After a long opening speech of thanks that looked colorful and flowery on the surface but was actually pale and hollow, Umbridge finally paused for a moment.
This allowed quite a few people who had been dozing off to wake up a little.
After a full night's sleep, their stomachs were already growling with hunger.
At this moment, they were impatiently hoping for the ceremony to end so they could finally eat.
However, to everyone's disappointment, after that brief pause, Umbridge continued speaking, "Throughout Hogwarts' history, every Headmaster who has borne the heavy responsibility of managing this venerable school has carried out innovations, and that is entirely appropriate."
"Because without progress, we stagnate, and with stagnation comes decline. But at the same time, pursuing progress for progress's own sake is absolutely not something that should be encouraged."
"For example, what the previous Headmaster, Dumbledore, did at Hogwarts."
"Over the past day, many people have asked me what exactly happened that led to someone as highly respected as Dumbledore being wanted by the Ministry of Magic, and even forcing him, under desperate circumstances, to abuse the Ministry's trust in him to temporarily flee Hogwarts."
"To be honest, I didn't want to talk about it."
"Because it is simply too shameful! It disgraces all of Hogwarts, and even the entire magical community of Britain!"
"But for the sake of social stability, and so that we may learn from this in the future, I must uncover this wound here today!"
"Dumbledore, our former Headmaster..."
"During his tenure, not only did he embezzle public funds allocated by the Board of Governors for the operation of Hogwarts, he also deliberately abused his power to establish an illegal organization at Hogwarts known as the D.A. Army, Dumbledore's Army, in an attempt to overthrow the Ministry of Magic."
"And take note, his source of soldiers was none other than the students of this school!"
"This behavior is disgraceful!"
"And I, Dolores Jane Umbridge, will eradicate this phenomenon completely!"
"The first step begins with disciplining those bewitched members of Dumbledore's Army!"
When Umbridge finished speaking, with the enthusiastic efforts of the Inquisitorial Squad acting as plants, the applause from the hall could only be described as thunderous.
It was worth noting that there were even some ordinary students cheering and clapping.
This fully proved that even Dumbledore couldn't make everyone like him.
Fortunately, more students remained silent.
They simply couldn't believe what Umbridge was saying.
That wasn't just because of their trust in Dumbledore, it was also because Umbridge herself was not someone they trusted.
With a light wave of her hand, more than a dozen D.A. Army members who had been intercepted by the Inquisitorial Squad two nights earlier were escorted into the Great Hall.
They entered through the main doors, were marched in a full circle around the crowd, and only then brought to the front of the podium.
This route was undoubtedly a severe blow to the dignity of those D.A. members.
Faced with looks of contempt or pity from the surrounding crowd, most of the captured D.A. members lowered their heads. Their thinly clothed bodies trembled, whether from cold or from shame, no one could tell.
Only a handful stubbornly held their heads high, glaring angrily at Umbridge.
But Umbridge seemed utterly unconcerned by all of this.
She smiled as her gaze swept over every face below the stage, each wearing a different expression, while her heart bloomed with joy.
Discontent was normal at this stage.
What came next would be different.
Although she had already stated clearly that these people would be severely punished, after the D.A. members finished reciting their self-criticisms, she would announce the lifting of corporal punishment for most of them, leaving only the stubborn hardliners to take the whip.
In this way, the D.A. members who avoided punishment would be split from those hardliners who were punished.
And once a split formed, submission would only be a matter of time.
Moreover, D.A. members who submitted through this process often became even more loyal than regular Inquisitorial Squad members.
Because they had nowhere else to go.
After dealing with this group of D.A. members, Umbridge also planned to announce a day off from classes, followed by the rollout of "happy education reform," throwing out a pile of nonsense meant to persuade parents, things like cultivating interests and hobbies, fostering independent personalities, and the like.
Umbridge believed that after all this, smiling faces in the audience would grow to an overwhelming majority.
She could almost see the entire school cheering around her.
This made the smile on her face grow even brighter.
But just as she was about to speak and order the D.A. members to begin reciting their self-criticisms, a disturbance broke out in the crowd below.
Umbridge focused her eyes, and realized it was Link Flamel again.
Link calmly stood up and walked toward the captured D.A. members in front of the podium.
And with his movement, almost the entire Hufflepuff table rose to their feet.
Immediately after that came the Gryffindor table. Led by George and Fred, a large group of students stood up all at once.
Then came Slytherin, led by Emily.
And Ravenclaw as well…
In just a moment, nearly half the students in the Great Hall were on their feet.
They followed behind Link of their own accord and gathered together in front of the podium.
This sight terrified the Inquisitorial Squad members responsible for maintaining order.
They didn't dare directly block such a massive group, and could only retreat again and again, shrinking back as they formed a line in front of Umbridge.
The captured D.A. members who had been hanging their heads now all lifted their faces.
Watching Link lead a vast crowd to stand before them, the tears they had been holding back for so long finally spilled over.
They believed that Link and the others had come to save them.
And that was indeed the case.
After stopping, Link didn't waste a single word. He simply gave a small wave of his arm, and the ropes binding their hands automatically fell away.
Immediately afterward, more D.A. members surged forward, comforting them and checking their bodies.
"You've all worked hard," Link said solemnly, his expression heavy.
At his words, the quiet sobbing of the captured D.A. members finally turned into loud, uncontrollable crying.
One girl even tried to throw herself into Link's arms, but Emily, who had been standing guard beside him the whole time, stopped her.
However, that level of restraint was clearly not enough to suppress emotions that had already burst through the floodgates.
Unable to reach Link, she instead threw herself into the arms of another boy who looked completely stunned, and cried bitterly.
Over the past two days and nights, they hadn't suffered much physical punishment, but mentally, they had been deeply traumatized.
Such prolonged psychological pressure was more than even ordinary adults could bear, let alone students like them.
This touching scene stirred empathy among the onlookers, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the Great Hall dropped several degrees.
At that moment, Umbridge, finally recovering from her initial shock, roared, "Link Flamel! Are you trying to start a rebellion? Get back immediately!"
Her shout drew everyone's attention. In an instant, countless angry gazes fell upon her.
The Inquisitorial Squad members surrounding Umbridge were miserable.
Especially those who had previously been set up by Draco.
They finally understood why Draco had acted so stupidly.
It turned out their leader, Umbridge, was like this.
This really was a case of "what the top favors, the bottom follows."
As for Umbridge herself, being glared at by so many students finally made her realize something was wrong.
At first, she had only been angry because Link disrupted her planned rhythm. But judging by the current situation, the number of people on his side, this was on the verge of a violent clash.
If that really happened, Link wouldn't come out unscathed.
But as for her, forget carrying out her original plan, she herself would probably be jointly petitioned out of office by furious parents.
After thinking for a moment, Umbridge took a deep breath and decisively turned to shout at Professor McGonagall and the others at the staff table, "What are you waiting for? Can't you see the students are in complete chaos? Hurry up and come down to maintain order!"
At her words, the students below began to grow uneasy.
After all, the only one they opposed was Umbridge. Toward the other professors at Hogwarts, most of them still felt respect, one could even say affection.
If those professors stepped forward to help Umbridge persuade them, they truly wouldn't know what to do.
That was exactly what Umbridge was hoping for.
She likely believed that for the sake of Hogwarts' stability, the professors wouldn't want bloodshed either.
Unfortunately, Umbridge underestimated the professors' determination to resist her.
Led by Professor McGonagall, the heads of the four houses gathered together and discussed for only a short while before reaching a decision.
They naturally wouldn't stand by and watch bloodshed occur at Hogwarts.
But they also wouldn't interfere with the students' resistance against Umbridge.
Because that, too, aligned with their hopes.
As long as things didn't develop to an irreparable point, they would not step in.
And so, under the despairing gaze of Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad, the professors faced this bold student uprising and all remained silent like stone statues, some even began trimming their fingernails.
Now the students laughed.
Led by veterans like George and Fred, they began to repeatedly push against the Inquisitorial Squad.
First came verbal abuse, then it escalated into shoving.
But just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, and Umbridge was considering whether to retreat, Link raised his wand.
BOOM!
A sharp explosion rang out from the tip of Link's wand.
The excited crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes turning toward him.
The professors at the staff table were both shocked and relieved by this sight.
Shocked that Link held such immense prestige among the students, just a single signal was enough to calm the surging crowd.
Relieved because this student leader still understood that things couldn't be allowed to completely spiral out of control.
Next, it would depend on what move Link planned to use.
After all, these protests alone weren't enough to bring Umbridge down.
And Link did not disappoint them.
He slowly lowered his wand and said calmly, "Dear students, professors, and officials from the Ministry of Magic, you all know who I am, don't you? My name is Link Flamel."
"I am also a recipient of the Merlin Order, Second and Third Class! Champion of the Goblet of Fire! The sole heir of the Flamel family! Hufflepuff Prefect! The only board member of Hogwarts! Supreme Director of Beckman International Magical Group…"
Just listing his long string of titles took Link a full five minutes.
This might have been awkward in his previous life's homeland, but there was no denying that in Britain, whether among Muggles or wizards, this kind of thing worked.
No one interrupted him during his introduction.
In fact, as more and more titles came out of his mouth, even the Inquisitorial Squad around Umbridge and the professors at the staff table began looking at him differently.
As for the ordinary students gathered around Link, every single one of them stared wide-eyed, faces full of awe.
They already knew Link was impressive, someone who had earned many honors.
But they truly hadn't realized he was impressive to this extent.
Titles like the Order of Merlin and sole heir of the Flamel family felt too distant to them to feel real.
But Champion of the Goblet of Fire, that was something they had witnessed with their own eyes.
It was an honor that all of Hogwarts, and even the entire British magical world, took pride in.
"Link! Long live Link!"
"Link rules!"
"Link Flamel is our king!"
———
After a brief silence, the students' excited cheers instantly echoed throughout the Great Hall.
The volume was several times louder than during Umbridge's speech.
Most remarkable of all, when Link gently pressed his hand downward, the entire hall immediately quieted again.
Link said calmly, "Today, I'm standing here not to show off how dazzling my honors are, but to expose the shameless crimes of our new Headmistress, Umbridge!"
"Ha! My crimes? I don't recall ever committing any crimes! I warn you..."
As expected, Umbridge immediately began to protest and issue threats.
But at this moment, aside from a small number of her die-hard Inquisitorial Squad loyalists, no one was willing to pay her any attention.
Link, in particular, continued speaking as if he hadn't heard her at all, "Everyone should know this, right? During the first half of this school year, I invested in the creation of the M.O.M.H.L. factory."
"The original purpose of this factory was that after I began studying N.E.W.T.-level courses, I realized many students simply couldn't afford the high extra practice fees for some classes."
"So I wanted to use this opportunity to help students earn a bit more income and live a little more comfortably."
"Up to now, I believe many of you have already benefited from the M.O.M.H.L. factory, haven't you?"
As soon as he said this, people around him began nodding and voicing their agreement.
Especially people like Ron, thinking back to the changes in their lives after the M.O.M.H.L. factory appeared, were so moved they were nearly in tears.
What the M.O.M.H.L. factory brought wasn't just income.
It was dignity, the dignity of being human.
Something they had never felt during their years of poverty.