Not long after Link subdued the Mortis Bat, the Scamander couple took Rolf and left.
Newt himself had actually wanted to stay longer at Flamel Castle, bragging a bit to Link about how he had caught the Mortis Bat.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Scamander missed Rolf too much.
She couldn't bring herself to be affectionate with him while at Flamel Castle, so she dragged Newt and Rolf home quickly.
After they left, in the afternoon, Madame Maxime also arrived and took the Delacour sisters back to France.
Beauxbatons was about to begin its term as well.
This delighted Emily to no end. She didn't even bother to pretend, when saying farewell, she was smiling from ear to ear.
Of course, her joy instantly disappeared when Fleur hugged Link and gave him the French cheek-to-cheek farewell kiss.
"That's just how French people's etiquette is. It doesn't mean anything else, just a goodbye. Don't get upset, alright?"
When the Delacour sisters, smiling, had left by carriage, Link turned to coax Emily.
But Emily just turned her head away at his words, clearly unwilling to listen to his explanation.
She had seen it with her own eyes, Link hadn't restrained himself and had reached his hand out again, this time pressing directly on Fleur's waist.
That wasn't something she could forgive so easily.
Helpless, Link looked over at Mrs. Flamel, hoping she'd help say something.
But in Mrs. Flamel's eyes, Emily was just like half her own child. She never meddled in their young-couple matters. Laughing and mocking Link twice, Mrs. Flamel simply left the hall.
Now this was a bit of a tricky situation.
Luckily, in his past life Link had learned a few tricks, and he well knew the "cure-all" method.
Using the excuse of shopping for new school supplies at Diagon Alley, he spent the whole afternoon strolling with Emily, buying her a luxury Beaded Bag made from tanned Unicorn leather, embroidered with complicated golden patterns all over. Only then did he barely manage to coax her back into a good mood.
By the next day, the two had returned to their earlier intimacy, heading together to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to welcome the new school term.
"Phew! So many people!"
Standing at the edge of the platform, Link said with a sigh.
At that moment, the scarlet train puffing thick smoke was already surrounded by students and parents seeing them off.
Every now and then, an owl or some other student pet would jump out of the crowd, adding to the chaos.
Boarding under such circumstances was no easy matter.
Link pondered for a while, then, to Emily's startled cry, pulled her tightly into his arms and shielded her as he forced a way through the crowd.
Only after enduring countless glares did the two finally make it onto the train.
"You really are something! There were so many people!"
Emily's cheeks were flushed red. She nervously smoothed her hair, which had been mussed by Link squeezing her through the crowd, and spoke in a catlike voice.
Link chuckled mischievously twice. Knowing Emily would easily get flustered when embarrassed, he didn't push further.
Instead, he took out a badge bearing the Hogwarts crest, pinned it on his chest, and said, "It's getting late, you should hurry up and put your badge on too, time to get to work."
Emily blushed even deeper at that, pulling out an identical badge and handing it to Link, saying, "You put it on for me!"
"Alright, alright…"
Link agreed repeatedly, then grinned as he helped Emily put the badge on.
It was a delicate task, if he pricked her, it wouldn't do, so he worked very slowly, very carefully. Pinning one badge took him nearly ten minutes.
By the time he finished, Emily's ears were red all the way to the tips, and her breathing had grown faintly quicker.
Link smirked and teased her for a bit longer before they both headed toward the compartments for the younger students.
The badges they had just pinned on were actually Hogwarts Prefect badges, marking Link as Hufflepuff's new Prefect and Emily as Slytherin's.
Prefect appointments generally began in fifth year. During the summer between fourth and fifth year, each house's professors selected suitable candidates, one boy and one girl as Prefects.
The previous Prefects also kept their positions, working with the student council to help professors manage the students.
It was a relatively complete system of student self-governance, relieving much of Hogwarts' administrative pressure caused by its small number of professors.
Of course, many people also treated it as a game of power struggle. Every year during Prefect and student council elections, countless laughable dramas played out.
And the very first task of a new Prefect was to maintain order among the students on the Hogwarts Express.
This was also a test, if the Prefect lacked ability or authority, no one would respect them.
Take Percy, for example. His very first assignment had gone terribly, thanks to George and Fred's pranks, leaving him unable to raise his head ever since.
Such a thing would never happen with Link and Emily. Both were standouts in their houses. Not just among their own year or younger students, even many upper years treated them with respect.
Thus, Link's patrol went very smoothly. The moment he stood in the compartment doorway with his Prefect badge on, the young Hufflepuffs who had been chattering noisily about the Quidditch World Cup immediately fell silent, looking at him with wary eyes.
The other Hufflepuff Prefect this year was a girl named Kelly, a white girl with brown hair, a face full of freckles, and braces on her teeth.
She wasn't pretty, but she studied extremely hard, rare in Hufflepuff.
Though she was a Prefect like Link, she acted no different from any other ordinary Hufflepuff student.
The moment she met Link, she practically turned into his shadow, head lowered, silent, and extremely nervous.
Seeing she was overly tense, Link eventually sent her back to her own year's compartment to rest.
That thrilled Kelly so much she fled like a rabbit.
Link shook his head with a wry smile, when a familiar voice rang out.
"Link! Congratulations on becoming Prefect!"
Cedric pushed the door open and stepped in, giving Link a big hug.
On his chest, too, gleamed a Prefect badge.
"Looks like you're doing just fine," he said, noticing the silence around them. Scratching his head sheepishly, he added, "I was going to help you out, but I guess that's not needed anymore."
"No! Of course I need your help! Patrolling alone is boring, come chat with me!"
Link said with a broad smile to Cedric.
Even without using Legilimency, he could feel Cedric's pure goodwill toward him.
Hearing this, Cedric made no move to return to his own Prefect compartment, instead staying with Link as they laughed and chatted, heading together toward the next carriage.
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