Chapter 376: Wrecking the Gathering
"So many people," Harry said, and it was the most honest reaction he could manage.
It was true. When the Kingdom of Order had only just been founded, who would have imagined that one day so many people would want to join them?
"Percy, you're actually here?" Ron stared at his brother, disbelief written all over his face.
"I… I'm just having a look," Percy said, but the faint red creeping up his ears and cheeks gave him away.
"Just having a look, are you?" Fred popped up from nowhere.
"Or are you here on the school's behalf, sniffing around for information about our organisation?" George stepped out from the other side.
"What are you talking about?" Percy snapped, his face twisting with indignation.
"Everyone knows you're obsessed with status," Fred said. "You're a prefect. You'd join us?"
"The Kingdom of Order is a Hogwarts group. If I want to join, I'll join," Percy shot back, glaring at his brothers.
"Joining us won't be easy," George said at last. "Better try hard, yeah? Wouldn't want you to get eliminated."
Percy's face went crimson with fury.
Ron did not say anything else. He only patted Percy's shoulder, then turned and walked away.
Not far off, Cedric had indeed brought quite a few Hufflepuff students with him.
Dudley recognised some of them, but most were complete strangers, the sort he had never exchanged a single word with.
Ravenclaw had not turned out in the numbers Dudley expected.
After all, they did not have a clear figurehead like Cedric to rally them.
As for Gryffindor, it was almost ridiculous.
Dudley could see nearly half the House, perhaps even more.
Among the third-years, only a tiny handful had not come. Almost everyone else was there.
Fewer older students showed up, because they were about to graduate and a group like this mattered less to them.
Even so, plenty still came to lend support.
Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, was among them.
His world normally began and ended with Quidditch, so seeing him here left even Harry stunned.
"Hello, everyone," Dudley said first, greeting the room.
At once, the chatter died. Every face turned towards him.
An invisible pressure seemed to radiate from Dudley, and everyone instinctively listened for every word.
He stood like an unquestioned leader. Once he spoke, it felt as though only his voice was permitted to remain.
"I'm very glad you've come to attend the Kingdom of Order's gathering," Dudley said, calm and unhurried.
"But as an organisation, the Kingdom of Order has its own conditions and requirements."
"First, you are not to leak any of the organisation's secrets to outsiders."
"Second, you are to obey my orders and my rules."
"And the purpose of our organisation is to bring a new order to the wizarding world."
Dudley's clear voice echoed through the classroom.
Everyone could hear it distinctly, and they could feel the authority woven through its cadence.
Without realising it, they began to look at him with admiration, even a kind of reverence.
"Why should we obey your orders and rules?"
A discordant voice cut in. Faces shifted at once, and the whole room looked towards the back.
At the rear door, more than a dozen students filed in, all of them from Slytherin.
At the front were several seventh-years, and behind them stood Malfoy with his two lackeys.
"Flint," Wood said, stepping forward, "this is a Kingdom of Order gathering. If you don't want to follow the rules here, you can leave. There's no need to shout."
"Heh." Flint's eyes swept past Wood and landed on Dudley.
"You posted a notice in the Great Hall," Flint said. "That means anyone who saw it can come, doesn't it?"
"Dudley Dursley," Flint went on, voice dripping contempt, "don't think that little bit of mystifying rubbish of yours can fool people into becoming your followers. Do you really think everyone's stupid?"
"You lot, get out," Hermione snapped, drawing her wand and pointing it at them. "You're not welcome here."
"Oh?" Another Slytherin sneered. "The Mudblood thinks she can talk back to us?"
"Stupefy!" Ron fired without hesitation.
A red beam shot out, streaking towards the Slytherin who had spoken.
Bang.
In the next instant, the Slytherin casually flicked his wand and dispelled Ron's spell with ease.
"Don't embarrass yourself with that sort of magic," he said.
"Little redhead," Flint added with a cold laugh, "crawl back to the Weasleys."
The atmosphere in the room soured instantly.
Many students pulled out their wands, pointing them at the Slytherins.
"Aww, how terrifying," Flint said, putting on a mocking look of fear. "What is this, then? Bullying Slytherin because we came with fewer people?"
"Don't listen to them," Hermione said tightly, her face dark with anger. "They're here to cause trouble."
Even after being called a Mudblood, Hermione had not lost her head.
She knew exactly what they were doing. If a real clash broke out, the Kingdom of Order could be shut down.
A student organisation could be dissolved at any time, and several of these Slytherin students had families with influence on the Board of Governors.
They could interfere in Hogwarts matters whenever they pleased, especially now that Dumbledore's authority had weakened.
And today, it was obvious they had not come to join the Kingdom of Order at all. They had come to wreck the gathering.
On one hand, they wanted to ruin the meeting.
On the other hand, if a serious conflict erupted, they could use it as leverage to disband the Kingdom of Order, or even get Dudley and the others punished.
If Slytherin could not have it, then no one else should. That was their logic.
"Shut up, Mudblood," Flint said coldly. "You're not qualified to speak here."
The Slytherins behind him let out a loud, derisive laugh.
Suddenly, a dazzling flash of light appeared out of nowhere and shot straight at Flint.
No one knew where the spell had come from or who had cast it.
They only saw it appear without warning, leaving no time to defend.
Bang.
The spell slammed into an invisible barrier around Flint, exploding into broad, transparent ripples.
"Looks like a defensive charm cast in advance," Harry said.