Not long after sunset, a large group of men and women dressed in formal robes walked out of the Hufflepuff common room and headed toward the Great Hall.
Link and Cedric were chatting and laughing at the very front of the line.
Their pace wasn't fast, but none of the Hufflepuffs behind them dared to overtake them. Some even deliberately slowed down their own steps.
Only after arriving at the Entrance Hall did everyone finally scatter apart.
Those who had already met up with their dance partners stayed behind in the hall, waiting for the doors of the Great Hall to open promptly after eight o'clock.
The others, who hadn't yet met their partners, hurried impatiently toward the various house common rooms where their partners were.
Link was one of them.
However, unlike other places, there actually weren't that many people waiting outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
This had a lot to do with Slytherin's proud traditions.
The Slytherin girls generally didn't think much of boys from other houses.
They thought those boys' bloodlines weren't noble enough, their families weren't prestigious enough, and their talents weren't outstanding enough.
As a result, the boys currently standing outside the Slytherin common room with Link, though small in number, were all elites of their own houses, or even the entire British wizarding world.
Yet the moment these elites laid eyes on Link, they instantly dropped the airs of being elites.
One by one, they forced smiles and deliberately came over to chat with Link.
Their intentions were actually quite simple.
Link had already become a rising new star in the British wizarding aristocracy.
Everyone was certain that with Link's talent, once he inherited the Flamel family, he was bound to achieve a great career.
If they didn't grab his thigh now, it would soon be too late.
What's more, Link was already the ceiling-level star figure among the younger generation in noble circles.
Coming over to get their faces remembered by Link now would also give them more bragging material in the future.
"I'm friends with Link!"
If they could say that in their little social gatherings, that was absolutely the most face-giving line of all.
So, understanding this, Link remained relatively gentle with them. But even so, the faint aloofness that slipped through him still instinctively made those people maintain a respectful posture.
This meaningless chatting dragged on for more than an hour before the doors of the Slytherin common room finally opened.
And leading the way out was Emily.
Her hair, which had finally grown long, was now styled into an elegant bun at the back of her head.
She wore a lady's evening gown made of the exact same material, in the exact same color scheme, and crafted by the same tailor as Link's outfit.
Most importantly, the accessories paired with this gown, like Link's, were engraved with the crest of the Flamel family.
As for the crest of the Victoria family, it was squeezed pitifully onto a tiny pendant.
This hidden little detail was in fact a declaration to everyone in the noble circles about her relationship with Link.
As for the bumpkins and ordinary folk who had never studied heraldry, they would simply think those designs looked pretty, completely unable to grasp the deep meaning hidden within.
The gown was very proper, even conservative.
Apart from her fair neck and wrists, barely any skin was revealed.
Its cut was not the kind that was tightly tailored to highlight perfect body curves either.
Yet even so, this gown still couldn't conceal Emily's beauty.
In fact, with the gown and her makeup enhancing her, Emily at this moment was not only stunning beyond words, but carried an added air of authority, giving people an urge to bow before her.
This wasn't an exaggeration.
Because the very instant Emily appeared, the gentlemen standing beside Link truly did bow instinctively.
It was just a pity that their display of respect didn't attract Emily's attention in the slightest.
Her gaze never once strayed from Link.
She came to Link's side with a serious expression, and very naturally linked arms with him.
"You look truly beautiful today."
Link leaned in close to Emily's ear and whispered with a smile.
At his words, Emily didn't reply aloud. But the faint blush and the hint of a smile breaking through her serious face gave Link the perfect answer.
He laughed twice, then led Emily toward the Entrance Hall.
Many others followed Emily out of the Slytherin common room as well.
Neither Link nor Emily paid them any mind.
But these people automatically took Link and Emily as their leaders, falling in line behind them.
This scene was almost identical to when Link had come out of the Hufflepuff common room earlier.
The only difference was that the Slytherin group was quieter, more orderly, and also more joyful and proud.
Yes, the Slytherins not only didn't reject Link as the "leader" walking at the very front of their group, but were even secretly delighted by it.
Slytherins were, in fact, a very special group.
Each one of them was proud, unwilling to live beneath others.
Yet in their hearts, they longed deeply for an absolute strong leader who could lead them to accomplish some earth-shaking, extraordinary feat.
This kind of romantic fantasy unique to young Slytherins was a bad habit left behind by the two Dark Lords, Voldemort and Grindelwald.
The problem was, Slytherin House hadn't produced a truly overwhelming leader in many years.
Emily could barely count as half of one.
But the Victoria family she came from really wasn't strong. And Emily herself, while talented, wasn't top-tier within Hogwarts.
So the clever Slytherins had cast their eyes on Link.
Link was truly the most suitable candidate for leader of Slytherin.
He possessed unmatched strength at Hogwarts and an illustrious family lineage.
And those things on him that would be seen as severe stains in the eyes of other houses were, in the eyes of Slytherins, instead shining points.
For example, the dark wizard family background and Parseltongue.
To other houses, especially Gryffindor, these were basically the very sources of evil.
But to Slytherins, this was the perfect model of pure Slytherin blood.
So what if he came from a dark wizard family?
In Slytherin, those without such a background were the real odd ones!
And so what if he was a Parselmouth?
Parseltongue was the symbol of the founder's bloodline in Slytherin, a supremely noble existence.
Therefore, after Link slew that dragon, many Slytherins were stirred.
They began dropping all sorts of hints toward Link.
At the same time, rumors spread, claiming that the only reason a born-and-bred Slytherin like Link had been placed in Hufflepuff in the first place was because Dumbledore had deliberately suppressed him.
They did all this in hopes that Link would transfer into Slytherin and become their leader.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, Link had no intention of transferring.
Disappointed, they comforted themselves instead.
Since Link was going to marry their current "house tyrant" Emily anyway, then Link could at least count as half a Slytherin.
And that was good enough.
So yes, they still adored Link.
Of course, not all Slytherins liked Link.
Draco was a typical example.
In his heart, he only felt boundless fear of Link.
This wasn't just because of the torment Link had put him through in past years.
More importantly, it was because Link had killed that Hungarian Horntail.
After all, Draco's nickname since childhood had been "Little Dragon."
His favorite creatures were dragons.
Many times, he even fantasized that he himself was a dragon, soaring freely through the skies, lording over all who disobeyed.
So naturally, when Link fought that Hungarian Horntail, Draco had substituted himself into the dragon's perspective.
It was a nightmare.
That dazzling blade Link unleashed at the end felt exactly like it was cleaving into his own neck, splitting open his flesh, shattering his bones…
Even now, this hellish nightmare still returned to Draco in his dreams from time to time, leaving him so shaken that he had even developed a fear of sleep itself.
At this moment, Draco too was among the Slytherin group trailing behind Link. His partner Pansy, wearing a flamboyant and revealing gown, held her head high with an air of arrogance.
But Draco's eyes never left Link's broad back in front of him. His eyes were filled with fear, and his body trembled nonstop.
Link knew nothing of this.
Or rather, even if he did know, he wouldn't care.
Right now, his every thought was on Emily. He held her arm and walked straight into the Entrance Hall.
"Champions, over here please!"
The moment Link's group arrived in the hall, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out on cue.
The crowd packed in front of the Entrance Hall immediately opened up a broad path, allowing Link and Emily to pass through the people and walk to Professor McGonagall's side, who wore a red tartan robe.
At the same time, four other such paths had opened in the crowd.
Once the paths closed again, all the champions and their partners had gathered.
Because Hermione had rejected him, Krum's partner was Daphne Greengrass, a blonde, blue-eyed beauty from the once-glorious but now-declining Greengrass family.
This partner was actually chosen by Karkaroff for Krum.
Karkaroff was very satisfied with Daphne. He felt that although Krum was talented, his bloodline wasn't noble enough, so he needed a marriage with such a fallen noble to improve his offspring's blood.
But Krum clearly didn't think that way.
He had no affection for Daphne at all, and just stood there constantly distracted, like a puppet.
Fleur's situation wasn't much better.
After rejecting countless suitors, she finally accepted the invitation of Ravenclaw Quidditch captain Roger Davies.
Everyone knew Fleur's decision was nothing more than a perfunctory gesture to get through the ball.
Only Davies himself thought otherwise.
The moment he succeeded, he was so thrilled it was like winning the lottery. He rushed around boasting to everyone.
Link thought he must have been completely bewitched by Fleur's charm magic.
And indeed, that was the case, just looking at his expression now, with eyes only for Fleur, ignoring everything else, even Professor McGonagall calling him. It was obvious.
Harry's situation was even worse.
He didn't like Parvati, and from the moment they appeared he had been sulking.
Combined with his shabby and ill-fitting dress robes, he looked no different from one of Hogwarts' listless ghosts.
Coincidentally, Parvati didn't like him either.
The only reason she agreed to Harry's invitation was out of vanity.
After all, being the partner of a champion sounded so grand.
The one she actually seemed to fancy was Link, since nearly the whole time she was batting her eyes at him, completely ignoring Emily, whose gaze had already turned ice-cold.
Looking at the four champions and their various partners, each with different expressions, Professor McGonagall sighed deeply.
She had them wait aside until all the other students had entered the Great Hall and taken their seats. Then she led them in pairs, walking into the hall under the applause and cheers of the crowd, heading toward the judges' table.
For tonight's ball, the Great Hall had been completely transformed.
Its walls glittered with silver frost, and its ceiling reflected a starry night sky, with bunches of mistletoe and ivy garlands hanging down.
The long rough house tables representing the four houses had disappeared.
In their place were many small tables lit by lanterns.
Neither Link nor Emily showed the slightest discomfort at this grand and solemn scene.
What's more, Link had been the highest scorer in the first task.
So it was only natural that Link and Emily led the champions' line and were the first to sit at the judges' table.
Dumbledore's eyes kept drifting between Link and Harry, his smile very broad.
Karkaroff smiled even more exaggeratedly than Dumbledore.
He thought he had found Krum a good match.
The other judges, all in their finest dress, sat in their seats beaming as they welcomed Link and the other champions.
The only discordant detail was that old Barty Crouch didn't appear.
Instead, it was Percy Weasley who attended in his place.
Today, he wore a brand-new navy-blue robe, looking smug and self-important.
But this smug air vanished the instant the judges finished their first round of greetings.
Replaced by a face full of flattery.
"Link, you look marvelous!"
Percy leaned close to Link and whispered.
His wording was a little odd.
He used honorifics with Link, but addressed him by his given name rather than surname.
As if trying to show intimacy, yet still somewhat afraid.
"You look good too."
Link replied perfunctorily, though his eyes swept over Percy.
He didn't understand why old Barty hadn't shown up.
Percy clearly guessed what Link was thinking. Respectfully, he said, "Mr. Crouch has many family matters, and his health is unwell. So he promoted me to his personal assistant and appointed me to attend the ball in his stead."
"Personal assistant? So you already got an office at the Ministry under Mr. Crouch's wing before even graduating? Impressive."
Link's words hit Percy's soft spot. Hearing them, Percy mouthed humble words, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help lifting, and his eyes were brimming with ambition and pride.
Link laughed as well, very pleased.
Because he had discovered that Percy, the most unusual child of the Weasley family, had finally revealed the form Link remembered, the form of a beast of power and ambition.
And that, was very good.
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