"George! Fred! Put me down right now!"
Ron struggled and shouted.
But just like when he couldn't fight off those two burly Hufflepuff guys earlier, in his current state he also couldn't break free from George and Fred's grip.
George and Fred completely ignored Ron's cries, grinning as they said, "Hehehe! Ron, what are you hiding in your arms?"
"Yeah, Ron, what's that good stuff you've been clutching?"
Hearing that, Ron started to panic.
What he was hiding in his arms was a huge fortune, a whole 3 Galleons and 1 Sickle.
If George and Fred found out, they'd definitely "borrow" it from him.
Ron's eyes turned red as he screamed hysterically, "Right now! Immediately! Put me down this instant! Otherwise, I'll write to Mum tonight and tell her everything you two have been up to lately!"
That was Ron's trump card.
He would never use it unless absolutely necessary, because he wasn't clean himself, reporting George and Fred would also drag him down with them.
Sure enough, George and Fred looked at each other when they saw Ron was really mad, and then both let go at the same time.
"Ah!"
Completely unprepared, Ron screamed miserably and landed right on his butt.
"Oh~ our dear little brother, we were just playing a harmless little sibling prank. Why so uptight?" George and Fred said with a grin, taking turns to tease him.
"Yeah, Ron, how could we ever hurt you? Don't forget, we're real! Blood! Brothers!"
Then Fred suddenly remembered something and turned the topic, "By the way, Ron, what are you doing here? I thought you were still having that falling out with Link and the others?"
Hearing that, Ron, who had just gotten up from the floor and was about to throw a few harsh words, instantly froze.
He stood there mumbling awkwardly for a long time but couldn't come up with any decent excuse.
Just as he was wondering whether to just run away, George elbowed Fred and said, "What are you thinking? Why else would he be here? Of course, for the same reason we are."
Fred returned the elbow and turned to Ron, asking, "Is that so?"
Ron blurted out instinctively, "Yes! That's right! I'm here for the same thing as you!"
As soon as he said that, George and Fred, who had been happily poking and elbowing each other, both froze and stared at him.
Their weird looks gave Ron goosebumps all over. He took two steps back, wondering if he'd said something wrong.
But then George and Fred both smiled and said, "Didn't expect you to get an invitation too, and that you actually came! Looks like things between you and Link have already been patched up, huh? That saves us the trouble."
"Yeah, Link even asked us to explain to you that everything before was just part of a plan we were working on together. Looks like we don't need to anymore!"
"All right, all right, it's getting late. Let's go."
After that, the twins sandwiched Ron between them and headed toward the big office where Harry and Hermione had just gone in.
Everything happened so fast that Ron didn't even have time to react.
———
Inside a large open hall, clearly expanded by an Extension Charm and looking more like an auditorium than an office, Harry and Hermione were quietly talking with the group of younger students they had brought.
The arrival of George, Fred, and Ron didn't catch their attention at all, because everyone's focus was already on the group across from them.
That was a group of six senior students, led by Cedric and John.
Of course, the main reason Hermione and the others were watching them wasn't their grade level, it was that each one of them was a well-known powerhouse in the Hogwarts student circles.
Among them were the two near-graduates from this year's Hogwarts NEWT-level Alchemy class, the Kennedy siblings.
There was also Gryffindor's famously combative fighter, Scarfinn, who once fought off six same-year Slytherins all by himself, armed with just one wand and a wooden sword.
Then there was Newlan, a half-blood Slytherin known to be the most feared student in the house besides Emily.
And, of course, Cedric's girlfriend, Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker.
Looking at this lineup of famous upperclassmen, Harry couldn't help shrinking his neck and whispering to Hermione, "Are you sure what Link's organizing is really just a study group? Do people like that actually need to come learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from him?"
Hearing that, several nearby students turned to look at Hermione too.
The pressure from that group was overwhelming, some of the timid ones, like Neville, even felt like bolting for the door.
Hermione, under all those stares, looked a little flustered herself.
After hesitating for a while, she bit her lip and forced herself to explain, "You don't get it! The fact that even people that strong want to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from Link just proves how good he is! We should feel honored to have the chance to learn from him like they do!"
"Is… is that really so?" Harry said uncertainly.
Most of the other students still looked skeptical.
But at least they didn't keep asking questions.
Hermione quietly let out a long sigh of relief, thinking she had finally managed to bluff her way through.
What she didn't know was that while they were talking about the other group, Cedric and his companions were also sizing them up.
Scarfinn, the one with the strange look and a long wooden sword strapped to his back, studied the group of timid younger students opposite them and said blankly, "Cedric, didn't you say this was an elite organization founded by Lord Link Flamel? Then why are there so many weaklings here?"
Cedric didn't answer. He just gave Scarfinn a cool sideways glance, acting very aloof.
But in truth, he was panicking inside, frantically trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.
He had no idea where Harry and Hermione had found so many first- and second-years. This was supposed to be the first official meeting of their glorious organization, wouldn't it have been enough to invite a few symbolic junior representatives?
Just as Cedric's head was starting to hurt, a dark-haired, black-robed young man with a weary air, Newlan, spoke up, "Don't be so hasty, Scarfinn. You can tell right away these are the outer members of the organization. I'd say Lord Link just wants us all to get to know each other today, for easier cooperation in the future."
After saying that, Newlan even smiled and waved at the younger students across the room.
Hermione and the others quickly smiled and waved back.
Scarfinn frowned, grabbed the hilt of his wooden sword, and said coldly, "Snake, I'm warning you, don't use your filthy tricks on these innocent juniors, or else…"
"Or else what?"
Newlan stared back, not backing down. A chill radiated from him, clashing with the fiery, violent aura coming off Scarfinn.
"All right, that's enough! Do you even know where we are? Pulling this stunt in front of everyone, don't you think that's embarrassing?"
Cedric stepped between them to mediate.
On the other side, John grabbed Scarfinn, whose sword was already half drawn.
After their efforts, the tension between Scarfinn and Newlan finally died down.
Cedric shot Newlan a look that clearly said, finally, someone with a bit of sense.
Meanwhile, John glanced warily at the Kennedy siblings in the corner, worried they'd start another fight too.
"Don't look at us," said the older Kennedy brother carelessly.
"We don't care who's in this organization. As long as Link Flamel, that rich guy, keeps funding our research, that's all we need."
His younger sister stayed behind him, silent and shy, clearly uncomfortable around strangers.
John silently looked at Cedric with a speechless expression that said, what kind of freaks did you bring here?
Cedric just shrugged.
At that moment, a series of steady, crisp footsteps echoed from the passage deeper inside the hall.
Cedric and John immediately straightened their expressions.
Following their lead, first Newlan and Scarfinn, then the others, including Harry, Hermione, and the younger students, all instinctively went serious.
The once-bustling hall instantly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. Only the footsteps grew nearer.
Click!
The wooden door to the passage opened.
Link and Emily walked into the hall, arm in arm.
"Link!"
Hermione couldn't help calling out, then quickly covered her mouth, realizing how abrupt that sounded.
Link smiled at her, gave a polite nod, and let his gaze sweep over her and the younger students, but finally focused on Cedric and the others.
Cedric had handled things far more neatly than Hermione.
Before today's gathering, he had already handed Link detailed profiles of Newlan, Scarfinn, and the rest, along with a proposal suggesting that the organization develop an inner elite and outer auxiliary structure.
To be honest, Link had been stunned when he first heard that.
He'd never planned to build some grand, long-lasting organization, he just wanted to rally some support and wrest control of Hogwarts from the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore.
But after thinking it over, he realized Cedric's idea wasn't half bad.
After all, the people Cedric had brought in were all quite capable.
Even if he didn't keep developing this so-called organization later, he could still send them to other posts where they could shine. They'd be useful either way.
Especially the Kennedy siblings, talented alchemists like them were rare in Britain, since alchemical expertise was almost entirely dominated by French wizarding circles.
Link nodded at Cedric, then raised his voice to address everyone watching him, "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come listen to me ramble. Following the fine tradition of Headmaster Dumbledore's speeches, I'll get straight to the point."
"The main reason I've called everyone here today is to deal with the trouble caused by Umbridge's arrival at Hogwarts."
"The most serious issue is that since Umbridge became the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the course's quality has plummeted."
"The combination of theory and practice that we finally restored over the past two years has once again turned into the same old 'all talk, no practice' nonsense from Quirrell's time."
"In fact, Umbridge might be even worse than Quirrell, at least he used to give a few real examples. Umbridge, on the other hand, only makes you memorize texts."
"Of course, in her own words, that's not a decline in teaching quality, it's an optimization of the curriculum."
Many people in the hall burst out laughing at that, and Link patiently waited for them to quiet down before continuing, "These so-called 'optimized' lessons aren't just boring, they're completely useless for improving our skills."
"Many of us here are facing OWL or NEWT exams this year. Under Umbridge's teaching, do you really think you'll get good marks?"
"Yes, I know, Umbridge mentioned that the NEWT-level Defense Against the Dark Arts exam might be restructured, and she even promised us Ministry internships."
"But come on, use your brains! And if you can't, go buy a few copies of The Daily Prophet!"
"Even Fudge, her boss, is barely hanging onto his position and could be ousted any day now."
"Do you honestly believe Umbridge will be able to keep any of her promises?"
Link's questions boomed like thunder in everyone's ears.
Many students who had still been clinging to a bit of hope now broke into a cold sweat.
Then Link straightened up and continued, "My friends, we can't rely on others. We can't pin our hopes on anyone else. Only by becoming strong ourselves can we have the confidence to face whatever comes our way!"
"That's why I've invited you all here."
"Starting today, I'll be forming a student self-study group. Led by myself, Cedric, Harry, Hermione, and a few others, we'll teach you real Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"That way, not only will you be prepared for your upcoming exams..."
Link paused deliberately, then added, "...you'll also be better able to protect yourselves, given the current situation… with Voldemort's return!"
The moment the name "Voldemort" came out of Link's mouth, over half the students shuddered violently.
Some even screamed outright.
The rest just stared at Link in disbelief, horrified that he'd dare say that name aloud.
The hall instantly erupted into chaos.
A blond Hufflepuff boy pushed his way forward, breathing heavily, his eyes red, and shouted at Link, "What proof do you have that You-Know-Who is back?"