It was already dusk, and the setting sun on the horizon bathed the autumn-dried grass around Hogwarts in gold...
At that moment, on a secluded stretch of grassland a mile south of Hogsmeade Station and west of The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, a large group of Aurors from the Ministry of Magic and the North American wizarding Congress across the Atlantic had surrounded the area.
They gripped their wands tightly, cautiously closing in on the few shady and cornered lawbreakers inside their encirclement.
But they weren't in a hurry to act. The person in charge of the operation hadn't arrived yet, so they were still waiting for the final order... Still, if the other side put up a desperate fight, they certainly wouldn't show them any mercy.
Whoosh!
As the Aurors raised their wands and pressured the wizards, a cloud of mist like a shadow suddenly appeared behind them. A man holding a wand, with tea-brown hair streaked with gray and thick eyebrows, looking every bit like an old lion, Apparated to the edge of the crowd and strode toward the encirclement.
"Sir!"
"We've seized the cargo and confirmed it's all there. It's inside that carriage, which has been enchanted with the Extension Charm. Even the precious Thunderbirds are unharmed!"
When they saw him, two Aurors on the outskirts hurried over and gave him a brief, urgent report.
"..."
"Where are those fellows? Up ahead?"
However, the Auror who looked like an old lion wasn't interested in the Fantastic Beasts. He only cared about the dark wizards his Aurors had caught—men who had captured and sold wild Fantastic Beasts for their own selfish gain.
"Yes, sir!"
"They're just ahead. We've got them all cornered!"
"Hmph!"
"What about the buyer? Did you catch him?!"
"I'm sorry, sir. We didn't find the