Umbridge's eardrums were stung by Newland's sudden shout, but she couldn't afford to be angry right now. She hurriedly asked, "When did this happen!?"
"It happened a few hours ago. I personally saw Harry Potter bringing a huge group of people to meet with Link Flamel for a gathering."
"At the meeting, Link Flamel even gave a speech that stirred everyone's hearts. Quite a few people were convinced to join them, and the rest were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement. As for the location…"
Newland shot a strange look at the wall. "It was right next door to your office."
"This is truly… outrageous!"
Umbridge slammed the desk and roared, her face bright red.
She was about to go mad.
Originally, she had planned to go easy on Link out of consideration for that bag of Galleons. She had even hinted to Newland just now, suggesting he shouldn't push things onto Link.
But now, judging from the information Newland had brought, not only was Link indeed conspiring with Harry Potter to rebel, they had even chosen to hold their meeting right next door to her.
This was simply an insult to her.
Umbridge braced herself against the desk and took deep, heavy breaths. It took her a long time to calm down, and only then did she remember that Newland was still here as an outsider.
She forced a smile and said, "Newland, you did extremely well. On behalf of the Minister, I thank you for your contribution to the Ministry of Magic."
"If Hogwarts were full of excellent students like you, the world wouldn't have so many troubles. Truly a remarkable young talent. Don't worry, once I verify the truth of this information, I'll definitely report your merits to the Minister. You won't be treated unfairly."
Newland's lips twitched slightly.
If an ordinary student heard praise like that from Umbridge, they probably would've been thrilled out of their mind, maybe even moved to tears.
But Newland saw it clearly. This was just another one of Umbridge's empty promises.
Just like Link had said at the gathering, even Umbridge's own boss, Minister Fudge, was barely hanging onto his position. What ability did Umbridge have to fulfill any promises?
Newland secretly mocked her stinginess, but on the surface, he put on an excited expression and said, "Thank you, Professor Umbridge. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Ministry of Magic…"
Umbridge cut him off, "In that case, you may go back now. But remember, everything that happened today must stay confidential."
With that, Umbridge sat back behind her desk, ready to write to Fudge the moment Newland left, to inform him that she had discovered Dumbledore secretly training an army.
As for that part about "verifying the truth," that was merely an excuse to get rid of him.
With things developed to this stage, what was there to verify?
Just like in the old days when they were purging the Death Eaters, if they said something didn't exist, then it didn't exist. Even if it did, it must not exist.
The reverse was also true.
For this matter now, if they said it existed, then it existed. Even if it didn't, it still must.
Thinking this, a flush of intoxicated pleasure rose in Umbridge's eyes.
This was the taste of power.
"Ahem!"
At that moment, two light coughs sounded. Umbridge snapped back to her senses.
She glared at Newland in embarrassment and annoyance, with none of her earlier "appreciation," and said, "Why are you still here?"
Newland had been disgusted by her intoxicated expression just now, and only coughed to stop himself from actually vomiting.
Now that he saw Umbridge was already showing signs of turning hostile, he felt annoyed, but his face showed only a harmless smile as he said, "Professor Umbridge, I think I can do even more for you."
"I may be just an ordinary student, but I do have a bit of influence in Slytherin. I can't compare to Miss Victoria, of course, but many people are willing to give me some face. If you ever need it, you can contact me anytime. I'll definitely complete the task!"
This time, Umbridge didn't speak. She simply looked at Newland silently.
She understood his little ambition to rise to power and show off very clearly.
Because she had the same ambition when she first entered the Ministry.
This was the typical mindset of those who came from humble origins yet dreamed of climbing the ladder of power.
'Come to think of it… this child is also from a mixed-blood family, isn't he? No, seems he's even more unlucky than I was. At least I was brought into the wizarding world by my father, but his wizard father… disappeared right after he was born, I recall…'
Thinking this, the habitual fake smile on Umbridge's face gradually faded. Their similar experiences made her expression soften with a trace of pity as she looked at Newland.
"Sigh..."
After a long moment, Umbridge let out a deep sigh and said, "Fine. I'll give you a chance. Go back and gather the students who are willing to help me manage Hogwarts. When the time is right, I'll let you step forward."
Hearing this, the tension in Newland's heart finally loosened. But before he could thank her, Umbridge abruptly added, "But you must not embarrass me. If I find out you mess things up… heh. You know the consequences."
After she finished, she clasped her hands together, her signature fake smile returning to her face.
She did indeed need a glove-puppet to gather Hogwarts students for her.
She also genuinely pitied Newland's background.
But that wasn't the main reason she gave him this chance.
Based on her own experience, Umbridge understood extremely well just how shameless and ungrateful people like Newland could be.
In fact, her original choice for this puppet job had been Draco Malfoy, only son of the Malfoy family.
But unfortunately, Draco had been beaten down too hard by Link and Cedric at the start of the school year. Now he was terrified and didn't dare cause trouble. Besides, Draco really wasn't capable enough.
So Umbridge reluctantly gave the task to Newland, and it let her do him a "favor" at the same time.
But Newland was not Draco.
Even if Draco lacked ability, Umbridge would only avoid using him.
If Newland messed up…
"I understand, Professor Umbridge. I'll go make preparations right away!"
Newland didn't know Umbridge's true thoughts, but he finally had a concrete promise, and he looked genuinely excited.
And this time, that excitement wasn't fake.
He knew perfectly well that Link had sent him here to test his ability and loyalty.
And now he had completed Link's mission flawlessly, his ability had already been proven.
As for loyalty…
'Heh.'
Newland didn't believe he had to be loyal to that stupid D.A. army. If Umbridge and the Ministry offered him enough benefits, he wouldn't mind being a double agent.
Of course, that was for the future.
For the moment, with Link Flamel holding the reins, the D.A. army clearly had more potential.
Newland rubbed his face, bowed to Umbridge, and made to leave.
But halfway to the door, Umbridge said, "Wait."
Newland immediately stopped, turned back, and smiled, "Professor Umbridge, is there something else?"
Looking at Newland's young face, Umbridge took a deep breath and asked, "Child, you're still living with your Muggle mother, aren't you?"
Newland nodded, but his smile stiffened.
Umbridge misunderstood his reaction, thinking he felt embarrassed. She waved her hand and said, "Here's some advice. When you go home for Christmas break, erase all memories your Muggle mother has about you, then move out."
"Change that messy surname of yours too. Tell people your mother died of illness, and that you found your real father, he's a pure-blood wizard of noble lineage, and you've inherited his noble blood. Understand?"
"Sigh, don't think I'm being heartless. If you want to live comfortably in the Ministry, you must have noble blood."
"Take the Weasleys, for example."
"Which one of those little red-haired brats hasn't found a good job after graduating? Even Arthur Weasley, that useless old man, works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office in the Ministry."
"Do you really think the Ministry couldn't find a half-blood or Muggle-born wizard more familiar with the Muggle world for that job?"
"The only reason he has that position is because he comes from the Sacred Twenty-Eight!"
"Do it without guilt, child. The world is what's wrong, not us."
"The rules of this game are that the noble are noble forever! Your mother's lowly name and bloodline will only drag you into the eighteenth hell with no chance of rising again. If you want to change your fate, you must do this!"
After speaking, Umbridge's expression became sorrowful and pained.
She turned away and waved her hand, signaling Newland to leave.
But she didn't notice that the smile on Newland's face had completely collapsed. His body was trembling lightly, as if struggling to contain something.
Lowering his head, Newland said goodbye once more, then jogged out of the office.
Creak~
The door closed quietly.
Newland didn't leave immediately. He stood there silently, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the door.
Under the cover of the dark hallway, Newland's expression twisted, his body trembling with a madness that radiated from him.
Clutching the gray wand in his robe, a wand like a dead tree branch, he trembled violently and hissed under his breath, "B*tch! B*tch! I'll kill you sooner or later! I'll kill you, you damned B*tch!"
Buzz!
A hazy yet blinding green glow flared from the wand in his hand, responding to its master's fury.
At the flash of light, Newland swallowed his words and hid the wand inside his robe again.
He looked around to make sure no one had seen, then glared fiercely at Umbridge's office door one more time before hurrying toward the Slytherin common room.
Even if he was furious, he still had work to do.
Of course, gathering Slytherins was nothing difficult for him.
After all, he was a Slytherin.
He knew very well that Slytherin House had fallen into an irredeemable state.
Although the students still claimed nobility, cunning, and ambition as their core values, apart from people like him and Emily Victoria, those who actually understood, everyone else was merely clumsy imitators.
In them, "nobility" had become arrogance, and "ambition" had become greed.
Worse yet, they weren't smart. They were practically brainless.
With people like this, all you had to do was paint a big enough picture of future benefits, then put forward a convenient scapegoat, and they'd sell their lives for you.
And as for who would serve as that scapegoat... Draco Malfoy was naturally the best choice.
With his family background, he was already a low-level leader among Slytherins. Using his name would make things far easier.
Besides, he was even more foolish than the other Slytherins, easier to manipulate.
The most important point of all, Newland was very interested to see how the Malfoy family would retaliate against Umbridge, the obvious culprit, once the blame landed on Draco.
'Take that as interest, B*tch…'
A cruel smile curled on Newland's lips.
———
Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor dormitory, Harry was fast asleep on his bed.
His sleeping posture was very strange.
Even though his four-poster bed was fairly spacious, he was curled tightly into a corner, his brows furrowed, sweat covering his face.
Most importantly, his hand was stretched outward, grasping at the air over and over, as if trying to catch something.
Rrrr!
Suddenly...
Ron let out a loud, sharp, real snore.
The sound jolted Harry awake.
Panting heavily, he sat up in bed and clutched his forehead.
A stabbing pain was drilling deep into his mind.
No...
More accurately, the source of the pain was the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
The "gift" Voldemort had left him.
The piercing pain forced him to curl up again.
Even so, he tried to recall the dream he had just had.
Harry was certain, it was the most terrifying nightmare he had ever had in his life.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Harry cursed under his breath, pounding his head with his fists, trying to force his brain to work faster.
But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't remember anything from the dream. Only the lingering deep fear and unease remained, refusing to fade.
Desperate, Harry called Ron's name a few times.
Right now, he desperately wanted Ron to wake up and talk to him. He didn't even know how much it would help, but at least it would help a little.
However, the only reply he got was Ron's increasingly loud snoring.
"Forget it. It's probably just the same old problem again. No need to worry them."
Harry consoled himself in disappointment and lay back down.
But this time, no matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep.