The attitude Link put on was blatantly mocking, as if he were saying that Umbridge simply couldn't understand human language.
The moment those words came out, the Hufflepuffs around him, along with the Gryffindors, burst into loud laughter.
The laughter echoed throughout the entire Great Hall, shaking the Christmas streamers on the walls that hadn't yet been taken down.
The scene was strikingly similar to when Draco and his group had laughed earlier, except this time, the laughter was countless times louder.
To Umbridge, the sound felt like huge slaps striking her face one after another.
With bloodshot eyes, she roared, "Everyone, shut up!"
The laughter lessened somewhat, but only somewhat.
More students, clinging to the idea that "they can't punish everyone," weren't afraid of Umbridge at all and instead laughed even harder.
It wasn't until Link raised a hand in a silencing gesture that the terrifying roar of laughter in the hall finally began to fade.
The sight made Umbridge grit her teeth in fury, yet there was nothing she could do.
Link let out a long sigh and said in a helpless tone, "Umbridge, since you really don't understand, I'll reluctantly explain it for you. I, Link Flamel, am not vetoing your decision as an ordinary student. I'm exercising my authority as a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors!"
Umbridge's expression froze, while Link continued mockingly, "As a professor employed by Hogwarts, you should know exactly what powers the Board of Governors has, right?"
"As the current, and only, member of the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, I alone represent the entire board. And the Board of Governors has the authority to dismiss or expel any student or professor, without any limitations. Which means that if necessary..."
"I could even dismiss the Headmaster of Hogwarts!"
Link's expression turned stern. He stepped forward two paces and pointed at Umbridge as he barked, "Do you still think I don't have the right to veto your decision? Remember this! Hogwarts belongs to the Board of Governors, it belongs to all teachers and students, but it will never belong to the Ministry of Magic!"
Umbridge was forced back again and again, her face full of shock.
The students below erupted into the fiercest applause and cheers for Link, with George and Fred being the most enthusiastic of all.
Their hands were already red from clapping.
After coming back to her senses, Umbridge wiped the sweat from her face, her heart sinking straight to the bottom.
She had once been a student at Hogwarts herself, later worked at the Ministry for many years, and then returned as a professor. She knew perfectly well what authority the Board of Governors held.
Everything Link had just said was indeed written in black and white in the original founding charter of Hogwarts.
That was because the original Board of Governors consisted solely of the four founders of Hogwarts.
In other words, the so-called Board of Governors was nothing more than a tool created by the four founders to ensure they could retain control over Hogwarts for the long term, so of course its powers were as broad as possible.
Later, when Slytherin left and the four founders fell apart, the seats on the board began to circulate outward.
But times had changed.
All authority and contracts require strength to uphold them.
In the face of a behemoth like the Ministry of Magic, the Hogwarts Board of Governors had, over the past few centuries, devolved into nothing more than a body that provided funding to Hogwarts in exchange for prestige and a bit of preferential treatment.
As for its other powers, the governors simply didn't dare to use them.
Because even if they issued orders, no one would carry them out, it would only become a joke.
That was also why Lucius Malfoy and the others, despite deeply resenting Dumbledore, had never been able to remove him from the position of Headmaster, the gap in strength was simply too great.
And now Link had dragged out this relic-like rule again.
"Aren't you afraid of the Ministry of Magic at all?" Umbridge ground out, finally voicing what was on her mind.
"I've actually never understood why the Ministry of Magic gets to boss Hogwarts around in the first place," Link said, shaking his head.
"In the past, maybe that was one thing. But now, when all of Hogwarts' finances are being supported by the Flamel family, when even your salary is paid by me. In other words, I'm your boss. And you, as an employee, dare to lecture your boss?"
As soon as he finished speaking, cries of approval rang out again.
Umbridge stood there, stunned.
She didn't take Link's words as mere rebuttal or mockery.
What she heard was a heavy threat.
That's right, power requires strength to wield it. And now, the balance of power between the Ministry and the Board of Governors had reversed.
With the Ministry having taken heavy blows, and the Flamel family still holding vast wealth, the true powerhouse was clearly the Flamel family.
If the Flamels withdrew their funding, the current Ministry of Magic would absolutely be unable to support an institution as massive as Hogwarts.
The most likely outcome would be both sides suffering heavy losses, with Hogwarts caught in the middle and completely declining.
And she, Dolores Umbridge, as one of the direct causes of Hogwarts' downfall, even if she had only been carrying out the Minister's orders, would inevitably be pushed out as a scapegoat.
Once she realized this, the rage that had overheated her heart finally cooled, replaced by deep regret.
Umbridge closed her eyes in pain.
Link, as a member of the Board of Governors, should have been her best possible ally.
If she had gained Link's support, then with the Ministry and the Board working together, they could have easily found an excuse to remove Dumbledore.
Unfortunately, it was too late to talk about cooperation now.
Given the relationship between Harry Potter and Link, after what she had done to Harry, she and Link would likely be enemies from now on.
If that was the case, then they might as well tear off all pretenses and fight it out completely.
Umbridge opened her eyes.
The coldness had returned to her gaze as she said expressionlessly, "Mr. Flamel, you will regret what you've done today!"
With that, Umbridge turned and left with the group of volunteer enforcers.
Before their figures had even fully disappeared, a thunderous cheer exploded through the Great Hall once more.
The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors had completely lost their minds.
To them, Umbridge's retreat was nothing short of a glorious victory.
They shouted wildly as they crowded around Link, escorting him up onto the platform and rescuing Harry and the others, who were still bound by spells.
"Link..."
Hermione murmured from nearby, tears streaming down her face.
As for Harry and Ron, they had already latched onto Link's leg and arm, refusing to let go no matter how much others tried to pull them away.
What had just happened was far too terrifying. Right now, to them, Link was like a savior.
"This child, Link, is truly outstanding," Professor Sprout said with deep emotion from the staff table.
Her eyes were misty as well. Hufflepuff House hadn't produced a truly exceptional student in a long time, yet in these recent years, not only had Cedric appeared, but now there was also Link.
That filled her with immense comfort.
The surrounding professors all nodded in agreement.
Especially Professor McGonagall.
She was in such a good mood that she even ignored the sight of George and Fred dancing in celebration on top of the Gryffindor table.
They all knew how difficult Umbridge was to deal with. Even Dumbledore sometimes had to give her a wide berth, yet this time she had actually lost to Link.
With Link's help, Dumbledore's plan to drive Umbridge away should go much more smoothly.
But just as that thought formed in McGonagall's mind, the next scene wiped the smile off her face.
Because after directing everyone to rescue Harry and the others and sending Hagrid to the hospital wing, Link didn't return to his seat.
Instead, he stepped onto the very spot where Umbridge had been speaking.
He lightly pressed his hand down, and the noisy Great Hall fell silent in an instant.
Then Link looked around, smiled, and said, "Now, the feast begins!"
Link didn't speak loudly, and strictly speaking, he didn't have the authority to announce the start of the feast.
Yet the Hogwarts house-elves responded to his command immediately.
Countless dishes appeared on the plates atop the long tables in an instant, and the Great Hall plunged into a sea of joy amid the students' cheers.
———
The post–Christmas holiday feast wasn't supposed to last very long.
The food should mostly have been made from leftover ingredients from the Christmas banquet, and the standard shouldn't have been particularly high.
But tonight's feast, fueled by everyone's high spirits, seemed as if it would never end.
At one point, George and Fred even showcased their latest invention, Weasley Whiz-Bang Fireworks.
These special magical fireworks combined the visual appeal of traditional fireworks with ease of use, while being even more lively and flexible. The first prototype, which transformed into a fire-breathing dragon, was astonishingly lifelike and won the twins plenty of applause.
Of course, while the effects were excellent, the drawbacks were just as obvious.
Namely, safety was somewhat lacking.
On that point, George offered clear proof, his hairstyle had been blown into a full-on explosion afro during the ignition process.
Still, such a minor flaw did nothing to dampen everyone's enthusiasm for buying Weasley Whiz-Bang Fireworks. Everyone felt they wouldn't be as unlucky as George.
That night, everyone had an incredible time, largely offsetting the fear Umbridge had brought earlier.
The only one who didn't seem particularly happy was Professor McGonagall.
She didn't stop George, Fred, and the others from fooling around, but she left midway through the feast with a stern expression.
Before leaving, she shot Link a cold glare.
Almost everything Link had done tonight impressed her, except for stepping onto the platform and announcing the feast himself.
If one insisted on explaining it, Link's behavior could be chalked up to youthful excitement and a failure to consider the dignity of the older staff.
But McGonagall didn't believe someone with Link's intelligence and maturity would overlook something like that.
Combined with certain hints Dumbledore had dropped before leaving Hogwarts, she felt an ominous premonition rising.
McGonagall's steps quickened as she left the Great Hall.
She felt she had to urge Dumbledore to return as soon as possible.
Otherwise, something she really didn't want to see might happen.
Link's indifferent gaze followed Professor McGonagall until her figure disappeared beyond the entrance hall. Then he chuckled softly and raised a cup of pumpkin juice, downing it in one go.
"Ha..."
He let out a satisfied breath of warm air and set the cup down.
The next moment, Hermione came over carrying a large teapot, eagerly refilling Link's cup. When she finished, she looked at him with the same expression a puppy gives its owner.
"Thank you, Hermione," Link said, lifting his cup toward her in a toast.
Hermione smiled so broadly her eyes nearly vanished. She shook her head repeatedly and asked if there was anything else he needed her to do.
This had been going on for quite a while now.
Sitting a bit farther away were Harry, Ron, George, Fred, and the others who weren't from Hufflepuff.
In fact, not long after the feast began, the group had kept inching closer and closer to Link.
Because of that, a few kind Hufflepuff first-years had half-reluctantly shifted their seats.
As for their reason, they were all there to say thank you.
George and Fred especially. After demonstrating the Weasley Whiz-Bang Fireworks and receiving overwhelming praise, they told Link they were willing to share the product's patent and manufacturing process with the Flamel family for free, on the sole condition that Flamel-produced Whiz-Bang Fireworks not be sold within Britain.
Given what Link knew of their stingy nature, George and Fred were clearly making a huge sacrifice this time.
Unfortunately, Link refused outright.
Money meant nothing to him at this point. Rather than taking a patent from George and Fred, he preferred to let them continue owing him this enormous favor, until the day he decided to collect it in some other form.
As for Harry and the others, aside from expressing their gratitude, they were also seeking comfort from Link.
They didn't need him to whisper gentle words. Just staying by his side for long enough was enough.
After all, Link stepping forward earlier had given them a powerful sense of safety.
Right now, only being near Link made the wounds Umbridge had inflicted on their hearts hurt a little less.
But only a little less. Link was still far from being able to heal them completely.
Take Ron, for example.
His hands were still shaking so badly he couldn't hold his knife and fork, and he had to grip his food with both hands to eat.
After finally finishing a large piece of roast meat, Ron happened to glance over and saw Hermione standing there with the teapot, eagerly attending to Link.
For no clear reason at all, Ron felt his heart twitch.