midnight
She knew she was rattling to Harry all the while he fetched her cloak and put it on her , and she was glad now of that ability she had cultivated in herself of making a smooth crust of talk over her seething feelings . She talked the harder , she even took hold of Harry 's arm to be sure of keeping him there between her and what she was afraid of , as they came out on the sidewalk and stood waiting in the windy night for the approach of their carriage lights . Row upon row of street lamps flared in the traveling gusts . The midnight noises of the city were at their loudest ; and half their volume seemed to be a scattered chorus of hoarse voices yelling all together like a pack of wolves . Thin , ragged shapes shot in and out among the crowd , ducked under horses ' feet and cut wild zigzags across the street like flying goblins . The sense of their cry was indistinguishable , but it was the same -- the same inarticulate shape of sound on every tongue . First one throat , then another took up the raucous singsong shout , then all together again , as if the pack were in full cry on the scent of something .