Link quietly appeared behind Umbridge and spoke slowly.
The sudden change scared Umbridge so badly she almost jumped into the air. She spun around sharply and then began retreating wildly, nearly tripping and falling.
Draco's reaction was even worse than Umbridge's.
The moment he heard Link's voice, he let out a startled scream, then immediately dove into the wall niche beneath the bottle decorated with a dragon.
Watching the niche shake nonstop, Harry suddenly realized something and said in a muffled voice, "Malfoy, you weren't actually lying in wait for me on purpose at all! You were just afraid of running into Link, so you hid here, weren't you? Ha! You even deliberately chose a girls' bathroom for it!"
As soon as he said this, the trembling niche suddenly went still.
After a long while, Draco's voice, tinged with sobbing, finally came from inside, "I… I didn't!"
By now Umbridge had also come to her senses and shot a sideways glance at the niche.
She knew very well that what Harry had just said was probably the truth.
As far as she knew, Draco Malfoy had never been particularly brave. On top of that, he'd previously had his spine broken by Link Flamel, so doing something like this wasn't surprising at all.
What was most humiliating was that she had even given him house points for it.
Clenching her teeth, Umbridge finally turned her head away, now was not the time to dwell on such matters.
At the same time, Link was starting to lose his patience as well and spoke again, "Umbridge, what do you think of my proposal? I'll go with you, and you let Harry go."
The moment he said this, Harry panicked.
He couldn't even be bothered about his still-bleeding nose anymore. He struggled desperately to his feet and said, "No, Link! Go! Leave me alone!"
"That won't do, Harry," Link said with a smile. "As a leader, how could I abandon my members?"
Hearing this, Harry's eyes reddened, and he was almost on the verge of tears.
Umbridge, meanwhile, let out a cruel smile and said, "That really won't do. Whether it's you or Harry Potter, both of you are coming with me!"
After that, she seemed to remember something and continued, "Don't even think about running off with people. Plenty of people have already seen you tonight. Unless you plan to leave Hogwarts and wander the world, I'll always be able to catch you!"
Link shrugged lightly at her words and said casually, "That works too. Then lead the way."
Umbridge's smile grew even wider.
She turned back and glanced at the niche, seemingly wanting Draco to escort her along.
But after thinking it over, she shook her head and said in the gentlest voice she could manage, "Draco, go see if you can catch a few more people. Tell others to check the library, see if there's anyone in there who's out of breath. Also inspect the bathrooms. Miss Parkinson can check the girls' bathrooms."
"Next, Mr. Flamel and Mr. Potter, come with me to the Headmaster's office!"
Link agreed readily, supporting Harry, whose body was weak and limp, and who nearly collapsed again, as they followed behind Umbridge.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the door to the Headmaster's office.
Harry's nose had stopped bleeding.
Link had made him drink several bottles of potions whose names he couldn't even remember, directly healing the wound.
But his heart ached badly at that moment.
What Umbridge had said earlier made him deeply worried about Ron and Hermione's safety.
For such a serious offense, Umbridge would probably expel all of them, wouldn't she?
If that happened, Ron's parents might actually beat Ron to death.
And Hermione... being expelled on the eve of the O.W.L. exams… what kind of state would she be in?
And then there was Link…
If Malfoy, that idiot, hadn't caught him, how could Umbridge possibly have caught Link, given his ability?
He was the one who dragged Link down.
Looking at Link's grinning, seemingly carefree expression, Harry felt overwhelmed with guilt.
At a time like this, Link was still forcing a smile just to ease his feelings.
At the same time, though, Harry felt a faint sense of relief.
He couldn't even imagine what kind of punishment and humiliation awaited him next.
If Link weren't there with him, he'd probably collapse completely.
"Cream-filled sponge cake." Umbridge said the words rhythmically.
As soon as she finished, the gargoyle statue leapt aside. The wall behind it split in two, and they stepped onto the moving stone staircase, arriving before a brightly lit door.
There was a griffin-shaped door knocker on the door, but Umbridge didn't bother knocking. She strode forward and pushed straight in.
Even though it was already late at night, the office was packed with people.
Dumbledore sat calmly behind the claw-footed desk. Professor McGonagall stood stiffly behind him, lips pressed tight, looking extremely tense.
What surprised Harry the most was that Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister for Magic, was actually in the office as well.
He was standing in front of the fireplace, and beside him stood two more wizards who were clearly Auror guards.
And Percy.
After several months, the skinny, freckle-faced boy next door was gone.
In his place stood a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic.
Wearing a dark blue robe and slicking his hair back heavily, Percy stood there with a presence that was even stronger than Fudge's.
One by one, they all watched the scene below with alert, serious expressions.
The moment Umbridge brought Link and Harry into the room, everyone's gaze snapped toward them.
Their main focus was, of course, Link.
Perhaps because he was overly excited, Fudge's body actually began to sway slightly back and forth the instant he saw Link.
But Harry felt something was off.
Compared to excitement, Fudge's movements looked more like fear.
But… he was the Minister for Magic. Why would he be afraid of Link?
Afraid to the point of trembling?
Why?
No matter how hard Harry thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.
Fortunately, he didn't have to keep thinking.
Facing everyone's silent stares, Umbridge lifted her chin proudly and said, "Harry Potter was blocked by young Malfoy while trying to escape from the Room of Requirement."
"After that, our Mr. Flamel apparently felt it wouldn't be right to let Mr. Potter take the punishment alone, so he voluntarily stepped forward."
As soon as she finished, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and even the former headmasters on the walls all cast approving looks toward Link.
Courage and friendship were always worth praising.
Especially at this moment, when they stood opposed to Umbridge.
Link, seeing this, merely chuckled softly and nodded to everyone in acknowledgment.
"Truly splendid work!" Fudge said with a somewhat stiff smile. "I'll be sure to tell Lucius about this. Now then, Link… I assume you know why you're here?"
Harry felt his heart jump straight up into his throat.
He noticed Dumbledore subtly shaking his head at them, just a small motion, but unmistakable.
At the same time, he was certain Link noticed it too. After all, Link's Enhanced Perception Charm was quite famous at Hogwarts.
What surprised him, though, was that Link smiled without hesitation and said, "Of course."
As soon as he said that, the expressions on Dumbledore's and McGonagall's faces instantly fell, and Harry had the urge to scream.
In contrast, Fudge and the others were already rubbing their hands together in excitement.
But the next moment, they heard Link continue, "I regret that we were out after curfew, Professor Dumbledore."
"But what I don't understand is why Minister Fudge has personally come here with a group of people. Does such a small matter really require your direct involvement?"
The situation in the office flipped instantly.
Smiles returned to Dumbledore's and McGonagall's faces, while Fudge froze.
After finally reacting, Fudge ran a trembling hand through his hair and said, "Breaking curfew is indeed one of the school rules you violated, but the reason I'm here is that, besides breaking school rules, you've also violated Ministry laws!"
"Really? I don't recall anything like that," Link said indifferently. "At the very least, I'm sure I didn't break any laws I'm aware of."
"Then perhaps this is your first time hearing about it," Fudge said angrily. "That an illegal student organization has been discovered at this school?"
Hearing this, Link couldn't help laughing out loud.
As if he'd just heard something incredibly funny.
This seemed to completely enrage Fudge. His entire face visibly turned red at an alarming speed.
"Minister," Umbridge said in a sugary voice, "I think things might move along faster if we bring in the informants."
"Yes, yes, go on!"
Fudge nodded suddenly, as if struck by realization.
Only after Umbridge had left the office did he sweep a malicious gaze over everyone present and say, "Nothing beats a good witness, don't you think?"
Only the two Auror guards offered a few dry words of agreement.
Dumbledore and the others all kept grim expressions.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Everyone turned at the sound and saw Umbridge hurry back in.
Behind her followed several men and women dressed as members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Each of them kept their heads bowed extremely low, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.
"Don't be afraid, my dears," Umbridge said gently to them.
"Everything's fine now. You did the right thing. The Minister is very pleased with you! The Ministry is in need of talent right now, I guarantee that you heroes won't be treated poorly!"
"Of course!" Fudge said enthusiastically.
"Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, has complained to me many times about the lack of excellent new recruits. I'll recommend them to him. I guarantee that when you're there, you'll, oh! Merlin!"
Fudge cried out in shock halfway through his sentence.
Because several people among the witnesses couldn't help lifting their heads.
And their faces were already covered with dense clusters of sores. Some were so severe that they'd caused facial deformation, making them look like lepers.
Everyone in the office was startled.
Even the two obviously battle-hardened elite Aurors showed a flash of astonishment.
The students let out wails and all pulled their robe collars up to just below their eyes. A few of the girls even burst into tears.
Harry was nearly dumbfounded.
Though it was hard to recognize them, he could still tell from their vague outlines that they had all once been members of D.A.
And now, they had defected to Umbridge, been brought here as witnesses, and at the same time developed all these sores…
To say there was no connection at all would be complete nonsense.
Harry suddenly remembered the list everyone had signed at the very first meeting.
Back then, many people had thought it might be some kind of confidentiality contract.
And now… it seemed that was true.
"We were wrong, Lord Flamel! Please! Help us lift the curse!"
A girl cried out. "We've all talked it over, if you can forgive us, we won't say another unnecessary word!"
"Shut up, you stupid girl!" Umbridge roared in fury when she heard that.
"I'll find someone to deal with the injuries on your faces! Don't think about playing both sides! Hurry up and repeat what you told me earlier to the Minister!"
"But… you already had Madam Pomfrey examine us… she said she couldn't do anything about this kind of curse either."
A boy covering his face said dully, then, like the others, continued staring at Link with pitiful eyes.
Harry also looked at Link in horror, the terrifying scene before him left his mind completely blank.
Link, however, merely shook his head calmly and said, "I can tell that this is a curse caused by violating a magical contract. While I do have some accomplishments in Potions, thinking I can cure you is really giving me far too much credit."
At that moment, Link genuinely wanted to laugh.
He couldn't understand how these traitors could be so naive.
They had already betrayed him.
Instead of properly showing loyalty to their new master, they were actually hoping their old master would take back his punishment.
That was… unbelievably stupid.
"But this curse was clearly you..."
One member of the Inquisitorial Squad said excitedly, but halfway through he was pulled back by a companion. "Stop begging him. It's useless."
At that, he glared resentfully at Link, then turned to Fudge and said, "Minister, I'll just say it outright. Over the past few months, we've been attending meetings of an illegal student organization created by Link Flamel together with Harry Potter."
"The meeting times were irregular. Link Flamel used these coins to notify us."
(He took out a D.A. Galleon and placed it on the desk.)
"Not only that. During the meetings, Link Flamel taught us various dangerous spells under the pretense of studying Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
Dumbledore smoothly took the D.A. coin, examined it closely for a while, then said admiringly, "Exquisite design, Link. I never expected you to possess such outstanding alchemical skill."
"You flatter me, Professor Dumbledore."
Link smiled and bowed slightly toward him.
The two of them chatting and laughing like this made it seem as though what the Inquisitorial Squad member had just said had absolutely nothing to do with them.
This completely enraged Umbridge. Like a furious lion, she slammed both hands onto the desk and shouted, "Be serious! Dumbledore, didn't you hear what the witness just said? Link Flamel formed an illegal student organization!"
Dumbledore looked at Umbridge with some confusion and said, "Why be so serious? We all understand that these are nothing more than slanders. Aren't they?"