Just as Link and Emily were hiding in the Room of Requirement having a secret talk, the opening ceremony of the "public factory" was entering its final stage of preparation.
After Cedric's careful consideration, the venue for this ceremony was set in the long corridor that ran straight through the entire "factory."
A large wooden platform had been placed right in the center of the corridor, waiting for the main persons in charge of the factory to step onto it for the ceremony.
And waiting below it was the crowd that had already gathered.
Of course, since the ceremony was deliberately scheduled to overlap with the first class of the afternoon, many students simply didn't have time to come. So even though the corridor seemed crowded, it wasn't packed to the point of bursting.
"John, it's about time. Are you ready?"
Cedric pushed open the door of a nearby office and called out to the person inside.
For today's ceremony, John had deliberately put on a new robe and even borrowed some hair oil from someone to slick his hair back like an adult.
Unfortunately, the outfit and hairstyle didn't give him much confidence. When Cedric suddenly came in and asked, John jumped in fright before replying weakly, "Uh, yeah, I think I'm ready… probably…"
Cedric frowned immediately.
John's nervousness was obvious to the naked eye.
Cedric could easily understand how he felt, he had been in the exact same state himself the first time he became a prefect and had to guide new students.
That was why he knew perfectly well that what John needed right now wasn't comfort, but someone who could help him untangle the mess of thoughts in his head.
Cedric quietly closed the door, walked up to John, placed a firm hand on his shoulder, and said, "Have you memorized your speech?"
Feeling Cedric's steady grip somehow made John relax a little. He nodded, then shook his head.
"I did memorize it, but I'm just worried that..."
"Even if you forget it, or something unexpected happens, it doesn't matter," Cedric interrupted, raising three fingers.
"Just remember the three core goals of today's ceremony."
"First, to let everyone in Hogwarts know about our factory."
"Second, to take this opportunity to start recruiting on the spot. And you have to pay attention to the number of recruits. To speed up the renovation progress, we've already promised a lot of jobs to Hufflepuffs beforehand, and we also need to reserve some flexible positions. So the maximum number of workers you can sign on today, on site, is fifty. No more. That's the limit."
"Third, and this is the most important one, it's about the plan concerning Umbridge. This part is absolutely critical! Link's instructions must be carried out. It's not just about giving Hogwarts students more opportunities to earn money, it's directly tied to his next major plan."
"Listen, John."
"Even though the factory was founded jointly by Link and the student council, in essence, the council can only play a supervisory role. That means I can't host the ceremony in your place."
"But honestly, that's no big deal."
"The speech itself is just for show. As long as you remember those three key points, it doesn't matter whether you stick to the script or not. Understand?"
"I get what you mean," John said, raising his hand out of habit to scratch his head, only to remember his oily hair and drop his hand again, clearly annoyed.
"But Umbridge still hasn't shown up. Do you really think she's coming?"
"Of course she's coming!" Cedric said firmly.
"Didn't you notice that a bunch of people who should've been in N.E.W.T.-level Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon are out there waiting for the ceremony?"
"They can't all be skipping class. Which means Umbridge must've canceled the class. And if she's gone that far, why wouldn't she come?"
Hearing that, John relaxed a little and took a deep breath.
"I see. She's deliberately waiting to show up last, just to make an entrance."
"Good. You understand." Cedric glanced at the clock on the wall, clapped John on the shoulder, and said, "Time's up. You're on!"
John nodded firmly, stood up, and left the office.
Unlike the quiet room behind them, the corridor outside was buzzing with noise.
The students who had been waiting for so long were gathered together chatting excitedly. Individually their voices weren't loud, but combined, they roared like thunder.
And when John and Cedric, both persons in charge, appeared, the crowd erupted into a deafening cheer.
No one knew if they were cheering to welcome them or to celebrate the end of their long wait.
But whatever the reason, that sudden wave of cheering hit John like an invisible hammer to the chest, shattering what little confidence Cedric had just managed to build up in him.
He instinctively lowered his head and followed behind Cedric silently.
And when they stepped onto the wooden platform, his nervousness became even more obvious.
John's heart was pounding wildly from anxiety.
But somehow, all that frantic beating didn't seem to get enough oxygen into his blood. His chest felt tight, his vision darkened.
Thankfully, Cedric was still beside him.
If Cedric weren't here right now, I'd probably have fainted already, John thought, glancing sideways at him.
But before that thought could even settle, Cedric's pupils suddenly contracted, he had spotted something, and he said quickly, "Umbridge is here. I'll go greet her. You keep hosting."
Without another word, Cedric left the platform.
John instinctively reached out to grab him, but his hand caught nothing. When he turned back around, the crowd was already growing restless due to Cedric's sudden exit and John's long silence.
"Uh..."
John made a small, awkward sound in his throat as hundreds of eyes stared at him.
The crushing pressure hit like a tidal wave, blanking out his mind completely. He couldn't remember a single word of his speech.
All he could recall were the three key goals Cedric had told him earlier.
After taking two deep breaths, John finally pulled out his wand and touched its tip to his throat.
"Sonorus."
The spell amplified his slightly ragged breathing, making it echo in everyone's ears.
Out of politeness, the crowd quieted down.
John finally began to speak.
"I'm the person in charge of the 'Hogwarts Link Flamel Joint Public Factory.' Today, we're open for business. We'll also be recruiting soon. Fifty people. The hourly pay starts from five silver Sickles and goes up to ten, depending on rank. That's all."
As his voice fell, the corridor fell into complete silence.
In that strange stillness, John felt his heart sinking lower and lower.
He was sure he had ruined everything.
But it really wasn't the students' fault.
They had never seen a speech like that before, completely dry, emotionless, with the strangest tone imaginable, and absurdly short.
Yet, just as Cedric had said earlier, the speech itself was only a formality.
Just as the ceremony had its three core goals, the students who'd shown up had their own, they wanted firsthand information about the factory, to see if the rumors were true.
And although John's speech was brief and awkward, he'd actually told them everything they wanted to know.
That was enough.
More importantly, the factory's pay was far beyond what anyone had expected.
So that eerie silence lasted only a few seconds, before erupting into a tidal wave of screams and cheers.
John was completely dumbfounded, drowning in a sea of praise.
The heart that had plunged into the abyss was suddenly soaring toward the heavens, the emotional whiplash leaving him dazed.
Then he spotted Cedric in the corner, he was leading Umbridge up the side stairs to the platform, waving at John.
John instantly understood. He lifted his wand to his throat again and said, "Next, please welcome Professor Umbridge, the supervising professor of the 'Hogwarts Link Flamel Joint Public Factory,' to give a speech!"
Cedric, seeing John's flustered state, quickly guided Umbridge onto the platform.
As they passed John, Cedric leaned in and whispered, "You did great."
John let out a huge sigh of relief. The daze cleared, and he realized his undershirt was soaked through with sweat. Now that the breeze hit it, it felt freezing cold.
But he didn't dare react too much, he just stood there beside Cedric, both of them smiling stiffly as they flanked Umbridge.
Umbridge, of course, noticed everything.
She gave them both a strange little smile before turning to the crowd.
"Hmm-hmm!"
A magically amplified cough echoed through the corridor, instantly quieting the students who'd still been chattering excitedly.
Although no one liked her, curiosity overrode their dislike, this concerned their potential jobs, after all. They wanted to hear good news.
Unfortunately, they were doomed to disappointment.
Under the gaze of everyone present, Umbridge began in her painfully girlish, affected tone, "Good afternoon, dear students! I'm so happy to attend the opening ceremony of the 'Hogwarts Link Flamel Joint Public Factory' as its supervising professor, and to give a speech."
"I'm delighted to see students stepping forward to create something so beneficial for Hogwarts, the Ministry, and themselves. Such an act is truly noble!"
"I believe we should all express our gratitude to the hardworking prefects of the student council, and of course to Mr. Link Flamel himself. Without them, we..."
Her speech sounded elegant and full of meaning at first, but anyone listening closely would realize it was empty fluff, pretty words with no real substance.
And worst of all, it was long. Painfully long.
The stark contrast to John's earlier speech couldn't have been greater.
Halfway through, the students were already fidgeting with impatience.
If John hadn't mentioned the upcoming recruitment, and the fact that the wages were generous, they probably would've left long ago.
Some actually did leave.
Not because they were rich enough not to care, but because they were confident that even if they went for a walk and came back later, Umbridge would still be talking.
And indeed, they were right.
As the atmosphere in the corridor grew increasingly restless, John and Cedric, standing behind Umbridge, were quietly whispering to each other.
Unlike the others, they were paying close attention to what she said.
Because so far, most of Umbridge's long speech had been nothing but praise for Link and the factory, something extremely unusual for a woman who'd recently been humiliated by him.
And just as they suspected, after that long "warm-up," Umbridge finally got to her real point.
"…Indeed, Mr. Link Flamel has contributed greatly to Hogwarts," she said solemnly, "but I must point out that there are some inappropriate aspects in this factory's establishment."
"First, the name. 'Hogwarts Link Flamel Joint Public Factory' may sound fine at first, but it's overly complicated and, more importantly, completely ignores the Ministry's role. Everyone knows that factories and similar establishments fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic."
"It is only because the Ministry so kindly considered the students' needs that it has made this special exception, allowing a factory to exist within Hogwarts, and delegated the relevant authority to me, the supervising professor."
"We must not forget the Ministry's generosity."
"Therefore, this factory should be officially renamed M.O.M.H.L Factory, representing the initials of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, and Link."
"In addition, the management and compensation systems of the factory must be further reviewed, to prevent corruption and ensure the students' best interests."
"I will personally discuss the detailed arrangements with Mr. Link Flamel after the ceremony to ensure fairness and transparency!"
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