Chapter 4. The Despicable Kidnapper
Even with the system and knowing he was about to go to Hogwarts to study magic, Lynn's life remained unchanged.
Three weeks passed.
One day, Hermione invited Lynn to feed the stray cats.
"Do you think there are any cats in this world that aren't interested in dried fish?" Lynn got tired of feeding them after a while and stood by as a supervisor, watching Hermione happily feed the cats dried fish, while he also wanted to pet them but hesitated.
He now knew, of course, that the little girl in front of him was Hermione Granger, one of the three saviors.
Sometimes you really have to marvel at how strange the world is.
"Maybe there are. For example, if a cat gets picky about eating high-quality cat food every day, it might not be interested in dried fish."
Hermione had clearly thought carefully before answering Lynn's question.
Lynn's thoughts wandered, wondering if Professor McGonagall ever secretly ate the high-quality cat food at Hogwarts.
"So tell me... is it really possible for a cat to turn into a beautiful girl and repay a debt of gratitude?"
An older catgirl is out of the question; let's just wait for Lynn to repay her for teaching and guiding us.
But a catgirl isn't impossible; after all, no one says everyone's Animagus has to be different.
"You're getting more and more absurd! How could such a thing exist?"
Hermione turned and rolled her eyes at Lynn, feeling he was making fun of her.
Having spent so much time together, their conversations had become more casual.
For Lynn, whose entertainment options were extremely limited, teasing this somewhat talkative and slightly arrogant girl provided almost 80% of the fun in his boring days.
Lynn looked up at the gray London sky, where a few white doves soared by.
He suddenly remembered that before young wizards entered Hogwarts to learn magic and control their own power, they would experience magical outbursts to varying degrees.
For example, he found his current "honest and steady" adoptive father through this very method.
Hermione is almost 10 years old now and will probably receive her Hogwarts acceptance letter next year, which means she must have already experienced at least one magical outburst.
So, he looked at Hermione and smiled.
"That's not necessarily true, Hermione. Do you believe in superpowers?"
Magic shouldn't be discussed carelessly, even if it's certain the other person will become a young wizard.
But magic is off-limits, superpowers are!
The little girl was clearly naive; upon hearing Lynn's question, her body stiffened noticeably, and then her eyes darted around as she said,
"Definitely...no, we're all grown up now, how could we still believe in such things..."
Ding! Acting Skills lv10, activated!
Lynn's expression turned serious, like a communications officer reporting the attack on Pearl Harbor to the White House.
"Don't hide it from me, Hermione, you actually...awakened superpowers, right?"
Immediately, Hermione looked at Lynn helplessly, like a wife caught cheating, and stammered out the confession.
"You, how did you know?"
"Because people with superpowers can sense each other. I knew you were extraordinary the first time I saw you." Lynn stood up, hands behind his back, looking like a reclusive master.
"Then why didn't I sense you?" Hermione wasn't a naive girl; she noticed the key point.
"Ahem." Caught off guard by her suspicion, Lynn could only cough twice before quickly coming up with a reason.
"Maybe your superpower is too weak. My superpower can kill someone named Zhang San. Can your superpower change someone's name to Zhang San?"
Hermione's attention was diverted by Lynn's nonsense.
"My superpower isn't that powerful." Her expression was somewhat ashamed. "I don't know what it does. Once, in a fit of extreme anger, I made the glass in the room disappear. My parents didn't believe I did it."
So it's because your superpower is unstable and too weak that you can't sense me." Lynn looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, like a melancholy poet. "But that's a good thing, because then they can't find you." "
They...who are they?"
Hermione had fallen into their trap. "They're an evil organization," Lynn said seriously. "They specifically target people with superpowers like you and me, then coerce and entice them to work for them. They found me not long ago."
Hermione, already fooled, was horrified.
"Then Lynn, what about you now…?"
Lynn sighed sadly.
"Although I can kill people named Zhang San, none of them are named Zhang San. I had no choice but to join them. But I swore a solemn oath that I would never use my superpowers to kill innocent people indiscriminately, so don't worry, I won't become a bad person."
"Lynn…" Hermione clasped her small hands together in front of her, looking at him with admiration, thinking her friend was truly great.
"I argued my case and finally got that evil organization to give me two months of leave every summer. In two months, I'll be taken to their headquarters to cooperate with their research.
Hermione, I'll do my best to hide your existence within the organization so you can continue living this peaceful and happy life."
Lynn almost believed his own words, and the girl was naturally incredibly moved, wishing she could elope with Lynn right then and there, escaping to the ends of the earth to escape this worldly strife.
"You're so good, Lynn, but won't you be in danger there? Or… or should we run away? I've secretly saved some pocket money, about nine pounds and fifteen pence…"
Lynn interrupted Hermione with a righteous air.
"No need to thank me, Hermione. We're friends, after all. And don't mention running away again. Not only are they too powerful for us to escape from, but even if we did, what about your parents? What do you think they'll do?"
"Don't worry." Lynn was afraid of scaring the girl too much, which would backfire.
So he comforted her, "My superpowers are very useful to them, so they won't hurt me. And I can come back to see you for two months every year, so don't worry, it's just..."
Seeing Lynn seemed troubled by something, Hermione wiped away her tears and hurriedly asked, "But what?"
"But after I leave, there'll be no one to take care of the house." Lynn finally revealed his sinister purpose.
"My flowers, the windows, the floor, everything will be covered in dust, it's heartbreaking to think about." Hermione was completely fooled.
"Lynn, if you trust me, you can leave it to me. After you leave, I'll take good care of your garden and I promise to clean the house for you every week."
"Of course I trust you, we're friends." Lynn's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, his scheme succeeding.
"Yes! We're friends!"
...
[You have gained Hermione Granger's (young) trust, earning the title: The Despicable Kidnapper.]
[Title: Despicable Kidnapper]
[Effects: 1. There is a 50% chance that children under the age of 16 will absolutely believe what you say.]
[2. Parents of children under the age of 16 will have their favorability towards you halved.]
[3. When your lies are exposed, you will be beaten 100% of the time!]
[Note 1: The title effect only takes effect while the title is active.]
[Note 2: If effect 1 is successfully activated, effect 3 will still take effect even if the title is removed.]
[Remarks: You ask me what the consequences are for kidnapping minors? Hehe, just three high-ranking deaths.]
(End of Chapter)