered the gun he had been aiming. Even after Lyall finished explaining who his son was.

On the contrary, he raised the barrel of the shotgun slightly, pointing the dark muzzle at Lyall's head, while coldly asking Severus, "This man is connected to those gang of robbers, isn't he?"

Lyall turned to stare at Mr. Granger, or rather, at the shotgun in his hands. As a wizard married to a Muggle, Lyall knew exactly what this thing was.

"Friend, according to Muggle customs, it's considered impolite to point such a weapon at someone casually, isn't it?"

Mr. Granger didn't move at all, as if he hadn't heard Lyall's words. He simply waited for Severus to speak.

Severus didn't immediately trust Lyall's words, nor did he let Mr. Granger keep his gun raised.

Instead, he patted Mr. Granger on the shoulder, signaling him to lower the gun for now, and then asked Lyall, "Do you have any proof of your relationship with Lupin?"

Lyall didn't say much. He simply pulled out a piece of parchment from his robe pocket and handed it to Severus.

Severus took the letter, unfolded it, and immediately recognized Dumbledore's handwriting and signature.

[Lyall Lupin came to me. He cannot stand by while his son is in danger. Therefore, I have instructed him to seek you out and join your mission. He is an authority on Dark creatures and non-human supernatural phenomena and is entirely trustworthy.]

After reading Dumbledore's letter, Severus dismissed all his doubts.

He explained to Mr. Granger, "Alright, no need to be tense, Mr. Granger. As you've guessed, this man here is the biological father of the man you saw in the shack that day!"

"But as you said, that tall, thin man didn't seem entirely bad, and he cared deeply about the sick child, didn't he? That's because he's an undercover agent placed within that group by the Ministry. He lost contact with the outside world some time ago."

Mr. Granger slowly lowered his gun after hearing Severus's words, but Lyall couldn't help but press further, "You've already seen Remus? How is he now?"

Severus shook his head.

"He must have done something to displease those people. From what Mr. Granger saw that day, it seems he lost his wand and is being mistreated within the group. But for now, he doesn't seem to be in immediate danger and is still trying to protect the children."

As he spoke, he began introducing Mr. Granger and Lyall to each other, "This is... uh, what was your first name again, Granger?"

"Robert Granger."

"Right, this is Robert Granger, a father whose daughter was also taken by those werewolves. He's a dentist and was once taken to their hideout in Nottingham by one of them."

"This is Lyall Lupin, an expert in non-human supernatural phenomena among wizards, and the father of the undercover werewolf, Remus Lupin."

At the same time, he introduced himself to Lyall.

"Severus Snape, former Head of Slytherin House and Potions Professor at Hogwarts. My student, like Robert's daughter, was likely taken by those werewolves using a Portkey."

Lyall looked as calm and easy-going as his son. After learning about Mr. Granger's identity, he did not look down on him at all because he was a Muggle. He also had a decisiveness and strength that Remus lacked.

He took the initiative to extend his hand to Mr. Granger, "Just call me Lyall."

Mr. Granger didn't hesitate and shook his hand in return.

"Robert."

Then, Lyall turned to Severus, "I know of you. I listened to the entire Ministry trial on the radio. They called you the 'Prodigal Son of the Wizarding World'. Your speech was quite remarkable."

After the three of them had established a basic foundation of understanding and trust, Severus raised his voice, "Alright, gentlemen! Our objective is clear… for the safety of our son, daughter, and student, we must locate those werewolves as quickly as possible!"

"According to Robert's discovery, their hideout in Nottingham is in Sherwood Forest, not far from us!"

"This rescue mission is extremely dangerous, but I believe we are all willing to make any sacrifice for our children! And we will watch each other's backs and move forward together!"

"If there are no further questions, then-"

"Let's move out!"

After he finished speaking-

Just like that, a Muggle dentist, a wizarding school professor, and an elderly wizard-

embarked on this journey to find their children.

…

The wind here was strong, the air thick with dampness, and laced with a pungent, briny scent.

Harry groped around in the dim surroundings, bracing himself against the wall as he stood up. He had just landed hard on a rock, nearly cracking his tailbone!

"Hermione?"

He called out the girl's name.

"I'm here!"

Hermione's tense voice came from his right. She still hadn't fully processed what had just happened. No matter how clever she was, her mind was completely blank at this moment.

Harry took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm!

'Think, Harry! Think… what would Professor do in this situation?'

As he was thinking, he immediately found Hermione from his side and held her arm tightly, giving her a reassuring support.

"Don't panic. We must have been caught in some kind of emergency, but my teacher will realize we're missing. He'll find a way to get to us!"

Harry didn't let his own unease show. He knew he had to take charge now.

"Stay calm, Hermione. First, we need to figure out where we are and whether there's anyone else around us!"

Hearing his voice and holding onto his hand, Hermione visibly tried to overcome her inner fear.

From Harry's words, she could tell he knew more than she did.

"You know what brought us here?"

"I don't know about the glass ball, but that plush wasn't a platypus," Harry explained. "It's a magical creature called a Niffler! No ordinary person could own one. The person who gave it to your dad must have been a wizard!"

"A wizard?" Hermione's voice was laced with disbelief. "You're a wizard too?"

"No, but my teacher is… and he's a very powerful one!" Harry said firmly, "So don't worry. He will find us!"

Harry's words gave Hermione courage.

Supporting each other, they felt their way along the cold stone walls.

Hermione's sharp mind did not disappear at this time, and she said to Harry.

"We can follow the direction of the wind! If air can get in, we can get out!"