Deep in the gloomy Forbidden Forest, Hagbirds let out piercing cries that sounded like the wailing of ghosts.
From time to time, unidentified little animals scratched at the trees with grating noises, lending the forest an even more terrifying atmosphere at night.
Just then, a procession of over a hundred Purple-Robed Wizarding Police passed beneath the gnarled old trees, led by Daniel.
Their steps were orderly, their expressions solemn.
Some kept watch over their surroundings, while others held wands glowing with Lumos.
A column at the rear carried stretchers bearing patients with all manner of severe, life-threatening injuries.
The procession did not stop until they reached the vicinity of the Acromantulas' territory.
They formed a semicircle and waited in silence.
More members of the black-clad Wizarding Army appeared around them in groups of three or five, rustling through the undergrowth as they cleared away potential threats.
Before long, a swarm of spiders of varying sizes surged like a tide from the direction of the Acromantulas' nest.
Countless pairs of bloodthirsty eyes glinted in the shadows, among the dense, swaying branches, and atop the tangled roots.
Anyone fainthearted enough to witness this scene would have had their hair stand on end and wet themselves in terror.
Shawn had not come here to "cause trouble" in a long time. After a year of recuperation under Hagrid's attentive care, the Acromantulas had replenished their numbers to some extent.
The appearance of such a vast spider swarm unsettled the Purple-Robed Wizarding Police for only a moment before they regained their composure.
Then they saw an even larger, stronger Acromantula, as big as a house, emerge from the swarm.
The Wizarding Police all angled their readied wands toward the sky and offered a polite greeting in unison.
"Greetings, sir!" × N
For standing atop that