At the same time.
Under the slanting rays of the afternoon sun shining on the Isle of Man's passenger ferry terminal, Lyall and Granger stepped onto the island.
Thanks to Granger's meticulous planning, Lyall was dressed in a Hawaiian-style tropical outfit, complete with a straw hat.
To anyone observing, there wasn't the slightest hint of a wizard about him… he looked entirely like a Muggle tourist here for a vacation.
"Two years ago, when I brought Hermione here for a holiday, she wasn't as self-conscious about her front teeth."
Granger remarked with a touch of nostalgia.
"I never had a son, but girls tend to be more sensitive. Although Hermione usually comes across as very confident, Jane and I both know that sometimes she uses that confidence as a mask."
Lyall tugged uncomfortably at the elastic waistband of his tropical shorts, unable to understand why Muggles would prefer wearing such things.
"All children go through phases like that. When Remus grew up, he got over some of the silly things he did as a kid. When he was at Hogwarts, his mother and I would tease him about those old stories."
After sharing parenting experiences along the way, the two began discussing their actual mission once they were fully on the island.
"We can't just sit around waiting for Severus to return. The Isle of Man isn't that big… I think we can do some preliminary investigation ahead of time."
Granger suggested proactively.
Lyall nodded in agreement.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"We both saw that group this morning. There were quite a few of them, and they had seven or eight children with them." Granger said, clearly having given this some thought on the journey, "A group that large can't move around or hide easily on the Isle of Man. And from what I've gathered about your kind, wizards aren't particularly skilled at disguising themselves as… what do you call it again? Ah, right, Muggles."
"So if they really are hiding on this island, they'd probably choose a secluded spot, just like they did with that seaside cave in Eastbourne."
As he spoke, Granger led Lyall to an aerial map of the Isle of Man near the terminal.
"The permanent population of the Isle of Man is mainly concentrated here, in the southeastern capital, Douglas, where we are now… home to over 20,000 people. If those people were looking for a suitable place, they definitely wouldn't choose this area."
"Beyond that, there's the west coast town of Peel, the southern town of Castletown, and the northern port of Ramsey. These three places, along with Douglas, form the island's main population centers, with scattered farming communities around them. That leaves the remaining areas as their most likely hiding spots."
His finger traced upward, finally settling on the central and northern parts of the island.
"Here… the central mountainous region has sparse population due to its terrain. And here, the northern part has a vast plain perfect for agriculture and livestock, but much of the land is owned by large farmholders, so there aren't many residents either."
Lyall was impressed by Granger's analysis.
Compared to Muggles, many wizards had significant gaps in logical reasoning because magic, in most cases, didn't require logic.
"I can head to Diagon Alley to rent a broomstick and fly high over the areas you mentioned. But if those werewolves are trying to hide, they've likely put up Muggle-Repelling Charms around their camp. Non-wizards wouldn't be able to spot them."
Granger nodded.
"I understand, which is why I don't plan to go with you. I'll visit the local marine conservation organization and borrow their recent coastal survey records of the Isle of Man. Since the werewolves chose to camp by the sea in Eastbourne last time, they might do the same here."
"Conservation groups regularly clean up and monitor most of the coastal areas. Their records might give us some leads."
Their efficiency was remarkable. Even without Severus, once Granger had laid out the plan, the two immediately sprang into action.
Lyall first used Apparition to go to Diagon Alley, rented a broomstick from a shop there, then returned to the island. After casting Disillusionment Charms on both himself and the broom, he took off to search the skies above the areas Granger had marked.
Meanwhile, Granger found a clothing store to adjust his attire before heading to the local conservation organization. Using his credentials as a doctor, he successfully obtained permission to review their records.
By nightfall, when Severus arrived on the island, having first Apparated from the Crouch Family's residence and then flown the rest of the way on a broomstick, the three reconvened at a local inn.
Hearing what Granger and Lyall had accomplished on the island was the best news Severus had received all day.
Any two allies he picked at random were more competent than the entire lot at the Ministry of Magic!
"Alright, gentlemen, let's summarize what we've each discovered."
Severus said gravely.
"I'll go first. After finding Kingsley, we went to Azkaban to verify the theory I'd written to him about. Then we headed to the home of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Sr., intending to catch him and his son red-handed."
"However, his son, Barty Crouch Jr., had already taken control of his father with the help of others… including Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf leader we encountered earlier today. I tried to work with the Aurors to capture them all in one sweep, but due to internal issues among the Aurors, the plan failed."
"So, the bad news is that the werewolves' forces may have grown stronger, and there's a chance Barty will bring a group of Dark wizards to join up with the werewolves."
"As for the good news… after successfully escaping from the Crouch Family's residence, Greyback likely became useless to Barty and the other Dark wizards. They look down on werewolves and probably only used Greyback to create chaos in the Wizarding World, adding pressure to the Ministry and making his father ease up on surveillance."
"Now that his goal has been achieved, he's more likely to abandon the werewolves and leave them to their fate."
Upon hearing Severus's words, Granger frowned.
"That might not necessarily be good news. If those werewolves are truly abandoned, they might become desperate… and that would put the children in danger!"
"That is a possibility," Severus acknowledged with a nod, "But I know Barty. Even if he abandons the werewolves, he wouldn't do it so crudely. It's more likely he'd find an excuse to send them away temporarily."
Lyall and Granger both nodded in agreement. After exchanging glances, Lyall spoke first.
"I flew on the broomstick to all the locations Robert marked until sunset. I didn't find anything in the central mountainous region unless they've hidden in another cave. And in the northern farming areas, there were no traces of magic either."
"Only when I reached the very northern tip of the island did I notice something odd… there's a man-made forest that felt off, as if it had Muggle-Repelling Charms. But when I flew lower, I didn't detect anything unusual."
When Granger heard this, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Was that forest near the Point of Ayre?"
"I'm not sure if that's the name."
At that moment, both Severus and Granger pulled out paper maps of the Isle of Man… clearly, they had come prepared.
"Here! The very northern tip of the island, not far from the coast!"
After seeing the marked location, Lyall nodded firmly.
"Yes! That's the spot. If you fly just six miles further, you'd reach the coastline!"
"I checked the records from the Isle of Man's conservation group!" Granger said excitedly, "There's nothing unusual along the coastline, but that same man-made forest is part of their forestry holdings. According to their internal records, the forest originally covered about 80.3 acres, but over time, the recorded area kept shrinking… about half an acre just vanished!"
"They conducted multiple surveys but couldn't figure out where the missing half-acre went, so they assumed it was an initial data error. It was strange, but if the werewolves had secretly claimed a section of that forest as their hideout long ago, it would explain everything!"
Severus clapped his hands together, deeply impressed.
"Brilliant work, gentlemen! The Aurors aren't even worthy to polish your boots!"
All three of them immediately stood up. They all understood that now that they had a target, there was no time to waste and they had to move tonight!
As midnight approached, they set out.
While most of the Isle of Man's residents slept and the neon lights of the red-light district and bars flickered to life, Severus and the others arrived at the northern area they had pinpointed.
Not long after entering the man-made forest, Severus was the first to notice something unusual.
"Wait, Lyall, the anomaly you detected during the day… was it in the northwest?"
"Yes, the very edge of the northwest!" Lyall confirmed.
"There's definitely residual magic here, but it feels like something's masking the traces."
Severus muttered, stroking his chin. He then pulled out a small vial of crimson liquid from his robe.
"This is Ashwinder's blood. It's troublesome to extract, but it's extremely sensitive to magic. It'll help confirm."
As he said this, he crouched down and poured the blood onto the ground.
Soon, the red, flame-like liquid spread like a web, branching out in thin tendrils that stretched from the northwest all the way to the northeast!
"We're in the right place! There's a massive Muggle-Repelling Charm covering nearly two acres, stretching from the west to the east!"
As Severus spoke, Granger and Lyall exchanged glances.
"Should we just charge in?" Granger asked, unsure about fighting… especially against wizards.
"No! The area's too large. We can't pinpoint their exact location. If we alert them, they could Apparate away or use a Portkey to escape… there are too many of them!"
Severus shook his head. Raising his wand, he turned to Lyall and Granger.
"I'll go to the Ministry and bring back a few reliable people. They can help us cast Anti-Apparition Charm. Wait here for me… just a few minutes. Stay hidden."
Lyall nodded and said to Severus, "Don't worry. I'll use Disillusionment Charms to hide Robert and myself. We'll wait right here."
Severus did not stay any longer. He immediately used Apparition to go to the Ministry to find Kingsley, strictly instructing him to bring only his most trusted team, before swiftly returning to the forest.