#282 - Chapter 282: Land of the Free?
The young wizards almost all stopped what they were doing and looked in unison towards the corridor to the side.
Following the gazes of the crowd, Harry was surprised to find that Professor Snape had changed out of his usual black robes and into a well-tailored dark suit, making him look completely different.
The suit was made of fine material, the dark black fabric fitting his slender figure and highlighting his slightly stern temperament.
Under the high collar was a white shirt, and the tie was meticulously knotted, contrasting sharply with his black hair and slightly pale skin.
Compared to his usual image of flowing black robes, he now looked more serious and composed, resembling a movie star from the Muggle world from afar.
Harry kept rubbing his eyes, as if doubting he was seeing things correctly.
Hermione silently covered her mouth, clearly finding it difficult to process Snape's attire.
Even the boisterous Ron and Malfoy couldn't help but swallow, clearly overwhelmed by the impact of this scene.
Everyone was shocked by Snape's outfit, their eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
Is this really Professor Snape?
This outfit is too handsome!
How come we never noticed that Professor Snape had such a handsome side?
Damn it, it must be because his usual black robes sealed his good looks.
The students' clamor grew louder and louder, eventually turning into strange slogans.
"Professor Snape, you look so handsome in that outfit, we love it!"
"Professor Snape, could you please destroy all those black robes with a spell?"
"Professor, please adopt this style of dress from now on, we love to see it!"
"Professor, please use a spell to permanently weld this outfit onto your body, please!"
Listening to the students' clamor, the corners of Snape's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
On the surface, he maintained a cold and expressionless demeanor, but in reality, he was already cursing Sebastian in his heart.
Damn swan!
Deliberately trying to make a fool of me in public.
He insisted that my black robes would look strange in a Muggle airport and that I would easily be mistaken for a terrorist and arrested by Muggle police.
If I hadn't believed his nonsense, I wouldn't have had to wear this inappropriate suit, nor would I have had to endure the students' stares and teasing.
Damn it, that bastard even has the nerve to laugh!
Come on, let's go to the dueling club while there's still time and I'll hit you with some nasty curses.
Snape forcibly suppressed the urge to teach Sebastian a lesson, went to Sebastian with a straight face, and said in as calm a tone as possible.
"It's getting late, hurry up and get going!"
Sebastian didn't provoke Snape's fragile nerves, but grinned and beckoned the students to the school gate, where the Knight Bus was already waiting.
As soon as they got on the bus, Sebastian collected the students' wands and then used the onboard magic television to demonstrate the boarding process and various precautions.
For a moment, several students vaguely felt like they had arrived in a Muggle Studies class.
...................
Sitting in the first class cabin of the plane, the students curiously explored everything around them.
They pressed their faces against the windows, watching the London night scene shrink constantly, their eyes filled with uncontrollable curiosity and excitement.
Harry kept comparing the plane to a flying broomstick, and finally came to a firm conclusion.
When it comes to excitement, the flying broomstick is obviously better.
But the plane flies much higher than a flying broomstick, and in terms of comfort, the flying broomstick can't compare at all.
He glanced at Percy and Penelope, who were openly displaying their affection, smiled slightly, and then concentrated on studying the facilities on the plane.
Before the little wizards' excitement could wear off, they heard Sebastian's voice in their ears.
"Everyone, please note that our destination this time is in the American magical community."
"Due to the special nature of the American magical community, I will briefly introduce the local customs and various precautions here."
Through Sebastian's explanation, the little wizards gradually learned that in the 17th century, European wizards began to immigrate to North America along with Muggles.
At that time, the overall scale of the American magical community was still very small, and there was no form of magical government.
Therefore, some wizards from different countries became mercenaries or bounty hunters, calling themselves Scourers.
Their term for Muggles also changed, becoming No-Maj.
Due to the lack of constraints, this group of Scourers began to use their position to seek personal gain, illegally arresting and torturing innocent wizards, and even handing wizards over to No-Maj for trial in exchange for bounty or land.
During the Salem witch trials, the Scourers' actions became even more insane, not only selling out wizards, but also selling No-Maj to the church as wizards, which caused widespread dissatisfaction in the magical community.
Under the influence of the Salem events, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) was established, and the Scourers' actions were finally restricted.
MACUSA took strict measures, began to crack down on the Scourers' illegal activities, and many Scourers were arrested or executed.
Of course, many Scourers escaped capture, and they began to form families with No-Maj, hiding forever among the No-Maj population.
In order to hide the Scourers' identities, they would even abandon children with magical talents, leaving only descendants without magic.
Some vengeful Scourers would also tell their descendants that wizards are real and that they should be eliminated once they are discovered.
Later, a witch named Dorcus fell in love with a descendant of a Scourer, almost causing the American magical community to be completely exposed to the eyes of No-Maj.
In order to prevent similar incidents from happening, MACUSA directly promulgated Rappaport's Law, completely separating the magical community from No-Maj society.
Hearing this, the little wizards couldn't believe their ears.
They had only heard that the environment of the American magical community was a bit abnormal, but they never imagined that it was abnormal to this extent.
Although this harsh law has been repealed, some strange policies have been retained.
Wizards are prohibited from marrying No-Maj;
It is forbidden to make friends with No-Maj;
Wizarding families cannot keep magical pets;
A license is required to carry a wand in order to facilitate MACUSA's tracking of all magical activities and identify perpetrators through wands.
Once these policies are violated, they are all serious crimes, and in serious cases, they can even be sentenced to death.
In the professor's words, they claim to uphold humanitarianism and let the prisoners die without pain.
Mr. Newt Scamander almost lost his life there at the beginning, and finally, by helping to capture Grindelwald, he made up for his mistakes and left that free land alive.
After listening to Sebastian's explanation, the little wizards' excitement about going to the American magical community completely disappeared.
Free land?!
Merlin's pants.
What kind of freedom is this? Staying there makes you feel like you can't even breathe.
Before going to sleep, they all made up their minds.
In any case, they should stay away from this land in the future.
......
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