When Sherlock appeared with the young lions, Gemma's gaze immediately turned toward him.
Almost instantly, she caught that gleam of confidence in Sherlock's eyes, along with a barely perceptible hint of approval.
With this in mind, Gemma was the first to break the silence.
"Head Boy Weasley, Captain Wood—now that the Lion King has arrived, shall we officially begin?"
Her voice at that moment was like icicles striking stone—clear and cold, instantly silencing all the noisy discussions the moment she spoke.
Percy Weasley frowned subtly.
He had never intended to wait for Sherlock's arrival before beginning negotiations.
It was just that Gemma said nothing earlier or later, but chose to say this precisely after Sherlock arrived.
This created the impression that everyone had been specifically waiting for Sherlock, the Lion King, to grace them with his presence.
It wasn't that he didn't acknowledge Sherlock's leadership position.
After all, that first-year thrashing of Slytherin had indeed been immensely satisfying.
But then again, he himself had been a prefect back then.
Now he'd advanced even further, becoming Head Boy.
Yet in Gemma's eyes, there was only the Lion King—wasn't that somewhat disrespectful to him?
Still, seeing Sherlock appear with a group of young lions did give him considerably more confidence.
"Farley."
Percy pushed up his glasses and said with pretentious gravity.
"You've brought the entire Slytherin Quidditch team here. What exactly are you plotting?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "plotting," while his eyes swept sternly over Flint and the others.
Flint and company immediately glared at him angrily.
They thought to themselves. if Gemma hadn't insisted on bringing them here today, would it be your turn—you disgrace to pure-blood families to strut around here?
"Our purpose is very clear."
Gemma got straight to the point.
"To end the pathetic farce that's been playing out in Hogwarts' corridors recently.
Our energy should be focused on the upcoming Quidditch finals, not wasted on these idiotic off-field conflicts that resemble troll brawls."
Her words stunned some Gryffindor students who had been ready for a fight.
They also made Flint and the others hang their heads even lower.
Even Wood's attention was pulled back from the tactical board in his mind to reality for the first time, looking at Gemma in surprise.
"Farce? Easy for you to say!"
A fourth-year Gryffindor student couldn't help but speak up. "We were—"
Before he could finish, Gemma's gaze swept over him like ice, and he immediately fell silent.
Gemma withdrew her gaze and looked back at Percy, saying slowly.
"Those corridor incidents—the tripping, the ambushes, the prank candies stuffed into bags, the dungbombs thrown into bathrooms, and the harassment affecting players' movements.
Whether they happened to Slytherins, Gryffindors, or Ravenclaws, they all violate school rules and are self-defeating behaviors.
They have greatly destabilized Hogwarts' stability and dignity, and are an insult to the sport of Quidditch itself!
No excuse can justify these actions, regardless of any so-called legitimate reasons or retaliation."
As she said this, her gaze swept whether intentionally or not over the Weasley twins.
Truth be told, she had some admiration for this pair.
Although the twins hadn't directly participated in this conflict, as far as she knew, all those bizarre prank magical items used by the young lions and eagles had been invented by them.
Because they were newly invented and still immature, they always produced some unexpected effects.
The young snakes had purely served as their test subjects.
Why didn't Slytherin have students with this kind of creative thinking?
They couldn't win on the actual battlefield because of top warriors like Sherlock, but they couldn't even compete in pranks.
The Weasley twins naturally noticed Gemma's look.
They made the same response in perfect sync—putting their hands in their robe pockets and pretending to look at the scenery.
Gemma felt both annoyed and amused at this.
However, she'd said what needed to be said. Now, as long as Percy responded, everyone could go through the motions and this matter would be over.
Gemma's speech had taken the ethical higher place of rules, order, and sportsmanship, and was beyond criticism from any angle.
Everyone who heard it nodded silently in agreement.
Hermione also breathed a long sigh of relief.
She glanced at Sherlock, then at Gemma.
Several days ago, Sherlock had already predicted Gemma's actions.
Now Gemma had indeed done exactly as he'd deduced.
Was this meeting of minds?
Regardless, when Gemma proposed the ceasefire agreement, everything was finally coming to an end.
However, what many people including Hermione didn't expect was that Percy didn't immediately agree.
The serious expression on his face didn't change at all. He straightened his back and used a very formal tone to say.
"Head Girl Farley, you're quite right—this farce should indeed stop.
But you mustn't forget one thing. this whole affair was started by you!
From the very beginning, you've been targeting Gryffindor, and you've dragged Ravenclaw students into it as well.
Now that we've hurt you, you want a ceasefire—isn't that thinking things are a bit too simple?"
Everyone looked at Percy in surprise. What was he planning to do?
Was he planning to escalate this war further?
Penelope, standing beside Percy, looked at her boyfriend in confusion, equally unclear about what he was thinking.
However, when she noticed Percy's voice trembling slightly as he spoke, and saw the abnormal flush on his face,
Penelope immediately understood.
He was getting carried away.
She and Percy knew each other inside and out, so naturally she knew her boyfriend's bad habits.
Gemma's initiative made him feel he had the upper hand.
That's why he didn't want to quickly end this farce—he had to gain a bit more advantage before he'd be satisfied.
But this was completely pointless!
When she and Percy were alone together, she was sometimes willing to play along with Percy's role-playing—it was a little private pleasure between them.
But now Gemma had come to them voluntarily, which was already a compromise. There was absolutely no need to do anything more.
Thinking of this, she directly gave Gemma a meaningful look.
'My friend, help me out!'
Gemma was sharp intelligent, and her relationship with Penelope was very close, so seeing this look, she immediately understood.
"Head Boy Weasley, I don't agree with your view."
A trace of coldness flashed through Gemma's blue eyes as she said lightly.
"Your analysis of the incident's origin seems calm, but it overlooks the foundation we need for a solution.
Ever since the match date between Slytherin and Gryffindor was set, relations between the two teams—and indeed the two houses have become tense to the point of explosion.
I trust you still remember those small brawls in the corridors—both Gryffindor and Slytherin students ended up in the hospital wing.
Who's truly at fault isn't as simple as you think if we really investigate.
As for dragging Ravenclaw into it, as you just mentioned—"
Gemma's gaze swept past Penelope, who was desperately signaling her, then past Sherlock, who hadn't spoken from the beginning and seemed to be merely an observer.
"Your emphasis on Miss Clearwater being implicated by certain foolish actions on our part does align with reality.
I've already made this point clear in the Slytherin common room.
Those foolish actions are Slytherin's shame and a betrayal of principles—low tricks.
That's why I brought them here today.
This point needs no further explanation."
With these words, Gemma effectively took another step back, acknowledging that dragging Ravenclaw into it was wrong.
However, Percy still wasn't satisfied. He pushed up his glasses again and continued in that pretentious tone.
"Head Girl Farley, are you referring to the incident where both fourth-year Gryffindor students and sixth-year Slytherin students ended up in the hospital wing?
Although grass grew from their ears, that was because the Slytherin students provoked them first—"
The female Slytherin prefect had always admired Gemma. Seeing Gemma retreat again and again while Percy pressed harder, she finally couldn't help but say.
"But your side struck first. Our people were just defending themselves."
The female Gryffindor prefect wasn't to be outdone and immediately retorted. "So what? If your people hadn't insulted us first, why would we have struck?"
The male Slytherin prefect sneered. "What's that thing under your noses for? Can't win an argument so you resort to violence, and you still have the nerve to shout about it here?"
"First to provoke deserves what they get, understand? Talk trash, pay the price." The male Gryffindor prefect decisively supported his side.
"Ha! If logic was on your side, how could you lose the argument?
Oh right, I forgot—you're brainless brutes. It's perfectly normal for you to use your fists when you can't win with words!"
"What did you say? Say that again!"
"What, going to use your fists again when you can't argue? Come on then!"
The four prefects—two male, two female began arguing with sharp tongues in public, and the tension between both sides grew increasingly thick.
The coldness in Gemma's blue eyes intensified. She looked at Percy as if looking at an idiot.
However, Percy felt quite good about himself. Seeing both prefects supporting him, he even puffed out his chest.
At this moment, the Head Boy badge on his chest seemed to shine even brighter.
This feeling was truly wonderful.
"What is he doing?"
Seeing this scene, Hermione couldn't help but whisper to Sherlock, "Wouldn't it be better to call a truce quickly? What's the point of pursuing these things now?"
"It has no meaning to us, but it has meaning to Percy."
Sherlock shook his head. "Speaking of which, I overlooked this aspect."
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