Chapter 82 Hands Up!
"Professor, do you think... the way people around us are looking at us is a little strange?"
Having just finished their misdeeds and returned to the small town with Professor Fawkes, Lynn felt that the gazes of the citizens weren't very friendly.
"It is a little strange."
Professor Fawkes, his expression serious, grabbed Lynn's arm.
"An old man with white hair and a child, that's them!" a passerby suddenly shouted.
The next moment, three or five people swarmed towards Lynn and Professor Fawkes!
Lynn and his companion dared not stay put and surrender, so they turned and ran!
They wandered aimlessly through the city streets, but it seemed as if the entire city was chasing them; no matter where they ran, someone would recognize them.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the city,
three middle-aged men wearing baseball caps and sunglasses, even in the middle of the night, were also fleeing in fear.
"Brother, something's not right. When did these people become so civilized? We robbed someone in Edinburgh, why are these guys in Abros helping the police arrest us?"
The leader of the three was a burly man with a long scar on his face and a fierce look in his eyes; he was clearly not a good person.
He said impatiently,
"How should I know!"
"But if this continues, we'll be caught sooner or later. According to British law, we're robbing and murdering; we'll never get out of prison!"
"Shut up! We won't go to jail! The ship that will take us away will arrive at this port tomorrow! If we can survive tonight, we can escape!"
His subordinate shrank back.
"So where are we hiding tonight?"
"Find one! I don't believe we could escape such a large encirclement in Edinburgh, but we'll be caught in this small town of Abros?"
…
"Something's not right, Professor," Lynn said, panting.
"Where did they get so much influence? How could they get so many people to come looking for us?"
Professor Fawkes's physical abilities were indeed superior to the average person; at least he hadn't blushed or felt his heart race even after running for so long, just like Lynn.
"I don't find it strange at all. Those saints have lived here for over forty years. This city doesn't have many people to begin with, and their network of connections is incredibly deep. It's normal that they could find so many people."
"But aren't they saints? Followers of the first Dark Lord! Everything they did was for the benefit of wizards. Why would they have connections with so many Muggles?"
Professor Fawkes spoke earnestly, as if giving a lecture.
"Time and environment change a person, Lynn. They may have once deeply resented Muggles, but in these decades living in Muggle society, most of them must have changed their minds. They're willing to connect and communicate with Muggles. After all, wizards and Muggles are both human, and humans are emotional. Because of emotion, their thoughts change, and because of this change, they've adapted to their current lives."
They ran to a secluded corner, Lynn's hands on his knees, breathing rapidly.
"Professor, why do you like saying these things now? I remember only that one person used to say things like that."
Lynn looked up, recalling.
"That one person…"
Professor Fawkes interrupted his thoughts.
"Stop thinking nonsense, they're catching up again. We should be thinking about how to escape."
"Escape?" Lynn looked at Professor Fawkes in surprise.
"I thought you were joking when you said you'd become a Muggle from now on. Why are you giving up on escaping like this?"
Professor Fawkes raised an eyebrow.
"If we don't escape, what else can we do? Everyone in the city wants to catch us, and those saints don't want to communicate with us. They just want to capture us to negotiate with Dumbledore. What other way can we break this curse and regain our magic?"
Lynn slowly stood up, silently looking at the somewhat strange Professor Fawkes, then firmly shook his head.
"We can't give up! Some things you might not care about until you have them, but once you've had them, losing them is unacceptable! That's magic! I love Hogwarts, I love the professors at Hogwarts, I love my friends, and I love magic even more! So I won't give up, Professor! I must regain my magic! And
you too, you still have your round-the-world travel plans to complete. Without magic, how will you use magic to fake magic tricks and swindle money? Without magic, how will you continue your research on dark magic? Without magic, how will I be your assistant?
So, Professor, no matter what, we can't give up. We will regain our magic, because it's rightfully ours! No one can take it away!"
The sky was gradually darkening as they ran through the streets and alleys of the city. Due to the reduced visibility, they had already shaken off many of their pursuers.
Professor Fawkes stopped. He saw Lynn's bright eyes, revealing an unwavering determination.
After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke.
"Since you have this idea, Lynn… do you have a plan now?"
Lynn lowered his head in thought. "Professor, do wizards really hate the church?"
"That's right, because they launched the witch hunts in the Middle Ages, which was the first large-scale conflict between Muggles and wizards in history."
"Then we'll hide in the church! Muggles have awe for the church, and wizards hate the church for historical reasons. So, if we can hide there, we can avoid their search."
Lynn's eyes lit up as he thought of a way to stay.
Professor Fawkes looked at him intently, unsure whether he was lamenting his fate or sighing that no matter how he guided him, Lynn had come back to this point.
"We'll go there now, but we don't know if the clergy there will accept us."
"They will, they will," Professor Fawkes affirmed.
Under the cover of night, they quickly found the church Lynn had mentioned.
From the outside, it was still brightly lit, and there were people inside.
Lynn approached the church door.
A sudden tremor ran through him, a strange feeling welling up inside.
He felt something drawing him in from within the church.
Lynn shook his head, but the feeling didn't seem like an illusion; it wouldn't leave his mind.
Professor Fawkes walked past Lynn.
"What are you waiting for, Lynn? Let's go in."
He pushed open the church doors, and Lynn followed him inside.
It was a spacious hall with rows of pews on either side.
Directly in front of them hung a huge image of Jesus crucified.
At the very front of the pews sat a nun.
Suddenly, Lynn felt something appear in his hand.
At the same time, a long-lost sense of fullness, which had recently vanished, surged through him.
He gripped the object tightly, without uttering a sound.
Rozier stood up from the pew, a cigarette dangling from her lips, and chuckled softly as she looked at Lynn and Professor Fawkes, who had suddenly burst into the church.
Before Lynn and the others could speak, Rozier lifted the hem of her nun's habit and pulled a Remington pistol from beneath!
She pointed the gun at the two bewildered men, an old man and a young boy, and casually spat out her cigarette butt.
"If you don't want to get shot, put your hands up!"
Lynn easily slipped the gun into his sleeve and, along with Professor Fawkes, raised both hands.
This time he saw clearly that the gun barrel was straight, not bent.
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(End of Chapter)