Those two upper-year Gryffindors were not scared by what the inquisitorial squad member said in front of them.
They were only stunned for a moment before the muscles on their faces twisted with anger.
The hands hidden inside their robes quietly clenched their wands.
Gryffindor was a house famed for courage.
Not to mention that what this inquisitorial squad member said might not even be true, even if it were, in a situation like this, right in front of so many eyes, Gryffindors would never back down.
Unfortunately, the inquisitorial squad member on the opposite side seemed to have been prepared for this.
He didn't even wait for the two Gryffindors to spit out any threats, his wand lit up immediately.
"Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus!"
Several spells were hurled out in rapid succession, knocking the two Gryffindors' wands flying and freezing their bodies in place at the same time.
After finishing all this, the inquisitorial squad member lightly tapped his wand and sneered disdainfully, "Refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Gasps rang out from the surrounding crowd, and Link and Emily both frowned.
Although those two Gryffindors couldn't really be considered elites among the upper-year students, and although that inquisitorial squad member had taken advantage of a surprise first strike, being able to instantly subdue two upper-year students who were both at the N.E.W.T. level was more than enough to prove that this inquisitorial squad member's combat ability among Hogwarts students was absolutely top-tier, T1 level.
Of course, one such inquisitorial squad member alone wasn't that big a deal.
But what if the entire inquisitorial squad, transformed from volunteers, was made up of students like this?
Just imagining it made Link clench his fists.
Those had originally all been subordinates he planned to recruit.
And at that moment, three familiar figures, Draco, along with Goyle and Crabbe, walked out from the ranks behind that inquisitorial squad member.
Draco, walking at the front, wore a smug smile on his face. He arrogantly tugged at the armband on his arm and shouted loudly to the inquisitorial squad member from before, "Senior Depp, why waste so many words with these people?"
"We have enforcement authority anyway. We can just arrest them and take them back."
"Hmm… how about saying they intended to disrupt public order, deliberately sabotaged the inquisitorial squad's recruitment activities, and obstructed official duties?"
The inquisitorial squad member named Depp was clearly stunned for a moment. He looked up at Draco, seeming unable to understand how Draco could come up with such a vicious idea.
But after hesitating briefly, he still nodded silently.
With approval secured, Draco immediately became excited. He spoke animatedly, "Goyle, Crabbe! You two idiots, hurry up and drag all these damn hairy trolls back!"
"I want Lady Umbridge to convict them!"
"Lock them in detention for the entire semester!"
"Let everyone know what happens when you offend me, when you offend our inquisitorial squad!"
At his words, Goyle and Crabbe immediately stood at attention. First, they gave Draco an ugly, completely incorrect salute, and then, with cruel grins, they stepped forward and hoisted up the two Gryffindors, who were already petrified and unable to move.
This caused an uproar among the surrounding crowd.
The notice earlier had indeed stated that the inquisitorial squad was an organization assisting Umbridge, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, in conducting investigations.
But no one had imagined that the inquisitorial squad's power would be this great.
After all, even prefects didn't have the authority to openly use spells on fellow students and casually slap charges on others.
Umbridge had practically handed over all her authority to these inquisitorial squad members.
Standing at the center of the crowd, Draco smiled smugly.
Those gazes around him, some fearful, some hateful, filled him with indescribable pleasure.
This was what it felt like to be bathed in the glory of power.
Heaven have mercy.
This was a feeling he should have enjoyed long ago, back when he became a Slytherin prefect.
But that damned Link and Emily had chosen that moment to relentlessly suppress him, leaving him unable to freely wield his prefect authority.
Over the past several hundred late nights, he had cursed that pair of dogs countless times.
And now, he had finally obtained a new opportunity, as an inquisitorial squad member.
Unlike other students, he didn't believe that Link could stand up to Umbridge with nothing more than a seat on the Board of Governors.
His father had once been a governor too.
And what was the result?
He still couldn't influence a single decision at Hogwarts. He only had the obligation to keep pouring in money, yet couldn't even ask about basic financial directions.
In the end, his governor position had even been swallowed up by Link Flamel.
From this, it was obvious that the position of governor was nothing more than a nice-sounding title.
In reality, it was just a sucker's role.
And the conflict between Link and Umbridge would definitely end with Umbridge's total victory.
So now that he had thrown in his lot with Umbridge and become a member of the inquisitorial squad, he was free, free at last, no longer afraid of Link and Emily.
He might even, relying on his father's wealth and his noble bloodline, go even further within the system Umbridge had set up.
When that day came, what would a mere Link Flamel even count for?
And of course, there was also that scarhead, Harry Potter.
They would all have to pay the price.
At this very moment, Draco felt more powerful than ever before.
The smile on his face grew more and more unrestrained, more and more twisted, until it finally turned into ear-splitting laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Emily looked at Draco with a complicated expression, then turned to Link in confusion and said, "What's wrong with him? I remember when he first came to Slytherin, he was still a somewhat cute kid. But now… how did he turn into this?"
"Actually, he's still very cute now, isn't he?" Link said, holding back laughter. "Cute in a stupid way! Hahaha!"
Draco's wild laughter continued for a long time, until even Goyle and Crabbe began to feel embarrassed, and only then did it finally stop.
Facing the crowd's puzzled, contemptuous, and mocking stares, he walked straight up to the notice board. Without the slightest hint of shame, he tore down the original notice and replaced it with a brand-new piece of parchment.
"Let me explain it to you ignorant bumpkins!"
Draco said arrogantly. "Because there are simply too many applicants, the final registration deadline has been moved up from the end of next month to the 3rd of next month!"
"In other words, you only have one week left to sign up!"
Draco seemed to think of something else and burst out laughing again. "Hahaha! But Mudbloods, don't even think about applying!"
"Our inquisitorial squad will only recruit the most noble and most talented wizards!"
"You lowly Mudbloods, just wait until you graduate and go become janitors!"
As soon as these words came out, many people in the crowd clenched their teeth in rage.
If it weren't for the inquisitorial squad members following Draco all raising their wands, and for the two petrified Gryffindors serving as examples right there, they would have already rushed forward to fight Draco.
However, these people were only a minority.
More people, on the other hand, showed a hint of secret delight on their faces and quietly slipped away from the group.
As for where they were going?
That couldn't have been more obvious.
John noticed this as well.
He shot an angry glance at Draco and the other inquisitorial squad members, then gritted his teeth and called out Link's name.
Link smiled lightly and nodded at him.
Seeing this, John smiled too.
He forcefully pushed aside the crowd blocking his way and began walking toward Draco and the others.
During the time Link had been busy, John hadn't been idle either.
Because he managed the M.O.M.H.L. factory, John had actually used his power to distribute benefits to pull many originally neutral students into Link's camp.
So the moment John made a move, excited faces popped out from the surrounding crowd.
They followed closely behind John, gradually surrounding Draco and the others together with him.
The squad member called Depp quickly darkened in expression.
He and the other inquisitorial squad members who came from the volunteer ranks immediately raised their alertness to the maximum, tightening their formation and staring fixedly at John and his group.
The only one who hadn't yet noticed anything wrong was probably Draco.
He still seemed immersed in the thrill brought by power, unable to pull himself out.
It wasn't until John's face, filled with a ferocious grin, appeared in front of him that Draco finally frowned.
"Who are you?" Draco said arrogantly. "Why do I smell something foul on you? A stench that belongs to a pig? Get out of my way, now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Goyle and Crabbe behind him burst out laughing.
Playing along with Draco's not-funny-at-all jokes had always been one of their most important duties as lackeys.
Over the years, they had perfected this skill. After more than a decade of practice, it had become instinctive, no matter how bad Draco's joke was, when it was time to laugh, they could always laugh, loudly enough that the two of them alone could create the atmosphere of uproarious laughter.
But this time, after forcing out two dry laughs out of habit, they couldn't laugh anymore.
The tension in the air was simply too thick.
The pressure inside the entrance hall was so low it was practically comparable to the calm before a storm.
Draco finally realized that something was off.
He looked at the bewildered Goyle and Crabbe, then at the clearly hostile crowd around him and at John. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes.
"You just said 'Mudblood,' didn't you?"
John reined in his smile and leaned closer to Draco, speaking in a low voice.
Draco took a deep breath.
Perhaps the experiences of being trampled by Link and Emily in the past had given him a high tolerance, facing John's clearly hostile questioning, he actually forced himself to snap back, "So what if I did?"
"Mudbloods are Mudbloods. They'll never be smart in this lifetime, not even qualified to lick the shoes of a noble like me!"
After a pause, Draco seemed to realize something. The tense expression on his face suddenly relaxed, and with a sneer, he continued to John, "Ah, I remember now. Aren't you just one of Link Flamel's dogs?"
"The one he sent to manage the M.O.M.H.L. factory."
"You're a Mudblood too, right?"
"Ha! How ridiculous. Did you forget that Link Flamel himself is also a pure-blood noble?"
"And the most noble kind at that!"
"You think that by licking your master Link Flamel and gaining a little bit of power, you've become a person?"
"Don't dream!"
"You'll be a..."
Draco's words were cut off abruptly.
Because an enraged John slapped him hard across the face, sending him staggering backward several steps.
And that was like a signal.
The crowd around them, who had still been relatively restrained, all flushed red and began shouting and hurling insults at the inquisitorial squad.
The face of the inquisitorial squad leader, Depp, completely changed.
Holding his wand high, he struggled together with his companions to maintain order, while inwardly cursing Draco to high heaven.
When Draco and his two lackeys had first joined his squad, he had actually been very pleased.
After all, Draco's generosity was famous throughout Hogwarts.
Back when Draco wanted to join the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Seeker, his father had outright sponsored the entire team with one of the most advanced mass-produced broomsticks on the market at the time.
After that incident, although many people openly expressed disdain for Draco's behavior, deep down, far more people were actually thinking, 'Why didn't something like that happen to me?!'
What's more, the Malfoy family not only had money, but also considerable influence and connections throughout the British wizarding world. Making friends with people like that was absolutely an investment that would greatly benefit the future.
And at the beginning, Draco really hadn't disappointed Depp.
This time, the Malfoy heir didn't bother with any flashy nonsense.
On the very first day he joined the inquisitorial squad, he handed out 10 Galleons to every member of the team as a meeting gift.
He even promised that this was just pocket change, and there would be plenty more in the future.
In an instant, he won over a whole bunch of followers.
That was why Depp had tolerated Draco so arrogantly seizing command authority from him.
But now, Draco had become his nightmare.
He truly couldn't understand it.
Umbridge's order had clearly been to recruit anyone with talent and value into the inquisitorial squad.
So how did it turn into "no Mudbloods" once it came out of Draco's mouth?
Ignoring Umbridge's orders was one thing, but how could he so openly use the insulting term "Mudblood," and keep launching verbal attacks and abuse when the situation was obviously turning bad?
Didn't he know that even within the inquisitorial squad, there were many big shots who came from Muggle families?
If those people found out what Draco had said today, what would happen?
And if these enraged students in front of them really charged at this small inquisitorial squad, what would happen then?
Depp looked around, anger nearly grinding his teeth to dust.
The other squad members at his side all looked at him nervously.
After hesitating briefly, Depp made a swift decision and whispered, "We have to withdraw! If we don't leave now, we'll definitely go down here today!"
The deputy leader beside him said uneasily, "Then what about our young master?"
Depp instinctively glanced in Draco's direction and said with a dark expression, "If we can save him, we save him. If we can't… then let this be a lesson for him!"
Having made up their minds, the inquisitorial squad members finally steadied themselves a bit.
Under Depp's arrangements, they moved to secure key positions.
And at that moment, the thing Depp least wanted to see finally happened.
Draco stepped forward, once again.