As soon as quitting time arrived, Lockhart jumped up eagerly, and Gall took off his hospital uniform at lightning speed. Within three minutes, both of them had fled the hospital.
Apparating home was certainly convenient, but using such magic easily leaves a strong magic power trace, and the elite Aurors of the Ministry of Magic have mastered some specialized detection spells.
Moreover, using magic in places crowded with Muggles can easily violate the Confidentiality Law. The Ministry of Magic will immediately send a letter and dispatch someone to check, and then they'll be delighted to discover two nationally wanted fugitives here, summon Aurors, summon those hundred or so Dementors...
Thinking of such dire consequences, Lockhart and Gall immediately abandoned all shortcuts, resolutely refraining from taking risks with magic, and behaved exactly like ordinary Muggles.
"Let's take a cab; it'll be faster this way!"
Lockhart habitually stood by the curbside with his hand outstretched, but Gall quickly pulled him back.
"No, no, no, let's take the bus!" Gall's brow was furrowed with caution and deep thought: "Think about it, if we run into Dementors... a larger crowd means more targets, making it easier for us to escape."
Lockhart withdrew his hand and said admiringly, "You're right, your thinking is thorough."
The two of them arrived at the nearby bus stop. After waiting in the cold wind for more than ten minutes, the bus finally arrived, albeit late.
Lockhart hurriedly boarded the bus, only to find there were no seats. He thought for a moment and stood beside a middle-aged woman, giving his trademark radiant smile when she looked at him.
The Muggle woman glanced at him with a critical look as if she were sizing up a lunatic, shifted further into her seat, and disdainfully looked away.
Lockhart: "..."
He glanced at his reflection in the window; his blond hair wasn't as bright as before, and his once handsome face, under the influence of magic, now had slightly small eyes, a crooked nose, protruding teeth, and somewhat dark skin...
He looked grimy and a bit ugly.
His smile was no longer charming... Instead, it seemed sleazy.
Lockhart was almost brought to tears, deeply regretting not having properly learned the Human Body Transfiguration Technique before; now he could only transform into this ghastly appearance.
He complained in a low voice to Trokka: "Foolish Muggles with no taste... If it were the past, my fans could fill an entire street."
Gall, who had been jostled when boarding, sneered and said, "Too bad they all know your true self now; you don't have any fans left!"
Lockhart's face turned an ugly shade of green as he angrily reprimanded him, "We are all companions, how can you hit me where it hurts?"
Gall snorted, "We're all companions, yet you still fight me for a mere seat?"
The two of them glared at each other with mutual disdain and simultaneously looked away.
Not far away, Mabel, standing next to the seat, tugged her hood down a bit more, staring at the grimy metal bus floor.
[Dementor... Hogwarts... Muggle...]
Indeed, these two guys were definitely also Wizards.
Since escaping, Mabel hadn't encountered any Wizards. She didn't know if the Ministry of Magic had sent someone to capture her or knew nothing about Hayley, Luke, and the others' situations.
Finding these two discussing the Magic World in the hospital, Mabel instinctively followed them.
Although they were Wizards, they still worked at the hospital and took the bus. Their magic skills seemed unimpressive...
Mabel felt they were unlikely to pose a threat, but to play it safe, she kept her distance and followed them without letting them see her face.
The bus swayed to a halt, and Lockhart and Gall, having stood the entire way, finally got off.
As the bus doors were about to close, Mabel hurriedly jumped off as well.
Even though Lockhart and Gall had become fugitives, they maintained the Wizards' habitual disregard for Muggles and didn't notice the little girl behind them.
The street was very quiet.
Getting off the bus, Lockhart caught sight of his companion's coat flaring open, with both pants pockets bulging, and realized something, his face turning pale.
Lockhart hurried two steps to catch up with Gall, grabbing his arm and asking, "Did you steal blood bags from the hospital again?"
Gall immediately covered his pocket, his eyes darting, and said guiltily, "It's expired blood slated for disposal! I just changed their method of disposal..."
"You're going to get us exposed doing this!" Lockhart exclaimed, angry yet scared.
"It won't, some Muggles steal blood too..." Gall weakly argued before immediately becoming righteously assertive, "You eat every day too, should I starve then?"
"Don't make excuses! You can clearly eat regular food too!" Lockhart exclaimed, "And your uncle even bought you live chickens!"
"Whose appetite would that chicken blood satisfy? I'm dying for human blood." Gall licked his lips and suddenly turned to Lockhart, "To avoid exposure, why don't you draw some blood for me to drink?"
Lockhart immediately backed off a few steps, clutching his neck, exclaiming, "Don't even think about it!"
"Alright, alright... Don't react so strongly." Gall said, "It was just a joke."
Lockhart huffed in anger but after two seconds, they were walking together again.
He needed Gall's extensive experience in blending into society and was also living at Gall's uncle's house; meanwhile, Gall needed his magic to cover their tracks and avoid detection by the Ministry of Magic.
If not for their mutual assistance, they wouldn't have been able to stay on the run for such a long time, living a relatively normal life.