After reading the letter, Link's eyes turned cold.
The content of Percy's letter was actually quite simple. He, as the spy Link had planted inside Fudge's organization, had discovered some secrets and wanted to warn his younger brother in advance to help him get through the upcoming trouble.
But what the letter truly revealed to Link was something else, that his ambitions and the purpose behind his recent actions were no longer much of a secret in certain people's eyes.
Just think about it.
If even a small figure like Percy could obtain such information, then how much more could those with far better channels and sharper abilities already know?
In this situation, could his plans really still go as smoothly as he had expected?
Link stayed silent. His face was stern and cold, the pressure so strong that Harry and Hermione, who had originally wanted to plead for Ron, both shut their mouths at once. They felt a powerful, suffocating presence from him, different from Professor McGonagall's, but just as intimidating.
After a long time, Link finally folded the letter.
Of course, he didn't hand it back to Ron but instead tucked it into his pocket.
Link had always been a rather petty person.
He planned to return this letter to Percy himself when he got the chance.
That would serve as both a warning and a signal, that Percy's family was not as trustworthy as he might believe.
Link understood Percy too well, or rather, he understood the kind of power-hungry beast that Percy was.
Such a person could be called a pure-blooded egoist.
Don't be fooled by him sending a letter to warn Ron, it wasn't driven by any deep familial love. What truly motivated him was self-satisfaction, a way to ease his guilt toward his family and gain emotional relief.
But once he realized that this act of warning his family could hurt his own interests, Percy would immediately sober up and sever all ties with them again, returning to being that beast whose eyes were completely blinded by the word "benefit," charging forward without hesitation.
The oppressive aura surrounding Link slowly dissipated, and Harry and the others felt the pressure lift from their shoulders.
"Ron," Link said, expressionless, "I've finished reading the letter. Where did you get the idea that I deceived you?"
As he spoke, the magical restraint around Ron's head disappeared. Red-faced and furious, Ron shouted, "Do you even have to ask? If he was really on our side, why would he tell me not to hang around with Harry? And say that Dumbledore's going to step down?"
"And the worst of all, he told me to listen to that old hag Umbridge! Do you know what she's done to Harry? Percy's no spy, he's a traitor, through and through! And he told me to be careful of you! That just proves you're not a good guy either!"
"Unbelievable," Link frowned. "You just said Percy is an untrustworthy traitor, but then you immediately decide that what he said about me must be true. How exactly does your logic work?"
Ron's face turned even redder. He opened his mouth to argue again, but Link waved his hand, reapplying the restraint around Ron's head.
"Out of respect for old times, I won't argue with you further. Take him away."
As soon as Link gave the order, the house-elves waved their fingers, lifting Ron into the air and carrying him out of the corridor along with the rest of the debris.
Link had no time to waste on Ron.
As he had said, Ron's thinking was completely chaotic now, his words made no sense at all.
And with the sheer hostility he radiated, it almost seemed like he had come here with the letter just to cause trouble.
But the reason behind that wasn't something that could be figured out just from talking to Ron.
Watching Ron and the elves disappear down the corridor, Link turned his gaze back to Harry and Hermione.
"What exactly is going on here?" he asked in a softer tone.
Harry gave a helpless, bitter smile and shook his head, while Hermione, looking irritated, explained, "Ever since we went to Fred and George's workshop to order them to make corrections last time, Ron's gone mad! He's convinced we only took you there to ruin things for him and his brothers. He threw a huge tantrum and refused to listen no matter how we explained."
"If it were just that, fine, we're used to his bad temper. Give it some time, and he usually calms down."
"But then, a few days ago, George and Fred's workshop got shut down again! This time, not only was the workshop closed, but McGonagall also punished both of them heavily. And your new factory is being rebuilt on a large scale at the same time."
"When Ron heard about it, he decided you did it on purpose to steal his brothers' business."
"After that, it just got worse and worse."
When she finished, Hermione even gave Link a reproachful glare.
The last time she took him to see Fred and George's workshop, her goal had been to stop the twins' misconduct. But Link had only given them a mild order for "rectification."
So in Hermione's eyes, the fact that things had blown up now was partly Link's fault.
And combined with the suspicious timing of his own new factory project, even she couldn't help but wonder, was Link really trying to seize their business, just like Ron thought?
Of course, Hermione herself knew that didn't make sense logically, but under the weight of her irritation, the thought still slipped through her mind.
"I'm afraid Ron Weasley isn't the only one who thinks that way," Emily suddenly said mockingly from beside Link.
Hermione could tell Emily's words had another meaning behind them.
But even after being called out, she didn't flinch. Frowning, she snapped back, "Do all you Slytherins think everyone's as bad as you are?"
Emily's smile only grew brighter. She looped her arm through Link's and said sweetly, "Can you honestly swear that you never thought that yourself?"
"You!" Hermione was so angry she could barely speak.
But she knew perfectly well that she couldn't outtalk Emily. Huffing, she turned away and said directly to Link, "Link, I never thought that. None of the other students did either."
"Once they found out what was really going on in the twins' workshop, they were furious. Now George and Fred are like rats in Hogwarts, everyone's against them. And Ron's been dragged down with them too. That's one of the reasons he's so angry."
Link nodded silently.
But Cedric, who had been listening, snorted coldly.
"It's normal for Ron Weasley, as someone who profited from that black-market workshop, to be unhappy with us. We don't care about his opinion. But what we won't allow is for him to slander us!"
"I'll be reporting what happened today to both Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Honestly, how someone like that was ever chosen as a prefect is ridiculous!"
Even a fool could tell what Cedric was implying.
Hermione's face changed instantly, and she said quickly, "Please don't! President Cedric, Ron just lost his temper, he didn't mean it!"
Cedric shook his head, unmoved.
Meanwhile, Harry's expression was full of conflict and hesitation.
Emily and Cedric both looked at him with curiosity, they knew exactly what he was struggling with.
On one hand was friendship and loyalty, and on the other was his growing frustration and disappointment.
What would Harry choose?
They were both curious to see.
Only Link wasn't interested.
He knew Harry far better than anyone else present.
Hesitation was normal, but if Harry really chose to abandon Ron, then he wouldn't be Harry Potter anymore.
Sure enough, after only a moment, the hesitation vanished from Harry's face, replaced by determination.
He took a deep breath and said to Link, "Link, Ron's my friend, and yours too. You have to understand, he's just, just…"
Harry trailed off awkwardly. Link finished the sentence naturally, "Just confused. I understand. I know what being a prefect means to him. Don't worry, Cedric's only warning him, he won't really do anything."
As he spoke, Link looked over at Cedric, who nodded knowingly.
Then Link added, "But we can't just let him keep stewing in this. Since he won't listen to us, I'll try contacting George and Fred. Let them talk to him. After all, they're his brothers."
Harry and Hermione both looked relieved, but also slightly uneasy.
They knew exactly how mischievous the twins could be. "Teaching their little brother a lesson" was practically their hobby.
Sure, they'd talk sense into Ron, but Ron probably wouldn't enjoy it.
Still, it was the best outcome they could hope for.
Hermione and Harry exchanged a look and smiled gratefully at Link.
Link waved his hand dismissively. "But there's something else that bothers me. From what Ron said earlier, it sounded like Umbridge has done something really awful to Harry?"
Harry's face stiffened immediately, clearly, he didn't want to talk about it.
Hermione, seeing this, grew angry and grabbed Harry's right hand, holding it up for everyone to see.
Everyone leaned closer curiously. On his hand, there was only a faint reddish mark, nothing too noticeable.
"That's enough, Hermione. You don't need to show that," Harry said darkly, trying to pull his hand back.
But Hermione, fuming, explained to everyone, "You all know Harry's been serving detention in Umbridge's office every night this past week, right? But do you know what kind of punishment she's been giving him?"
Cedric, sensing her emotion, asked gently, "What kind?"
"Writing lines!" Hermione almost shouted.
"She makes him write 'I must not tell lies!' over and over! Writing, by itself, wouldn't be so bad, but she tampered with the pen!"
"Every time Harry writes a word, the same words appear carved into his hand, as if by a scalpel! The cuts heal quickly, but the pain never goes away. It's like it's burned into him!"
As she spoke, Harry had already pulled his hand back and covered it tightly with his left hand.
If you looked closely, you could see that his right hand was trembling uncontrollably.
Clearly, the pain had been so deeply imprinted in his memory that just thinking about it made him feel it again.
"You mean… this kind of quill?" Emily suddenly said.
In her hand was a long, thin, jet-black feather quill with a wickedly sharp tip.
"Y-yes!" Harry stammered, his trembling worsening.
"This is made from the feather of a Honduran Bloodsucking Finch," Emily said quietly.
"A dangerous magical creature whose feathers can easily cut through flesh. The hollow core inside the feather allows it to absorb blood directly from the wound.
When a quill like this is enhanced with healing magic, it becomes the perfect tool for punishment. Decades ago, this was actually a popular educational method. The results were immediate, because the sentences you wrote would be burned into your memory by the pain, impossible to forget."
"How do you know that so well?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
She half-suspected Emily had used such a quill to torture someone herself. A Slytherin like Emily could easily do something that cruel.
But Link seemed to realize something. He gently took Emily's trembling right hand in his.
Emily gave him a forced smile, then said, "Because I was punished with one of these when I was a child."
Link's grip on her hand tightened.
Hermione gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "I, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't mean..."
"It's fine," Emily shook her head, her expression steady.
"It's not your fault." Then, with resolve, she turned to Link. "But because I've experienced it myself, I know just how cruel this punishment is. Link, we can't let Umbridge keep doing this to students!"
Hermione looked even more ashamed, and even Harry, who had always distrusted Slytherins, looked at Emily with gratitude.
But Link turned his head toward the corridor and said slowly, "This isn't the time to talk about that."
"What do you mean?" Harry demanded angrily.
Link's strange reaction was starting to make him mad.
But instead of answering, Link raised a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture, eyes still fixed on the far end of the corridor.
Harry almost laughed from frustration, he was about to speak again when the sharp, rhythmic click of high heels echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned toward the sound, toward where Link was looking.
There, wearing her ever-fake, sugary smile, Dolores Umbridge was walking slowly toward them.